What ever happened to jumping on a bike and high tailing it on tracks. Marketing thats what. Marketing has destroyed so many sports, wind surfing - the days of a board and a sail wrapped round a mast and a boom are long gone. Boards for wave riding, jumping, slalom, free ride, racing. Sails for high wind etc short clew, long clew and you know we fell for it. Yup its going to make all the difference to your sailing - it destroyed it. Lined up on the shore are 20 boards masts and sails belonging to three sailors! Not 20. The cost to be good has become prohibitive, the ritual extreme, it takes so long now you have to go for the whole day! Weekend! You don't spend more rtime on the water but less - enough on wind suurfing. Mountain biking is going the same way, hard core, jump, x country, free ride, all mountain, BMX.... Full susser, hard tail - doon't debate which is best have both! Camelbaks, breathable tops, wind proof tights, NiCad rechargable batteries, Oakley glasses, led rear lights. Save weight makes all the difference five minutes into any decent ride your carrying 2lbs of mud!
The truth is I've been seduced again by the elusive enhancement to my biking - I don't spend any longer riding butI've got to keep up with me mates... and so do they.
Don't get me wrong I do enjoy the rituals of riding, sking and wind surfing but I also hanker for the simplicity and instant gratification of the early days of learning all of the sports.
However I'm not fooled - this is commercialism, marketing to the destruction of the sport. The economic cycle will take mountain biking up the curve and back down as only the rich can afford the good bikes. I suspect we're on the way down.
"What ever happened to jumping on a bike and high tailing it on tracks."
thats all well and good, but doing some sort of preparation for a night ride seem reasonably sensible.
come summertime when the evening are light fair enough, camelbak, helmet and out the door. but in winter most of us can relate to the article because it's sensible...
When I wrote the article, I was kinda trying to balance MY ritual vs MY reward. I don't think winter nightriding across any distance (this ride is nearly 25 miles) and mostly off road is ever going to escape the need for some gear, some preparation and some post ride activity.
Interesting points though, the gratification is getting more instant as the days get warmer !
Dave, superb article that I think will hit home for each one of us who perservered with rides all the way through the winter. I managed at least one & sometimes two night rides around the Swinley Forest area pretty much all the way through winter, come rain or shine, and loved every one to bits, but I can definitely relate to the preparation aspects, except for not having someone else there to find my gloves or wash my kit ;) Weird thing is, I've missed my regular Thursday club night ride the last 3 weeks for various reasons, ironically as the weather has improved drastically.
Still, only 4 hours to go until tonight's blast :)
Ride before work in the winter and you can ditch the lights a month early! Mind you it's damn cold and not everyone likes to admit that 0600 exists let alone get up at this time.
Adam, I reckon you're forgetting that windsurfing has always been a faff.
Mountain biking is the reason I've not been windsurfing for over 2 years, and to be honest, I wish I really could be arsed to spend 30 minutes loading the car, 60minutes driving to Rutland Water, 40 minutes unloading, rigging up, and struggling into a wetsuit.
I reckon you're missing the point entirely when it comes to windsurfing. You complain about the progress in the sport, yet the biggest development that I've noticed in recent years is the 'widestyle' board. One designed for FUN, SIMPLICITY, ALL-ROUNDEDness... If you'd rather go back to the early 90's, where you had the choice of either a full-on slalom board, or a full-on waveboard, both of which were about as far from the needs of the majority of sailors as was actually possible to get... Likewise with sails, all of which had a centre of effort that moved around like a plate of jelly in an earthquake, and could only be used in a remarkably narrow wind range...
And if you'd like to go back to booms that you actually tie to the mast, WITH ROPE! then I could probably sell you one!
Marketing between the two sports is remarkably similar. When they were young, each manufacturer produced a range that didn't vary much at all. Then windsurfing split into Race/Slalom and Wave (XC and DH), then manufacturers started to wake up to the fact that most riders just like pissing about and having fun on kit that while lightweight, doesn't break, and is easy to ride and most importantly: is fun.
If you want to do it competitively, then of course manufacturers will be more than willing to sell you the flashest, lightest, fastest, most boutique kit going, but of course you don't really need all that stuff.
The increased choice means that you've got to be more careful about choosing the right kit for your needs and desires, but I'm sure you'll agree that increased choice certainly isn't a bad thing.
Jeeeez... I thought I had pre-nightride rituals to contend with!!! Military precision is what I call it. Everything has its own place ready for the off - sort of a rapid-reaction pre-ride ritual that must be prepared for the night before!!! But all that anal business is always paid off after completing the ride, and I really have started this year feeling fitter on a bike! Great article to read by the way.
Sorry, but this just makes me think I'm not so mad for sitting on my turbo trainer for hours watching TV with a nice cold drink next to me and the fan blowing. I've tried night riding in winter and mostly ended up cold and tired. Give me a turbo any day.
Now night riding in Summer...thats a different deal !
I agree with adam about marketing and branding going OTT but if you strip away everything then at its heart, cycling is a solitary activity* and that means you have your own bit of paper to doodle on without the influences of others. So if you feel the market is over-hyped then regress, buy a bike you like and just ride.
Paul You have truely missed out, I am the opposite, I was converted from Turbo to nightriding because I could not take the monotony of spinning in my garage, gobbing in a bucket and listening to the radio turned up too loud. On the other hand every single winter nightride without exception has been different, snow, rain, hail, wind, owls, badgers, deer, odd lights in the sky (planes I bet), bemused motorists, startled sheep, ..and the best ever was loud horse farts.
paul you must be very strong willed to make the most of turbo training! ive lost count of the amount of times i was gonna ride indoors but stopped really quickly.
Im lucky that Ive got the hang of dressing up adequeately for sub zero nightrides and down here in croydon there is a good nightride scene going all through the winter so there are always people to go out with
I think you have more need of the 'rituals' because you ride alone.
My winter rituals consist more of loading the car and mad driving to meet 'the lads' on time for a winter night ride.
Having other people to ride with definitely makes you more likely to go out whatever excuses are trying to stop you. And the banter makes the ride and post ride pint far more fun.
Excellent read, I have ridden some of those trails in daylight. I am always meaning to go out at night but never quite get there !. This year even got so far as making 30 Watt lamp unit up and buying heavy (very) battery. Still didn't quite make it. One excuse (poor)is the travel required to trails and a 17:30 finish at work. Ah well, maybe next year.......
good stuff - I bet my gloves go on and off more than yours before a ride though.
PS - you didn't mention the compulsory false start - you must ride at least 100 metres from the house before returning for a forgotten piece of kit. This is mandatory.
The gloves thing - ah yes - all about getting over excited isn't it ? Like schoolboys playing football, hmmm ?
You want to get your gloves cos that's when you're know you're going. It's like a dog getting it's lead. Anyone with half a brain would know there's no point putting your gloves on until you're sat on the bike, with the pedal in the "cocked" position.
Doesn't seem to change anything though.
On the turbo trainer front, I've been using one over the winter - for say 45-60 mins a time, a couple of times a week and I've found it easier, less tedious and more beneficial to fitness and technique than I'd expected.
Best example on technique - had trouble clipping in when out the other day and ended up doing a short technical section with one leg pedalling. Couldn't have done that before. Think pedalling smoothness is starting to show up in better climbing on loose services also.
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