Point / Counterpoint

Fully Rigid, 11/17/22

A point/counterpoint between mountain bikers we’ll call Person 1 (P1) and Person 2 (P2) might sound something like this, the notion being that it speaks to the differences in our community:

P1: Dude, you know your tire pressure is too high, don'tcha?

P2: I squeezed 'em and they felt okay to me. Look over there, a deer!

P1: I can't believe how many people still ride with tubes.

P2: Maybe they're riding what they got. 

P1: You see that person's stack height? It's way off.

P2: That's what you're interested in while riding?

P1: I'm sick and tired of all these e-bikers on the trail. 

P2: Call it Pandora's Box, if you want. They're not going away. Breathe deep.

P1: Flats are where it's at. People need to learn how to pedal.

P2: Ever ride one cog? You ride flat and I'll ride clipped in. Who cares?

P1: Riding two-track isn't mountain biking.

P2: There's lots of two-track in the mountains that people ride, sometimes being the connector between singletrack. 

P1: Post-ride beers are part of mountain biking culture.

P2: In part, yes, you can make that argument. However, it's not for everyone. 

P1: Pump tracks and bike parks aren't mountain biking.

P2: It's a large community of riders. Ride what you like and other riders can do the same.

P1: New trails are easier to ride than old-school trails.

P2: Then ride the old-school ones, if what you're saying is that you prefer old-school trails. 

P1: New trails have to be built sustainably.

P2: Those Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration trails have been around for nearly a century. Some of those are quite technical when riding them on a mountain bike.

P1: Mountain biking was better, more real, authentic back in the day.

P2: Ever read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?

P1: We need to grow the number of riders in our organization?

P2: Not if they're disrespectful of mountain bikers that came before them and built what we all have now.

P1: Bike shops gouge customers on bike maintenance.

P2: Learn to wrench yourself.

Fully Rigid is a monthly column by James Murren about Mountain Biking Issues within the Mountain Biking Community. It’s meant to be a cranky-attitude rant.