TLDR; Old schooler on fancy dad bike

I currently use my bike for recreational riding. My previous living arrangement was at the top of a steep hill, then up three flights of narrow stairs is thankfully a thing of the past. I can now go for a ride without much fuss.

Generally I ride the cycle paths with my kids, but am looking to do some light gravel tours with or without them in the future. Currently, I ride a newer Surly Bridge Club that has front and rear racks which helps carry snacks, jackets, tools, and 4 different sized replacement tubes! It's the ultimate 'dad' bike that can outpace the kids while also carrying a ton of needless stuff.

I'm also looking to build up/repair a used hardtail mountain bike for my wife and fix up my old mountain bike for an around town grocery getter I don't need to worry about being stolen.

Previously, I rode a 1985 Schwinn High Sierra Mountain bike. (Back when power-sliding turns on fire roads while wearing jeans was the norm!) Broke the frame on that in the early 90's. Rode a discarded random 3 speed with a bent frame for a few years, a 1962 Schwinn American for a few more, then a Novara Hartail, and a few prototype (Haro, Elsworth, & Cannondale mountain bikes) somewhere around Y2K working/touring/promoting BIKE magazine.

I've had a few other random bikes and generally missed riding as part of my daily life the last ten years due to an injury/recovery/stairs from hell. I'm working to reintegrate cycling into my life - while encouraging the kids - without breaking myself. Lol. A bad back, kids, and heavy traffic full of people driving their phones - not their cars - keeps me from getting out on the road like I did when I was younger. My back keeps my off the gnarly trails, so gravel and bike paths are where it's at for me. The freedom of the wind and the wheels leads wherever you roll!

Glad to find this community here. I am normally a lurker, but I'm glad to participate and help build something better for the cycling community as a whole.