Ok, I’m hooked

I recently relocated to a new state for work, and finally in a reasonable area and distance to bike to work. Previously, I had been riding the same 1984 Schwinn World Sport road bike I used to be strapped into a child seat on while my dad rode with me down the LA river. It was hard to ever consider another bike, especially after he passed, but that bike was not built to commute through ice and snow.

My friend convinced me to go with a gravel bike over a hybrid or commuter. He said he believed it fit me and the sorts of things I like to do, plus having been on a road bike previously, I would prefer the stance. And the groupset would be a major upgrade to my riding experience from my old downtube shifters.

So, yesterday the weather was "nice" (35°f but no precipitation and low winds) and I thought it would be a great day to see what this bike was capable of. Plotted out a 20 mile loop with mixed ground (paved, gravel, dirt, mud, ice, shallow water). Now, uphill through icy mud is not what I would call easy riding. But so much fun. I never would have cared to hike those distances through those conditions to see the sights I was able to get to on this bike. I'm absolutely hooked.