Video: Does Mountain Biking NEED Competition?

 Then I’d argue that 80% of Pb readers need autoplay. (Can’t wait to count the downvotes.)

 If a video starts on autoplay in the woods and no one is there to see it, did it really play?

 try the brave browser, switches off the autoplay

 Firefox - Settings->Privacy & Security->Permissions->Autoplay Settings->Block Audio and Video

 @noapathy: Cheers mate. Hopefully it works. Looks like it was already on block audio I guess. Not too sure since almost no site I visit does autoplay anything.

 Don't all browsers have the option to switch off autoplay? I'm currently using Vivaldi but before that I used Seamonkey (a Mozilla project) and both easily allow you to switch off autoplay. Some ads have animations. Not sure whether Pinkbike is still using them but I can't stand them. You can set your browser to loop them, play them once and then stop (until you refresh or revisit the page) or not play them at all. I'm sure that if autoplay annoys you, these ads annoy you as well. If you haven't already, you can switch them off.

 @Pinemtn: What garbage! DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT

 The auto play gets them more views don’t you know? Especially when they put it on the home page as the header, then everyone who logs onto pinkbike technically watched it…

 @Planetx888: LOL dang homie, going hard on the cancel culture.

 @Pinemtn: OMG, that is the funniest and bravest comment I've seen! Damn bro, you got balls!

 @scott-townes: Cool comment. I'm not your homie.

 @Planetx888: OMG NOT COOL! DELETE YOUR PROFILE NOW!!!

 So tell me what value do you find here that keeps you engaged with a social media bike site that is mostly sick edits, racing news, and generally speaking what everyone else is doing? It’s the buy/sell?

 @speed10: Tech news

 @speed10:
Honestly habit - pinkbike has been a part of my daily life for the last 15ish years.
I’m here for the opinion pieces and gear/tech reviews but honestly I’m rarely if ever engaged with racing/competition articles.

This is more of an opinion piece so I read it and now I’m here sharing my opinion.

 used to race 20 odd years ago, was more a mates race for bit of crack. Me I just like to ride my bike, dig a bit n go to morzine in summer. Been there when WC was on in les gets, did I go to watch it and loose a days riding ? did I hell pleney was calling.. Still like to watch the WC but thats about it, to me its about getting out to woods every week.

 Exactly, since when was a sport about watching other people do stuff?

I blame couches life, TV, and the professionalization of sports.

 I guess you're.... ...not that fast.

 @sanchofula: “since when was a sport about watching other people do stuff?”

People have been watching others play sports for hundreds of years.

 @sino428:
I’ve been not watching people play sports for the last 31 years. Can’t stand televised sports of most types. Maybe I’m just a miserable bastard haha

 @sino428: so watching sports is okay if you don’t do sports?

That’s an interesting perspective.

I’m gonna take a different path, hope you don’t mind … playing through!

 @notthatfast: the evolution of televised sports watching come of age in the seventies, the big three started televising games with contracts from professional sports, then cable TV came on, and it’s been “downhill” ever since.

I gave up TV when I left home in 82’, haven’t had TV, cable, or any of that nonsense for forty years.

It blows my mind that folks sit at home for hours (days) watching sports.

I get the “going to a game, tailgating, etc”, but watching televised games is dumb and lazy.

Go America, yeah team!

 Personally I love watching other people ride… I mean what else am I supposed to do in school. Pay attention?

 @sanchofula: yet here you are commenting on the internet to complete strangers acting like you are better than everyone else because you gave up cable. That’s so much better use of time than watching sports on tv.

 @LukeDeGriselles: Best comment on here! HA

 True, but you might care if you knew what they were feeling, Mr. Notthatfast it sounds to me like it’s been too long since both your wheels left the ground.

 @MC13368:
My wheels leave the ground plenty. I'm not really sure how you're able to make a judgement on my riding based on anything I've written here...

 @notthatfast: Racing is about speed and if you ride like your username, then it's obvious why you don't want to race if it isn't in your blood. Joking aside - I get it. It's not for everyone and most people I race with are weirdos.I can't help myself from signing up for every race that pops up even though I only podium occasionally. I just have to do it although I'm lazy and noncompetitive in other aspects of my like..

P.S. Race entry fees are getting stupid expensive.

 @suspended-flesh:
I take part in the occasional local race, it’s fun. I do it to challenge myself and have fun with friends.
Obviously sport needs competition so it doesn’t stagnate, and we need competition for the same reason, even if it’s just against ourselves. I’m always trying to push myself on the bike, at work and in life in general, I just struggle to find internet in high level competition, that’s just me.

Also my username is somewhat tongue in cheek

 * as if they WERE pushing. FFS.

 For me it’s not so much that the riding is much different in a jam format vs a contest, it’s more about the presentation. Something like rampage is an event that gets fans excited. There is a set date and time and a buildup to the event that gets peopled pumped.

As gnarly as the riding is at something like fest events the nature of the event just doesn’t have the same juice with all the riding being spread out and the piecemeal coverage.

 They should let the competitors score free ride events

 OK,
Here's an easy test;
How many times have you heard this
" Hard Line sucks, we need to make it stop"

Yeah...... I thought so..

 It's an outrageous question meant to spark interest. Does the world need mountain biking? I mean...no. It's a form of entertainment. Humanity would go on without it. If you're asking if money will continue to flow to both competitive and jam events, the answer is obviously yes. Frankly it's kind of a dumb question IMO.

 @uponcripplecreek: I had to google what hardline was. Professional racing could disappear, and the world would probably be better off. What the world needs, is less legislation and lawsuits. My local trails are old deer trails, but we can't hold races because they aren't legally sanctioned. Imagine how much better off we would all be, if any club could organize weekly races, without fear of being sued when someone gets hurt, or having to charge large amounts to cover the cost of all the permits and insurances?

 Don't you need to be some kind of "influencer" nowadays to be a sponsored racer? I'm not on social media but I understand just good race results aren't what pays the bills. Brendog may be a more valuable racer to his sponsors than less known racers who get better results at the world cups.

 Very true, both are just the marketing departments way of buying advertising but I would rather it went to a racer than an “influencer”

 @vinay: yeah I guess a lot of racers are required to do that. Although a few high profile riders like Martin Maes are never very active on social media and just focus on the racing. I respect that. Don’t mind the social media stuff just when brands want every racer to be vlogging and always posting, it’s a bit much in my opinion.

 I think they are saying the event itself and the gathering of talent breeds progression and they don't necessarily need scores/podiums to push and progress.

 Nah, I only don't like to race because I don't like to be told where and when to ride, down to the very minute. Most time spent on a race day is time not spent riding. Has nothing to do with being afraid of losing or being afraid of competitors.

 Yup, the same can be said about work, watching the clock totally changes how I feel about what I’m doing.

 I get that feeling with Strava, when I prep to set a new personal best.

 I finally did after watching my wife go through the entire learning process. Hope it helps. Then after I did, two of my friends learned too. Then two more did wheelies bc I did bc she did….anyway good luck. youtu.be/YsvScDhbWIQ

 At 52, I must not fall off the back (or the front) of the bike trying to impress my wife and/or kids. Shit takes a lot longer to heal than it used to, and I get banged up enough without inviting it. ;-)

 We live in a time of participation trophy‘s.

 Underrated comment. People ride for different reasons… if you want to compete, go compete. If you don’t, then don’t. In sports, there will always be enough people to support racing to be the fastest or best.

 That feeling when your on the start line and you know you’ll go as hard as possible when the race starts, that’s fun stuff!

 Nobody wants to admit what Strava does do them which is why it works

 Strava lines are lame af.

 @nateb: ebike lines also lame AF . Muck trails up just as much as Strava lines . IMHO

 @Mtmw: give people an opportunity to compete and they will. That's what Strava did for the masses. Most people love competition whether we admit it or not. Even if it makes us cut corners in the middle of the woods, when we are all alone, to beat somebody we have never met, who we swear must have been on an ebike.

 Strava is good for giving you a rough idea of how far you’ve gone and how much elevation but don’t go killing yourself on the descents because it really doesn’t work very well for that. Just enter a local race.

 Thankfully for the benefit of everyone else on the trails, Strava is not that common. Buy a Garmin watch and get accurate readings unlike Strava on your phone.

 @nateb: Gods words. Strava lines are always the weakest.

 @ilovedust: strava on phones is like eating ice cream with a fork instead of a spoon, it works but not quite as well.

 @DCF: Strava makes people come around corners at 30mph on green trails where the people who vote on access walk their dogs. It gets people who should never push their limits to push their limits. It keeps orthopedic surgeons in serious business.

 @fatduke: I only eat ice cream with a fork it pierces through easier...

 @Mtmw: the douche bags going 30 on green trails are bad for mtb period. Those morons existed long before Strava.. And I didn't say Strava was good. Everyone agrees it's bad for our trail networks including me. Yet, it continues to exist because people enjoy the competition. (My point)

 @sammyboy2038: you man person, what about the melted bit at the end do you just drink it from the bowl?

 @DCF: I suspect we loudly agree about everything :-)

 Strava makes people competitive douchebags where they shouldn't be. It just rewards the bad behavior

 @Mtmw: Strava is stoopid, but somr people never leave work, so they need a clock to measure their performance.

The lack of mindfulness in this world is not surprising.

 Besides tracking my personal bests, strava is the easiest way to share location with my wife and visa versa when we ride solo (which is fortunately or not more often than together). I say easiest and also mean least costly as it’s just an app and not a garmin.
I had to really think about what people mean by “strava lines”. Cutting corners just cheats yourself. Maybe some people also mean sanctioned trails. Regardless, strava isn't going anywhere.

 @sanchofula: I do clock my laps, but just with the stopwatch inside my wristwatch (which also logs other stuff including gps data and could choose to upload everything to Strava if I really wanted to). The beeps of the start button can trigger you just enough to push yourself a bit harder. But how well I think I'm doing is unrelated to how well others are doing (in a race or on Strava). My lap time is just a rough gauche. My goals are more subjective, like how smoothly I can make it through a section, not brake here, not pedal there. Apparently gear is relevant for good lap times too but why would I feel better about my performance when my sudden improvement in lap times can largely be attributed to me using "better" gear?

A large downside of organized races seems to me that professional racers race on tracks that favor properties and skills they may care less about and do not reward the properties that they themselves care about and like to develop. It takes quite something to set up a race that rewards just that, like the Athertons did with Hardline. That may be what could be good about Strava. You time yourself on a section that you like to go fast on and you compete against those who feel the same way. At least from what I understand, that's the basic idea and it makes sense, for those who like to compete against others. Yes, it has downsides too of people misbehaving as they chase their record time.

But this complements the downsides of organized races. The race goes on, regardless of weather. In XC, the racers ride close to each other and try to overtake in places where there just isn't room. And their riding style doesn't show an attempt for trail preservation (sliding the rear wheel on steep descends, apparently too little skill or too scared to properly use the front brake instead). All this widens and destroys the fun parts of the trail. A steep rooty twisty descend that was just doable turns into a muddy wide strip. This trail could perfectly well accommodate all these racers if they'd time their laps, spread out over a couple of weeks, but when they all try to cram it in a single weekend, it rips the trail apart and it takes weeks for the fun parts to recover.

TL;DR: If fast is your definition of "good" then yeah, timing yourself may help you improve. Comparing yourself to others doesn't necessarily make sense as when someone else has done poorly doesn't imply you suddenly became better. Nor does "better" equipment (equipment aimed towards faster times) necessarily make you better as a rider, despite faster lap times. In competition, I wouldn't necessarily consider an organized race "better" than Strava, nor the other way around. With Strava, people might misbehave. With organized races, people are prepared competitors will behave like that. Just with some restrictions that benefit the race, but rarely the environment and/or the trail.

 @vinay: I would argue that Hardline is not a race. Its an entertainment show. It cant be a race because the organisers decide who is allowed to enter and not who is necessarily the best. Notice how few of the top DH racers bother to turn up

 @CM999: It gets on a gliding scale here indeed. I think the Pumptrack World Championships is truly an open competition. Anyone can enter one of these rounds and if you do well, you get to race the finals. I think out of all bike race events where you can end up with rainbows, this one is most fair in that nearly everyone gets a chance. With the other competitions, you need to get on a team or at least someone get the funds to sign up for all these races. In a way, isn't who gets chosen to get on a team comparable to who gets chosen to compete at Hardline. And are freeride events and even Crankworx invitation only too? Sure skill and talent are a major factor too obviously, but it seems to me the same goes for Hardline itself.

 At this point, it's unlikely I will ever beat my existing Strava times on my local trails since my aging body has begun to slow down. I'm fine with that. It's exciting enough when I get close to a time set in my early 40's, or I manage to bump off a bronze.

 @sammyboy2038: I hope you're not joking as I do this as well

 ^ soulmates

 @Ricolaburle: absolutely right.
I don't wanna know how many tons of CO2 the 2:32min footage of some launch videos have produced...

 So you're answer is yes, it needs more competition in the retail sector. Businesses are far more likely to give back to the community if they are competing for customers, it's all just marketing.

 @st-alfie: No it's not, what are you on about...

 @holdandhope: you aren't going to get businesses putting money into the community unless they are competing for customers. The retail sector of mountain biking requires competition to achieve what you want.

 @st-alfie: No it doesn't, if they want to sell bikes they need somewhere for people to ride them. You don't sell fishing rods if there's nowhere to fish nearby....

 @holdandhope: trails aren't going to disappear if bike shops choose not throw money at them, not around here anyway. Are British trails all developed and maintained with bike industry funding?

 @st-alfie: Do you build any trails ? Do you ride in the uk ? Having built and run a free to ride bike park with no funding I can tell you that a lot of the trailbuilders that do the same as me are fed up with all of the shops and manufactures that use them for there financial gains without giving anything back. I'm sure in new zeland it's probably different but in the uk it's getting harder and harder to find places to build,spots have been closing quite often now and people are not intrested in building stuff that they know will be knocked down pretty much straight away.

 @holdandhope: yeah I do. I build trails that I want to ride and I don't winge when they get used by others. Most trails here are built and maintained by bike club members with little in the way of financial incentive. Local businesses support clubs by offering targeted deals and service to members as a way to stay competitive with the growing online market and large corporations.

Support the businesses that serve the mtb community with an enthusiasm for local sevice and support, not the ones with the lowest prices and biggest commercial presence. Spend your money with people that give a shit and it will encourage a community that gives a shit.

 @st-alfie: Come on you don't build anything, you sound like you work in a bike shop... Bike shops are not part of the community the places that people ride are where the community is at and without them there would be none.

 @holdandhope: you couldn't be more wrong. I just dont hold my hand out begging for others to fund my lifestyle. I think we've stumbled upon the true meaning of "holdandhope".

You must live in a shit area for biking if you don't have any independent bike shops that are part of the local mtb community. Maybe this is why you're so salty. You could try moving to an area with a proper mtb scene, but you probably wouldn't be accepted into said scene with your attitude.

 @st-alfie: What the hell are you on. I haven't asked for any handouts you little child, I've never said I don't want people riding either,just don't want all they dry guy bikeshops trying to make money of our hard work. I get people coming to ride the stuff I build from all around the world you mug. Keep building whatever crap you build that no one ever wants to ride. At what point did I mention money ?, you haven't got a clue probably had more people out our jam this year than is in your whole inbred town....

 @holdandhope: Yeah, old little inbred Queenstown knows nothing about mountain biking and people actively avoid it as a mtb destination. Spot on.

 @st-alfie: Yeah all 15800 of you. You think New Zeland knows more than england ? What was your point again ? you think local bike shops shouldn't help dig ? because that was the only point I made before you started running your mouth like a child.

 @holdandhope: I never said New Zealand knows more than England. If you are an accurate representative of your country's knowledge then we are, but I'd like to believe that the majority of English citizens are less delusional than you. You're whole persona is claiming superiority over people because you build a few trails. You aren't special.

Local bike shops can contribute however and whenever they see fit. If you aren't happy with what a particular shop does, dont support them. Support the ones that contribute the most to your experience.

 @st-alfie: Your the delusional one coming onto my thread making up stuff in your head. What bike shop do you work at ?

 @holdandhope: what did I make up? You stated that you think the bike industry needs to donate to the local trail network to keep mtb alive, and somehow that won't require competition in the retail sector. That's delusion.

You won't find me working at a bike shop. I'd much rather keep making decent money.

 @st-alfie: There you go making stuff up again, when did I say donate ? You clearly have some issues.

 @holdandhope: you said give back. If you aren't paying in some way for them to provide time, money, or materials then it's a donation. For someone from England, your grasp of the English language leaves a bit to be desired.

 @st-alfie: Actually I said giving back, a donation would imply that it is a gift. When someone is recieving something back out of it, it's not a gift. These shops re gaining advertising out of it which would refute your claims that it is a gift. Now grow up child and stop commenting.

 @holdandhope: and we are back to my original point. Why would they need advertising if they aren't competing for customers with other brands and retailers?

You said that you don't think there needs to be competition in mountain biking. If the local retail sector does not have competition they don't need to advertise. If they don't need to advertise to gain your custom over competing retailers, there is no need for them to "give back". To fulfill your desire for brand input to the local community, mtb needs competition in the retail sector at the very least.

Your fantasy world is not reality.

 @st-alfie: The artical is about mtb competitions where people ride bikes, not buisnesses competing for customers. If you want to talk about running a business your on the wrong website.

 @holdandhope: yeah it is. You introduced the the idea that indidual businesses should prop up the recreational side of the sport without any form of competition. Your narrow view and the fact that you don't understand the correlation between the two is your biggest hurdle. Every industry is the same. Your participation award ideology does not drive development or progression with any real effectiveness devoid of any sort of competition.

Anyway, I've had my fill. I'm now disengaging, so you can continue on your path of "trail builder" superiority and ignorance. Enjoy your fairytale.

 @st-alfie: Your delusional, seek some help.

 You don’t even need to put the segment up anymore. Strava heat map is built into segment explorer now so you can see where everyone’s been.

 Me, 1985 to present!

 It just didn't win

 Best comment on here