cavestump
Beggars Would Ride

Deccessorization

Chris Greene, the unofficial mayor of Santa Cruz, was holding court astride the cruiser he had poached from a friend’s backyard. His attire consisted of grey wool dress slacks and a dumpster-scored pair of topsiders, no socks, and nothing else. “These things,” he said, gesturing with a nod of his majestic blond beard at the shoes, “they paid their way at the Crow’s Nest last night. I was partying down with Dan Quayle’s people!”

And with that pronouncement, our rag-tag assembly of likeminded fools set off on a 50-ish mile ride through some of Santa Cruz county’s finest singletrack. None of the riders were astride anything resembling an actual mountain bike; there were 24-inch-wheeled bmx cruisers, old skip tooth Schwinn Panthers, some fine British town bikes replete with Sturmey Archer 3-speed setups along with chainguards and fenders (that would, as was always the case, be mangled garbage a few hours later), old 27-inch-wheeled road bikes stripped into fixies and a questionable array of other thrift store or trashpile sourced bicycles. This was not a mountain bike ride, even though it took place on trails, in the coastal mountains. Even by the standards of late 1990s mountain biking, we looked woefully ill-prepared for the day ahead. Bowling shoes for some, hunting vests jammed full of beer cans for others, headgear ranging from baseball caps to peaked golf caps to straw cowboy hats. But Chris Greene, the unofficial mayor of Santa Cruz, outshone everyone with his semi-naked sartorial elegance.

“Yeah,” he continued, as we rode leisurely across town, “I haven’t been riding much. Don’t even have a bike anymore. Had to liberate this one from Sully’s backyard. Been running a lot lately. Barefoot. There’s just a lot less… product… involved, y’know?”

At the time, those words struck me as both odd and prophetic. This was often the case with the utterances of Chris Greene, unofficial mayor of Santa Cruz. He had a way of knifing through to the very center of things with an almost surgical precision of words. This ride, a once in a while gathering of friends that was known informally as “no gears, just beers” (Sturmey Archer 3-speed and Bendix yellow band 2-speed kickback hubs were plentiful exceptions to rules that didn’t really exist), was a beautiful relaxation from what, for me, was otherwise a deeply ritualized and accessorized immersion in cycling. So, as someone who proudly wore skinsuits at least three days a week, who shaved his legs, who thought nothing of driving hundreds of miles every weekend to pay money and line up against a whole horde of similarly obsessive skinsuit wearers, it seemed odd to me that someone would want to strip away all that uniform/stigmata/tribal adornment.

CKrepack

It's not as if we were doing anything that hadn't already been done. Charlie Kelly, Oh to the Gee, the epitome of graceful deccessorization...

But even then, I got it. I was already beginning to feel confusion at the splintering of the defining dress code. And, no matter how confident my strut was, it was always somewhat uncomfortable to duckwalk mid-ride into the bar in, say, La Honda, wearing an iridescent green/blue Lycra skinsuit, road cleats tap-tap-tapping delicately across the wood floor. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum a new status quo was being drawn out by kids wearing baggy motocross jerseys and pants, getting shuttled in big trucks up through the mossback neighborhoods of Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek, emulating their new Canadian freeride idols in look and deed. Different uniform, similar adherence to the dress code of the tribe.

I was obsessed with everything about mountain biking. The rapid technological evolution that was taking place was fascinating, and I drank it all in enthusiastically. The dress code, well, I liked it. I felt like I was part of something. I wanted to look like a cyclist, to announce it to the world.

That was a long time ago. Nowadays, I feel the opposite.

On one hand, I feel like a fraud in comparison to my younger self. Younger me, he couldn’t get enough of bikes. He ached to be woven into the tapestry of the sport and he barely had room in his head for anything else. He rode 15 hours a week, he raced every weekend, he worked at a bike shop, he wrote about bikes on the side. Now? If I can get half that much riding in a week I consider it a huge win. I have a garden to plant, gravel to spread on the driveway, trees to buck up, weeds to hack at, dogs to feed; a chore list a mile long. I think a lot about things like global politics and our climate – things I am absolutely powerless to do anything about, things that I used to never really give any thought to at all – and all that thinking kind of crowds out thinking about bikes. Younger me would think I am a fair weather cyclist, and he would be right.

On the other hand, I feel like bikes are finally nicely tucked into my life in a non-obsessive way. I don’t resent the chores the way I would have back then. I get shit done. I miss the fitness, the snap in my legs, but I don’t miss the knee pain, the constant sore back, or the 5 o’clock shadow on my quads.

And I find myself musing more and more about what Chris Greene, the unofficial mayor of Santa Cruz, said all those years ago, about… product

tweed

But then again, rampant deccessorization could inevitably lead to the pendulum swinging all the way back into rampant accessorization, and hey presto. Trading one uniform in for another. Slippery slope, this...

Maybe this is the root of my thing for snap button shirts and unobtrusive pants. Increasingly these days, as I recede further from that phase when I would regularly flat out crucify myself on the bike, I find myself disinclined to don the uniform. Increasingly, when I want to ride, I want to just go. Not pack the gear bag, load the bike, get in the car, drive to the trailhead, do the parking lot superman act, kit up, faff about, make sure the eyewear is the correct tint for the conditions, carry the necessities to handle everything from flat tires to mild hypothermia, click into the pedals, bounce around the trails for some predetermined number of hours, then do the reverse parking lot superman, morph back into a civilian, drive home, unload all the shit, clean, tune, repair, blah blah blah, et cetera.

I want to think less about the bikes I am riding, and less about the gear I feel compelled to wear in order to ride. I even want to think less about riding itself. Rather than striving relentlessly to improve, to try and post up numbers that are somehow a measure of physical progress, to pay attention to that never ending dance of numbers, I want to will all that mental noise into silence, and ride. Just ride.

This is probably not the sort of laundry to air here, on a site about mountain biking, where one of my roles is to try and be discerning and critical about… product… A site where almost everyone is steeped in the same developmental tea as I was, and where people come to read about this kind of thing. But then again, maybe it is. One of Tyler Durden’s many truly beautiful lines from Fight Club comes to mind: “Advertising has us chasing clothes and cars, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need, and the things you own, end up owning you.”

In honor of Chris Greene, unofficial mayor of Santa Cruz, this is my current trajectory. Call it deccessorization. Nope, not a real word. But a real idea.

bob

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Comments

Vikb
+24 PowellRiviera gubbinalia Mbcracken Jimothy.benson taprider Jotegir Cr4w Lynx . Mike Ferrentino Curveball badgerracer bushtrucker T0m DanL @canopyclosure HughJass UMichael Paul Stuart dbozman trumpstinyhands vunugu Bikeryder85 hairymountainbeast Jeremy Hiebert

He's right about running. I got back into trail running the last few years after a couple decades away focusing on bikes. There's a lot less gear involved, it's much cheaper, so little clean up/maintenance and there is a lot less to think about while actually doing it than mountain biking. Consider flying with running gear vs. a mountain bike or packing your vehicle for a running road trip vs. a MTB trip.

Earlier this week I got out for a nice trail run and the next day a friend wanted to ride a lot of those same trails on our MTBs. Obviously it's a different experience, but at the same time it was a lot the same. I'm a lifelong cyclist so I'm not giving up the bike unless I have to, but I am making more room for trail running or as I call it foot shredding. If push came to shove and I had to run/shuffle in the forest instead of riding a mountain bike I'd be fine about it.

I also have to say that back when I started riding mountain bikes it was an adventure sport and people relished the challenges and adversity you had to overcome to participate. Now it feels more like golf with very expensive gear and the focus on motors and flow trails to make it as easy as possible and avoid as much discomfort. Faced with challenges/discomfort the propensity is to fold and go home...not get excited and tackle them. Participating in the trail running community the mindset feels a lot like it did back in the early days of shredding, but as you note, with less gear.

Part of what draws me to the simpler side of mountain bikes [hardtails/rigid, motor/battery-free & obsolete gearing/SS] is that it reminds me of where this crazy ride all started.

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kavurider
+11 Jotegir Curveball bishopsmike Velocipedestrian taprider T0m @canopyclosure trumpstinyhands dhr999 doodersonmcbroseph Jeremy Hiebert

The morphing into golf seems to have really ramped up in the last few years.  Whenever I ride by the local trailhead, everyone is wearing the latest and greatest matching kit, with the latest endurbrosled (or ebike) they are pulling out of a bright shiny new Overland Edition Tacoma.  And hey, they seem like they are having a great time, which is cool.  But...I don't know, I miss the dirtbag element of mountain biking.  Busted up cars carrying busted up bikes.  Mismatched old gear held together with duct tape and zip ties.  Embarking on big rides with the "wrong" bikes and gear, just making it work and pushing through.  Sessioning a tricky section over and over until you get it.  I rarely see these things happen anymore.

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Jotegir
+8 Curveball bishopsmike GB taprider gubbinalia @canopyclosure vunugu shenzhe

By the end of summer I am going to leave bike shop life likely forever in favour of my now-completed professional degree. I am now at a bizzare crossroads where I spent the last decade identifying to my core as a dirtbag who sleeps in whatever 20 year old SUV he has running at the time a bit off the trailhead but now I'll also be showing up to work in a suit Monday to Friday.

Here's to the dirtbags, here's to the bros. People change, but in my case I hope not too much.

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bishopsmike
+6 Jotegir 4Runner1 Velocipedestrian Kyle Dixon Mammal mrraulduke

Dirtbag is on the inside, man. I'm sure you'll keep things real.

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taprider
+2 T0m Jotegir

you can still dirtbag when you retire or on your holidays

Although, Dirtbags still live at the mtn bike oriented bikepack races

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ChazzMichaelMichaels
0

I've never really understood the constant comparisons of mountain biking to golf. NB I do both, I've been a plus handicap and play off five now. If you add up hours I'd easily play more golf than ride, as well, it's easier to spend four hours playing golf than riding my mountainbike for four hours.

That said, the thing with golf is, you can play with someone who is rubbish/new, and it doesn't really affect your game, sure there's probably a bit more time spent looking for balls, but that's about it. Riding on the other hand, if you're the least fit in the group, or technically not as proficient, it can suck for you, and the others. 

Of course there is plenty of gear with golf, I have remote controlled trundler! But whilst I'm lucky enough have to have nice equipment, I hate changing stuff. My brother on the hand, who is pro, loves to have different stuff, almost weekly it seems. But the bottom line is, he could play with stuff that's ten years old and it wouldn't matter. Golf has pretty tight restrictions on tech, so it really hasn't changed in two decades, despite what manufacturers might tell you. Also you don't really wear the clubs out, save for the sand wedges. So you can turn up with older gear and school anyone with the latest and greatest.

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monsieurgage
+2 Mike Ferrentino Adrian Bostock

The insight that i’m taking away here is that we, the royal cultural all encompassing we, need to be cognizant of what we need and what companies need. 

The rider needs a bike, see above for the loose definition of the term “bike”.  Add a helmet because it’s 2023 and concuss grandpas would tell you they should have known better back in the day. Besides that, the above all must have is a desire to be out there.  I’m not going to say good or bad but I don’t want to make it necessarily easy to be out there.  Suffering sweetens those moments of joy and reveals character in self reflection. Ask any ultra runner. 

Re. bikers and runners.  The formula is simple. Companies cannot sell me a technology to make a 100km mountain slog any easier and by default the person who runs in the mountains is probably not the demographic to want Specialized Levo exo-suit with Bosh watt power climb assist.  Bikers happen to ride atop machines that are just primed for marketing and consumerism.  Throw any market theory in and MTB will be susceptible. 

The question I ask myself, do I NEED this or does the company need to sell me it?  Would I be X amount happier spending less time riding and more time working to pay for the thing I ride?

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mikeferrentino
+1 vunugu

Disregard everything I have said about battery power and accessorization; sign me up for the exo-suit! A powered suit that makes me stronger, protects body from impacts, AND compensates for my roached shoulders and wrists? Hell to the yeah!

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monsieurgage
0

I thought I saw a prototype. Turns out the dude was in full G-form.

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andy-eunson
+8 Mike Ferrentino araz DanL Mammal Todd Hellinga vunugu Hardlylikely Jeremy Hiebert

Great article. Kind of a segue from Uncle Dave’s excellent recycling thoughts. To me before we think of recycling we should think hard about whether or not we need that thing. Deccesorize. Not getting the thing in the first place is best. Do I really need that new stem in a colour not found in nature? Those fancy cranks made from rightfuckingonium that feel just like my current cranks? Do I need that three pack of tshirts from the Gap because I’m down to 35 tshirts already in my drawer? Do I need that new jacket…yes because jackets are an exception. Because he who dies with the most jackets, leaves a lot of jackets for his life partner to disseminate amongst the living. 

After a while one realizes that the perfect thing rarely exists. There is often a compromise somewhere. That’s why we often are buying new shit. That other one wasn’t quite right. And we all get suckered by the marketing spiel. 

I must say that NSMB content just keeps getting better. Articles that make me think. And entertaining at the same time.

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mikeferrentino
+9 Andy Eunson ZigaK DanL Mammal dhr999 Adrian Bostock GB Hardlylikely Jeremy Hiebert

"we should think hard about whether or not we need that new thing." Word. The past 8 years have been a super interesting life lesson for me in regard to the whole hierarchy of needs. Living on 85 acres that's a good half hour from the nearest town (and even then, "town" is a bit of a misnomer. Great place to taste mediocre wine, a decent lumber yard/hardware store, but none of those places that sell 3-packs of shirts or stackable plastic bins) has dramatically adjusted the way I spend money, and the way I think about purchasing anything. I used to "need" to go out for coffee, to eat dinner out several times a week. I used to "need" enough different clothes to show up at work looking slightly different each day. I used to "need" a lot of stuff that just doesn't compute nowadays.

Societally, there's a lot of pressure (both overt and passive) exerted on us to buy stuff, to consume. The economy must continue to grow! We are thought of more and more as "consumers" before we are considered "citizens", because if the wheels of commerce ever slow down that is considered a very bad thing by the people who have all the money. So eventually, it feels like most of us tend to fall into step and dutifully consume as much as we can afford without too much extra thought.

By "most of us" I mean everyone except the astute (and subtly attired) readership of this fine site. Obviously.

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bushtrucker
+7 PowellRiviera Jotegir Mike Ferrentino bishopsmike smoothjazzlines Paul Stuart vunugu

Love this Mike. Really resonates with me. A decade ago I started commuting and quickly got into long distance touring. I grew up playing lots of different sports and although I didn't ride bikes through my teenage years I was taught that having the right kit was important. So  lycra and clipless shoes it was. The funny part is that wasn't even how I wanted to look—I used to carry jeans and casual shoes on the bike with me to change into—it's more just that I didn't think a proper cyclists could dress any other way.

It's took a while to get there but these days I ride almost exclusively in work boots, work shorts and old t-shirts. For longer rides merino (boxers, socks, shirts) make a difference and for the most part I don't feel any less comfortable on the bike. But I damn sure feel more comfortable off it. It's far nicer to walk into the pub after a 100 mile ride and not gain any attention. Without the full kit I feel like less of a "cyclist" and more of a person with a bike.

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smoothjazzlines
0

we want to ride mountain bikes but we never want to identify as one

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denomerdano
+7 Jimothy.benson Jotegir Andrew Major 69tr6r Metacomet vunugu hairymountainbeast

Is it just the logos? What makes the uniform a uniform?

I say if you live in your riding gear, you'll never have to clark kent your way on to the bike. My riding shoes are.comfy enough to walk around in all day. Logo free NF pants? Blissful all day comfort, long sleeve merino layer? Hides under my sweater or button up stealthily.

The way to real style is to work on it fpr years and when it's time to ride, it's like you put no effort into it.

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Jotegir
+2 Cr4w Andrew Major

The shop employee special: riding shorts and 5.10s all summer long, baby!

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denomerdano
+1 Jotegir

All black TLD Skyline shorts are so damn comfy all day and for after work rides...

I do change into my clips for footwear..

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xy9ine
+1 Deniz Merdano

classic dumpsters uniform. alas, we're all fashion victims.

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denomerdano
+1 Mike Ferrentino

Geographical Necessities.

I cared less about what I wore when I lived in Southern Spain. Just a helmet and some water and hit the road. 

If I want to have a pleasant experience riding these days, I need to either live in my riding gear that is borderline passable for day to day fashion, or get kitted up heavily every time I want to go ride. Which is just about everyday.

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xy9ine
+2 Deniz Merdano Mike Ferrentino

oh for sure. we gravitate towards similar kit because it works well in our environment (and often in support of great local companies). as fashionable as they may be, nf is fantastic stuff; popular for good reason. love my (multiple) pairs of pants (all in stealth colorway, i might add). 

i'm just happy good gear these days is available in low-key iterations (having lived through fluorescent spandex and moto baggie eras).

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DaveSmith
+4 Mike Ferrentino earle.b Blofeld Andy Eunson

Tyler also said "In the world I see - you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You'll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life."

A wise person once said to me - a black shirt and pair of jeans never goes out of style. Likewise I have a logo-less uniform of simple but well-made gear in darker hues that lasts a long time and requires little of me other than the initial investment.

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fartymarty
+3 Tremeer023 Velocipedestrian dhr999

Deniz - I've been going down the dirtbag route over the last year or so since we sold my car (we're now a single car family) and I'm on the bike more days than not.

Minimal logos (generally Ground Effect tops and Endura bottoms) do the trick.  Plus riding clothes are comfortable and practical.

As I approach 50 I also give less of a @#$% about people's opinions of how I dress.

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niels@nsmb.com
+6 bishopsmike Cr4w ZigaK Mammal shenzhe Hardlylikely

"I want to will all that mental noise into silence, and ride. Just ride."

This is the essence of it for me. The way someone gets there is less important. Changing into different clothes is a well-known trick to get into the right mindset for something so it might actually help to silence the mental noise.

In that light, maybe that guy walking into a bar in lycra mid-ride without giving a fuck is the one who has it figured out.

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xy9ine
+2 Mike Ferrentino dhr999

yep. as someone who is near neurotically self conscious, i respect rather than ridicule those who are able to go out in the wild with a seeming lack of stylistic self awareness and/or concern. clothing style seems such a trivial thing in the grand scheme of things, yet here i am scrutinizing what tshirt i'm going to wear - whilst working @ home.

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araz
+3 Cr4w Andy Eunson ZigaK

Yes to that quote. In my mind the gear -- the product -- is in service to the experience. If I'm thinking about my bike on the trail and not the sensations of moving through the land then I'm not doing things right. The key I think is getting to the point of good enough, where the gear is suited to the specifics of your riding enough that it can do its job and disappear, but not to get so caught up in optimizing the gear that you're always focused on making it just a little bit better.

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craw
+2 Mike Ferrentino araz

I end up with this love-hate relationship with new gear. Of course I always want new gear but now I know that new gear is a hassle. It's expensive, tricky to set up and takes a while to get properly dialled. Of course when all of that works out and I achieve the result you wanted then it's great and I go back to not thinking about the gear so much. It's a great feeling when you have a daily routine (basic pre-ride check, gear, etc) and you have great rides with minimal changes to your setup.

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Jimothy.benson
+5 Jotegir Mike Ferrentino Tremeer023 Hardlylikely Jeremy Hiebert

Soooooo many yesses to this. "Bikes in the backgrounds" has been my catchphrase - I like being able to walk out of my house with zero costume changes (OK, a helmet), step over the top tube, and start pedaling, then simply put the bike back at the end without spending 25 minutes (whilst my children seek my attention) putting shit away.

On a side note, it turns out that if you ride Kona Wawa flat in SoftMocs, you should take out the leading centre pin

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earleb
+4 bishopsmike Mike Ferrentino Todd Hellinga Jeremy Hiebert

Thankful for being able to go straight from the garage to Fromme in just a few minutes. Seems foreign now to have to load up and drive to trails. I hardly ever make it over to Seymour or Cypress anymore when the alternative is to just ride straight from home an onto the climber in sub 10 minutes of pedaling.

Dry weather is soo easy to just change shoes, put on the helmet and ride. Wet cold winter requires that change into an uniform.

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LoamtoHome
0

Fromme is the best!

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GB
+3 Cr4w Mike Ferrentino bushtrucker

Hopefully NSMB can diverge from only showcasing modern toys and embrace the ideology of mountain biking culture with all its wonderful characters .

I enjoy the ambitious innovation as well as the vintage equipment that stands the test of time .

Honestly the beauty of all forms of cycling is the freedom of expression. Conform or behave eccentric we are all accepted .

Edit : NSMB does do a fine job of showcasing new toys and there is Andrew ! Balancing new and improved with his vast knowledge of products  from the past .

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Jotegir
+2 Mike Ferrentino Curveball T0m Dogl0rd

" rampant deccessorization could inevitably lead to the pendulum swinging all the way back into rampant accessorization, and hey presto. Trading one uniform in for another. "

Seen live at your local bike park where intermediate riders with moto style kits divege into either 'minimalist' endurbro attire or death metal shirts and button up parkbro kit as they join the 'hardcore' group.

Still uniforms.

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Dogl0rd
-1 Jotegir

So if you de-accessorize you can't have style personal stlye? No one is truly original in dress. We all wear a uniform no matter what that tells a story of who we are in some way. Even if we choose not to tell the story, that is the story.

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Jotegir
+2 DanL Jeremy Hiebert

I have no issue admitting to falling in the death metal shirt with an open button up camp. I've also had shoulder length hair or longer for over a decade. I also have enough self-awareness that I can poke fun at myself for being in the long hair dirtbag bro camp. I am not advocating decessorization or saying uniforms are bad (cuz when people see my group of friends in the lift line they know we shred, right? .... right?), just providing a real life example I've seen many times over my time with bikes.

All that said, if you're ever in the Sun Peaks or Whistler line and you see a tall guy with long hair, an In Flames or Trivium shirt with an open plaid button up over top riding a bizzarely painted bike, give him a shout. We'll do a lap.

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DanL
+2 T0m Jotegir

I always toy with the idea of wearing a full business suit to metal/punk/whatever gigs at the Rickshaw because fuck uniforms
(I'll be the one wearing the Archspire T at Whistler haha)

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xy9ine
+2 DanL Jotegir

hello, fellow archspire fan! while tech-death isn't my absolute favorite metal genre, these guys are are just awesome / amazingly talented / local people, that i like to support. bought a couple t's & vinyl (from tobi) when they had a local meet & greet / merch sale in lieu of a covid cancelled show. will have to make a point of hitting their show in may.

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DanL
+1 Jotegir

I feel the same way, I also like bands that don't take themselves too seriously and in the death/tech death genre there's a little too much of that - another uniform I guess - and they're such good people. Stay tech and see you at the Rickshaw!

Jotegir
0

There's another regular bro-crew adjacent to ours at Sun Peaks that usually does closing weekend in thrift store business attire. I can see it working just fine at a punk show. 

I've also never met anyone who is anything but hype at the Rickshaw for any sort of Punk/Metal show. I'm sure everyone would be stoked on it. The best community.

Re: bands that don't take themselves seriously: supremely disappointed Vancouver isn't getting a stop on the upcoming Nekrogoblikon tour.

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craw
+2 T0m Todd Hellinga

It's funny how I used to be so into the uniforms now I just want to go riding without advertising anything. No logos on my gear, minimal logos on my bike. Riding clothes I could wear anywhere. Though my love for fancy high end gee-wiz stuff hasn't faded much but it's generally so left field as to not merit the attention from the Enduros and Megatowers.

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xy9ine
+3 T0m Cr4w Todd Hellinga

are you me? anti-logo is the way.

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craw
0

It's funny to see that transition. When we were the edge cases I wanted to advertise bike stuff on me like obscure metal bands to find other like minded people. Now that the norms have arrived, laying low and kicking ass without advertisement is the more sophisticated way to go.

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andy-eunson
+1 Mike Ferrentino

Funny. When I was a kid if you could read a logo on your clothing it was probably inside out.

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fartymarty
0

The anti-logo extends to my bike as well - I hate overly flashy decals and will remove stickers where possible.  For this reason the WAO bike is the best looker out there.

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Curveball
+1 dhr999

It's funny that my riding gear doesn't really wear out. I still have a lycra VooDoo jersey from 1990-something. Also, an ancient sleeveless jersey from either Nashbar or Performance. These old bits of attire are only worn at the very tail-end of a long road trip when my regular stuff is all nastified with sweat and dirt. Even my regular riding shorts and jerseys are probably over a decade old.

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Tremeer023
+2 T0m Jeremy Hiebert

After many years of doing the long haul trips most of my rides are now from the door, on a simple ss hardtail built with quality low maintenance parts (my only bike).  Helmet, gloves and shoes, done.

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rossp
+2 T0m Jeremy Hiebert

"Just ride" - that's it... old, young, denim, spandex, jumps or wheels on the ground.. Now get off my lawn!! ;)

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cxfahrer
+1 Geof Harries

Just go swimming. 

I once knew a girl who was into swimming from when she was a kid - nothing else but immersing into the water and being really fast, feeling only your body, the air and the water. Ok the before and after especially in winter.. I personally hate it... but in summer it is great, no clothes, no machinery, just the water and (hopefully) the sun. Plus, one doesn't have to think about where to ride, being in the water it doesn't matter whether it is the same as yesterday and the week before and the years before. Just water.

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cyclotoine
0

I did triathlon for a little while. Biking was my favourite part, but swimming feels the best. Low (no?) impact and the total body workout is amazing. I would swim in the morning before going to work at the bike shop 3-4 days a week. usually about 3000-4000 meters and those were the best days. Other days would be runs on rides before work. But triathlon itself can be an all-consuming gear sport, but I was never that hardcore, I just loved the training, I actually was pretty terrible at it, except the swimming part. It was unfortunate because in an open water swim I could come out with the elites but then just get passed for the rest of the race... I'm tall with very long arms so kinda have a physical advantage in the water.

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mk.ultra
+1 Jeremy Hiebert

This is half the reason I ride flat pedals on every single one of my bikes. Even my "road" bikes which are just 90's-00's 26" hardtails with slick tires.

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