January 23, 2006
Old and in the Way 4 - Old's Cool
Written by Nelly
Photo by Wes Stearns
The mountain bike of today has evolved much since pioneers of the sport grafted gears and brakes to vintage balloon tire bicycles for off road fun. Hydraulic disc brakes, suspension once the realm of motocross bikes and exotic materials found on mountain bikes prove that the sport will be constantly evolving and innovating. But for the real innovative days of mountain biking, you need to look back. Waaaay back.
Posted by bikergrl at 07:29 AM
October 16, 2005
Old and in the way #3
by Nelly
Slow down and enjoy the ride
As a mountain biker, autumn has to be my favourite time of the year. Northwest winds make road riding a chilly battle, but in the trails and among the shelter of the trees the fall may be the most joyous time to be a mountain biker.
This autumn I have the added bonus of revisiting trails I haven't ridden in over a dozen years as I have moved back to my home province of New Brunswick. To my surprise, the majority of my old haunts still exist and haven't been eaten up by developers. If it weren't for my legs, lungs and gut I'd feel twelve years younger, riding these trails again for the very first time.
Posted by bikergrl at 06:39 PM
September 21, 2005
Old And In The Way #2
By Nelly
"I want to ride my bicyle, I want to ride my bike..."
"If music be the food of love, ride on..." Or something like that.
Face it, on occasion we all like to listen to tunes while we ride. For inspiration when you're not feeling up to a hard effort. To psych yourself up before an intense race. Or simply to keep yourself company on long solo rides.
While we know it's not the wisest thing to do from a safety standpoint, sometimes humming along to some tunes four hours into a ride beats talking to the roadkill for company.
Posted by bikergrl at 08:22 PM
July 17, 2004
Old And In The Way #1 "The Kids Are Alright"
Author:Nelson "Nelly" Hansen
I got into mountain biking about fifteen years ago when road racing wasn't fun anymore. The racing scene in the region was maybe at it's peak. And with the success of Greg Lemond more people on this side of the Atlantic were getting into the sport.
Bicycle racing, that odd euro-sport where guys shaved their legs and wore funny shorts and leather hairnet helmets suddenly turned cool. Everybody was getting in on the sport and into day-glo lycra and Factory Pilots.
Posted by bikergrl at 09:25 AM