Can I have a computer with that?

Imagine walking into a restaurant, such as the Spur in Longbeach Mall, and ordering a meal with drinks then leaving... they'd be pretty PO'd. Especially the waiter and assistant manager. ;-)

You just wouldn't do it would you? Place an order, act all friendly and then make a duck while the cook and staff prepare your meal that you ordered.

It amazes me that people have the audacity to just this thing to a bicycle shop. It happens more than bicycles consumers would think ("I'll be back for the bike tomorrow/later" is a favourite). Staff spend time with the customer, paying attention to their budget, realistic riding needs and sizing - even test riding. The customer then makes a final choice, and requests some side-orders, such as a computer etc, to go along with the bicycle. The staff check the bike over, or build it up (sometimes even ordering it in especially), and add the condiments ordered - job done.

"I'm just going to draw the cash at the bank" was the latest lying exit a "customer" made. I appreciate that people change their minds, but if some customers have called before to say so then why is it too much to ask that people be honest with shop staff - this is how many make their living - getting a commission on what they sell in most cases. They go to a great deal of effort for people such as this only to be left having been freshly deceived and out of pocket. That sucks in anybodies books.

I wonder if they'd like that done do them - hey that gives me an idea. Does the Spur do take away orders?

Inclusivity vs Exclusivity

I like downhilling. Freeriding too. You know, riding the technical trails that are 100% descent without ascent. That's what I enjoy - almost as much as I enjoy singletrack. Which I enjoy more than anything else in mountain biking. The fast swooping kind with banked turns that leave you weightless for a moment before your suspension rockets you out of the spirited carve. Singletrack. The kind without an abundance of hairpin corners that require too much braking forces to keep you
from roosting over the corner and into a long, tall pine.

Singletrack is inclusive - super technical riding is not. I mean freeriding video's are great to watch, but I'm passed trying that stuff out. A broken leg or back could cost me my business - you know what insurance companies can be like when you make a claim. But that's me. The thing is I reckon it's most people.

Hucking big drops is not the future of mountain biking. It's too exclusive. Most people look at that stuff and say "cool, but it's not for me", then they retire to the sofa to watch rugby and don't go ride their bikes. It can stoke them but also demotivate them. Especially the Playstation generation - doing dirt jumping or mountain biking sounds too much like hard work. To dial a trick takes loads of commitment and practise. Matt Hoffman BMX is easier on the games console - and, hey, they can actually pull a 360 there - even if it's not for real.

Mountain biking is, and should be all about getting out there with your mates and riding. Inclusivity. Doing drops can provide the same buzz and comraderie for sure, but it only caters for a select few. A valid segment of the sport but not entirely encompassing. Spectacular but no less so than a swooping a switchback or cleaning a rock section like you floated over it. For me mountain biking is about Singletrack. Everybody can ride it. Speed adds difficulty. The challenge, like pulling a 360 over a set of doubles, is making it flow. Easy on the brakes, trusting the suspension, positioning the body and feeling the bite of the tyres as you whizz along. Singletrack.

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"The Easyrider" Trail
We currently ride as much singletrack as we can every saturday afternoon in Tokai after we close shop. Hopefully we do that at 2pm and get riding soon after. There's no need for speed or Lance Armstrong lungs. Because of time restraints we try to avoid doing too much climbing, which is one of the numbing things about riding in Tokai. 45 minutes up then 5 minutes down is not quality time in the saddle in winter. If you want to ride up then meet us at the top - some riders do. Some cheat a little and shuttle to the top of Silvermine from Bike Hut. Then we ride, mostly downwards and land up back the shop exhausted but thirilled by as much singletrack as we can muster in 2 hours or so. Do join us with your mountain bike and wildcard. Call 021-7011558 for details about the "easyrider".