It was helpful to place a hold on this, as short as it was and ponder the point of it all. I have concluded that although comments are fun to get, and it's easy to be seduced into writing to elicit comments, or feel that you have missed the mark somehow absent comments. That's probably a valid way to handle a blog if that's your cup of tea. I don't think that's my cup of tea, however. It feels kind of like pandering to the masses, and I am not much of panderer. It was good to figure that out, and come to accept that lack of comments does not mean failure.
One of the themes that emerged during the public comment period was "thoughtful". That resonated with me. For better or worse, I think that by nature, I am a ruminator (hell, I even reflect on the purpose of this blog, for Pete's sake). Having an outlet for those musings is helpful to me. My spouse has commented before that this blog provides an outlet for my inner curmudgeon. Absent this space, my curmudgeonly opinions might leak out elsewhere.
It was interesting to find out that some readers actually value the perspective of another cyclist, despite the fact that I am a best a journeyman cyclist; a semi-serious commuter aspiring to bigger rides and greater mechanical competence. There's no way I could do an "expert" blog, but I do give a damn about advocacy, quality of life and justice. Seeing that there is some value to others in that combination is sort of a pleasant surprise.
Given my interests, this site will probably continue to largely be a "bike blog" but I am going to continue to delve into non-cycling subjects whenever I feel the need. If I lose a few readers as a result, that's just fine with me. I am not going to spin off a second blog in an effort to "keep this one pure" or anything because I don't need the hassle of managing editorial content, and this is for me as much or more than for the readers.
That said, I do appreciate that I actually have a few readers, so I'll try and keep the wit and quality up there.
After all this is the internet, and we have certain standards to uphold here.
I think it's fine to mix topics as much as you want. Ultimately, I read because I like your personality, not because you're so damn knowledgeable about anything in particular. In the past when you've written about other topics, I've never thought, "Hey, WTF? This is supposed to be a bike blog!" It's obviously your blog, so you're free to post as many pictures of cyclists flipping people off as you want.
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