Next Full Moon

Sunday, May 3rd Full Flower Moon

13 June 2011

no Saviour for our sakes

Bicycle-wise I should have been born like 121 years ago. It gives me goosebumps on my self, the riding on the trails. With the no other people around. I really dig that.

As I cast my yellowed sclera around in these connected computer tubeways, I see talk talk talk talk. Like what you are seeing now, only not as mmmmmpacked with...uh...knowledge. Thinking specifically of bikepacking. I'm just as covetous of sano equipment as the crows are of the shiny ______. On account of this, in looking around at websites in search of the "perfect" gear, I've come upon so much hemming and so many hawings. I am reminded of the lady who thought she could not use a road bike helmet for her mountain biking.

So.

Here: it's not whether you have the perfect gear, it's whether you go out. If you already know that, then fuck yeah! and if you didn't , then now you do so fuck yeah! Seriously, you can stress about how much your toofbrush weighs and lament the weighty effects of this cumulative toting of sub-par gear over the course of your trip...if it makes you happy. Or, you can apply your mind and your 'magination to the task of finding the right mess of gear/bike to take you to the fun. If it's just right, you will forget about the "stuff" and be caught up in the riding. And if it's not just right, you aren't going to break; you can use that earned knowledge to refine yourself and your choices.

Again, nothing you don't already know.

I really think most of the forum jockeys don't actually ride at all. Don't worry about the "right" gear. Just ride the damn bike, maaaaan.

And, for the record, I can't get enough of a positive outlook:



You think Lee Williams gives a moment's thought to whether his kit is up to emerging standards?!
No. He just rides.

4 comments:

fxdwhl said...

hells yeah! when computer discussion time is greater than said activety time, well you better STFU and get out there. that tour divide race sure looks intriging but i fear the internet will destroy it before i ever decide to give it a try. i've followed along for years now (from home via the internets of course) and the vibe sure has changed as desk jockey warriors fill the ranks. book/internets smarts ain't the same as street/woods smarts.

Robert H said...

I've had to pull my email off a bunch of lists over the years. I appreciate that there is a collective "wisdom" out there, but most of the time it just feels like a bunch of assholes with opinions.

Well said. Get out and ride.

Juancho said...

I was just having a conversation about being passed by guys wearing jeans riding to dishwashing jobs when I'm all cutsied up in my manotard. That's a little awkward.

Gunnar Berg said...

"talk talk talk talk".
I am a poser. I just returned from a week away and didn't even take a bike along, just a shovel-handle walking stick and a pair of sturdy old-school leather hikin boots.
"walk walk walk walk"