what happened to MOUNTAIN biking?

Question

i have been to many bike races and festivals (crankworks being the most recent), and i have become saddened by the fact that all of these are focusing on slopestyle and tricks and such. i just simply cannot find any races that are simple, big mountain style. i know that others feel this way as well (most notably Thomas Vanderham), and i know that many bike companies believe that this is really just a hype, and that is why they still produce "all mountain" bikes. i just want to know, how can i continue to make a living when i came into this career expecting to be a mountain biker, and not a BMX biker?

Answer 1

I think it is a result of blue food and extreme everything.



Blue is not a naturally occurring food for the most part with a few exceptions including blueberries. Yet our stores are now bursting with a number of blue drinks and snack products. Some Madison Ave Genius figured out kids like blue food.



Everything is also now labeled extreme, extreme flavor extreme jumps extreme sports etc. This is also a marketing endeavor. Bombing down a single track was rad now it is extreme.



I find it extremely annoying.



Real racing will find it way back I hope. Keep cranking and good luck

Answer 2

What happened to mountain biking???? Are you serious??? Gayass littlebitches like you came into the sport, that's what happened.... The sport is as big as it's ever been, is flat out dominating road biking in terms of popularity and profitability and you want to cry like a school girl cause you can go big enough to stay in the game... Do us all a favor and go buy a unicycle.

Answer 3

I dont know what you're on about. If anything, there is more "Mountain" today than ever before in mountain biking.



Have you not ever seen a Rampage? Have you never bombed down a world cup downhill course? I dont know what type of expectations you had when you started this "career" of yours but if you're making any money at all for riding your bike you should just pipe down and be thankful.



Jumping isnt for everyone but I dont think anyone can deny just how cool it is to see fat tricks thrown over huge jumps. If they're done in the course of a huge big mountain line, that's just insane.



I, for one, had my mind blown when Brandon Semenuk 360'd his Session off that drop in the most recent Rampage. If that's not the perfect marriage of big mountain and freestyle then I dont know what is.

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/41637/



Steve Peat surpassing Nico this year in career wins...

http://freecaster.tv/mtb/1007124/nissan-uci-mtb-world-cup-vallnord-top-5-men



Sam Hills mind blowing run at Worlds a year or two ago when he was up something like 8 seconds before crashing, and still coming up only a half second short...

http://freecaster.tv/mtb/1005144/dh-men-3rd-sam-hill-world-championship



Aaron Gwynn coming out of nowhere to podium this year.. after taking 9th in his first World Cup ever...

http://freecaster.tv/mtb/1007128/nissan-uci-mountain-bike-world-cup-bromont-dhi-top-5-men



And with young guns like Semenuk, Bryceland, Fairclough, and others, the sport is looking as strong as it ever has.

Answer 4

The back wheel can loosed if you put pegs on there. You can get a spacer/chain tensioner that will keep your rear axle at a desired distance on the rear wheel bracket. That, of course, will only work if your mountain bike frame will take such a device.