If we're sharing our bike histories...
I always loved bikes, both riding them and working on them. I started working in a bike shop in the 1980s as a teenager. I've always been mechanically inclined and taught myself to build wheels so it was a great job for me. The job spanned everything from resurrecting cheap old abused neglected customer bikes to building custom bikes and wheelsets for local racers.
Around that time I got serious about cycling, mostly longer rides 50-100 miles. My first "real" bike was a Vitus 979 with Campy super record that I bought used just before college. I built new wheels for it (bladed spokes, Mavic G40 clinchers) and it served me well for several years riding with my university's cycling team.
After college I got into mountain biking. Super fun though I still enjoy road biking too.
Later I got a tandem to ride with my wife, and occasionally with friends. Tandems are more than twice as fun and we've put thousands of miles on that bike.
I bike about 100-200 miles per week across various bikes and enjoy doing ultra endurance rides like
La Ruta,
WRIAD, and the
OTGG. Not for race or time, but just for the personal challenge of completing them.
I keep my bikes about like one would expect from a lifetime mechanic. Before each ride, my pre-ride inspection is simple: ensure wheels are secure, check tire pressures and brakes. I maintain everything else on a schedule based on miles & calendar. I clean the drivetrain once a month (road bike) or on condition (mountain bike). A clean drivetrain lasts longer and is more efficient. Brakes, bearings, etc. as needed.