Forums, Blogs, and Magazines: I read a lot of forums, blogs, and magazines about mountain biking. I do this especially this time of year due to the season. I totally agree with Team Dicky on (0ff). Depression sets in when the season is over and the time changes. Most of us are active people and we get real grumpy when we become inactive, which may be the reason I am stepping up on this soap box. Unfortunately our obsession is with new technology or what rig is the best and why, instead of what really matters. This time of year is our Christmas, we have lots of new things to look at with new promises and we start dreaming like a bunch of prepubescent children. I am not sure if this is an American attitude or just human nature. We feel the need to “keep up with the Jones”, or we buy into the promise that this will make us a better mountain biker.
The fact is we need to step back and reflect. This time of year we are depressed not because we don’t have the latest fork/shock technology, or that a 29’er is better than a 26’er. We are depressed because we can not ride as much as we would like. There is not as much competition to participate in. Our soul is not being fed and we are getting hungry.
Cycling is an addictive drug. A fellow rider once compared it to Crack Cocaine. Once you get a taste, you want more and more and will spend all of your money on it if you could. Drug addiction is defined as a state of periodic or chronic intoxication produced by the repeated consumption of a drug (natural or synthetic). Its characteristics include: (i) an overpowering desire or need (compulsion) to continue taking the drug and to obtain it by any means; (ii) a tendency to increase the dose; (iii) a psychic (psychological) and generally a physical dependence on the effects of the drug; and (iv) detrimental effects on the individual and on society.
Sounds pretty close to me.
Technology is a great thing and we should embrace it. After all the advertisements make our favorite magazines possible, but we should not worship it. The rides I remember best are because of location, fellowship, solitude, or suffering. The ride was never defined by my steed. Some of my most memorable rides were on my first mountain bike that cost less than $400.
In this time of need I call on you to write more about the ride and less about the tech. Blogs like the Zen Master’s aka Extreme Tomato that write about Spider Woman are the food we need. Magazines have very little to say about local trails. I am not even sure they know what a good trail consists of. I would like to see some info on favorite local trails. Write ups on bike trips and vacations. Inspire me to go somewhere and experience something new. It is not about what you ride it is about how you ride. Are you an ambassador or a bike snob? How many people did you introduce to your drug addiction this year? How many times did you stop during a ride to be thankful for the resources you have? How many times this year did you ride by yourself and remember why you started riding in the first place. This is a wonderful sport, not because of the equipment you have, but because of the experiences you have. We all have different ways of getting there, the important thing is that we are going.
On that note, I can not wait to get to Paul’s to check out the latest Fisher.