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What are we doing wrong??

CRoss

Turbo Monkey
Nov 20, 2006
1,329
0
The Ranch
Seriously, I know this topic is talked about all the time but we must be doing something wrong.

Fuel TV has its action sports awards this week and mountain biking is not even mentioned. We cannot even make the best crash segment.

Are we that much of a fringe sport that only we can enjoy what we do?

Who is holding us back? Us as the riders? Event promoters? Our culture?

Was it Nathan Rennie in Synopsis talking about how the small 4x tracks made the riders look like ****? He is right.

As cool as the Dual Slalom track at Snowmass was, for the average person it would look very small and easy to do.

If you put our Dirt Jumpers and Street Riders against the BMX riders, we look like your average rider. We cannot not even begin to compete with them.

Downhill it is just plain difficult to capture on video.

There is a way to get mountain biking on TV, someone just needs to find out how it is going to generate money for tv, and the companies that advertise on tv.
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
Please don't push the issue. I used to think it would be sweet if mountain biking was cool too. The reality is it would just end up clogging our trails.

Plus, skateboarding/BMX are accessable. You can do it anywhere and the tools to do it are cheap.

Snowboarding caught on because of the base of skateboarding/surfing.

Dirtbikes have engines. Bikes, for about the same price, don't. To the average person, we must look dumb.

But whatever. When I go to a resort and I don't run into people I'm happy. Picture snowboarding. It's ridiculous. There's people EVERYWHERE and it's expensive.
 

frznnomad

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
2,226
0
a-town biatches
bicyclist you make an excellent point. IMO who cares if its cool to the masses or not. we know what we do and what kind of strain it puts on our bodies everytime we go out and ride. now i do agree some more people getting interested in the sport wouldnt be a bad thing, but there is a fine line between too much and just right. man dont worry about it, and just go out and shred man.
 

CRoss

Turbo Monkey
Nov 20, 2006
1,329
0
The Ranch
It is not so much being cool it is more being legit.

It could open up more opportunities to us. More resorts would build trails and open in the summer. Cities would be more open to the ideas of freeride parks. County and State parks would be more open to having mountain bike trails. This is not about being cool.

Look at Skateboarding and what has happened. Skateparks are everywhere now. Why did this happen? I bet a large part has something to do with the popularity of skateboarding and people realizing it is a legitimate form of a sport.
 

Bicyclist

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2004
10,152
2
SB
It is not so much being cool it is more being legit.

It could open up more opportunities to us. More resorts would build trails and open in the summer. Cities would be more open to the ideas of freeride parks. County and State parks would be more open to having mountain bike trails. This is not about being cool.

Look at Skateboarding and what has happened. Skateparks are everywhere now. Why did this happen? I bet a large part has something to do with the popularity of skateboarding and people realizing it is a legitimate form of a sport.
Yes, skateparks are everywhere, and they're crowded.

I mean for MTB-parks, we can just ride in skateparks.

And trails are the fun thing, not dinky parks.

I agree about resorts though.
 

frznnomad

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
2,226
0
a-town biatches
IMO i think a big deciding factor for resorts is the insurance purposes. now yes if we get more riders and more coverage we will be able to pull more money in to the resorts so in that since more will want to jump on the band wagon. although i think another big hesitation is the insurance. i mean can you just imagine talking to an insurance agent about that.
 

bigwheel

Monkey
May 24, 2004
119
4
Canada
I think biking would be ruined for me if it starts taking a path similar to nascar and wrestling. TV sucks, it ends up turning something good into a vegas style attraction. Some of the commercials might be cool, though :)
Biking is fun to watch, but more fun to do. Televised spectator sports are for people who are too busy sitting on the sofa to participate.
 

thaflyinfatman

Turbo Monkey
Jul 20, 2002
1,577
0
Victoria
TV doesn't even begin to capture the intensity of MTB anyway. Go watch some MTB vids with your non-riding mates, you'll be like "holy f**k that's insanely difficult" and your mates will just go "oh ok... yeah that's kinda cool". The only reason we like seeing it is cos we understand what it's like anyway, and like bigwheel says, people who just sit on the couch all day aren't going to comprehend the intensity that we do.
 

Cant Climb

Turbo Monkey
May 9, 2004
2,683
10
When it comes to the sport of mtb all i care about is the trails near my home stay open............don't really care if anyone makes money or if anyone sees the sport in the media.....
 

pinkshirtphotos

site moron
Jul 5, 2006
4,827
521
Vernon, NJ
its cool to be uncool these days. every girl friend ive had has dated me because she thinks that mountain biking is a cool sport and never knew that it was so big or such a close comunity. our relationships didnt work but we still go out and ride when ever we can. We dont need a tv to make mtb look good. we need word of mouth to tell ppl that mtb is cool and fun.
 

Yeti

Monkey
May 17, 2005
877
0
yeti cave@the beach
if mtbiking begins to get popular as it is getting trendy here, u ll begin to see more kids gettin big bikes just cause it is trendy and then ruining ur day when u find them going slow on the track.
imo the real coolness of dh is how much passion, time and money we put into it. bet lot of us not so fortunate ppl had sometime to choose between a car or a moto and a bike...i chose my bike.
also in the case of the pros, they risk their lifes, train realy hard...but just for the love of riding...it s the only sport where at pro level one puts sooo much on the line and just get back enough to keep doing it. at least this is the case of 95% of the pros. so all in all, think this unawareness of the intensity of our sport acts kind of like a filter to only let the ppl that really have passion for this get into it.
cheers
 

WBC

Monkey
Aug 8, 2003
578
1
PNW
its cool to be uncool these days. every girl friend ive had has dated me because she thinks that mountain biking is a cool sport and never knew that it was so big or such a close comunity.
Im sorry dude, but if that's why girls are going out with you, I think you gotta think about that...cause Ill tell you that it totally sucks.
 

mshred

Monkey
Aug 6, 2006
525
0
Posts: 26,935
My sattelite has a channel, RUSH(HD) that displays some intense downhilling weekly. I love the channel, because not only does it show MTBing, but it also covers pretty much any athletic sport. It's great. But TV has NOTHING on real mountain biking, but, it's still a good thing if your out for a few weeks because you hurt yourself, or if the weather is bad.
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
i could care less if outsiders know/care/are amazed by/impressed by/are interested in/take it seriously/want to try it/find it entertaining when it comes to mountain biking. its just that many less people i have to explain how suspension or derailleurs work. half the fun of riding is the almost eclectic group of people that goes along with mountain biking.
 

dsotm

Monkey
Jul 21, 2006
151
0
WRJ, VT
I for one don't care whether or not downhill is well known or not. I kind of like the close knit community of the scene. People aren't part of a trend, its more like a brotherhood. However, I must say that most of my non-mtber friends do find videos like earthed to either be very impressive or downright insane.
 

Boxxer

Monkey
Jul 18, 2005
856
2
Dirty South
Its all about perspective. I like where I am... on the inside, active and informed because I choose to be. There are a million others that arnt, either because they are too scared or lazy and thats fine with me.
 
if mtbiking begins to get popular as it is getting trendy here, u ll begin to see more kids gettin big bikes just cause it is trendy and then ruining ur day when u find them going slow on the track.
imo the real coolness of dh is how much passion, time and money we put into it. bet lot of us not so fortunate ppl had sometime to choose between a car or a moto and a bike...i chose my bike.
also in the case of the pros, they risk their lifes, train realy hard...but just for the love of riding...it s the only sport where at pro level one puts sooo much on the line and just get back enough to keep doing it. at least this is the case of 95% of the pros. so all in all, think this unawareness of the intensity of our sport acts kind of like a filter to only let the ppl that really have passion for this get into it.
cheers
I'd like to buy you a beer sometime.
:cheers:
When I started snowboarding in 6th grade about 12/13 years ago, it was a sport for the athlete who liked to go against the grain and do his/her own thing. Part of what made it so fun was the tight knit friendships, and unwaivering experimentation. Now you go to a mountain, and it's nothing more than a fasion show. Half the time, the kids with the sickest equipment are the worst riders on the hill, and the have biggest egos. It seems the unique kinesthetic self expression that was so crutial to everyone riding back then is no longer a reflection of a riders style or personal flair anymore, but now it's about their clothes, equipment and "I'm super cool" attitudes. I'd hate to see that happen to our beloved sport. Didn't Paul Mooney tell Dave Chappell "Don't have too much fun, they'll come and take your show." I think the same applies. Although, I think it would be cool to see downhill in the olympics.
 

CRoss

Turbo Monkey
Nov 20, 2006
1,329
0
The Ranch
From another thread that had a similar topic before getting hijacked.

OGRipper said:
As for "soul," whatever it is, it's a personal thing you can find or not, but for me it's got nothing to do with the number of other people riding or how much exposure bikes are getting. And maybe with more people riding we'll have better trail access, more local DJ's and skate parks, more resort-style bike parks, and more money in the pro ranks. Sounds good to me.

I am also not concerned about who rides a bike or how many others ride. I ride because I enjoy it and if everyone else rode I would still ride. I would not go look for another sport to participate in because nobody else did it.

With more exposure the sport is more recognized and understood. Insurance prices could drop with insurance companies understanding the sport and not being scared of it. If prices do not drop they become more affordable do to more people participating in mountain biking.

Then when you look at racing, are we really seeing what is possible? How many of the pros are what would be considered a privateer in other racing events? Just look at what true pros do compared to privateers in motocross. If more people watch not necessarily participate the sport would gain more support. This could let the pros focus on training and racing, and not getting distracted with working to afford racing. I would love to see what would happen if we had a majority of riders who from a young age focused on just racing.
 

RaID

Turbo Monkey
TV doesn't even begin to capture the intensity of MTB anyway. Go watch some MTB vids with your non-riding mates, you'll be like "holy f**k that's insanely difficult" and your mates will just go "oh ok... yeah that's kinda cool". The only reason we like seeing it is cos we understand what it's like anyway, and like bigwheel says, people who just sit on the couch all day aren't going to comprehend the intensity that we do.
Couldnt agree theres nothing like seeing the sport live. It all looks easy on TV since most ppl know how to ride a bicycle hence they think it just transfers over to off road steep sections quite naturally. Its not until they actually go out and watch the race and realise how techy and hard the tracks are then they can see an average person wouldnt be able to ride down the track let alone race it.

I managed to drag one of my non riding mates to the last race this season. Intially he was a bit sceptical, but he loved it, loved the danger of ppl jumping rockgardens and seeing everyones passion on the day. From the young groms to the older guys. He will try to get more non riding ppl to go out to more races next season.
Thats the sort of exposure we need i think.

Plus DH has this reputation that youre crazy, anyone that i talk to and mention you do DH, its "oh thats thats crazy sport" yet it doesnt translate on TV especially when compared to MX or some of the BMX tricks.

I think if anything we need to push more public attending live events rather then getting the TV coverage
 

Metal Dude

Turbo Monkey
Apr 7, 2006
1,139
0
Smackdonough, GA
Ask Norba why OLN (vs.) doesn't cover the nationals anymore?
They had it down the last season it was on!
If you wouldn't like to see Mtbing on television then you wouldn't have to
watch it. If you can't see all the opportunities it has to make the sport
better you are mistaken.
Our sport isn't alternative music, everyone can listen to that, but no
matter how "popular" DH becomes, everyone or just any sally won't
doit. People are too lazy for that to become a problem.
The american pro field would benefit hugely from it and trickle down.
I have struggled to reach the level of just breaking even. Believe
me if anyone does it for the love I do. But, sometimes It felt like an
addiction- my family thought so anyway. I was always broke!
sacrifice is good but, Mtbiking is so pathetic now,
you would have to go homeless, live out of your car, oh yeh I did that
to ensure I made nationals. Then reach top ten and still no sponsors
other than some free parts!
I blame Norba - that's who! while they are making the big bucks
most of it's pros are eating ramen.
T.V. coverage for the national series should be a top priority!
It's a business, they need to put up what it takes to make
things the way they were in the late 90's
In the longrun they only stand to make more greedy dollars!




Do the Euros get much tv coverage? If so all seems good there.