Matters of Minutia

I’ve had new bike fever for quite some time with an increase lately as I recently ran my 1st marathon and realized why there was the innovation of the wheel.   I’ve been sitting on suspension bike dating back 3 years, a road bike from 2010 with a repaired carbon frame & a slew of mixed parts (what I call the frankenbike), and a alloy hardtail I built to have as a gravel grinder that would serve as back-up for the primary dually. 

About to drop Wheeler pass & eventually miners creek.
Techy alpine riding ordered up daily in Breck Epic!

Reading this as I type, I can see why I have that burning desire to throw a leg over something fresh and blingy.  But I also see a few key points as I reflect. 

1. It’s not about the bike!   
2. You don’t have to have the best equipment to perform.  
3. Consumers are getting more burying in options and sub-categories

It’s not about the bike, I know that’s a bit clique from a book title of an oh-so famous TdF winner, or blank in the books, but that phrase and concept of that book actually is spot on.  Investing in “the person” makes the bike a mute point.

I’ve seen this personally as I cranked my 3 yr old 140mm travel bike to a 4th place finish in a 100mi NUE series race this year, to making the lead selection of 10 or so rider during a local gravel grinder on my 120mm travel alloy hardtail where everyone was on carbon CX bikes, to finally making the selection during a P/1/2 road race at the Air force academy on my frankenbike that’s 6 years old even after working for other teammates that were dropped.  In all cases I had people make sly statements, like,"isn’t that cush a bit much for this much pedaling” before the ultra mtb and “did you grab the wrong bike from the quiver” before the gravel ride, to even a laugh of “when are you getting a new bike” before the road race.

Alloy mtb w/120mm of suspension & a 1x set up to gravel grind also same Breck Epic whip.

And a better example is even when I was in Africa for 9 mths coaching the national team and making new devo selections from guys we’d pick up off the side of the road.  These kids would be dragging 50 lb steel china single speeds up 8% mountain grades & bombing back down at 40-50mph with 80kg of carrots, cabbage and potatoes on the rack and wrapped through the frame while the team rode right alongside on carbon bikes.  Put those kids on the velotron that had never seen gears or make circle on a bike with clipless pedals and they’d throw down 6-7w/kg on a ramping vo2max test by the end!  

From this far end of the spectrum to our 1st world problems, I see and hear so many that let the blame fall on equipment as a crutch. 

“Oh my power isn’t working or calibrated right.”   Well are your legs broken or have a heart failure?  Then keep pedaling!

“I’ve got a newer stiffer and faster accelerating bike.”  Well how come you are getting dropped.  Better start riding it to it’s potential.

You know what? We can learn something from these Africans. Ignorance is bliss!  Just show up, throw down and let the engine (aka “you") do the talking. 

I was told straight up I was stupid as I lined up for Breck Epic this year.  Yeah for being on an alloy hardtail with alloy wheels even though it had a very respectable build.  From glancing around, I was definitely one of probably 5-10% that didn’t have carbon bike, carbon wheels and not be on full suspension.  Just because my rear shock had blown the weeks prior and warranty hadn’t returned yet, I was fretting and almost didn’t race because of all of the chatter in my head.  I spent time asking friends to borrow,  calling various shops to line up a demo or rental, and in the end it didn’t matter much besides I’d probably enjoyed myself a bit more each day.  I finished 10th overall in the Pro field, even in front of some factory riders, by riding smart and strong each day.  Because you know what, I learned to ride a bike and hone that skill each time I go out.

I see that need each day as technology improves, especially on the mountain bike side of things.  New trail bikes that climb better and descend better each year.  But those customers buying them now, did they ever learn to ride a fully rigid bike with cantilevers?  Probably not and I can’t say I blame them, but there is something to be said about knowing how to pick a line (which you must do on certain bikes) versus just letting the technology chatter through the terrain.  I passed people on descents riding 120mm duallies and even some with flat tires because they were too dependent on the bike to do their job as rider.  

Now as I seek out new bikes, damn there are bikes for every category and sub-category with marketing galore surrounding each.  There’s XC, World cup, XXC, Trail, All-mountain, Enduro, park, DH, 27.5, 29er, Plus, Fat and probably more on the mtb side while on the road side, or I should say drop bar, there is standard road, aero, endurance, adventure, gravel, cross, comfort, etc.

Really there are matter of a couple handful of bikes that change a degree here or there and add or subtract 10-20 mm of travel front or back to really just drown you with options.  Especially when you factor in all the component build configurations.  And the gravel/cross/road debacle just blows my mind as some are just rebranded for a different category to sell and others are just slightly tweaked geometry to refine the ride.  Sure those refinements make a bit of a difference but damn people spend a lot of time commenting on reviews nitpicking the details when in all reality 95% of those nitpickers should just ride something comparable to the task and shut up.  Like in that gravel grinder race, I saw a guy busting it out with us on his road bike with 28c tires and me on a 29er mtb with a 1x spinning out right alongside all those with gravel specific bikes.  Sure I’d recommend having the bike that best suites the demand, like in this case at least a gravel/adventure, cross, or disc road with some tire clearance, but even those 3 blur the lines between one another.

Ultimately I’m not saying that certain equipment doesn’t make a difference.  Sure it does.  Nor is it nice to have.  I’d love to have a set of carbon hoops on all my bikes but people can let that get the best of them.  Instead of spending $2g’s to save 454g, why not save some money and stop putting so much crappy food in your body to save that pound and possibly more!  It’s like the Rwandans, they didn’t have access and couldn't afford westernized food, so they ate  the food they grew.  Sweet potatoes, carrots, cabbage, etc.  And you know what….they are better off for it as they burned clean, unprocessed energy.

Yep I said it and it’s true.  Spend more time planning good nutrition over spending gobs of money to save grams here and there on your bike. Actually No, I take that back. Don’t spend more time, just keep it simple and eat simple real foods that don’t take more time. Take that time to invest in your fitness over having your bike in the shop installing the latest and greatest upgrade.  Spend time getting comfortable with the bike you are on, so you can actually ride it versus thinking the new technology is going to do it for you.

So bottom line is get out and ride what you have if all else fails.  Get familiar with it, keep it maintained, and put it through it’s paces.   Spend your time on the minutia of your daily habits that matter more than the minutia of the marketing that can blur what really matters.

P.S. you will see me on some nice bikes and blingy gear, but you know what, coaching athletes each day has honed me to focus on the minutia that matter more.