[BMXman]

So I was having a conversation with some friends and we had various views on the subject of riding and the role of the riders, companies, and media. I was wondering what some of you think about it. Is it the riders responsibility to promote the sport as a whole or the manufacturers? Is the rider obligated to give back to the cycling community in one way or another? and if so how?

Have the companies providing the prodcuts and accessories done a good or bad job of promoting the sport and is it necessarily their responsibility? Does racing hurt or help the sport? How does the media showcase riders? and what impressions are they giving?

I could go on and on but I just wanted to know what folks thought were the responsibilites of:
1. the riders
2. bike and bike related companies
3. and the media in all it's forums

this is kind of hard to explain so give it your best shot....D

 

[Pip3r]

Is it the riders responsibility to promote the sport as a whole or the manufacturers? Is the rider obligated to give back to the cycling community in one way or another? and if so how?

if you love the sport for what it is all of that will come naturally

 

[biggins]

the responsibility of the riders i think is to ride and consume. As well as introduce people to riding. also in conjunction with manufacturers to do the trail work and promotion of our beloved sport.

the bike companies and bike related companies should do their best to provide us and their teams with quality products at reasonable prices as well as support the growth of the industry.

the medias job would be to showcase as much as possible all aspects of the sport. get the sport out there and show the deication, danger, triumph and tragedy that go along with pedaling.

 

[narlus]

well, my first thought is that the riders don't really have any responsibility other than respecting land-owners when they ride. as far as promoting the sport, sounds a lot like racing to me. and if it's not, then perhaps you mean expanding the audience (which would clearly benefit the MFGs). again, not a clear-cut onus on the individual cyclist, although one could make an argument that land access advocacy gains more clout w/ more members.

racing i think benefits the overall scene due to R&D, but that might be about it, for the average non-racer rider. well, it can be fun to watch too.

i didn't pitch in anything about the media, but i'm just throwing stuff off the top of my head right now. maybe i'll think about it a bit more and post, or see what others have to say.

 

[zedro]

I could go on and on but I just wanted to know what folks thought were the responsibilites of:
1. the riders
2. bike and bike related companies
3. and the media in all it's forums

geezus, you take biking really seriously...its not a religion.

1. that the rider has fun, and acts in a fashion that will continually allow it to happen
2. that the companies make money to keep producing stuff that leads to #1
3. that the media promote #2 who enable #1 thus keeping the media alive that makes them money to promote in the first place.

 

[HRDTLBRO]

I believe it's the riders responsibilty to promote cycling advocacy. More often than not, the love for cycling will be spread by word of mouth. People will begin to ride, and most likely, fall in love with it. The companies have done a swell job, in my book. They provide the tools for what we love, promote cycling, and promote a competitive market. Last year, the trail bike hit the scene, and every reputible manufacturer had one in the '04 line. This year, it will be the suspension market. The 6-7" single crown fork category will be large, as well as the all-mountain fork range. It's this competitive market that lead the riders to buy newer, more innovative equipment. These companies are funding race teams within their ability. The race curcuit continues to get more aggressive, I believe, leading the way for people who have much talent. The companies are giving more money to teams, allowing for better results, and ultimately, better marketing. Outside companies also help cycling grow. Say, for instance Red Bull, who have been promoting events for the past 3-4 years. While they are not all races, they help promote better than whorba, and shine light on a different side of cycling for Red Bull drinkers. These companies have done a great job at promoting the sport, and have even got a few shots of it on national television! I believe it's something to get excited about. While TV coverage is cool, I like the close knit "family" of cycling. I wouldn't want every one and their aunt riding a bike because they "saw it on tv." Cycling is not a television sport. Why is that? Because it's not about the money, fame or glory, it's about love. If a camera crew could capture the emotion of cycling, that may be a different story. It's about fun, adventure, adrenaline; it's love for the ride. Thats my take on the current cycling market, namely mtb. What can I say, it's love! R3SP3CT the dirt. Hopefully everyone can agree with it.

 

[FlipSide]

More riders should see trail maintenance as a responsibility...or at least as a way to give back to the community. I'm not only talking about spending hundreds of hours digging new trails every year...but basic things such as carrying a foldable hacksaw in your Camelbak and taking the times to stop and clear the trail of fallen trees, loose rocks, etc. It's easy and doesn't take a lot of time...but if more people were more concerned about trail maintenance, it would be much better.

Concerning whether racing is hurting the sport or not...I don't believe it does hurt the sport, but the attitude (for example) of some Expert racers who think they deserve major hookups and special treatments by the shops does hurt the sport at a certain level I believe. If you want to race, fine, but don't necessarily expect to get everything at cost while the next guy pays retails on everything or gets some minor bro-deals. I also feel the industry is too focused on racing while it's only a segment of the sport. (edit: I'm not talking about WC racing here...or Pro Level Freeriding, I'm only talking about the average-Joe level.)

I may be wrong here...and some will probably dissagree with me but sometimes I feel the industry would be healthier if less people would be getting bikes and parts at cost. Bro deals are great though. They encourage loyalty towards a shop and they help the shop fighting against the online stores...

 

[Transcend]

i agree with zedro, some of you take this way to seriously. It is a sport. You make no money (usually) doing it. Just do it and have fun, jeez.

 

[BMXman]

geezus, you take biking really seriously...its not a religion.

1. that the rider has fun, and acts in a fashion that will continually allow it to happen
2. that the companies make money to keep producing stuff that leads to #1
3. that the media promote #2 who enable #1 thus keeping the media alive that makes them money to promote in the first place.

quite the contrary...I think it is my responsibility to respect and help maintain the rules of the trails and respect property that does not belong to me...as for as anything else...screw it...I'm not an ambassador/promotor or anything else for that matter.....I just ride bikes and have fun doing it...of course some of my friends think I'm all wrong...D

 

[zedro]

quite the contrary...I think it is my responsibility to respect and help maintain the rules of the trails and respect property that does not belong to me...

1. that the rider has fun, and acts in a fashion that will continually allow it to happen

i ride trails that i pay someone to maintain, therefor i just need to pay the fare and not be a psycho. In your case, it may involve maintaining your own trails. Its all the same.

 

[biker3]

I agree with zedro and BMXman. People should not get too serious or too worried about the sport. As long as we're the ones having fun doing it then so be it. If people aren't interested and want to look at in a negative way then so be it. It needs to keep in balance where the riders aren't taking too much responsibility and the manufacters just banking. The Manuf. need to promote and support riders like they do but in a way where they can still profit to keep the sport alive. I honestly think racing benefits the sport. It makes it look more professional, serious and its much more appealing to the public. I respect the "soul riders" if you want to call them that but I also respect that racers as well. But on thing that I can tell is a bad part of racing and having tons of publicity is the sport does lose a lot of purity. Lots of kids caring too much about their jerseys, bikes, fame etc. The sport needs characters like gracia and others but all in balance. We need to make sure that poeple love the ride and not just the image. I also agree about the maintanence, if your not paying to ride somewhere then it is your responsibility to upkeep the trails for others and be aware of our environment. Im not trying to be a hippy-lib but it is something to be aware as a rider. I myself try to support the industry by drinking all the red bull I can. Yes it may be 2 bills a can but at least I know its going to suppoert some kind of smaller extreme sport such as MTB. I also hope the public will realize the excitement of at least DH mtb. With all the new suspension technology the sport only needs to get bigger. Faster riding, more show and style and with the new slopestyles something exciting could be in the making. One more thing, more riders need to run the show instead of lam-o beer belly hanchos looking for a pretty penny and don't give a damn about the riders. The industry IS based on the rider and the rider should be respected just like he or she respects the companies with consuming...

 

[Brian Peterson]

For the riders, I see a few responsibilites...

1) Respect the areas you ride on and respect the other trail users.
2) Help encourage others to ride. That newbie you help today could be your new riding partner...

Brian

 

[BurlyShirley]

I ride the bikes
Companies make the bikes
Media outlets show pictures of the bikes being ridden

Its everybody's responsibility to keep it accessable.

 

[MMike]

What about urination on said trails?

 

[Rabie]

I believe it is the riders' responsibilty to maintain certain standards of fashion. Not just in riding, but all the time, since riding isn't just something you do, it is a lifestyle. By standards of fashion, I mean wearing jerseys and stuff with the right logos and color schemes, cause you're representing our lifestyle, and those companies provide that lifestyle for us, so we should show some pride and loyalty to them. It's only right. And I think racing hurts the sport cause in all the focus on winning, racers lose sight of the fact that they are also representing the lifestyle, so when they wear skinsuits or helmets without visors, they're making us all look gay.

 

[W4S]

I believe it is the riders' responsibilty to maintain certain standards of fashion. Not just in riding, but all the time, since riding isn't just something you do, it is a lifestyle.

I mostly agree, but I think you need to clarify your statements. Can I wear Oakley riding shorts but use Smith goggles? If I wear Etnies shoes when riding, can I wear a Vans t-shirt at the same time?

I don't think you've even touched the "stickers on bikes" controversy yet.

 

[S.G.D]

i dig dirt jumps....

i also have fun.

~SGD

 

[zedro]

By standards of fashion, I mean wearing jerseys and stuff with the right logos and color schemes, cause you're representing our lifestyle....

i wear absolutly nothing, because that reflects my lifestyle

 

[dhtahoe]

Back when I got into this sport in 1990 it had heros. Tomac, Overend, Furtado, Rockwell graced every other page of the mags. Now all they show are pictures of there writing staff over and over and over. R.C. from MBA is a perfect example of this... these guys give bad reviews worse advice and seem to make our sport look like a joke these days. I find it ironic that soon after Zap WASHED OUT of racing he started bashing it in print. I remember the title "why it is stupid to support a race team. To me it was like thanks bro for telling the hand that feeds you thanks for all your support now beat it we don't need you. Yet where is he now... race support for TREK. If I owned a bike company that would be the LAST person I'd hire. Personally I think the media has done the most damage than anything... and NORBA.

 

[BMXman]

I believe it is the riders' responsibilty to maintain certain standards of fashion. Not just in riding, but all the time, since riding isn't just something you do, it is a lifestyle. By standards of fashion, I mean wearing jerseys and stuff with the right logos and color schemes, cause you're representing our lifestyle, and those companies provide that lifestyle for us, so we should show some pride and loyalty to them. It's only right. And I think racing hurts the sport cause in all the focus on winning, racers lose sight of the fact that they are also representing the lifestyle, so when they wear skinsuits or helmets without visors, they're making us all look gay.

I knew you or Orven would eventually come around and derail this ....D

 

[The Kadvang]

I believe it is the riders' responsibilty to maintain certain standards of fashion. Not just in riding, but all the time, since riding isn't just something you do, it is a lifestyle. By standards of fashion, I mean wearing jerseys and stuff with the right logos and color schemes, cause you're representing our lifestyle, and those companies provide that lifestyle for us, so we should show some pride and loyalty to them. It's only right. And I think racing hurts the sport cause in all the focus on winning, racers lose sight of the fact that they are also representing the lifestyle, so when they wear skinsuits or helmets without visors, they're making us all look gay.

FREERIDE TILL THE DAY I DIE 4 life!

 

[Darkreaper]

FREERIDE TILL THE DAY I DIE 4 life!

Don't they both mean the same thing?

 

[zedro]

Don't they both mean the same thing?

its like saying something you just said your were saying