New place. New look. New direction?

I know what you’re thinking…this looks a little different, and wow, a new post…maybe I should let John know that his site has been hacked. Well, thanks for noticing and for your concern! I did make some changes here, and this is actually me, not some guy or gal at a Russian troll farm. Anyway, what’s up?!? It’s been a while. Crazy that we’re rolling into the end of 2018…what a year! I don’t know about you, but 2018 was really a wild ride for me. Things happened on my end that made me take a few steps back and reevaluate just about everything. I don’t want to bore you with the details, but I feel I need to address my business and my online presence. Sometimes it takes getting blindsided to knock you out of the groove that you’ve been in for a while.

For year’s I’ve felt that I didn’t entirely run with the cycling industry crowd. I never felt that my life is/was defined by a bicycle or a bike mechanic. It’s been a while since I have sought out some form of validation from this industry….hence the name RogueMechanic. Some of the more significant issues revolve around entitlement mentalities, low standards, and general apathy. Some of these are systemic, and others are less so. Instead of making a stink, I decided to not “contribute” to the infinitesimal amount of online content and just put my head down and do what I do…pour everything that I have into doing the best mechanical work that I can to whatever bike is hanging in my stand at the moment. I intend to continue to do that but on a smaller or more focused scale.

One thing that I want to make crystal clear. I am so grateful and humbled by all of the business that I have received over the years. It sounds so cliche and superficial, but I genuinely appreciate all of you who have given me a chance to earn your trust. This being said, for the time being, I am not going anywhere, but I will be narrowing my focus. Stay tuned for more details.

For several years, I haven’t done much here online. One reason is that just about all of the cycling-related sites have mostly the same content. Another pic of a component or some other part that wasn’t installed properly…boring. I didn’t want to contribute to that. I wanted to bring something different…This can be harder than it sounds, but I haven’t been one to back down when things get a little challenging. Let’s see what happens.

Recently I’ve been drawn to the more “organic” aspect of stuff. Think more analog instead of digital…there’s more than 1’s and 0’s. I also question the realism of randomness. I tend to gravitate towards things of historical significance and doing to work to vet the truth. Unfortunately, this is a pre-requirement now more than ever.

Let’s see where this goes. I intend to walk the edge. I’m going to post content that might push some buttons and ruffle some feathers, but that’s ok. These posts will be my opinions, and I’m sure that some folks will disagree…and that’s cool. It’s ok to have differing opinions. I think that it makes life more interesting. We need more love and less hate. Let’s do this. -John