So it's been a while.
I have not been on here for like, over a year in any meaningful way. There's a lot of reasons for that. Mostly, it's because life has happened and I've just not had the time, energy or inclination to post on here. I also haven't been riding very much, for reasons that will become clear as you keep reading. And finally, it's because I've been really thinking hard about what being on the internet means, and what I get out of it versus what it gets out of me.
Let me explain.
Housing Woes
First of all, in autumn 2024 we got the email that all renters dread. Our landlord needed to move back into the apartment, and that meant we had to find another place to live. Our landlord was great about it, I have no issues with what went down, and often say hi to him when I see him at the brewery or at shows, but it also meant we had to go into housing survival mode for a bit.
Around the same time, the inlaws moved to the community, and we helped them with settling in and getting used to the place. What ended up happening is that we bought ourselves a townhouse, and have been here for the past year and a bit.
I'm stoked, because it means that finally, our housing is in our own hands and we can decide when it's time to move on. Also, our housing costs are going to be stable until our mortgage renewal comes around, which after four years of evictions and rental instability is still incomprehensible. We also have a (small) yard and a garage, which is great for a multiple-bike-owning couple. New house means projects, added stressors and upkeep, which also means less time for bikes.
But that's nothing compared to the next distraction from riding.
Enter Cowboy
This little>big dude is the main reason I haven't been riding much. We got Cowboy about a year ago, after seeing a social post about an accidental litter of puppies out on a farm nearby. We went out to "just take a look" and ended up putting a deposit down on this boy. A few weeks later, he came home with us and immediately became the most important thing in our lives.
Cowboy is a Golden Retriever, Bernese Mountain Dog mix with some German shepherd and assorted other stuff thrown in. He's the friendliest, chillest and happiest boy, and we are absolutely over the moon about him.
However, he took up basically all of our time last summer, and I just couldn't get out on the bike as much as I'd like to. That being said, he's a great shop and garage dog, loves being outside and I'm sure will love going on bike rides once his recall gets a bit better.
Enshittification
Finally, the least concrete, but or most abstract reason for my absence. I am so goddamn tired of how the internet works, and how I use it. I am so exhausted of being addicted to social media apps where I don't even see the people I choose to follow. I am tired of constantly being advertised to. I am tired of not being in control of my data. I am tired of trying to serve some algorithm that is designed to not get my content to people. I am tired of the word "content." I am just tired, boss. The internet sucks now.
I have an unhealthy relationship with Instagram, so I deleted the app from my phone, blocked the url on my mobile browser, and have "forgotten" my passwords on my computer. I do have the @dirtbag.cycles account logged in on my laptop, so can post there if I need to, but I am forcing myself to dramatically cut back on my presence there. Besides, Zuckerberg is one of the worst people on the planet and I'm tired of tacitly supporting him.
I also tried Youtube for a bit, and it turns out I really don't like editing video. I don't like the sound of my voice, and even taking videos isn't that fun for me. It's not floating the boat, so I'm not into it. I figured that might be the case when I started, and was proven right. That, and it's just another algorithm designed to force men down an alt-right pipeline, so fuck that, I'm out. I still watch videos, but am working on that too.
The enshittification of Strava has also kind of turned me off of it. I can't remember the last time I uploaded there, but that's fine. I do remember there was a time where I could ride a bike without documenting it in great detail and stressing about how it would be "received" by an audience.
We don't need more "content" in our lives, so I'm not going to make it anymore.
What I am going to do
I am still going to use this website. I am still going to write and photograph the bikes I build, the repairs I take on, the rides I go on and more. But I'm not going to do it for content's sake. I'm going to do it for me.
I'm not done with Ramblers either, but I don't know if I'm going to do one this year. I'm not interested in supporting Spotify's pro AI/ICE/Israel/etc. campaigns either, so future Ramblers might not have bangin' playlists. Unless, of course, I figure out a way to do that without using the service. I just don't know if I have it in me, but am open to the idea.
I'm going to keep this as my corner of the internet that I control, and I'm going to do it for me. Think of it like an old-school blog from the advent of the internet, just with fewer weird gifs and better web design.
I have a few bike builds lined up for this summer/fall, which I’ll be documenting pretty extensively. They’re really cool projects and I hope people like them. I’ll also be opening my books for bike repairs soon. Finally, there will be a few bike rides in the future that could warrant some photos, but who knows. Then maybe a Rambler?
So here's to the ride, hope you'll still join me.