The interwebs have made it possible to razzle dazzle everyone with an enormous amount of information, in short time to boot. I’ve seen so many ‘Look at what we got!’ type of postings throughout the web that I realized that I hadn’t been phased this season all too much by the cycling glitterati and their wares. I remember having gone through this phase with musical instruments and specifically ‘effects’ pedals. I craved the latest and greatest offerings of tone shaping lusciousness to attach to my guitar rig, thinking I’ll make the next greatest sound – ever. I came full circle after years of doing that, to sticking with some old school 1980s built analog wonders that delivered the best sounds both live and on recordings. It was an expensive lesson learned that personal creativity is not hindered by the latest toy – it’s just us.

I made the same realization some time back about bicycles. Though, I definitely fancy a nice bicycle and components, I’ve grown to appreciate a certain utilitarian aspect of a bike that can be ridden to work, out on the trails, out on a ‘training’ ride, and then raced. There is a definitive honesty about what is truly slowing anyone down, and it’s most likely not the wheels, cranks, fork, or frame, its just us. Given the money, it would be wise to buy what is best for your needs. It’d be even wiser, to know what your needs are. This season, every shop has the latest greatest doo-dad that is going to make your season terrific. Yet, the greatest product they all have is, their knowledge on how to maintain them and get the best performance out of them. A whole new drive train may be the bees knees and drop a whopping 300 grams off your current drive train – but what will it matter if you haven’t learned to shift correctly on the trails? That new fork looks mighty nice, and all the reviews say the one you have only has 1 flamin’ chili, that alone is not enough to upgrade if you don’t understand the principles of how a shock works and how to use its available features on the trail.

I’ll always be continually fascinated looking at the races in 3rd world countries, including the currently running ‘Vuelta a Cuba’ where typically poverty not only being the mother of invention, but personal will being unphased and steady to the cycling task. I had heard that some of the locals were racing the Vuelta, on steel 20+ lb. bikes, for all stages of the race. They may not be winning the stages, but their hanging tough and completing daily 60-100 mile epic journeys. I’ve seen some incredible mountain bike races in Guatemala, and watched as rickety old steel hardtails, with early 90′s Deore components, and the 1st generation Grip Shifters still being used by the local ‘pros’ and putting on a performance that would put many a local racer in Chicago, to shame. I’ve seen BMX bikes converted to geared bikes to traverse from one mountainside to another, just as a commute from home to work. It has cemented in my head that it is indeed not the bike. I don’t mean steal the ‘Lance’ phenomenonal phrase of it not being the bike – but I do want to highlight that any kind of winning, be it personal, for a team, for a family, is not rooted on the quality of the bike but the drive in the individual.

The next time you head down to your local shop – ask to be taught how to maintain your bike, replace what you need, and learn how to use it well. Use their experience to teach you more about the beauty of your own bike and what to learn from it. Ride your bike with great pride knowing that you have the ability to do just about anything on it and the only limiter is you. When you reward yourself, at least you’ll know exactly why.

Your local bike shop sells you more than just bikes, parts, and service – they sell you know-how, just ask.

Le’ Old Downhill