fighting the cold war

I really can't complain, it hasn't been that bad, not as bad as the last two years.  That doesn't mean that i feel great about winter.  i can't stand winter.  the gray skies, the cold...the COLD....that is what gets me most.

even with gear and layering and more wool than a flock of sheep, it still gets to me, and it brings me down.  not just when i'm on the bike, but all the time.

i went for a brief ride today, had to road ride because of the wet, even though it hasn't rained in two days.   i don't know how people who live in rainy places cope.   i would turn into Jack Nicholson from the Shining.   there was enough cold in the air to make it overall unpleasant.  it was a struggle.  so many people ride to train, and are always training, and love to push themselves and fight.  i ride for fun, because i love to ride.  i still ride in shitty weather, i ride no matter what, but i don't enjoy it as much as when the weather is nice.   no matter how many rule #9 rides i do, i don't feel like a badass and i don't feel like i accomplished anything afterward.

*that was cool, as i sit here, feet freezing, typing, i just got a text saying the dirt is awesome.   looks like tomorrow is gonna be a great, if not cold, day.

anyway,  every year i go through this.  i should just move to Phoenix so i'll be warm all the time. my consolation, the thing i have going for me..... I only have about two and a half weeks left, then i will be down in Arizona, soaking up sunshine and riding red dirt among the pink jeeps and overweight tourists smoking.   we are gonna have a kick ass time, as we always do.

all i have to remember is....it doesn't last too long.  when i get back, it will only be a few more weeks until it warms up and i am back to shorts and short sleeves.

then, in about 11 months, i'll do it again.

i rode a bicycle today

Forty six years ago, some lady from New Jersey lay on a table screaming, and I fell out of her bloody vagina.   Today, i commemorated that event by riding a bicycle, i went for a road ride, because the trails were a bit sketchy with the current weather.   It would have been poetic and right if i had ridden 46 miles, but alas, i only rode 43, because that was how long the ride is.  A beautiful and scenic and fun ride, with more climbing than i would care for, but i seem to keep doing it from time to time,   Thing is, today, it was supposed to be 55 or so degrees, warm for December here in Colorado.  It was, if we were lucky, 40.  when you are screaming downhill at about 30 miles an hour, the wind chill makes it about 25.   our feet were frozen, our legs were cold, i was so cold i wasn't sure i could handle my bike, but i made it back and surprise, there was red velvet cupcakes and proseco at a post ride refresher.   pretty much the BEST RIDE EVER.

here is the thing.   i live in a world, at a time, where i can afford the luxury of RIDING A FUCKING BICYCLE FOR FUN.   i didn't have to do it, i wasn't paid to do it, with the weather as it was, i would have been better not to do it, but I (we) did.    i went and rode my bike today.  that is the apex of what i accomplished.  i didn't make the world better, i didn't help out anyone, i added nothing to society.

i rode my bike and had fun.  i recreated.  because i could.

i didn't have to work in a mine or at sea.  i didn't have to put on a suit and tie and go to board meetings (that accomplish nothing really).  i didn't have to deal with an unpleasant and stressful situation.   i had to deal with cold, and muscles that weren't happy, but that's nothing really.

it's more than a hobby, it's a lifestyle.  it's what we do.  we ride bikes, talk bikes, work with bikes. there is no "biking season" for us, we ride all year long. it's just what we do.  however, it is a lifestyle i chose to live, i make a conscious decision to live this way .  i enjoy it and embrace it but i never ever forget that.....it's just riding a fucking bicycle.  for fun.  that's all it is.   i will not have power or fame or fortune, i will not drive a sexy car, get into an expensive club, or wear $200 jeans.  but i will have a pretty kickass time with friends playing, PLAYING, outside.

i am quite thankful that i can live this way.  i am thankful that i don't care to own a tv, i don't need a new or even a really nice car (bike is worth more than the car, stereotype but true), i don't need so many things many people i see feel they "need."

i am thankful i get to ride a bike and enjoy the simple (sometimes painful, self inflicted more often than not) act of seeing the world around me at 5, 10, 15, 20 miles per hour at a time.   i like to ride bikes and drink booze. i get to do both frequently.

i might die tomorrow, i might die later tonight, i might die many many years from now.  no matter what, i won't take a day for granted, and every time i get to pedal a bicycle, i will recognize it is a privilege, not a right.

i think of some quotes by Epicurus:

Not what we have But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.

and also

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

i rode a bicycle today.  i hope i can ride one tomorrow.  either way, i'm pretty content.  it all works out, one way or another.

Spark by John Twelve Hawks

just finished Spark by John Twelve Hawks.  I liked it.

i had read his whole The Traveler series and really really love it.  i am a sucker for a dystopian, rage against the machine, fuck the man kind of story, and The Traveler  was that and then some.

this book, however, was a bit different.  it still had the "we need to fight for our freedom, the banks and government are controlling us and treating us like sheep" message, but it was wrapped in a cool hitman story.

it was written well, i thought, the action moved along nicely, the story was interesting enough,

i'm not sure it was completely amazing and awesome though.  world class amazing literature?  nope.

it was fluff.  bubblegum.  and i enjoy bubblegum and fluff, so i liked it.  it had some parts that make you think, i had some parts that could make you wonder and perhaps entice you to be just a bit paranoid, but overall.....it was a good  book.  that's it.  not great, not OH MY GOD YOU GOTTA READ THIS, but very fun and enjoyable, if you like that sort of thing.

i like that sort of thing.  not sure i would recommend it to anyone though, unless they are the types of folks to have a few months of beans and rice and powdered water in their basement, and only deal in cash.

good fun story.  glad i read it.  i was entertained.

a great ride

i feel sort of like shit would feel if shit felt like it was coming down with a sickness, and not down with a sickness like Disturbed sang about.   Today the weather was cold and shitty, it was as if nature flipped the "arctic desert" switch.   it was gray and windy and it felt like a landscape i would see Conan the Barbarian riding along in to slay some Frost Giants.

so we decided to ride.   possibly not the best idea.

the thing is...even though i felt crappy, i rode really really well.  i think it was the magical bike, which i am still madly in love with.  i climbed super strong, and rode better than i have ridden in a while, all the time hacking and coughing and feeling like i am coming down with the 24 hour Ebola.

as i followed Captain Lowballs up a steep rocky hill, on his tail even though he usually drops me like 3rd grade Calculus, i had a strange thought....what if climbing is my strength?  what if i'm built to be a climber?  i fucking HATE climbing.   how ironic would that be?  my strength is something i avoid at all times and despise, yet i'm really really good at it.   i have tried countless times to trick myself into liking climbing.  I have played endless games with my mind.  i honestly thought about going to a hypnotist to hypnotize me into enjoying riding a bike uphill.  

god, what a hilarious joke on me that would be.

no matter, i will drink a hot tea with honey, lemon, and whiskey in it and go to sleep and hopefully sweat out whatever is coming on.   i hope i'm not sick, we have a shop ride next week that should be super awesome and i don't want to miss it.

i love my bike and had a great day on it despite feeling like crap.  now i sleep.

i'm in love again

i got a new bike.   i got the Ibis Mojo HD-R and i fucking love love love LOVE it.  it fits me so well, feels amazing, does everything amazing and makes me a better rider.   i had liked my Santa Cruz Solo, but i was never emotionally attached to it.   Santa Cruz sent it to me and charged my card, so i sort of "had" to have it, and i'm glad i did, it turned out to be a better bike than i expected.  i really enjoyed it and felt kind of bad after i sold it.

but at that time, i got sick of biking.  i didn't want to ride a mountain bike anymore, i was burnt out.  then i got this Mojo and holy fucking shit i love riding again.  the bike makes me want to ride.  and when i do ride, i ride better than i had before.    The Ibis makes me feel the way i felt with my Rocky Mountain Slayer.  i still love my Slayer, but this Ibis has my full attention right now.

i don't know if i just have "new bike syndrome" or if this feeling will wear off in a week or two, but right now, i'm in the honeymoon stage and i don't want to leave.  i am madly in love with my bike and with riding again.

Thank you Ibis for making a bike that was made for me.

I LOVE MY BIKE.

are product reviews worth it?

how can i trust reviews of things?  if it's a magazine or popular website, there are advertisers paying money to keep that magazine or website running.  people are often stoooopid with four Os but they aren't going to say "This topcap is the shittiest topcap we've ever seen and breaks all the time and has to be warrantied constantly" when that topcap company is buying adds.  Hence why there were no bad reviews of the Crank Bros Kronolog.  Emphasis on the LOG.

so i can read reviews by regular joes on forums or their blogs.   but does that guy know what he's talking about?  is he a guy who rides a bike two or three times a week for six months out of the year? does he know how to ride a bike and what to look for and how something should feel?  is he reviewing a 160mm bike that he only rides on fire roads and his local trail which is slightly less gnarly than a road in afghanistan (which can be pretty fucking gnarly)?   a guy says he's never had a problem with his dropper post, how many hours and under what conditions has he ridden it?

then there is confirmation bias.   how objective can someone be after they've spent a whole bunch of money on something and know they are stuck with it?

so many factors are involved in the reviewer.  is he motivated by money, or loyalty, or friendship?  let's say he is completely unbiased....then there is the knowledge and ability of the rider, the type of rider he is,

most stuff today is pretty darn good, there aren't that many crappy products out there.   i can find so many bad reviews of stuff i love and use daily.  i can find great reviews on products that i think are complete shit, or i know fail with consistency.    other than my own experience, and the guys i work with who i trust and know, whose reviews can i trust?

Mountain Biking isn't for everyone

After reading Access Action piece in Dirt Rag #167, I thought about it for quite some time. I learned from it, Mr. Maguire made some excellent points, and I realized some things I hadn't thought about before. However, I have to disagree with what I perceive was the intent of the piece, which is the defense of making easier trails. The part that really bothered me was:



On page 68, 2^nd paragraph, He says “But according to a 2010 National Sporting Goods Association survey, more than half of those people fall into the “occasional rider” category, meaning they only get out 6-24 times a year.”



Mr. Maguire then goes on to say “If we want more trails, then we need more riders. And if we want more riders, then trails, or at least new trails, need to be less about penalties for failure and more about guaranteed fun.”



These statements really bothered me, I believe this kind of thinking is incorrect and ultimately weakens and hurts the sport overall.



First off...if more than half of the people who rode last year only get out 6-24 times a year, why should they dictate and guide what our trails are like? Why should those of us who ride almost daily all year long have to ride trails meant for someone who gets out maybe once a month? Those of us who ride almost daily all year long are the ones who actually maintain and care for the trails, the stewards of the trails that the “occasional rider” come to enjoy (and sometimes ruin due to lack of skill), and you propose we cater to them?



There are no other sports, hobbies, or interests that would do that.



(want to talk about the business side of it? How much money does the occasional rider pump into the industry? Mr. “I rode my bike twenty times this year!” doesn't ride enough to need new brake pads, much less buy a new bike or upgrade what he has, but that is another conversation.)



The claim “If we want more trails, then we need more riders,” is a convincing battle cry, but is just not true, it's a logical fallacy. One is not conditional upon the other. The amount of trails are not directly proportional to the amount of riders. Also, the claim “if we want more riders, then trails, or at least new trails, need to be less about penalties for failure and more about guaranteed fun,” while sounding plausible, also just isn't true. Another logical fallacy.



I am not saying make mountain biking an elitist, locals only, closed sport. Not at all. Instead of lowering the bar and making trails super easy, and boring, to attract and accommodate people who may ride their bike ten times a year and don't really care one way or another, and have no real interest in it, what if trails were not dumbed down, and people had to rise to the challenge? Then you can weed out the “tourists,” those who dabble and don't have respect for the trails, those who ride off trails, cause damage, and sanitize trails. Then, those who truly like mountain biking will stay with it. You would then end up with a higher caliber of rider, and more people who actually care about the land and the trails, and people who will take better care of what we have.



Again, I'm not trying to be an elitist, I just don't subscribe to the entitlement attitude that seems pervasive nowadays, where everyone is entitled to everything, and it's their “right” to be allowed to do things they aren't capable of just because “they want to.” There are many things I would love to do, but I know my limits and I know I don't care enough to put the time and effort into learning to do them, so I don't, and I don't complain about standards being too high for me.



When I first started mountain biking back in 1994, I was the occasional once a week, once every other week rider, I was the guy you are trying to attract and appease. The trails were difficult for me. I fell and walked more than rode, but it was fun, it was something I wanted to do, and I kept coming back to ride and learn and improve. I didn't complain that the trails were too difficult, I got better to ride the trails. I did have friends who tried riding with me, it was too difficult for them and they didn't like biking enough to pursue, so they went on and did other things. No hard feelings on anyone's side. I know for a fact I am not the only one with that story, and now we are the ones who ride all the time and are quite active in trail access action. Imagine that, harder trails made people appreciate what they have and made a group of people who actually care about the sport.



Also, I am not saying every trail needs to be a super difficult techy “double black diamond” (as I hear the occasional rider call them, because they know the term from skiing, not cycling). We have one of the easiest and simultaneously most fun trails I have ever seen. I have seen kids on Striders riding it as well as guys on six plus inch travel bikes, and everyone enjoys it. Trails can be both fun and easy, but there is no need to make all new trails “accessible for everyone.” How does the occasional rider improve? How do they learn to huck, or do step-ups, or gap, or whatever, if they don't have the trails to learn them on? What if you put the occasional drop or obstacle on a “easy” trail? People who can't ride it can dismount, walk the six steps past it, and keep on riding. They can then either 1) learn the skills to ride it and improve and get more joy out of riding or 2) just keep walking over/around the obstacle, and know they are in a sport that requires that. If it makes them stop riding, then perhaps they were never really into mountain biking to begin with, and perhaps it's best for everyone involved.



I guess I just default to the philosophy of you have to put forth some effort to get a reward, and anything easily gained is not appreciated or worth it. That is how I feel about your sentiments towards trails and trail building. Making trails easy so they are accessible to everyone, making them easy to pander to people who wouldn't otherwise ride a mountain bike attracts and creates riders who don't appreciate the trails, take the trails for granted, and don't really care about them. How many occasional riders are doing trail maintenance, or work for trail advocacy? They ride six times a year, how invested are they really? And you are worried about scaring them off with difficult trails?



What if the easy trails are what's keeping many riders from getting into the sport? What if people want a challenge, but they ride a boring trail and it turns them off? What if a more difficult challenging trail is what would spark their interest and keep them coming back for more, much like it did me and others I know? Is there a chance you have it backward?
Do you honestly want to see hundreds of people who don't have the skills to keep their bike on a trail crowding and damaging existing trails so you can build more lackluster milquetoast trails for those hoards to ruin? I would rather see a lower number of cyclists who are skilled and who actually care about mountain biking and trails than a higher number of people who have a mountain bike and ride it sometimes. I would also rather have ten fun trails that are worth riding than fifty boring soulless trails that aren't worth one pedal stroke.
How about this - Mountain Biking ISN'T for everyone. And that is Ok, there is nothing wrong with that. People can try it, and if they don't like it, no harm, no foul. Pandering to them in hopes of getting them to like it just seems sad and pathetic. By all means, build easy fun trails for those who want and enjoy them. But build challenging fun trails, and don't be afraid to put a drop or ledge or step up or some challenging obstacle in an “easy” trail to give it spice, and add something interesting to it. Just do not make all the trails easy, and don't take a fun trail and make it “accessible” for the person who will ride it once.

Trails should be fun.  Make trails too easy and they aren't fun.  Give people more credit, build fun trails, let people rise to the challenge.