The Idea of Mountain Biking
What will it look like in 2024?
A light mist fell as I pulled away from the house, but by the time I arrived at the trailhead, the sky was dry. It was a simple ride of a couple hours, linking up dirty segments of trails with nicer, buffed ones via the dirt roads. A series of figure eights, was how I described my route to a fellow trail user once.
It wasn’t a mundane ride, but it also wasn’t one that left me feeling like I had a memorable experience. It was one of those rides we go on because it’s what we do, gets us out of the house, increases our heart rates, keeps our health in check, is time spent outside/in nature, like most of the riding we do. It was a passing of time.
It was mountain biking, something to do, like stamp collecting and pickle ball.
Decades of pedaling means that not every ride has been a thrill. However, when I slowed down enough to really eye-ball a ledge/drop, the very thought of rolling and hucking it spiced my blood a little. While I knew there was no way I’d ever do it, the idea of it put a smile on my face.
Isn’t that it? Long ago, people had the idea of riding bikes on mountain trails and roads. We credit that to being an “American” invention, but the reality is that people have been riding bikes in/over/through mountains on various pathways around the world for as long as bikes have been available. The idea of it becoming what it has become as a form of mainstream recreation and sport was not envisioned.
As we turn to 2024, and as the mountain biking industry is awash in surplus bikes and there exists the fuzzy grey area of e-bike access, we should ask ourselves what the “idea” of mountain biking looks like and what it will look like at the end of the year.
To support independent writing about mountain biking and indie beer, as well as receive discounts to MTB-related businesses and breweries, use this link to get the $10.20/year subscription price. You’ll receive upwards of 75 newsletters in your email inbox throughout 2024, bringing it to about 14 cents for each email/musing/post:
https://mtbeer.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=0fd4133e
While “Mountain Biking” has changed over the years, the reason I ride has not. Like you mentioned, not every ride is epic, and that’s just fine with me. I look forward to what changes will come and embracing the ones that suit me. The pleasure I get from being out in nature and one with my bike, regardless of what it looks like, will not change.
I ride my bike on trails because I enjoy it. I don't compete, ride for speed, or stress it. I want to improve my skills so I can ride rockier trails, but I don't see myself trying a downhill trail or even ones built up with a lot of wooden skinnies or jumps, unless they are designed to safely improve my skills before I tackle a ridge or trail with actual rock jumps. For me the fun is being outside on the trail. Getting there a little more quickly than hiking, and stopping to see the sights.