>>2035225>road bike with drop bars and "racer" features, that was enthusiast spec but not absolute top end, between 5 and 10 years ago, because that would be the optimal quality to price ratioI actually agree with him about this.
If i could only have 1 bike it would just be a road bike, even if i wasn't into road cycling and just using it to get about on. It's what i encourage vaguely fit people to buy when they show an interest in cycling.
And I also dislike a lot of custom unracer builds, including ones that i've done, both for how they ride, how they look, how they no longer look, and how much they cost.
Custom projects though, are fun. Even with a build that sucks you learn a lot. Even if you waste money on parts, you enrich the used market. When you sus a custom bike that you love it's awesome to own and ride. Riding all different types of bikes is fun. Keeping nice older bikes original is not always viable or sensible. And the idea that a 5+yo road bike either should 'just be ridden', without worrying about overhauling or upgrading or modifying it, especially for fit, is absolute nonsense.
There are also specific niche use cases for bikes that are not road bikes, namely, shopping, riding gentle trails (if you're lucky to live by them) and touring. Road riding and commuting with a backpack are not the only things in life. And it's really not us vs them.
