MEC = Dangerous

Average consumer - price is king.

No argument there.

But I do not think that is reason alone not to have this discussion. Everyone gets to decide where to spend their dollar but they should at least be aware of what that dollar is supporting.

Seems to me that the guys in this thread who are speaking the loudest against MEC either in the industry or already getting great deals?

What I do for a living seems to be the only counter argument that anyone ever wants to come back at me with.

Is it possible to be aware of my (regularly disclosed) bias and still at least consider my argument about the costs beyond the sticker price of a fucking tube?

Nice that it hasn't even been considered what positive impacts the groups which MEC funds may have. I'm sure none of those groups ever did anything important, ever. Probably spend 100% of their time trying to ban all mountain biking. /sarc

To me, long-term preservation of parks and protected areas is actually something worthwhile, and as I understand it that is what those groups mainly do. But I guess if you never do anything but ride a bike you might not see it this way.

You guys getting worked up over the slim chance that our government might change it's pro-bike tourism stance and start banning mountain biking due to the viewpoint of these groups is a bit much.

And shopping at MEC is definitely thinking and supporting local. They support many local causes and last time I checked all the employees were local people. I would wager they put more back into the community than a lot of the shittier LBSs.

Shows how many times you've been in my store. Luckys are a currency there.

dude - you're in Comox - COMOX! I live in COurtenay - COURTENAY! - unfortunately for me you aren't even on the way to the trails!! What can I say - I'm lazy and I like to RIDE my bike to the LBS occasionally.

but don't worry - I'll come visit you again soon…

I am not a fan of the Sierra Club for other non biking related issues and have stopped caring what they say and do a long time ago, so I am pretty new to their current policies and rhetoric. Having said that…

So, the Sierra Club's stance on mountain biking (as earlier linked in this thread) is that trails should be built so they do not cause erosion, and should be monitored as such. They support the efforts of the IMBA in this matter. Trails should not be built where it is illegal to build them.

The only other link against Sierra Club has been from a bulletin board where something was posted by someone from the WCWC.

Is there a link that someone has that specifically states this policy of no mountain biking anywhere?

Nice that it hasn't even been considered what positive impacts the groups which MEC funds may have. I'm sure none of those groups ever did anything important, ever. Probably spend 100% of their time trying to ban all mountain biking. /sarc

To me, long-term preservation of parks and protected areas is actually something worthwhile, and as I understand it that is what those groups mainly do. But I guess if you never do anything but ride a bike you might not see it this way.

You guys getting worked up over the slim chance that our government might change it's pro-bike tourism stance and start banning mountain biking due to the viewpoint of these groups is a bit much.

And shopping at MEC is definitely thinking and supporting local. They support many local causes and last time I checked all the employees were local people. I would wager they put more back into the community than a lot of the shittier LBSs.

I have more hate towards the Sierra club than just their stance on mtbing. They
are against anything they "perceive" as a threat. A lot of the time they will disregard
science and facts when those facts disagree with their cause.

Examples on Kauai:
-Super ferry
-Boats in Hanalei (both tourist and cruising boats anchored in the bay)
-Hunting of feral pigs and goats (oh, no don't kill the animals even though they're causing more damage than the track homes in Poipu)
-Mountain biking (they sure can change a pro biking government into a anti one).
These are just what I can remember off the top of my head.

Fuck the Sierra club (no I can't say that enough).

If you care about the environment, give to one that makes a difference like
the Nature Conservancy.

Seems to me that the guys in this thread who are speaking the loudest against MEC either in the industry or already getting great deals?

Average consumer - price is king. Complain all you want about MEC, but the only way to pull business from them is to compete on price.

I'm an average consumer who wants to buy from knowledgable professionals and not from a department store (Canadian Tire-op), seperate from any research I have done. Price AND service are king.

I also want a store that supports my interests.

anybody know exactly what bikes (not I think or probably) MEC is carrying yet ?

I would really like to see when it becomes public

anybody know exactly what bikes (not I think or probably) MEC is carrying yet ?

I would really like to see when it becomes public

They are going to be doing an in-house brand commuter and light XC hardtails. Maybe a mid/high end XC dual suspension. Pretty much the "bread n butter" bikes that get sold in shops across the country. No FR or DH from what I've heard.

http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande/wc14

here is a link to the sierra club's policies on mountain biking. I actually laughed at some of the wording they selected. I don't know if this is still their current policy or not, but it would be nice to get some response from MEC dealing with the issue of supporting a group that holds these beliefs while continuing to support the dark side of the mountain bikers.

http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande/wc14

After reading that ^ do people still want to spend money at MEC?

I'm an average consumer who wants to buy from knowledgable professionals and not from a department store (Canadian Tire-op), seperate from any research I have done. Price AND service are king.

I also want a store that supports my interests.

:lol: I'm always looking for knowledgable professionals to help me select just the right water bottle or inner tube. :lol:

http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande/wc14

here is a link to the sierra club's policies on mountain biking. I actually laughed at some of the wording they selected. I don't know if this is still their current policy or not, but it would be nice to get some response from MEC dealing with the issue of supporting a group that holds these beliefs while continuing to support the dark side of the mountain bikers.

That is a link of a letter written by a known quack. It also references specifically one local chapter. I was hoping for something official from the Sierra Club, similar to what was linked to earlier. Using a post of one individual would be like making a judgment of the NSMB community based on Faithless or some other individual.

That is a link of a letter written by a known quack. It also references specifically one local chapter. I was hoping for something official from the Sierra Club, similar to what was linked to earlier. Using a post of one individual would be like making a judgment of the NSMB community based on Faithless or some other individual.

As posted by Heckler:

http://www.sierraclub.org/policy/conservation/mtnbike.aspx

The key argument taking place is about what constitutes Wilderness.

Congress, under pressure from powerful lobby groups, has interpreted legislation banning "mechanized travel" from "wilderness areas" to include bicycles.

Horses, which arguably cause significantly more errosion then bicycles, are not mechanized and therefore allowed.

FYI. This "wilderness" can include fireroads going into previously logged and mined areas. In many cases we are not refering to "pristine" wilderness.

looks like MEC's donations were earmarked for specific causes. does that change anything?