About Me
A quick intro: I have been in love with mountain biking since before I got my first mountain bike in 91 and had my uncle take me to Walker Valley that year, since then I have been hooked and even before my shitty coaster brake bmx bike was my main outlet for fun - repeatedly bombing the same hill over and over as a kid.
Since then I have worked in bicycle shops as a mechanic, won a state championship xc race and participated in many others, recently I have been doing super long days on a cx bike linking up single track, dirt roads and road sections for epic adventures and currently I have just started riding a full suspension xc bike - which feels like a downhill bike to me, especially after riding drop bars and skinny tires (under-biking) for the last couple of years.
Overall I feel mountain biking as a whole has lost its original sense of adventure and self sufficiency and over the years there has been division of the sport.
I feel a true mountain biker loves to ride everything, downhill and cross country are not two separate things but what you get when you are actually mountain biking! As an older school - not the oldest school, xc racer - we learned to be fast going up so we could get to our favorite part the downhills quicker! And nothing compares to the days that you clear an obstacle on a challenging climb!
Social media does not promote or display what mountain biking is on the whole which can tend to paint a poor view for those ignorant of the sport (displays of over aggressive riding has closed doors in a few cases and is a violation of being in control of your bike on multi user trail systems)
We are all ambassadors of the sport and we need to gain more access and support. There are many blank areas on the Trailforks and MTB Project apps.
Also many people these days have more suspension travel than skills/ability, maybe I am just salty (I left the bike shop to commercial fish 18 years ago - if only the bicycle industry paid better) and aging but I have rode some of the same trails with horrible cantilever brakes on a rigid bike that people are riding on an endro bike these days and my real issue is that some riders don't even know how to, or carry sufficient tools and supplies to deal with mishaps.
But to be honest and not a salty jerk, if you like riding a longer travel bike on trails that I could most likely ride a road bicycle on and it makes you happy - that is all that matters and do not listen to my awful ego trip. Mountain biking is about fun and riding trails is about sharing and community. Disclaimer - I suck at medium to large jumps, drops, etc. If I can keep my wheels close to the ground I can ride with some decent riders but as soon as it becomes air time I suck.
Luckily on the trail I am the friendliest guy and carry more than most so that I may be of help to others. Often the extra shit in your camelbak is not for you but to help others....... how many people have a decent first aid kit and space blanket, or went to wilderness survival school............
