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Heh, I wasn't being entirely serious!
I also remember being in awe of old ladies riding about on Dutch-style shopping bikes with about 5 psi in the tyres with snow pelting down in sub zero temperatures whilst my own bike was specced out with studs and lobster mitts.
More generally, I found it really tough just going from being quite an introverted person in my own country to being high on the extroverted scale for Sweden, and even when going to things like fixed-gear orientated stuff people were majorly awkward. Still met some great folk (mostly Swedes who'd lived abroad for extended periods) but don't think I could handle it long-term.
Anyway, one of my favourite rides involved a dude turning up on his 650b hub-geared go anywhere with two panniers, blasting along on the tarmac trying to keep up with the skinny tyres, then busting out not just his foldable chair, flask and accessories when we took a rest, but enough furniture and coffee for everyone else on the ride. Truly epic.
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There are loads of distractions but you got to actively try much harder here. Social interactions are far more limited in the sense that people are a bit more reserved and introverted. As I see it, over time, people demanding their own space turned their lives into their personal micro-prison that's hard to break out of. Self set boundaries evolved into monstrous unspoken rules. I've read more than once that you didn't have a great time here, which is a shame as most of the people I hang out with are respectful and kind-hearted. I'm a foreigner over here and it's noway near to what I've been used to in my life but was lucky enough to hook up with the right people.
This helps the bike hunt for sure. Absolutely has a direct effect on peoples behavior too.
Lulz. There is literally nothing more done here other than the exception of spiked tires for a few months. Shitty weather is just... shitty weather. I met 2 people that got Rohloff hubs on their bikes but they are gonna bike from Alaska to Argentina, nothing to do with the climate here. The functional hype of a bike with mudgaurds and hydros is worldwide.
I think this is the main reason actually, in combination with living in a region where 'style-points' & fashion matters a lot to many people.