A picture is worth a thousand words. The people at MBA who are telling you about how a $7000 race bred, World Cup winning downhill bike performs are either:
A) Richard Cunningham; old, slow, repetitive.
B) Jimmy Mac; Old, slower, repetitive-r, plus a soul patch.
Or
C) this guy:
At some point while reading the "Wrecking Crew DH Bike Killer Shoutout Special" you probably thought to yourself,
"Self, there's no way MBA relies exclusively on the input of those old, slow, boring guys with soul patches. They must bring in some fresh, young blood every once in a while. You know, some younger guys who know the ins and outs of modern downhill riding, guys who are in touch with today's riders. Right?"
This guy comes so close to fulfilling your hopes and dreams, but is so many miles away.
Young? Check.
Hip? Maybe.
Gelled faux hawk right before going riding? Check.
Clearly rental knee pads? Check, not a good sign.
Shorts tucked into top of rental knee pads? Double check.
Mom's gardening gloves? Check.
Stunned stupor as he hears SRAM's Shawn Cruikshanks use terms like "low speed compression damping," "spring rate" and "geometry." Check, check, and triple check.
This is all why MBA is always my first pick when it's time to read a mountain bike magazine. It's comfortable, it's predictable; it fits like an old glove. It's so refreshing to pick up a brand new magazine and see that only the pictures have changed since I was 12 years old.
