Human beings are social creatures and this particular part of being human is exhibited in so many ways. We like to form groups of likeminded people and get together to talk about what makes us like minded, it creates a sense of belonging, and we all want to belong. So when ones social group goes down a new road they are sure to follow, as not to left behind. Being human myself I understand this concept and try to adhere to the social norms of my group, lest I be cast out. I’m a cyclist, and that puts me into a huge social group that divides into many subcultures such as road, mountain, all mountain, downhill, cross country, cyclocross, single speed, track, freeriding, freestyle, dirt jump, BMX and now there is this new fringe group which my particular group of peers seems to be leaning toward; riding fat tire bikes. Being a human in a social group I bowed to the new convention and bought a fat tire bike or as they are commonly call “a Fatty” I remember the first time I seen a Fatty, my first impression was one of shock and awe followed by why would you want to do that, surely it must be slow. As more and more members of my social group started riding these behemoths I began to think there must be something to this new craze. Over the last few winters, trail system organizers in my area began grooming trails, just for riding Fatties in the snow. Starting to sound like fun, thought I. I started shopping the different bike manufactures online to compare bikes to see which model would give me the most bang for my buck. I am a big fan of Rocky Mountain Bikes so I decided it would be a Rocky Mountain Blizzard, the photograph of the bike looked lean and mean, a photography trick I would later realize. They posed the Blizzard on an angle that was flattering to the wide profile bike. Standing next to the bike in a store leaves one with a different point of view. The Blizzard has a presence in a room like no other bike I have ever owned before. It makes a statement, I am large and I am in charge and if you mess with me, I will roll over you. This effect is greatly exaggerated in a small room like my workshop where it demeans my other bikes. The first few rides on the Fatty were a lot of fun and the attention I got gave me some type of childlike satisfaction. When riding on pavement the fat tires rumble like a 4X4 truck and when they hit the dirt they grab onto the soil like there is glue on the tires. Hitting roots and rocks that would normally give me a jolt on my regular mountain bike does nothing to this beast. I decided I should try to jump my Fatty. To my surprise the Fatty humped over the rock like it was made for it, but it wasn’t, it was made for riding in snow. It will be a while before the snow is on the ground so I will be riding fall conditions practising my skills anxiously awaiting that first snow day. I did a Halloween ride last night on the fat tire bike; I dressed up like Slash from Guns and Roses. Now try to imagine a group of grownups riding fat tires bikes wearing costumes and riding in the forest at night with lights. Sounds like fun right, well maybe not everyone would want to participate in such an event but for those us who refuse to grow up it was a blast. Driving to work just the other day I was thinking about how aging affects how people dress, what car they drive how they spend holidays and what sports they participate in and so on. After some thought I decided that I am not going to participate in the aging process. I find it inconvenient and I really don’t want to change my lifestyle, instead I will hold on to what keeps me young at heart. Halloween is always a great time to connect with ones inner child and that kid inside of me loves my fat tire bike. I guess I am in the right social group because they don’t what to grow up either.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorRon Head Archives
January 2024
Categories |