I'm a fuel-injected suicide machine!

Brownie points to whoever can cite the movie reference in the title.

Went on a night ride at Theo with Shad and Mara last night. I'm so glad I finally have a decent, reliable light system. I intend to get full use out of it now that the first day of fall is here. It's nice to know that I can see well enough to ride just as fast at night as I can during the day.

Fall, as most would agree, is just a great time of year for riding. Crisp, cooler air, changing leaves ... what's not to love?

Of course, as group rides go conversation was in abundance, one reason I keep saying I'm going to do less group riding and more solo riding ... it often means the difference between a 3 hour ride and a 1 1/2 hour ride. Yet, I digress.

The topic of the night was technology, one of my old favorites. I've always been more pro-technology than not. Mara, on the other hand, is much more in favor of limiting technology (heck, she almost exclusively rides her SS rigid On One now). But, I think we both understand each other. Shad said he's pro-technology as long as it's not used for evil. OK, a bit needlessly metaphysical, Shad, but we'll get back to that one.

As with all significant matters, the question of technology, it's use, abuse and meaning for humanity is explored only about one level down by most. I would guess a good 80 percent of the populace really only thinks about it to the level of "I think technology is good" or "I think technology is bad." Off-road cyclists have a unique understanding of the issue, however.

You have to be more intimate with technology if you want to be good at the sport. There are the eternal debates: hard tail vs. full suspension, singlespeed vs. gears, aluminum vs. steel, 26 inch wheels vs. 29 inch wheels. Pick any physical aspect of a bike and you'll find a debate about it.

The really interesting thing, of course, is that we test all our theories every ride. A bike technology debate on the MORC forums can be one of the most informative, reasoned and practical discourses anyone will ever see. Anyone can have an opinion on something, but you can really know something when you back up or modify your opinion based on real-world testing.

In that, all of us are true practitioners of technology. We use and understand the technology of biking because it's what we work with. Because of this, few of us end up being "stuck" on a ride because we've brought tools with us to fix whatever mechanical problem we've encountered. We are empowered by our technology yet are also in control of it. We're not held captive to it.

Technological abuse is a side-effect of technological ignorance. When someone uses a tool they don't understand, that tool will be misused resulting in damage to the tool or the environment around it. If you are ignorant of your front brake accounting for 80-90 % of your braking power you'll abuse the rear brake, causing you to skid out-of-control and add needless wear and tear on the trail. If you are ignorant of how your suspension works, you'll believe your bike can "hit" anything, so your suspension will constantly bottom-out, your frame will be over-stressed and you'll risk serious injury when your head tube snaps in two.

If you are ignorant of trail design, sustainability and the whole process by which trails are built you are at the mercy of others. You are not in control.

Get involved. Be informed. Test your theories and understand your technology. Otherwise, you're stuck 15 miles from home with a flat tire and no spare tubes.

Phantom Exclusivity

"Sorry, I'm just a test rider I don't condone the trails there enough to put any manual labor into them. Beam me up scotty... aw, you're right, I probably wouldn't fit into your little club."
- Tim S on Sept 17 posting on a now-closed MORC forum thread

I've stopped being surprised when someone comes from out-of-the blue to complain about something that hasn't happened yet, won't happen and didn't even happen in the past. Take Tim here. He moseyed on into the MORC MTB discussion forums, found the heated debate on the future of the Theodore Wirth off-road cycling trails.

Tim focused in on the Brownie Lake section of the current, unofficial trails and immediately started having an argument with … well, we’re not sure whom yet. Not only did Tim spout the same ignorant garbage about how the trails are fine and aren’t eroding except for what a local retail company did, but he went on to assume that he had no say in the future of the trails.

According to him, the plans were laid down for the future of Brownie Lake and the Theo Wirth trails long ago and MORC and MOCA are just playing into some big, political machine and blah blah blah … I know, the whole thing reads like a freshman poli sci major’s first D- paper with a note from the professor asking “Did you read the material?”

All that I’d heard before and all of us who work on the trails are blue in the face from telling people they’ve got it wrong. We’re not dumbing down the trails. We want to keep Brownie as much the same as it is now as we can, only non-eroding. The trails will be closed if we don’t do something about it. Everyone is invited to volunteer time, sweat and everything else into the trail design, but few do. It’s like that all falls on deaf ears.

But, then he said the above quote. Obviously, he seemed to decide right away that we were some exclusive club that you had to be cool enough to be part of. Before we ever heard of this guy, he’d heard of us and decided we were not only pawns of a large, oppressive bureaucratic machine but we were a tight-nit clique of popular kids. Every day at lunch we’re sitting at the choice table laughing it up and enjoying ourselves while he sits in the corner by himself, eating his cornbread and drinking his chocolate milk in solitude. One day he’d show us. He’ll grow up and be rich and famous and we’ll all wish we’d been his friend back when.

Of course I know where he gets this feeling. There are pages upon pages of threads on the MORC forums of us talking sense into people who come to us with similar attitudes. It’s very easy to think we’re close-minded groupthinkers who can’t take criticism.

Are we at fault for this? Should we be nicer to people and say things like “We appreciate your feedback and understand your concerns …” and then try to calmly rationalize with them? We’ve been there and done that.

I’ve lashed out at my fair share of newcomers who treat us as adversaries immediately partially out of my own frustration but mostly out of purposeful intent. It’s tough love. Every time I say something calm, reasoned and placating to these people they immediately label me as part of that big, oppressive system they mistakenly think they’re fighting against. They want someone to shout and fight back at them, but expect a lot of dismissive, pretend friend talk, so I give them what they want not what they expect.

Every time I reply with “You’re a fucking moron!” they’ll probably just get more pissed … but at least we don't sound like bureaucrats.

Time for a voice

I've started this blog as a place to voice my thoughts on the off-road cycling trails in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. I'll be talking about everything from trail conditions to rides and, oh yes, controversies about the trails.

I'm the currently-appointed communications director for the Minneapolis Off-road Cycling Advocates (MOCA, http://www.mocatrails.org/). The organization is an affiliate of the Minnesota Off-Road Cyclists (MORC, http://www.morcmtb.org/). Rumor has it MOCA may soon be a chapter organization and more a part of MORC in the future. Details on that to come.

I will do my best to stay on-topic with this blog, and welcome feedback of all kind (especially negative, hostile, inflamatory and irrationally-hateful feedback! That's the funnest kind!) I will also do my best to keep things gramatically sound and not have too many spelling mistakes ... but, no promises there if passion takes over and my fingers stumble and I hazard to post before it's time.

Above all, thanks for reading!