I agree that growth for growth's sake is not a great goal, but there's a difference between that and the sport becoming welcoming to more people. I've never been to BC and I imagine it's a bit more enlightened up there than in the US southwest, but in my experience the MTB world is still pretty bro-y. My wife, who loves riding, hates going into bike shops for that reason. And I felt horribly when a female friend interested in buying a bike -- probably the fittest and most athletic person I know -- went to a small local shop on my recommendation. She went in her conservative work clothes and they condescended to her and pointed her towards their cheap recreation type bikes. She ended up getting a nice bike eventually (from a more welcoming, and more corporate, shop), but that experience put her off doing so for a while.
And I'll add another downvote for the AI visual content.
March 22, 2024, 11:38 a.m. - araz
I agree that growth for growth's sake is not a great goal, but there's a difference between that and the sport becoming welcoming to more people. I've never been to BC and I imagine it's a bit more enlightened up there than in the US southwest, but in my experience the MTB world is still pretty bro-y. My wife, who loves riding, hates going into bike shops for that reason. And I felt horribly when a female friend interested in buying a bike -- probably the fittest and most athletic person I know -- went to a small local shop on my recommendation. She went in her conservative work clothes and they condescended to her and pointed her towards their cheap recreation type bikes. She ended up getting a nice bike eventually (from a more welcoming, and more corporate, shop), but that experience put her off doing so for a while. And I'll add another downvote for the AI visual content.