DownhillWebKook
l'homme plus
I'll say it again...
...I think we need some fresh tactics. Bikers go tip-toeing around trying to be nice and polite, but I just don't think that's going to work.
Again, I will cite skateboarding as a prime example. Skateboarders were hated starting from about the late 80's to the late 90's. Of course, that was when I was doing it most. Every single spot worth riding was totally illegal and the consequences were steep: increasing fines and/or confiscation of your gear.
Somehow, we're here in the 2000's and Tony Hawk is a household name and skateboards are fashion accessories. You're a kook if you DON'T have one. AAAAND, there are skateparks--good ones--in every freakin' city! How on earth did that happen?
I have a guess:
First, the skateboarding culture was prepared to say "f**k you" and actually stand by it. That meant sneaking into spots, building your own secret spots, running if necessary, but most importantly being persistent--just never giving up. If the city put an obstacle up, we'd use it. If they put up signs, we'd take them down. If we got our stuff taken, we'd just get more.
Second, many people worked to make skateboarding both a lifestyle and a form of entertainment. Thus it became economically viable: you could have events that attract tons of people, the participants have cool style so they can be used to market clothes and shoes, and other crazy stuff. This is a difficult proposition for mountain biking especially with the factions of DH, XC, FR, and whatever else is out there working against each other...and wearing spandex.
We need to be thinking in terms of a broader set of stakeholders. We f**k up the trails, period. So any arguments related to our work as conservationists is tenuous at best. We need to create a broader market that consumes the products of the mountain biking culture. This, of course, starts with developing cool products. The manufacturers and the shops certainly have a stake and so do we.
Let's start by building a pervasive network of ladders and bridges in PV. All of us will rebuild them if they get torn down. We'll be relentless. The movement will get so much press that others will be inspired and follow suit. Eventually, the network will span the entire country and we can ride skinnies to any point in the continental United States.
Get your hammers and your saws. Start building! Go go go!!!
...I think we need some fresh tactics. Bikers go tip-toeing around trying to be nice and polite, but I just don't think that's going to work.
Again, I will cite skateboarding as a prime example. Skateboarders were hated starting from about the late 80's to the late 90's. Of course, that was when I was doing it most. Every single spot worth riding was totally illegal and the consequences were steep: increasing fines and/or confiscation of your gear.
Somehow, we're here in the 2000's and Tony Hawk is a household name and skateboards are fashion accessories. You're a kook if you DON'T have one. AAAAND, there are skateparks--good ones--in every freakin' city! How on earth did that happen?
I have a guess:
First, the skateboarding culture was prepared to say "f**k you" and actually stand by it. That meant sneaking into spots, building your own secret spots, running if necessary, but most importantly being persistent--just never giving up. If the city put an obstacle up, we'd use it. If they put up signs, we'd take them down. If we got our stuff taken, we'd just get more.
Second, many people worked to make skateboarding both a lifestyle and a form of entertainment. Thus it became economically viable: you could have events that attract tons of people, the participants have cool style so they can be used to market clothes and shoes, and other crazy stuff. This is a difficult proposition for mountain biking especially with the factions of DH, XC, FR, and whatever else is out there working against each other...and wearing spandex.
We need to be thinking in terms of a broader set of stakeholders. We f**k up the trails, period. So any arguments related to our work as conservationists is tenuous at best. We need to create a broader market that consumes the products of the mountain biking culture. This, of course, starts with developing cool products. The manufacturers and the shops certainly have a stake and so do we.
Let's start by building a pervasive network of ladders and bridges in PV. All of us will rebuild them if they get torn down. We'll be relentless. The movement will get so much press that others will be inspired and follow suit. Eventually, the network will span the entire country and we can ride skinnies to any point in the continental United States.
Get your hammers and your saws. Start building! Go go go!!!
