The Relationship With Your Bicycle - Video

Dec 15, 2015 at 21:43
by GT Bicycles  

What defines the relationship between you and your bike? Let us know in the comments below about your best and worst experiences you've shared with your bike.

MENTIONS: @GTBicycles


Author Info:
GTBicycles avatar

Member since Apr 2, 2013
265 articles
Must Read This Week
[UPDATED] Elite Finals Results & Overall Standings from the Fort William DH World Cup 2024
165041 views
Final Results from the Finale Ligure EDR World Cup 2024
71835 views
4 Tech Takeaways From the Fort William DH World Cup
57366 views
Frameworks DH Bikes Stolen in Milton Keynes, UK
44686 views
Day 1 Randoms: Bike Festival Riva 2024
39641 views
Now THAT Was a Bike: 2016 Pole Evolink
36812 views
Norco Race Division Updates on Greg Minnaar & Lucas Cruz's Injuries
36648 views
[UPDATED] Junior Results & Overall Standings from the Fort William DH World Cup 2024
35345 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup

108 Comments
  • 340 2
 I'm a gearhead and I work in a shop, so it's extremely relaxing and therapeutic to work on my bike. I spent an assload of money on it, and I spend an unnaturally large amount of my time maintaining it. Being able to wake up early in the morning when the rest of the world is sleeping and the sun hasn't risen yet, throw my bike on the rack and zip up my rain jacket in the bitter cold, drive an hour to the trailhead, summit a mountain, and careen back down through the forest with nothing but the sound of tires skittering across dirt to keep me company and the knowledge that the machine I'm on is in perfect running condition because I've put my own hard work into keeping it that way, is one of the surprisingly few things in my life that I get complete bliss from.
  • 26 3
 This^
  • 20 1
 Fellow gearhead here. For me its about the silence of a perfectly tuned bike. Im most happy when my bike doesn't make a single noise, other than the rear hub buzzing away and the tires on the dirt. A lot of preventive maintenance and meticulous setup goes into it. Its almost as satisfying as greasing that big hit.
  • 4 2
 Amen....@ScottStedman!
  • 7 5
 got goosebumps reading that, because i have nowhere to ride right now.
  • 4 1
 You can put too much emphasis on the bike itself when really it's the act of riding. A bike is a bike, yes there are better bikes but we shouldn't get attached to the material and concentrate on the metaphysical. Yes, you should take care in choosing your bike and maintaining your bike but only to prolong the time we can ride. The same can be said for the time spent in the recovery and maintenance of your body, injury sucks.
  • 1 0
 @ScottStedman Very well put! Thanks for communicating this so eloquently.
  • 3 0
 @ScottStedman true words man! I´ve the same relaxed feelings while working on a bike, so glad to get paid for it. I´m a WC Mechanic and there is nothing better than the words from a rider after his racerun:

"Man, thanks for the bike it was perfect!"
  • 2 0
 A bike that you've ridden for a long time, that "one frame" becomes more than a bike, they become part of your stories and your memories and they earn their soul.

stravaigingblog.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/got_soul
  • 2 1
 Scott, I know who you are! You're not a gearhead, you're a rich 43 year old guy businessman with a bluetooth in your ear 24 hours who day and make visits to the outer-city limits whore house on a bi-weekly basis. And by bi, I don't mean every other week... On top of that, your BMW 7 series gets its monthly detail.
  • 1 0
 @rattpoison Dumbass, it's a 5 series.
  • 1 0
 @rattpoison We're all going to Tiger tomorrow morning around 10:30 or so, you should join btw Smile
  • 70 5
 My other ride is your mom
  • 45 3
 At my age that just sounds nasty...
  • 4 3
 gilfs are a thing you know
  • 4 3
 Well, my other mom is your ride
  • 2 0
 side whip
  • 60 1
 GT and Trek video wars starts now!
  • 4 1
 Exactly my thought this has got to be a German thing. Big Grin
  • 5 2
 Let them fight
  • 38 3
 It doesn't seem to matter how hard I bang her, how dirty she gets or how hard I ride her, she still wants more.
  • 33 1
 Sexual connection
  • 2 0
 ask fabian
  • 29 2
 Rather be with my bike than my girlfriend
  • 9 2
 my bike so kind to let me ride him everyday... and for me helping to forget all of my problems. without my bike as a passion i would probably ended up somewhere nowhere...
  • 14 0
 Yeah jonop, I've seen your girlfriend so i agree!
  • 26 0
 Me and my bike are not speaking cause it's rich and i'm poor as hell.
  • 1 0
 bikes are such gold diggers...I LIKEY
  • 17 4
 if I might share my opinion, I would suggest that you don't fall into that "relationship with objects" shit lads. its a bad habit and a marketing strategy that promotes brand affection and unrequited love for toys and companies. I used to get so wrapped up in the motorcycles I used to own that it became impossible to sell bikes when I upgraded. same with bikes. they are just toys or tools to help experience those valuable moments you enjoy. And good on them, its wonderful to purchase something of quality and use it in the manner its intended, and I support looking after these objects and treating them carefully. but imho that's where it should end. the experience deserves the affection.
I've always said that the only things you truly own are the objects you make with your own hands. which I suppose is difficult to embrace if you don't use your hands to make quality art, craft, objects of any kind really, whatever...
  • 7 3
 Pinkbike conveys the MTB "experience" very poorly. it's all content, materialism, product, like/dislike, view counts, exposure, research polls, conformism, neutrality, and a hive of comment-swarming. ride your bike. explore. smile. laugh. live life
  • 2 1
 Listen to obee on this one Kids. It's one of those revelations that takes time to sink in, if ever for most of you, but when it does...life get easier Smile
  • 1 0
 Ah, but half the fun is allowing oneself to believe in these brand stories Smile
  • 2 0
 @gnarbar There are plenty of "Heritage Moment" videos on here about old bikes and riders. Some of my favourites.
  • 1 1
 my point is that other than the occasional incredible feature of Tibet/Iceland. online and video doesn't convey the experience of MTB. it's a poor representation of the sight, sound, pain, effort, reward, smell, emotion of riding. very weak, in fact. it's just a monetized ad platform and a social media/network tool. if you want to know what riding Whistler is like, go do it
  • 2 1
 Well said mr. Gnar. There's an illusion we all share that more is better, and the opposite proves to be true. Too often have I received compliments about the motorcycle I might be driving- given by lads who are riding a clapped out Bmx or skateboard. All the while I'm trying to explain to them that the joy they are experiencing on that board/bike far exceeds anything I can have on this moto. Which I have to try to follow speed regulations on- while I drive to work to pay for the f*cking thing.

a shit eating grin needs no tooth polishing.
  • 13 1
 "Grab my seatpost and tell me I'm pretty" - My Bike
  • 2 5
 mine always says; ride me hard baby i like it Smile
  • 5 0
 My first "downhill" experience which now when I look back at it put me on a whole new path in life which gave me a sense of purpose and fulfillment that I had previously never had. The places that experience has taken me is easily the best experience as it lead to all my other best experiences.

My worst experience with my bike was seeing the result of a 12 tonne digger giving it a "kiss". It still haunts me to this day. Nothing like seeing your pride and joy a crumpled mess and not having insurance. A real learning experience for sure.
  • 5 1
 My bike is an extension of me. There is no me without my bike. It started 35 years ago. When I jumped my first real jump. The full days spent there trying to learn a tabletop. It took an entire summer to pull it. I felt like my bike had a part in it. It showed me how, when it thought I was ready. I connected to my bike that day. From deep inside my soul. It's part of me. It gives me my style. It looks after me and pushes me when I get lazy. It keeps me humble when I think I'm great. It lets me fly through the air. Play in the mud. Kick up some dust. Allows me to do things I wouldn't think I could do or should do. Still gives me a smile ear to ear. It's been with me in my darkest days and my happiest moments. Relationships have come and gone. Different jobs. Different garages. Has watched my kids grow and rode with my kids. It's hung from different cars and countless racks. One thing has remained true after all these years though. Unlike my human relationships, my bike has always been there for me. No questions asked. Good ride or bad, it always takes me back to that feeling. Back to that late, warm, summer afternoon in 1981. The sun just minutes from setting. When a 10 year old boy, with his whole life ahead of him, found a friend for life. In his bike.
  • 4 0
 wow mate, 35yrs on the same bike, 26" for life or what
  • 2 0
 Bmx 1981-1991, 26er's from 1991-2011, 29er AND 26er's 2011-now.. I still love my 26er..
  • 3 0
 I used to have a bike that talked to me. A lovely GT DHi. It whispered to me as I rode up to things like "You can do it, that's nothing!" and "Stay off the brakes man I go this!"
Whereas I am a lot fitter now I will never be as technically gifted as I was when I rode this. Leaping of stairs, rolling big drops to flat and nailing the DH trails were just blissfully easy.
Alas I was a dick and I stopped riding it as much and eventually it was stolen. I miss that bike, it was extremely good to me.
  • 3 0
 An article I wrote a few months back for another publication. But love the topic as my own bike in comparison to other would be seen as rather shit but would not be rid of it. Grown on me like its part of the family..

This is my bike. There are many like it, but this one is mine! riderflow.com/this-is-my-bike-there-are-many-like-it-but-this-one-is-mine
  • 8 0
 it's complicated
  • 2 0
 There is an unquestionable relationship that occurs between a human and a machine. It is a material object but... Uuummm so are we. We're made up of atoms of carbon and complex protein chains, molecules of water and so on. Our sentience doesn't deprecate us from our physicality. It's our world view in this society that promotes that kind of thinking. Every object has some type of a soul, or essence if you will. It's impossible to blow through gnar day after day on your bike, doing all sorts of sketchy stuff, and having it help you grow as a rider, with all that that entails on a physical and spiritual level, and not develop a connection to your bike. Mountain bikes are gorgeous machines that allow us to explore our world and our spirit. Long live the mountain bike!
  • 1 0
 i am a avid rider may not be the best out on the trails and recently hit to many trees, and with motor bike crash over the last few year they have take there toll with that,i had torn my supraspinatus muscle from the bone and something like 25 dislocations last year. know can ride for 5 months just starting physio know and not going to be able to ride for 5-6 months and full healed after 2 years shit sucks at the min, but my relation ship with my bike is something else can stop siting on it and fucking polishing going to rub the fucking paint of it soon before i can ride it again hahahaha
  • 2 0
 Dude!? 25 dislocations?!! Geez my friend I'm not the best rider either. I've separated my shoulder and banged up my ribs over the last 3 years but my god man be careful. Have you had your depth perception checked? It honestly could be as simple as an undiagnosed visual problem. And for god's sakes get some POC padding or something. Honestly, I mean that from a good place. I'm not trying to make fun of you at all. Injuries suck cos they keep you off the bike.
  • 1 0
 cheers bud , its just my attitude try and ride out of my limit i guess, i see it as if u don't try hard then not much is going to come of it in self confidence and self believe u can do it . but my eyes are good all though got another test soon hahaha, but in the words of Cassy Stoner my talent out ways my ambition hahaha injury's are part of what we do when riding at the limit of your capability, most of my dislocations was when i was riding but drops and over jumping and me being stupid and not stooping before the tree haha but cheers for the concern bud.
  • 5 1
 Pretty sure my bike hasn't spoken to me like that.. All I hear is owwww you f*cker
  • 1 0
 Well, lately i had to explain to m'y bike why i didn't ride for the last 3 months, i'm stuck with an hernia in the lower back. But it was not my bike's faut, still There, waiting for the Next ride, True friend.
  • 1 0
 A trusty stead indeed. Smile
  • 2 0
 My relationship with my bike consists mostly of the following exclamation, and me being sorry for not getting to ride more in the right terrain.

"Ow! Dammit, why does he always case everything?!"
  • 5 0
 Haha! I sometimes get the "Oh we are going in the bushes again!" but it's mostly good things
  • 1 0
 Best experience with my bike! Taking it out on Sunday to the local dh trails and having a whole new perspective of the trails (it's a new bike) hitting things I've never ridden before because it inspires confidence and when I land it's like "why haven't I been able to do that before"! Worst experience, being poor because I just brought it!
  • 1 0
 I approach everyday life challenges and obstacles with vigor, swagger and confidence that is cultivated by overcoming the pain on the climbs and trusting myself on the descents. My bike gives me power. Me and the nomad..... we can do anything.
  • 1 0
 Some people like a silent investment as to not distract their connection to nature. I on the other hand am the bridge across the middle. I am a shaman from the dream realm, or a futuristic frontiersman. Dances with Wolves on a horse named "demo". The loudness of my rear ratchets are my constant reminder that I am tribal cheif ridding a different kind of horse , a futuristic horse. out on the wild me and my horse ridding the ends of the world knowing that because I've designed her for extreme rock gardens that all else is child's play including loose sand and deep water, I get a high knowing that upon the saddle of my machine I am invincible to the natural world and its weopon, Gravity and know if. That I am a high tec shaman .
  • 1 0
 Me and my bike are one.I know there's going to be people saying get lose hippie.I be on a bike as long as I can remember it has been my friend and has help me deal with health issues I strayed out on a granny 3 spd cruiser and everything in between.built a bike from nothing and spare parts.to now havein some of the sweetest bikes built.I am in my 40s.still love the sport very much it has become more of a religion. I had some not so fun times on my.but I am now having to ride with a chronic illness .know copd.it is chronic obstructive pulaniary disease. Everyday is a fight but I keep on riding.
  • 4 0
 "And then you replace me for modern geometry and now I'm up for sale..."
  • 1 0
 I am trying to sell my bike, is this even legal?
  • 1 1
 It's the perfect relationship! Trust, respect and love. When navigating down my favorite trail we are always pushing each others limits, It knows I can do more and I know it can do more, constantly progressing. Getting me in the zone where I can blank out all of my surroundings. It allows me to have trust when pushing through berms and jumping gaps that don't look possible at first glance. Having the respect in making sure that it's cleaned and maintained after every ride, I respect it and it doesn't throw me off! It's a good deal. But finally love, my bike lets me do the thing I love and have a passion for week in and week out without fail, letting me forget the bad week at work or things not going the right way in life. This respect, trust and love makes the best relationship!
  • 6 2
 We both like to ride hard with a lot of lube, especially in the rear end
  • 26 0
 you like to be ridden hard with a lot of lube in your rear end? damn
  • 5 0
 You walked right into that one.
  • 4 1
 This got me uncomfortably emotional, really has me questioning my emotional stability at the moment....
  • 5 1
 Bikes over b**ches!!!
Nuff said,
  • 2 0
 Some days my relationship with my bike can be defined as spousal abuse....and I'm the victim. But it's okay, the bike didn't mean it and it won't happen again.
  • 1 1
 Great writing and beautiful footage. I would have loved to have seen a little less racing and more of the adventure of our sport. This video by @larsveenstra feels so much more genuine and hits closer to home for me. vimeo.com/121254694.
  • 1 0
 I probably should get a new bike as mine's eleven years old now, but I keep it well maintained and have had so many good times and adventure's with her, I will keep on riding until she falls apart.
  • 2 0
 another lame ass marketing dept with no ideas of their own............

"hey lets get social media to help us out with a tag line or phrase..".........
  • 1 0
 "Tossed aimlessly on a conveyor belt"?
Nice writing.
I'm pretty sure the aim was the conveyor belt.
And then, onto an airplane.
And furthermore, the faraway place you are flying to.
How much more aim are you looking for?
  • 1 0
 Cool, thoughtful video. I always imagined my bike with a female voice though. Seems more natural to have a lady under me... for me at least.
  • 1 0
 My bike is freedom. I ride as fast as I can so I can think of nothing else. All life's worries don't exist. Its a zen experience for sure. Only breath and bike.
  • 1 0
 I bought my bike to get in shape after about 20 years off. I pretty much fell in love with riding again right away. I think about my bike wayyy too much.Smile
  • 1 0
 My bikes are tools. You don't take it easy on a hammer, you smash shit with it. Also, I typically like my objects to be personified as females..
  • 1 0
 ... Then I find another one that I think is hotter and post you for sale on PinkBike.
  • 2 0
 Narrators tone was so serious, I can't stop laughing!
  • 2 0
 Loyal. Haven't got rid of her just for a different whl size.
  • 1 0
 I love my bike. Been beating the crap out of it for 8 years and will continue to do so until it disintegrates.
  • 1 0
 I ride a Sana Cruz bullit. I'll never tell her she looks like a session and that's why I'm so into her.
  • 1 0
 My bike lets me know when I run out of talent. But it keeps letting me try, try and try again.
  • 1 0
 I have a codependent relationship with my bike, at least I would like to think so.
  • 1 0
 Dont really think of a bike like that , bit over top - like a mechanic going on about his spanner haha
  • 1 0
 After seeing this video, I run to my bike and I hug her, the other Two bicycles were jealous
  • 1 0
 A bike will get u through times of no money better than money will get u through times of no bike. Rod K
  • 1 0
 I'd love to hear the engineers talk about the decisions they made with the bikes.
  • 1 1
 And we wonder why GT riders come across gay, not that there is anything wrong that. just was waiting for the video to end with someone sucking off ones bike and that...
  • 1 0
 My bike is the portal to another world I like to escape to
  • 1 0
 I wear the trousers in our relationship
  • 1 0
 Mine's filthy and rattles like a bag of spanners but i still love it.
  • 2 1
 My dick twitches every time I even glance at my bike.
  • 4 3
 She lets me ride her, whenever I want!
  • 2 1
 The bike is an extension of yourself.
  • 1 0
 my bike defines my world!
  • 1 0
 suddenly no critics... thats true
  • 1 0
 Truly inspirational video. VOD!
  • 1 0
 Best time with my bike is not crashing
  • 1 0
 When my bike is more spoiled than my kids.
  • 1 0
 " that's 3 minutes of your life you won't get back" ~ my bike, just now.
  • 1 0
 This is my bike. There are many like it but this one is mine.
  • 1 0
 Cool video! tup
  • 1 0
 cool
  • 1 0
 It's complicated.
  • 1 0
 My mechanic hates me
  • 2 2
 not bad ...
  • 1 0
 What should I buy my Beauty for Christmas?
  • 1 4
 HUH.....GAAAAAY YUH!







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.034810
Mobile Version of Website