The crew here at MEATengines labs, where the future of mountain bicycling is being discussed today and we’d never steal someone else’s schtick, has hit a possibly insurmountable schism. It’s the darkest cloud over the local scene since some riders had to decide whether or not to give up their 2014 Nomad V3 and Process 111 rigs over the lack of an inside-the-main-triangle bottle cage that had never bothered them previously. It’s the heaviest philosophical question in mountain biking since all the German bike brands came together to decide if they could unironically use the term “Down Country” in marketing.
This. This is the heavy stuff that can truly impact relationships. It’s the most heated debate The Clairebarian and I have engaged in since last week when she wanted to get the delicious chocolate-coated banana popsicles again and I was thinking maybe something in a mixed real-fruit blend would be a nice change.
A bit of background is probably necessary here. As a DB originalist, who experienced firsthand the creation of such powerful idolatry, it’s my belief, though I admit to having on occasions strayed from the path myself, that it should only be represented as it was first available. In a limited number of choices solely confined to a pallet of solid colours.
As a Living Dumpster Bearist, The Clairebarian is unconcerned with what options were originally available at the time of its invention. Rather, she’d like to know what options – perhaps better and more interesting options – are available now in the present. What options could be available in the future.
The time has arrived to beg our friend Kelsie for more of the tiny bears that grace our top tubes and remind us that mountain biking is all about having fun with awesome folks and that the mountain bike industry is full of amazing characters worth getting to know. And while I feel that these themes are best represented in a bright & bold solid colourway, Claire is quick to point out that her personal first choice actually sparkles.
Oh, what’s that? She’d also be okay with blue because it’s her favourite colour. Or she’s even good with “whatever colour that Kelsie feels like making.” Okay, yeah we can agree on that. Phew. Disaster, and doing actual work, avoided.