Advertising Is For Suckers - by Miles Farnsworth

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Advertising Is For Suckers<br>A look at influence, consumerism, and taste through the lens of cycling

Miles Farnsworth<br>Aug 17, 2026

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I read a line in a book last month that gave voice to a present predicament I’m facing. It was in The Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel (Great read - I also recommend his earlier book, The Psychology of Money).<br>Here’s the quote:<br>“The more susceptible you are to advertising, the less satisfied you are with your own life. You’re desperate for someone to tell you what you should like because you haven’t yet figured it out for yourself.”<br>Oof.<br>This month’s article is about advertising, consumerism, taste and cycling. Why cycling? It’s fertile ground for this kind of discussion, a sport saturated with brands, all vying for your attention and ready to sell you as much as your ambitions will allow you to buy. And I am the perfect target, a cyclist with a mild obsession, love of gear, and a bit of disposable income. As the Morgan Housel quote suggests, I haven’t figured out for myself what kind of cyclist I want to be. Here I am, tossed about on the rough seas of influence.<br>In the paragraphs that follow, I’ll try to sort through this conundrum. While it does get a little cycling heavy, perhaps you too can recognize a similar susceptibility within yourself to certain advertising or influencers that tells you how to dress, how to pursue a hobby, how to parent your children, etc. The principle is the same.<br>Back to cycling. Here’s what I know I love. I love the freedom to move, the ability to explore further than running or hiking would allow, the satisfaction of working up a sweat, the agony and triumph of a steep climb, the slight thrill of danger on a fast descent, the time to be with my own thoughts out in nature.<br>What remains unanswered is this: what kind of cyclist do I want to be? The world, real and online, contains plentiful models for emulation: the Tour de France, local riders, Instagram influencers, clothing brands, gravel racers, and Reddit communities, each offering a different approach to cycling. You can declare yourself a certain type of cyclist and adopt a moniker merely by virtue of what you ride, how you ride, where you ride, and what you wear while you ride. It’s borderline religious, this belief that one type of riding holds the true spirit of cycling in its ranks.<br>A hobbyist, such as myself, is bombarded with options. I ask myself, which of all these cycling religions is right? How shall I know? And which shall I join?<br>In the midst of this confusion, I came across Ronnie Romance.

Ronnie looks like a biblical prophet. Is he 35? 65? I don’t know. He has the shaved, tan legs of a Tour de France racer and the hair and beard of a man calling you from the wilderness. He has a message to share with cyclists everywhere.<br>Riding a bike is “an artform.” There’s a romance to it (hence his name). Riding “flushes out all the negative feelings in [your] body”. Riding is “earth-surfing”, akin to entering a “flow state.” You can hear all that, and more, in this video starring Ronnie that came out a few weeks ago, titled “The Quest For Quaint.”

Who is this guy? Is this a skit? Is Ronnie some hippie that walked out of the forest and started preaching the gospel of romantic cycling?<br>To be honest, I liked everything that came out of Ronnie’s mouth, but being the shrewd consumer that I am, I had a feeling I was being sold something.<br>I decided to investigate this Ronnie. It wasn’t hard. His digital footprint is enormous. He’s even on Strava!<br>As it turns out, Ronnie is many things. Part business owner, part influencer, Ronnie is a major voice in what’s called the “alt-biking” community.<br>Alt-biking, as the name suggests, is a reactionary movement to all forms and labels of traditional cycling disciplines. It doesn’t so much reject these other labels as it sits above them. An alt-biker is comfortable on any terrain. Their bike is so versatile, it can descend a trail, keep up on the road, pick up the groceries after work, and haul around a child, if needed.<br>Like any good religion, alt-bikers appear to have their own dogmas. Most crucially, the bike probably shouldn’t come from a major manufacturer (or if it does, it should have been made at least 30-40 years ago). It should eschew the latest technological advancements: disc brakes, hydraulics, carbon fiber frames and wheels, electronic shifting, etc. All of that just distracts from the primordial relationship between man and his machine.<br>How do you dress? You would think you could just wear whatever, and maybe you can. But I have a feeling you’d be laughed at...