I am a bit of both. I have a lot of bikes and Rivs. When I was younger and 
only had one bike, it was a full Campagnolo, Reynolds 531 Schwinn Paramount 
P-15 (still have it). I didn't always own shoes back then, but I had my 
Paramount, I rode it everywhere, to school (college), work, 120 miles back 
and forth between Daytona Beach and Gainesville, everywhere. It has been 
repainted once (by me, in the 80's) and is scratched and chipped, but no 
dings and the chain and gears are clean. I used the F&R Kirtland panniers 
and handlebar bag until and past when they had holes in them. I am very 
careful with my bikes and try never to let them get damaged, but I do use 
them, but due to the number of bikes (down to 25 total, 12 Rivs) none of 
them sees much use anymore. I am kind of afraid of kickstands outdoors 
sometimes, because I have had bikes blow over (my wife's Betty Foy most 
recently) and damage the seat and grips, but that is life. I don't like it, 
but I don't loose sleep over it after it has happened. The bike that has 
seen the most use this year is the Mystery Bike / Protoveloosa single speed 
and it is, I am ashamed to say, dirty (lots of riding on the dirt/limestone 
levees). I grew up riding in Daytona Beach, and if you did not maintain 
your bike, it would rust away. A lot of what people call beausage, I would 
call abuse. I have not owned or used a bike rack on a car since my rooftop 
bike rack took flight on the Interstate in Iowa with the Paramount back in 
1980. I put the bike inside the vehicle now (three cheers for the Honda 
Element and the Honda Fit).

I respect a well-used, but well-maintained bike. The chain and chainrings 
and cogs should be reasonably clean. I touch up paint chips with matching 
(as close as I can get) paint. I don't put stickers on my paint. 

Laing
Delray Beach FL

On Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 6:15:18 PM UTC-4 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! 
wrote:

> Did you read Grant’s Blahg? He covers a lot of ground, but most notable to 
> me was the Please Don’t Be Precious About Your Rivendell section. In sum, 
> Grant is saying it saddens him to think of people riding beater bikes 
> instead of their Rivendells to do daily, monotonous tasks - because those 
> tasks make up a lot of real life. If one “saves” their Rivendell, it will 
> not realize its potential, sit mostly unused and then pass to one’s heirs 
> who will sell it in “near mint” condition on EBay, and how sad. What was 
> the bike for?
>
> I have found myself both guilty and innocent on the matter. My #1 favorite 
> bike is my raspberry Platypus. I ride it all the time, because I bought it 
> to ride it, but I also dread any harm coming to it, and I do guard it from 
> that. I got a second Platypus that I dedicated to shopping and traveling 
> with and promised not to be precious about it. But now and then I still am 
> tempted to backslide. When traveling to the Philly Bike Expo I dithered 
> about which bike to bring. I didn’t want my raspberry Platy damaged while 
> locked up at racks and I feared it being stolen. Roberta said, “I don’t 
> think you have a choice, Leah. That’s the bike people will expect you to 
> bring.” And she was right, and I did. 
>
> Then, there is Pam. Pam is at the other far end of the spectrum. Her bike 
> is a model of beausage. Innumerable paint chips and little spots of rust 
> cover her tiny Betty frame. Her Backabike bags are full of holes and the 
> elastic closures are worn out. She locks it up and never worries about it. 
> She did not obsessively stare out the restaurant window to see if it was 
> still locked to the rack while we were at dinner (like yours truly). But 
> she loves her bike, has real affection for it. She looked at me, eyes 
> shining, and said exactly that. Ana, PurpleRiv, is another good example to 
> us. She adores her bike, but has not spared it from hard work. Her bike has 
> hauled obscene loads and taken her everywhere. I remember there was that 
> one fateful camping trip for she 1. Posed it for a photo, only to have it 
> topple and slide down the face of a boulder next to it. I believe she said 
> she sat there and wept for 2 hours over her Joe Bell paint. And who among 
> us would not do the same? 2. Same trip, another photo op, and the bike fell 
> off a cliff. 
>
> So, who truly loves their Rivendell? The one who lavishes it with care and 
> protection? Or the one who pulls it out of the garage and into all of life 
> - the mundane and the adventurous? 
>
> On one end of the spectrum we have those who will only take a Rivendell 
> out for special occasions so as not to spoil it, and on the other…well, we 
> have Pam and Ana, who will give it a good thrashing. (Oh, don’t take it 
> personally, friends, I’m being funny about both types of owners.)
>
> I find myself wanting to be precious but fighting it and succeeding *most* 
> of the time. I’m lucky that the raspberry paint hides beausage and dirt, so 
> it looks pretty new. But a dent in the top tube or a large chip in the 
> paint would really hurt my feelings. Heaven help me. 
>
> Where are you on the spectrum? What words of wisdom might you have? What 
> strategies do you employ? Do you want to change? Or are you 
> unapologetically staying put on the matter? It might be fun to hear 
> perspectives.
> Leah
>
>
>
>

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