When did you realise you'd gone from Beginner to Obsessive?

[Hip Priest]

This is intended as a fun thread, to warn beginners of the pitfalls ahead! Feel free to post as many examples as you like.

For me, it was when I was choosing some lager in the off-licence, and decided to spend extra for Stella Artois because it's Belgian, like Eddy Merckx.

 

[snorri]

When my dad realised I could balance on my own and without telling me let go of my bicycle seat to allow me to cycle on unaided.

 

[derrick]

Never wanted to go to Italy, but i do know,

 

[Bicycle]

I'm not obsessive. Why do you all have to keep calling me an obsessive?

It makes perfect sense for me to have that number of bicycles. God, you people are all the same!

You don't understand. You Never Understand!!

All those redundant stems in the workshop are just there because I went through several options before choosing my ideal geometry. And they fit different bar diameters. It's normal. Lots of people have that many spare parts. I don't need to do this...

The box of unused, assorted tyres is entirely necessary. If you loved bicycles, I mean really loved bicycles, you wouldn't even have to ask.

 

[Garz]

When the wife started saying "what's this?" holding something that I purchased but either forgot about or got on offer to use at a later date.

 

[Dave 123]

When I started to hide new kit from the missus...

 

[doog]

About up here with a tent on my lonesome....and a 700 mile bike ride home ....this obsession is a bitch!

 

[gbb]

When i sat on my balcony at the hotel in Crete and watched a bunch of roadies go by...never taking my eye off them.
The wife said 'i remember when you used to look at women like that'

 

[2Loose]

When asked if I'd get another motorbike and I replied 'Why?'

 

[Monsieur Remings]

When I started going out at 8pm on a winter's evening to cover 40 miles over Cheddar Gorge in the pitch black (with a light from China).

My recent lubrications of all things cyclo-commerce tells me I'm obsessive. I've even memorised the 16 digits on my debit card. Internet buying is an obsession in its own right though and January sales are only a partial excuse (but one that suffices).

I also bite my nails as I check the weather for my forthcoming days off...

 

[Part time cyclist]

When I sat on the balcony on my holiday looking up into the hills thinking god I wish I had my bike so I could go and ride up and down them hills... Then actually going out on my run in the morning looking for a decent cycle hire shop ...... Doh!

 

[Moodyman]

For me it was when I stopped viewing my weekly cleaning/maintenance regime as a chore and started to find it therapeutic.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I throughly enjoy that hour on a Sunday evening alone in my garage, cleaning my commuting bike, oiling her chain and giving her a once over.

In fact, I have an annoyance to reveal. My main commuter has hub gears and hydraulic discs brakes. She wears full mudguards. She's such low maintenace, that my maintenace hour only last 5 mins puping up the tyres. Tyres that don't actually need pumping up from the weekend before because Schwalbe tubes hold their air so well.

So I've started commuting on my derailleur bike so that I can have a proper mainteance session.

 

[Muddyfox]

When i bought a touring bike and panniers and all the associated camping kit

and im still buying stuff

 

[Kiwiavenger]

When I've almost hit the car in front after watching a lovely bianchi or orbea go past! Also n+1 got me looking at mountain bikes while waiting for my allez to be put together!

 

[IT_Dummy]

When a passing cyclist smiled and said "why don't you treat yourself to a pump and some oil"
I used to ride on a BSO with flattish tyres and boy, did it sqeak"
So I treated myself to a decent bike. I now clean/oil it every week