 Angus Spence styling it old school on The original Pink Starfish |
Oh Canada! by Richard Belson Photos Tobyn Ross |
So why are those Canadian bikes so heavy anyway? And why don't they have a big ring…after all, aren't they full suspension bikes? They should be able to be pedaled fast, right?
Well, for those of you who've been hiding under the rocks we've been riding on all this time, it's about time you get to know Freeriding Canadian Style.
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In most parts of the world, if you're not riding your bike on the dirt, you may as well be on a road bike. Now, imagine a world where riding on dirt can either be what riding is all about, or just a way of getting from stunt to stunt. In most parts of the world, if you're not riding your bike on the dirt, you may as well be on a road bike.Where man-made structures can carry you 15-feet in the air before flowing you down to the skinny teeter-totter ramps below, which all ultimately lead you toward a rocky outcropping where the trail just seems to end…until you notice the transition landing ten feet down… |
 Eamonn knows the skinny on Air Supply |
WELCOME TO CANADA!
You may not run in fear when faced with a Canadian tank in a military skirmish, but the mere mention of the country and the riders it's trails produce causes more mountain bike product managers to wake up in a cold sweat than a rash of broken seatposts.
Remember the story of the Three Little Pigs?
...the mere mention of the country and the riders it's trails produce causes more mountain bike product managers to wake up in a cold sweat than a rash of broken seatposts
 Stan Goetz keeping up with the big boys on his hardtail |
Imagine if the wolf came back, but this time he was able to huff and puff and blow the brick house in…it's called evolution. As the wolf got bigger and stronger, so did the houses. The trick is that in this story, our porcine protagonists always kept one step ahead of the wolf. If they were really smart, instead of cowering in the brick house while the wolf bought a jackhammer, the straw and wooden house pigs should have been off researching space-age metals and manufacturing processes to help build the ultimate anti-wolf haven. Once that metal house was built, odds are the wolf would have called in professional help (wolves are known for their near-obsessive tenacity) and the pigs would have already had the plans drawn out for the Next Big Thing in wolf-safe homes. |
It's the same way with the trails up here. As soon as a bike manufacturer creates a tough bike that can handle the trails, the riders go bigger, and demand bigger stunts. The trail builders create the new stunts which then break the old bikes, so the riders demand stronger bikes. So the bike companies make stronger bikes and the riders go bigger…and so on.
many companies are limiting their warrantee policies and giving "bro-deals"...
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No, nobody really knows where it's going to stop, especially the bike companies. In reaction to the ever-growing demands being placed on the equipment, however, many companies are limiting their warrantee policies and giving "bro-deals" where they used to offer warrantee replacement on Just Riding Along breakages. Half of the sport of freeriding is trying a line everyone else is scared of, or just pushing yourself and stretching your riding boundaries. Part of stretching your boundaries is crashing. The problem with crashing and warrantees is that a bike is designed roll, not tumble. When you hit a tree, or case a transition, the forces on the bike are far greater than the average product manager can foresee. |
 NSMB team rider Eamonn Duignan on Starfish |
 Eamonn Reaches for Star Rock |
I'm sure when the engineers at Shimano sat down at the drawing board way back in 1986 and designed the first Deore XT mountain bike group, with its wide cantis, thumbshifters and four-finger moto brake levers, they weren't thinking riders would eventually be taking the same types of lines Warren Miller was shooting in his ski films. A few short years ago, in fact, Shimano was panned by the cycling media for their parts being too heavy. Once they'd won the weight war, riders started demanding tough, heavy parts again. Could it be long before there is a tubular Cromoly Deore XT crankset? Perhaps with a bashguard instead of a big ring? It's not too far-fetched…they came out with 8" disc brakes in 2001. |
Could it be long before there is a tubular Cromoly Deore XT crankset?
Thanks to the trail builders, big-line riders and the odd chemical imbalance, well-established big companies like Marzocchi, Easton and Truvativ have started to take notice of the importance of this movement and have created products with big lines in mind. Considering freeride is one of the only growing segments of many bike manufacturers' lines, companies who are pushing the limits are now perceived as leaders.
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Think about it; we're only a decade after an era where everyday riders were drilling parts out to save weight and the dream of a two-pound Beryllium frame got more press coverage than Bender. In less than 10 year, the sport has pushed the parts-makers full-circle. So product managers and designers beware. If you're looking for the next big thing in riding, keep an eye on Canada, because hiding behind that 40 year old tank and the rowboat with the gun in it, there's a whole lot of riders who are pushing the bike business in directions never thought possible. Personally, I'm just afraid of how big that damn wolf is going to get. photos by Tobyn Ross |
 US rider Pilgrim Guinn on his Yeti launches all 20 feet of Star Rock |
Editor's note,
While much of the type of riding Richard is talking about began here, it is
spreading over this blue orb of ours faster than a book recommended by Oprah.
Long live the Global Freeride brother and sisterhood!
- CM
Left to right: Stan, Eamonn, Angus and Pilgrim
