Vintage Bicycle PartsAll around Vintage Bikes

Mountain Biking-Beat The Heat

A recent study on spinal column and spinal cord injuries suffered by moun­tain bikers published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine really does a disservice to our sport and shows how good intentions can go very, very wrong. While the report’s numbers are probably accurate, its findings are total­ly skewed because of where the injury data was collected: Canada’s British Columbia province!

The 10 authors of the article all hail from the University of British Columbia, and it is amazing that they did not take their location into account when reporting their findings. Do you think there is a remote possibility that the number of spinal injuries suffered by mountain bikers may be higher in British Columbia than any place on Earth? British Columbia is the home of our sport’s legendary North Shore rid­ing area, mountain bike gravity parks and insane man-made stunts that encourage riders to take tremendous risks when compared to the risk expo­sure of a rider on a multi-use single- track trail.

To extrapolate their findings to all mountain biking is ludicrous, but that is exactly what the mass-media did by sensationalizing the story. The teaser for the evening news screamed, “Is the mountain bike you’re riding going to kill you? Not even your helmet can save you. Don’t ride your bike until you watch our exclusive report. Tune in at 11.”

Headlines screaming about the dangers of mountain biking do as much damage as the spinal cord injuries suf­fered by riders. Scaring people away from an exercise that is easy on the joints, relatively inexpensive and proven to combat circulation, heart, obesity and depression problems is a shame and disservice.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia believe they may have uncovered an inherent danger of mountain biking. It is more likely to be the inherent danger of riding beyond one’s abilities and making sure your equipment is strong and suitable.

Anyway My friends and I have been riding for over 20 years together, three days a week (rain, shine, winter, summer, whatever). So over the years, we have fallen for some of the “new” and “best” stuff that mountain bike companies touts. The 2×9 drivetrain? I’ve been using it since my third knee surgery, and the doc told me to stop riding. Took off the big ring and replaced it with a bashguard for the log piles. Tubeless tires? Stupid. Maybe for racing, but everyday trail riding? No thanks. You still have to carry a tube, and it’s messy. Twenty- nine-inch wheels? A gimmick to sell bikes. Those clown wheels are too heavy for tight trails and fold up on big drops. We have been through every­thing, so we know what works: A solid, aluminum, dual-suspension frame with 4 to 6 inches of travel and a platform shock; lightweight wheels with mechanical disc brakes so you can repair the cables when far from the trail head (unlike hydro brakes); SRAM Grip Shift nine-speed; and we still use square taper bottom brackets and have never had a problem. Giant mountain bikes rock! All that high-dollar stuff is fun to look at, but it is not real. We have had riders ask us, “How can you ride these muddy trails and not wreck your bikes?” I guess I would be “wrecking” a $7000 bike. Mine works great.

Have fun, ride safe whilst mountain biking. Adios Amigos!

About the Author

Shauna is a mountain bike riding fanatic with some really awesome tips to get the most out of mountain bike riding.<br />Shauna contributes to <a href=”http://www.giantmountainbike.net.au/top-menu/ride-10-30-faster-guaranteed-or-your-money-back/”>giant mountain bike </a> reviews and blogs about fitness & safety.