Remembering Stevie Smith, 1989-2016

 1. He lit a fire under the butt of Canadian DH like nobody else. 2. This is a Canadian website (so we're all a little bit Canadian by association) 3. Ergo, wrong place to complain about this. 4. Chainsaws and mustaches.

 I think you clean miss the point. People aren’t just inspired by those who win everything all the time. If you watch the Seasons segment the answer are in there. He was a kid with a dream and he applied himself to that dream to the point where it became reality and when it did, he made the most of every minute and didn’t compromise, just enjoyed life. People liked the dude for that reason, because he was approachable, his attitude was about striving to be better and he made big goals seem attainable through hard work. People connect with those who they can see themselves in and most of us saw a bit of ourselves in him. Its exactly the same reason Peaty is a legend to people. The world is full of negativity; if people want to put positive vibes into something then don’t spoil it, take the neg somewhere else.

 But @BenPea has the main point. See point 4....

 Time and place to broadcast your opinion, and in this case, here and now is neither.

 Wow, fuck you too cunt.

 You don't get it and that's fine but if you only have negative thing to say then maybe keep your trap shut. Stevie was a hero and many mourn his loss, myself included. Your comment just portrays you as an ignorant douche.

 Balgaroth,you sir, are a prize cunt.

 @pigman65: Oi, a prize c*nt is worth a shag though mate!

I wouldn't piss on this fool -BagOBalls or whatever the f*ck his handle is- if he were on fire and begging.

 @Balgaroth: You are a grade A piece of shit. f*ck off and die.

 Just dont feed the troll. He just doesnt get it and probably wont.

 @m1dg3t: no,that would be a prize Pig i think

 I can't speak to the truth of the situation but more to the appearance of it, and the Steve Smith posts do come off feeling like Pinkbike milking people's admiration of him for likes, clicks, shares, website traffic, whatever. And the reactions to any dissenting opinion seem over the top and not in line with what this rider was about. Any time a community loses a member who actually contributed something positive to the world it is a sad thing that should be mourned and maybe even inspire others to step up and make their own contribution. But I do not see that reaction to these posts, I see a regurgitation of cliches and hashtags and outright violent, hate-filled reactions to anyone who doesn't fall in line. If the goal is to honor his memory and be inspired to be positive and love life this is not the way to do it. BenPea and bombdabass, thank you keeping things civil and offering some explanation.

 @highfivenwhiteguy: You know, when I read Balgaroth's comment this morning I really wanted to reply but couldn't quite put into words how I felt about the situation. You have summarized and expressed it eloquently though - well done.

I don't know that Pinkbike are "milking it" so to speak - gotta remember that Steve Smith was something of a hero in the Canadian MTB world so, with Pinkbike being a Canadian MTB site, it's not unreasonable for them to put this out once a year.

I think a lot of people felt a genuine connection with/affection for Steve Smith, despite having never met him - by all accounts he was a really nice, relatable dude, and his success story seemed to inspire quite a lot of people, so it's not surprising that so many people felt affected by his passing. For example, I never met the guy but was genuinely sad to discover he had died, and am moved almost to the point of tears whenever I see the Ft William ghost lap video. It is upsetting to think that this promising young man was robbed of his life so suddenly, more so when you watch the Seasons segment and see the dedication of his mum to making him what he became. That's relatable, which I think is why it's all the more emotionally-charged for people now.

That said, there is definitely a lot of bandwagon-jumping and blind parroting of hashtags etc... It all seems a bit sycophantic at times, which can get tiresome, but I don't think it does any harm. I probably wouldn't have called it out, however I'd hope this is the point Balgaroth was trying to get across (albeit not in a very civilized manner) rather than an attack on Stevie or his fans.

Perhaps a more positive way to approach the situation would have been to address those fans and ask if they have already donated to the Steve Smith Legacy Foundation, supporting young athletes and helping them to pick up where Stevie left off - (www.gofundme.com/23k7fus)

Tl;Dr - Don't be a dick to people expressing their sadness. Also don't be a dick to people who don't seem quite so sad. Give money to help young riders achieve their goals. Ride your bike and grow a goddamn moustache.

 @speedfreek: Thank you for the reply, this helps shed a great deal of light on the situation and I now know more than I did this morning. Hopefully others have learned something as well! In these times of everyone fighting everyone over everything it is refreshing to see some civil discourse and education.

 @Balgaroth I’m willing to bet that you are quite disliked among your colleagues if you carry this sort of attitude in real life. Anyway, kindly go f*ck yourself

 Why don't you keep shit like this to yourself you fucking goof. I'd pay good money to punch your teeth in.

 Come to Vancouver Island, where Stevie is from. Come to the Stevie Smith memorial cup race.... Then maybe you'll understand the impact he had on MTB, particularly on the local level.... Come to a world class skills park and pump track that bears his name and is in the heart of the city that he hails from to understand his lasting legacy... Everywhere I go I see #LONGLIVECHAINSAW stickers, or when out on the trails people repping metch from his memorial fund that helps kids and the bike community grow.... Particularly here on Vancouver Island, we are a small but tightknit community and we are very proud of our world class athletes (we have many of them) no matter what discipline.... Stevie was the embodiment of Island life... So yes three years on we as a whole still miss him very much.... There is no limit on how long we mourn our fallen or honour out heroes...

 Balgaroth in the shadows.

 This is incorrect on so many levels. Nobody is remembering Stevie because of a trend. Stevie was a small town kid who trained and trained on his mountain bike and became one of the best. Take your negativity elsewhere. Pure disrespect. You will never understand the loss of a hometown hero who inspired so many.