I've just got back into cycling after some evil b*****d stole my Mercian tourer a few years back. I didn't learn to drive until I was 25, and used to cycle some 20 miles a day, and the Mercian was bespoke built and rode like a dream. Used to be fit as a butcher's dog as a result, with legs like condoms full of walnuts.
Now I'm back int he saddle again maybe I can get my arse to stop looking like a bin-bag full of cottage cheese. I still can't quite get used to the chunky tyres and multiplicity of gears on modern bikes, though. The brakes, however, are infinitely better these days!