Hello lurkers...
For the past four years, I've attempted to chronicle my bike ramblings on this blog. I appreciate all of you who have come to visit (except for the negative trolls) and those who left comments. I love the back-and-forth with you folks, and I hope I've been able to help you out in some weird way with whatever you got building up in your bicycle cave.
Reading my old posts, I've realized I've gone through a dozen (or more) bikes - some I still have and some are long gone. I've experimented with different riding styles, but I think I've pretty much landed on MTB'ing, cyclocross and the occasional BMX adventure. When I ride road, it's to get to dirt for the most part, and it's done on my cyclocross bike.
Through my interactions with people on and off the internet, I've realized that there is no true "answer" for cycling when it comes to set-up and choices. People are so adamant about brands, frame materials, wheel size, tire selection, pedal choice, gearing, clothing, etc. Some stuff works better than other stuff when it comes to all this, but what somebody chooses to ride is completely personal. And, if they do well with that set-up... then that's the "correct" set-up for that particular person.
Case in point, there is an old dead horse people continue to beat: flat pedals vs. clipless pedals. I personally ride clipless for CX and MTB, and I used to be on the "clipless is best" bandwagon. I probably even posted about it on this blog. But, I've realized that - if somebody rides better with flat pedals - aren't flat pedals for that person the best choice? This example can be used for anything bicycle related i.e. wide handlebars vs. narrow handlebars.
I guess what this all boils down to is the online MTB community can reduce the troll, flaming, baiting and douchebag'y behavior if people just minded their own business about other's set-ups. It becomes tiresome when people dedicate entire blogs and forum threads about why their set-up is "right" and everybody needs to switch. I've even seen those use "scientific evidence" to support their argument. But, who am I (or anybody else) to argue with people about what works best for them?
For those of you who have disregarded the hype of a lot of unproven MTB "upgrades" - good for you. As we say, "If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it". Ride what you ride and take it all in with a grain of salt.
Also, in the last four years, I've been able to make some really, really, great friends. We loosely formed "Team Social Pace" in the past year or so, and we all get together and ride, chat, and just have a good time. Although I mostly ride alone, riding with these guys have bumped my riding game considerably, but also has brought some really good people into my life.
That's it for this blog post! Here are some videos I've recently done. I forgot to post my last San Jose Bike Party video; I hope you enjoy that. I also experimented with my GoProHD2, and I hope you enjoy a quick lap at Santa Teresa County Park.
Source: http://www.dionridesbikes.com/2012/11/four-years-of-drb-blog-thanks-for.html
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