In his own words, “These are from Mt Tam in May, featuring the rarely seen mating dance of the amorous Turkey Vulture, followed by Lake Del Valle near Livermore.”

-reZz

]]> http://sfurbanriders.org/wordpress/feature-articles/the-riders-eye/feed/ 0 http://sfurbanriders.org/wordpress/blog/disdain-towards-the-other/ http://sfurbanriders.org/wordpress/blog/disdain-towards-the-other/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:47:09 +0000 dcrites http://sfurbanriders.org/wordpress/?p=1830 As with most avid mountain bikers, I find a near-unparalleled sense of bliss while riding singletrack.  The canopy of trees, the expanse of space stretching to all sides of me, and the organic flow of a trail over the natural contours of the earth’s surface all speak to me on a level that is beyond language.

If you took that intro sentence, and substituted ‘hiker’ or ‘equestrian’ for ‘biker’ – I believe the paragraph would describe the joy that those user groups find and look for in our treasured parks and open spaces.  When it comes down to it, we’re all humans pursuing the same joys.  Escape from our urban confines and routines.  Connectedness to the sacred spaces of nature.  The feeling of the wind in our hair and sun on our faces.

Yet there continues to be such conflict between these groups that share so many common goals and interests.  And it’s not just limited to those who choose to recreate on trails.

The problem is everywhere.  In the ocean, the shortboard surfer disdains the longboarder, the longboarder disdains the boogieboarder.  On the slopes, Snowboarders are disdained by skiers, and vis a vis.  In the skatepark, skateboarders mock the rollerbladers, rollerbladers who glare at the bmx riders who dare encroach on their sweeping canvas of undulating concrete.   So it is with us trail users, hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians all, where one group resents the others, when each one is simply pursuing the same goals by different means.

This is not to say that there is no reason for conflict.  Different modes have different styles.  A pair of skis creates different patterns, different routes and grooves in a slope than a single board.   And lets not ignore the fact that mountain bikers tend to have a penchant for velocity.  Whereas 60 year old hiking and plant observing enthusiasts perhaps do not share the same. I’ll admit that there is a type of riding that is best suited to mountain bike specific trail networks.  Jumping 10 foot gaps and collecting butterflys are not uses that are exactly, well, compatible.

What should be said, however, is that the conflict perpetuates itself on the sense that different uses are wholly incompatible and wholly different.  The conflict insists that one group should have all access rights over another, that because of one form of use, skateboarding over bmxing, shortboarding over boogieboarding, or horseriding over mountain biking, is ‘better’ or ‘more desireable’ than the other.

In any of these situations, groups need to look not at what divides them from one another – those distinctions have already been exposed and bloated until they have become impossible to ignore.  Instead, we should turn our focus to what we share.  The joy of the outdoors experience.  The feeling of exploration and freedom and sacred sense of being surrounded not by man’s creation, but Earth’s and God’s.   Though building downhill racetracks and a place for people to quietly walk and reflect on the shape of things are likely non-compatible uses for a hillside, more moderate voices in both camps will recognize the ability to build earthen trails to provide use, joy, and benefit to both parties.

Without a doubt, changes need to be made.  In all camps.

Mountain Bikers encountering hikers and equestrians should slow down not to a moderate speed, but a speed slow enough to make eye contact with the hikers or horses, and say hello, and greet them.  Not as an other.  As a you, an us – another person enjoying the same world, just in a different way.

And I would hope that hikers and equestrians would be able to return the greeting in the same fashion.  I strongly hope that hikers and equestrians stop demonizing the mountain bike as some sort of earth-destroying monster machine – claims which I hear all to often in use conflict debates, claims which have no scientific validity, and are perpatuated by angry old men.

Most often, in all these types of conflicts, it’s user type A who becomes upset at user type B because B caused A to get off the trail/slow down/wait/go around them/get off their bike/shattered their sense of solitude etc.  I’ve seen some situations get pretty ugly due to those causes.  People getting upset over these things proves that the older we get, the more we remain not child like, but childish.  We need to remember that we’re all incredibly lucky to enjoy the outdoors as we do.  That everyone enjoys it in a different way, and if you didn’t go as fast as you would have liked due to so many people on the trail, or you didn’t get to escape into your Thoreau like mindstate because a mountain biker came up behind you with a creaky chain – that we are all still incredibly lucky.  That your day, so shattered by an ‘other’ on the trail, is still a beautiful day in a beautiful place.

We’re all able to take our lesiure time and explore pathways into the known and unknown of our pristine and beautiful lands.  Give thanks, and smile at the others as you see them.  Know they’re different, but find your similarities.

It’s such a simple concept, to focus on what we share, and not what makes us different.  I think I’ll try.  I hope you will too. But for now, I’ve got to step off this soapbox and go for a ride.

But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Come to China Camp State Park in San Rafael, CA for guided rides and professional skills clinics, bike demos, beer tasting from seven (!!!) local breweries, live music and a gourmet bbq from the Culinary Institute of America. All proceeds go to IMBA California’s advocacy efforts!

2010 Event Highlights:

• Guided Rides/Skills Clinics – beginner, intermediate and advanced
• Bike Demos – Marin, Specialized, Ibis, Scott and Santa Cruz
• Free Bike tune-ups
• Skills Progression Zone
• Gourmet BBQ
• Beer and Root Beer Garden
• Live Music from the Greenstring Farm Band
• Silent Auction
• Dirt Rag Photo Contest
• Local Hero Awards
• Shimano Youth Series Race
• Marin Bikes Gold Sprints

For the last seven years, this has been one of the best mountain bike parties in the bay area, if not the best.  We’ll see you out there.

Visit www.alesandtrails.com for more details and to purchase discounted tickets!

Ride The Divide Movie Trailer from Ride The Divide on Vimeo.

insert 'oohh's' and 'ahhh's' here

our estimable raffle operator

handsome product display

handsome tshirts, both new and old...

This man is happy he bought a raffle ticket.

hope to see you among this crowd next time

Ergon Grips.  Ergon Grips work.  I can’t exactly make any claims about the grips making me a faster or stronger rider.  I’m sure there are lighter grips out there.  But the feel of riding on those grips for any length of time, from a short commute within the city to an endurance race across a mountain range is superior to just about anything else I’ve tried.

The experience recently came when my body decided to raise a complaint against mountain biking.  The complaint came in the form of sore tendons running across my hand.  After a weekend of mountain biking, it hurt to grip drawer handles, use a pencil or pen, and a myriad of other minor daily tasks.  That was on traditional grips.

I’ve recently put Ergon’s on all my bikes, and haven’t had a day of pain since.

Now lets talk about more things that work.  Like bar ends.  My first mountain bike, back in ‘99 was an old schwinn homegrown with some generic bullhorn barends.  I loved those things.  Every time I tried to race my friends up a hill in Wilder Ranch, my hands would go straight to that vertical position, pumping away and allowing me to motor on up the hill.

Then I got riser bars, and my senior colleagues at Sprockets Bicycle Shop told me, ” Oh, dude, you can’t POSSIBLY run bar ends and riser bars.  That’s totally lame.” I didn’t know enough then to question, as I was still learning how to adjust a rear deraileur.  So off they came.  Only with Ergons have they come back, and since, I’ve sat waiting at the top of Miwok trail, waiting for my bar-end-less friends, wondering why I waited so long to put them back on.

Let function create the fashion. I challenge anyone who likes to ride a bike distances, and occasionally feels the need to beat their friend to the top of the hill to try out bar ends again.  Ergons are likely some of the best looking.  I think the old fellas already know what I’m talking about, but its us silly young bucks that have wandered astray.  Barends+Riser Bars – somebody might laugh at you – but just get rad, fly your ergons high, and laugh right back.  Here’s to antlers, or any other goofy arangement, just so long as it works for you.

Unless it gets you mentioned in a certain reputable blog.

This Sunday, 5.16.2010, we’ll be leading a group ride from the inner sunset where we’ll be able to fuel up on the most delicious pastries in SF.

Bring a few dollars for some delicious Arizmendi Bakery goods at 9am, and we’ll be riding via Sutro and Twin Peaks to McLaren Park, where SF Urban Riders will be hosting bike repair and children’s skills clinics down on the path by the soccer fields.  The skills clinics and bicycle repair will be from 11am – 3pm.

Wanna wrench? email mo@sfurbanriders.org

And if starting the ride with snack’s wasn’t good enough, well then howabout SF Urban Riders provides some good eatin’ once we arrive at McLaren?  Sound good? Thought so. We’ll see y’all there.

Of course, if it’s easier for you to meet us out in McLaren without all that bicycle riding aforehand, then just come and join us for chow and camaraderie here.

Join the Sutro Stewards, Nature in the City, SF Urban Riders, SF Rotary, One Brick, and all our partners and friends united for a better outdoors experience, for the biggest trail party of the year. Traditional work event in the morning…. but a much bigger celebration afterwards with prizes, pizza, beverages and genuinely great sponsors. Come and join us to work in a beautiful space.  Food and beverages will be served following work activities! Snacks by Clifbar! Pizza delivery!

Taps flowing by Oskar Blues Brewing (and by tap we mean hikeable, bikeable cans of delicious delight)

Scope of the trail & habitat work will be around Woodland Canyon restoring trail tread, and removing overgrown vegetation along the Fairy Gates trail and the upper Edgewood trail. Please wear adequate shoes and bring layers of clothing as the weather is unpredictable in the forest. Gloves, tools, instruction, and supervision will be provided.

Section A – Comprehension: Please read the following paragraph and answer the Questions Below:

Bike Build.  The Rotary Cub of San Francisco, Supported by Mission Creek Parks, Kinders BBQ, Sunset Scavenger, SF Urban Riders,Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, Variety Children’s Charity and Playworks San Francisco .  All tools will be provided – but feel free to bring a few basics if you have a favorite. There are 100 bikes to build and that says something about what is at hand.

1. The Above Sentence would be improved with:

a) More information about the event

b) More information about the sponsors

c) More information about the bikes

d) Any information about the kids getting the bikes

e) All of the above

2. Pick the word that best completes the following sentence:

Mission Rock Park on Saturday Morning was filled with _________

a) bikes in boxes

b) Kids

c) SF Urban Riders

d) Parents

e) All of the above

3. Finish the following sentence:

SF Urban Riders ____________.

a) need dirt to show their passion

b) like bikes

c) like kids

d) use tools well

e) All of the above

ANSWERS, SECTION A – All, E, all of the above.

Section B: Arithmetic

Please solve the following.  Calculators are not allowed.

4. How many hours will SF Urban Riders need to build 117 bicycles?

a) 5

b) 6

c) 2

d) can’t be done in a day

e) my head hurts

5. (bonus probability question) – Please show your work for full credit.

What is the probability that 117 department store bicycles will have any structural problems beyond SF Urban Rider’s mechanical capabilities?

ANSWERS, SECTION B:

4) SF Urban Riders needs 2 hours to assemble 117 bicycles.  It could not have been done without 24 SF urban riders working hard – the 24 included Brad, Chris, Matt, Dane, Tom, Christy, Dawn, John, Dan, Jason, Wilson, Hector, Matt, Jon, Thomas, James, Zach, Gary, Al, and a few more non mentioned (sorry, we’ll get your name next time)

5) Bonus Answer: 0.854%  Only 1 bike did not go home with a kid.  Yeah…. that’s way, way upper percentile for wrenching on department store bicycles.  We are way above, outside, and backflipping over that curve.

Go ride your bikes now.  Report back Saturday, May 1st at 9am for trail building on Mt Sutro.  Usual Place.  Usual beer and pizza at noon forty five.

Meet us at 5pm at our usual group ride meeting spot in front of McLaren Lodge in Golden Gate Park.

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