TRAILGRAMS
BRAVE MAN
Bravo! Jimmy Mac should be
commended for his bravery. I ride
about 1000 miles on my Truth every
year. I never cover all the trails within
an hour’s drive of my home. Have you
seen “Pedal Driven”? I admit, after
seeing the trailers, I couldn’t bring
myself to see the final version. But
have you ever seen a more ironic title?
There are a lot of riders in my area
who seem to think pedals are just for
standing on, and being driven uphill to
the top is how you start most rides.
They have repeatedly placed themselves in conflict with the local land
managers, making us all look bad and
risking our opportunities. If your bike
exceeds 6 inches of travel, it belongs at
a bike park. And if you can’t ride up
most of the trails you’re riding down,
it’s time to look in the mirror and see
the elephant.
David Morgan
Leavenworth, Washington
NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER
While I understand and agree with
the premise of reduced user conflict if
downhill bikes are banned, I disagree
with telling people they can’t ride their
bike on a bike trail. It’s not the bike; it’s
the rider. In fact, I find this stance by
Jimmy somewhat contradicting MBA’s
strong belief in 29ers and full-suspen-
sion bikes to make the ride faster, easier
and more enjoyable. Where would you
draw the line? Should we ban 29ers
because they make the trail easier and
let riders ride faster? If we really want
to make the trails safer for everybody
other than mountain bikers, which is
the point here, why not ban suspension
forks, rear suspension, wide handlebars,
fat tires and helmets? Take those things
away and nobody’s riding out of con-
trol.
Derek
Los Angeles, California
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE
Jimmy’s editorial on trail, bike and
license was a fair one. Why shouldn’t
bikers get it into their psyche that we
are responsible for access? The marketing of product and the reckless media
attention that have put the image out
there that speed and danger are within
reach of anyone on a bike is to blame.
People are more or less victims of
demographers and commercialators
and cannot help but get sucked into
the spending spree. No one with a lick
of sentience would disagree that we
have got to take care of the land. I’m
disturbed by all the attention being
grabbed by the gravity set with picks,
shovels, tractors and 40-foot gaps. I’d
like to see these athletes and photographers take a stand first.
Tal Zimm
Brooklyn, New York
PLAYING TO THE ENEMY
With all the land issues and trail
closures that mountain bikers deal
with, you come up with the solution to
ban “downhill bikes” on certain trails?
This is just what groups like the Sierra
Club and Earth First want. They love
playing the divide-and-conquer game,
and you are playing right into their
hands. They love it when the mountain bike guys argue and don’t get
along with the dirt bike guys. It makes
their anti-access agenda all the easier
to accomplish.
Instead of certain bikes with labels
or badges, why not discourage certain
riders from riding like jerks and building illegal trails and stunts? Jimmy’s
article read like it was the bike’s fault,
not what someone does with it. We
clearly have a problem with irresponsible users, not the bikes themselves. As
a mountain biker and off-road motorcyclist, I am very mindful of the trails I
ride and the conditions, and I also pay
attention to the other users on those
trails. For sports like ours to continue
to grow, they need education and common sense, not labels and badges that
limit what can be purchased and
where they can be ridden.
Kyle Asel
Peoria, Arizona
DON’T BLAME THE TOOL
I understand, as someone who
respects their hobbies and interests as
well as those who also enjoy the same,
the frustration expressed to downhill
riders who diverge from marked trails
and otherwise make themselves a nuisance. However, Jimmy is making the
classic mistake of blaming the tool for
the user’s actions. It is easy to say that
people have over-equipped themselves
for a quiet Sunday ride or out-spent
their abilities, but that does not take
away choice. I believe in individual
integrity and personal accountability—
two things that are lacking today. As
advanced as cycling technology has
become, the bike does not think for
itself. The rider has to show the will to
do what’s right. I am a bike owner as
well as a gun owner and dog owner, all
of which are constantly embattled
against laws and regulations that
blame the object for the poor decisions
of the owner. The answer to all of this
is education. More important than educating the opposition is educating us.
We need to continue, as you and many
others have, to look after each other
and correct those who don’t understand, or are too selfish to see, what
they are doing to our sport. If we do,
we are reinforcing a lifestyle of respect
and accountability that is more effective than any label or ban. Peer pressure can be used for positive outcomes,
and if we do everything right, there
won’t be anything for the outspoken to
complain about.
Nathan Burford
San Clemente, California
HOPE MAC’S WRONG
I have two bikes, a Diamondback E
Coil and a Diamondback Moto XTS. I
started riding on the north shore of
Tahoe three years ago and quickly
found that I needed more travel
because everyday riding here can be
brutal. I’m 52 and I’m not looking for
the big jumps, crazy tricks and the
really gnarly downhills, but if I come
across something, I want to have the
confidence that my bikes can get me
through it. I don’t want to get rid of
my bikes because they aren’t the proper “category” bike for the trails I have
been riding. If it goes the way Jimmy
suggests, the bike cops will have to
catch me!
Zeke Show
Tahoe, California
STRIKING A NERVE
DOWNHILL DESIGNATION
The October 2012 “Mac Attack”
generated a tremendous amount of
controversy, getting the most heated
responses from downhillers. “Gee, I
never saw that coming,” joked the
Mac while sorting through the mail.
