Shredhard Words
Spring may have sprung and the temperature may quickly rise but a fine ice still shines on the root of the trail, still clenched in winter's fist. Winter was colder and longer, meaner and deeper than usual. It came unannounced and tore the scene apart and the forest has still yet to recover. While the cracks and the contours of the forest floor where I usually play have yet to escape winter's hold, wide open valleys where dirt jumps live are clean and dry, even dusty in some places. This has lead me to a new bike, one I never would have seen myself riding. The Lacondeguy hardtail. I have long been known as a hater of the hardtail, dirt jump specific hardtails in particular. I have always loved to jump and it's my favorite part of riding. But I like riding big jumps on big bikes. Long distance gaps with long travel suspension. A bike with narrow tires, one brake, one gear, and no rear suspension? Sounds pretty useless to me.
Buried deep in thought of tossing old ideas to the wind and contemplating whether or not I could make use of a useless bike, I figured out something pretty simple. If I ride a hardtail into the energetic resurgence of the Kamloops Bike Ranch, I could be riding a month before a single trail in Kamloops dries. Even if the area in which I ride that funny little bike is featureless and grey and leaves me with nothing to daydream about, I'll still be riding. Even if it lacks all of the technical features I thoroughly enjoy tinkering with and the bike has nothing to think about, I will still be riding a bike. So I built up my Lacondeguy with collected parts from a short travel bike and gave it a chance. And I really didn't expect much. Flying through trees, skidding down boulders and navigating my way through the unimaginable are elements that excite me. I don't see how I will have fun riding a simple bike over simple terrain, with no chance of the unpredictable presenting itself.
I guess now is the point at which I can admit that I was completely wrong. As soon as the Lacondeguy's tires touched dirt the simplicity and predictability pulled me in. Even if the jumps aren't massive and the terrain isn't in the least bit sketchy, even if I don't have compression dials and pressure setting to play with, I am still riding and that gets me smiling. Every time the bar leaves my grip and spins back into my palm, every time the tail floats out from under me and the pedals whip back around to my feet, every time I come back to the ground and feel the bike do absolutely nothing, the simplicity drives me wild. No matter how far I throw it away from me, it comes right back to me right when it needs to be there. I haven't had a bike that has been this fun to play with since I was a little kid. It is more responsive and more nimble than I could have imagined. I am so glad I gave in to my previous way of thinking and gave my hardtail a chance. I am riding weeks before the trails are dry, smiling every day and making great use of my useless bike.
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