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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Truth (Read 4594 times)
NC Kingsting
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Veni Vidi Vici

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Re: Truth
Reply #20 - 12/22/19 at 3:25pm
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TRUTH....  Now there’s a topic to put a bit of NoX into slow holiday weekend. The reality is that truth is a very objective concept. Dependent upon ones perspective, the same event, accurately reported by both sides will be different. We just have different starting points from which we draw conclusions from. 

That having been said, here are some FACTS that I have observed over several decades of riding a variety of cycling discliplines. 

1). Since 1990 when I first started trail riding the amount of trail available for folks to ride has grown has exploded. We have an incredible amount and diversity of trail avable to ride today.  The concept of diverse types of trails from XC / flow, to shuttled DH, to jump lines just didn’t exist when the sport started. The best you could hope for back in the day was deer trail and jumping garbage cans with a ramp made of a saw horse and 4x8 sheet of ply wood. Bottom line, we are BLESSED to be living at this point in time and we aught to get off our asses and enjoy as many of these options as we can.

2). We are not alone in noticing that off road cycling is pretty damn cool. It is incredible to see the stuff that is being done on bikes today. A couple of weeks ago I saw a bmx stunt show at half time of the Panthers game. I’ve been lucky enough to see MTB and BMX included in the Olympics.  And just this past fall the WC series came to WV.  Our sports have received an enormous amount of publicity over the past few years - well beyond anything that could have been imagined early in our sports history. However, publicity is a double edged sword. While it generates an incredible number of opportunities it comes at a price: more public acceptance of our sport yields more miles of trails, but more people on them. And as the population increases the potential for differences of opinions in what’s desirable goes up as well. Generally speaking this is a good thing as it allows the sport to evolve and continue to be relevant as time passes. The key to this is that we keep focused on our COMMON LOVE FOR RIDING BIKES OFF-ROAD. If you can keep that big picture in mind I think you will find that you have a much more enjoyable time on the trail. 

3). Finally, there will always be an imbalance between the amount of any given thing and the willingness to maintain it in good condition.  The unfortionate reality is that the Pareto rule (80/20 rule) really does exist. What surprises me as I write this is how many ways that rule can be spun when making an argument. (Trail work, trail damage, etc). What’s important, in my opinion, is not where you fall in the ratio but how you manage that reality. Can’t make a trail work day, do you sit back and do nothing or contribute another way like IT, marketing or volunteering at a race / clinic. Riding hard and case a jump causing damage to the trail, do you fix it or leave it for another to deal with?  IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY. Regardless of which side of the ratio you fall on a given question the bottom line is this:  what are YOU going to do about it?

Ultimately I think the whole conversation comes down to this: CHARACTER. This is defined as the mental and moral characteristics of an individual.  I’d like to challenge all of us to try and remember how lucky we are and frame our actions and responses around that knowledge as we work and play together in 2020. Here’s to hoping that we are able to be a little closer to applying that principal 80% of the time we spend together.
Cheers,
Jeff


« Last Edit: 12/22/19 at 3:25pm by NC Kingsting »  
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JustinCeez
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Re: Truth
Reply #21 - 12/22/19 at 5:15pm
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It's just natural evolution whether you like it or not. InTheBush is spot on
  
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IntheBush
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Re: Truth
Reply #22 - 12/23/19 at 1:40am
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drdirt55
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Stupid should be painful

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Re: Truth
Reply #23 - 12/23/19 at 4:22am
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The Cycle Path wrote on 12/20/19 at 7:29pm:

I disagree. I think there should be a variety of difficulty in our trail system.  I'm still trying to find a way to make people cry on their bikes at Fisher Farm!!   Grin Grin

Truth if there ever was😂. Keep Fisher rough
  

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Impaler 58
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Re: Truth
Reply #24 - 12/23/19 at 11:11am
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When I used to ride Fisher, I thought at the time it was fairly easy. Then over time it started getting harder, sort of a natural flow. And if you keep riding it, you will advance with the flow. There was a trail that opened a couple years ago that, because the designer didn't want to go with the trend in flow. Made the trail technically difficult. So now you have a trail that nobody rides, the parking lot is always empty. It's in an area where people were praying for trail that they could hit during their lunch hour, or a quick ride. I was hoping that if there was a flow trail thirty miles away, then there should be trail that's the same nearby. Get the folks on it, then add your nasty bits. I've noticed that a easy trail that opened not too long ago is getting a ton of riders, and seeing by their bikes. It seems like they should be riding at Fisher farm and like trails. And folks seem to be doing their own maintenance in attempt to make the trail even easier. In the long run it doesn't matter. I'm coming up on a week that I will be enjoying many days off. And it's raining 🤔🎅🙁
  
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IntheBush
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Re: Truth
Reply #25 - 12/23/19 at 2:50pm
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Easy trails a problem?

Single speed, steel, rigid (review the photo at the left for an example)..

Side benefit, cheaper and easier to maintain as well.

Interesting to note, you don't see many of these bikes for sale down at your LBS.   
Sort of like small cars or small houses in the U.S. 
Just not much profit in them, your hero on TV doesn't ride one (because his sponsor aint into that old fashioned s.it), you wont set any records on strava, and they wont impress your friends when they see you pushing it.  Smiley
« Last Edit: 12/23/19 at 10:36pm by IntheBush »  

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TrillWill
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Re: Truth
Reply #26 - 12/23/19 at 3:05pm
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Truth, a 5 year old hit the step up at Cedar Valley

  

Ride boards, ride bikes, ride life #shredeverything
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Impaler 58
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Re: Truth
Reply #27 - 12/24/19 at 10:20am
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TrillWill wrote on 12/23/19 at 3:05pm:
Truth, a 5 year old hit the step up at Cedar Valley


Your gonna need good health insurance for that kid 😂
  
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sager
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Re: Truth
Reply #28 - 12/24/19 at 4:55pm
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That article seemed kind of convoluted to me.  Is the issue trail damage and cheater lines?  Or is it with people who choose to ride fast?  Racing is part and parcel of mountain biking.  It's something most of us either do or have tried at some point.  Yes if the issue was about safety and someone buzzed him then it might be a different story, but he was complaining about people who rode fast before he even got there.  If you guys agree that "trails" are an endangered species then I might be wrong, but it seems we have more and better trail options than ever before thanks to the increase in popularity.
  
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IntheBush
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Re: Truth
Reply #29 - 12/24/19 at 11:35pm
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sager wrote on 12/24/19 at 4:55pm:
That article seemed kind of convoluted to me.  Is the issue trail damage and cheater lines?  Or is it with people who choose to ride fast?  Racing is part and parcel of mountain biking.  It's something most of us either do or have tried at some point.  Yes if the issue was about safety and someone buzzed him then it might be a different story, but he was complaining about people who rode fast before he even got there.  If you guys agree that "trails" are an endangered species then I might be wrong, but it seems we have more and better trail options than ever before thanks to the increase in popularity. 


Coming soon to a trail near you?  

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Be careful what you wish for.  Smiley
« Last Edit: 12/25/19 at 12:08am by IntheBush »  

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mustbeme
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Re: Truth
Reply #30 - 01/01/20 at 7:38pm
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When I saw "dope smoke" within the first couple paragraphs I knew the author may be a bit pedantic for my taste.  Illinois is now the 11th state to legalize.  Oh and I guess he does not like music either.  Demonizing Red Bull with the crushed can remark as though that's the first time litter has aggravated this guy was annoying too and seemingly  allowed him to condemn an entire genre of athletes in wholesale fashion.
  
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btalley
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Re: Truth
Reply #31 - 01/02/20 at 3:37pm
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The Cycle Path wrote on 12/20/19 at 7:29pm:

I disagree. I think there should be a variety of difficulty in our trail system.  I'm still trying to find a way to make people cry on their bikes at Fisher Farm!!   Grin Grin

This explains a lot...

It's nice to see you around Bush!  Nothings changed I see.  You're still that old angry weird single speeder from the looks of it.  I take it you drive only retro cars on dirt roads and live in retro house and eat retro food and date retro men?  Asking for a friend who is also retro...
« Last Edit: 01/02/20 at 3:41pm by btalley »  

Everyone needs at least one boat! 

Talley's Pier 77 Marine
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IntheBush
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Re: Truth
Reply #32 - 01/02/20 at 10:53pm
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My old friend talley..

Cool

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808golden
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More beer, please!

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Re: Truth
Reply #33 - 01/03/20 at 3:13pm
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Nice reverse heckle with the "Squatch" vid there. Not as good as the Talley original, but nice effort.
  
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JokerSC
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Re: Truth
Reply #34 - 01/04/20 at 4:57pm
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I think what he is saying is that so many more people enjoying the same thing he enjoys has taken some of the enjoyment away for him. : )

I get that to a degree. The trails are more crowed, thats just a fact, but you cant put the genie back in the bottle



  

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