MEATengines

If Mountain Bikes Had Never Existed Would You Still Be a Cyclist?

…is a fantastic topic.

Occasionally I’ll see a headline somewhere in the wide, wide, actually super tiny world of mountain bicycle media and I’ll think to myself, often out loud, “WellllllLL F*Ck, wHy DiDn’T i ThInK oF tHaT?!?!”

I’ve written a bit about, my perception, of the differences between mountain bikers and cyclists when it comes to bicycle fit and geometry preferences. There’s a strong correlation between people who regularly ride not-mountain bicycles (road, commuter, gravel, ATB, etc) and people who prefer powering pedals with a slacker effective (real) saddle position compared to what the mountain bike industry is currently pushing. But, I’ve never thought about it beyond that.

Last day of single-speeding the V1 before going back to a 1x6 drivetrain (11-28t x 32t) with a friction shifter.
Last day of single-speeding the V1 before going back to a 1×6 drivetrain (11-28t x 32t) with a friction shifter.

If mountain bikes didn’t exist tomorrow, I’d absolutely still be a cyclist and bike nerd. Road, gravel, BMX, cargo bikes, single-speeding 70’s 10-speeds. It’s a good thing I live in a small space because I’d own at least one of every type of bike that ever existed. As much as I love mountain biking, I love running errands and going places on a bicycle just as much. 

Heck, don’t tell my Waltworks V2, but my Waltworks V1 is still my favourite bicycle I’ve ever owned. It’s glorious fun as a single-speed rigid mountain bike with a 29×3″ front tire, and it’s glorious fun as a 1×6 ATB with a pair of 40c Schwalbe Amazing Alvins. 

But this question makes me wonder if I would have discovered my fervid love of all the bicycles without mountain biking to first take me there. I hope so. It’s hard to imagine myself without bicycles playing a prominent role in my life. 

Using my not-a-mountain bicycle to haul 29x3" tires for my mountain bicycle.
Using my not-a-mountain bicycle to haul 29×3″ tires for my mountain bicycle.
Loving Schwable
Loving Schwable’s 700x40c Amazing Alvin tires with a CushCore gravel-gross-groad insert.

Okay, so it’s a question that’s more fun to ask than answer, and maybe that’s why Jessie-May Morgan only wrote a few paragraphs on the subject as part of a polling preamble. Still, Jessie-May is a great writer so it’s hard not to feel doubly robbed by Pinkbike in this instance. First, I didn’t come up with the idea, and then I didn’t even have the pleasure of enjoying its full exploration. 

And yeah, maybe it’s lame to complain about media I get to enjoy for free, but this one really felt like a tease. I was click-baited. And I’m feeling owed 1500 or so words on the subject. 

If Mountain Bikes Had Never Existed Would You Still Be a Cyclist?



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