Yeah I agree with this I think. Mtb marketing is not the root cause of the discrepancy between ideal case for the sport, vs actual case (which involves a lot of silliness and overbiking, or non appreciation for bike/trail/rider/skill symbiosis)... Like marketing may miss the target, bring about the wrong types of fantasies or whatever, but there are definitely people in my life who do not have a sport that they truly love and thrive at, and sometimes on occasion marketing might actually be a catalyst to making that happen... whether it's mtb or another sport.... connecting that person to an idea or vision or a belief that it could be worth pursuing... In terms of lowering the bar or diluting or convoluting how people enter the sport or integrate it into an already convoluted society, I think that falls on the rest of the industry, the stakeholders, landowners, builders, local chapters, and also just regular riders to continue to have a vision for the sport amidst complexity and obstacles that arise. And this will be dynamic as the years roll on, and also partially influenced by the bikes you've ridden and seen ridden, or find yourself around, for better or worse
Oct. 22, 2022, 5:35 a.m. - Rob_Grain
Yeah I agree with this I think. Mtb marketing is not the root cause of the discrepancy between ideal case for the sport, vs actual case (which involves a lot of silliness and overbiking, or non appreciation for bike/trail/rider/skill symbiosis)... Like marketing may miss the target, bring about the wrong types of fantasies or whatever, but there are definitely people in my life who do not have a sport that they truly love and thrive at, and sometimes on occasion marketing might actually be a catalyst to making that happen... whether it's mtb or another sport.... connecting that person to an idea or vision or a belief that it could be worth pursuing... In terms of lowering the bar or diluting or convoluting how people enter the sport or integrate it into an already convoluted society, I think that falls on the rest of the industry, the stakeholders, landowners, builders, local chapters, and also just regular riders to continue to have a vision for the sport amidst complexity and obstacles that arise. And this will be dynamic as the years roll on, and also partially influenced by the bikes you've ridden and seen ridden, or find yourself around, for better or worse