It’s been about two years since I swung a leg over the first mountain bike I’d ridden since I was a kid. Two years and, oh, roughly five bikes ago. I started on a no-frills hardtail (a bright purple one at that), then moved up to a 27.5+ (shoulda kept that one), before turning to full suspension, where theft and insurance replacements and smart eBaying led to my current ride, a bright neon carbon-frame 29er dual banger from a smallish, core company. My skills have risen with the quality of my bikes. Daily rides on the historic trails of Marin County, California, these past two years have firmly placed me, I think, at the bottom rung of competence. I can hold my own. If you encountered me on a trail today, you likely wouldn’t remember me the next day. I’m just…there. Not humiliating myself, not turning any heads. Perfect.
That spectrum, from total kook to the barest competence, provides a wide spectrum for snickering, ridicule, eye rolls, and outright shunning. I was prepared for this when I began. Nervous, a man in his late-30s, awkwardly spinning up trails routinely ridden by spandex-clad XC maniacs, shuddering down rock gardens passed by college kids in full-face helmets, bellying up to beer spots filled with hardened trail slayers clinking pint glasses together after a ride. I thought I wouldn’t fit, wouldn’t belong. I thought I’d bear the brunt of sidelong glances, maybe some fingers pointed at my aluminum frame.
The surf world could learn a hell of a lot from the mountain bike world when it comes to bringing newbs into the fold.
I was prepared for this because my only real frame of reference for an outdoor sport community is surfing, something I’ve devoted my life to for the past 25 years. I’ve earned a spot, should I want it, at the top of the grumpy surfing totem pole as a cooler-than-thou lifer. Well, not where I live, of course. Because of a byzantine set of rules that involve where you went to high school, perhaps where your parents did, who you say hi to in the lineup and whom you ignore, I’ll never be a local here at my home breaks in San Francisco. Forever on the outside, looking in. Of course, the moment I go back to my hometown, where I grew up surfing, it’s everybody else who is on the outside, pawing at the glass.
This is maybe a bit of a broad generalization, but also one that pretty much any surfer who’s spent a lifetime in the waves will tell you: surfers are particularly dismissive of newcomers. That’s partly because waves are a finite resource and crowds ruin the fun of surfing, and also because surfing is incredibly difficult to become good at, and unless you started as a kid, you’re unlikely to ever master it. If you’re competent, you’ve spent years and years getting better and you’re proud of your status, and guard your status with a kind of jealousy. But we’re also mercilessly dismissive of surfers at our own skill level, especially if we don’t recognize them. Some of the coldest silences you’ll ever experience can be found when a surfer is checking the waves at a spot with nobody out when another surfer arrives to do the same thing. We berate each other for taking pictures of good waves, for fear somebody else will come surf the same sandbar. We stink-eye each other in parking lots, knowing we’ll be competing for the same scraps once we hit the water. Not always, of course. But often.
So, anyway, after a lifetime of this, I stiffened my spine when I first hit the trails on my bright purple mountain bike. I expected rudeness, I expected barking at the new guy, I expected snickers. Not the good kind, either.
Instead, I was greeted with stoke. “Just got my first bike,” I told people I knew were hardcore riders. “Cool, let’s ride sometime,” they’d respond. This is not something expert surfers ever say to newbs. Ever. On the trail, I was shocked to hear helpful, friendly communication. “Two back,” riders would announce as they passed in an opposite direction. And, unbelievably, “Thanks, man,” I’d hear from the trailing riders as I made room for them to pass. As I’d come bumbling slowly up rocky sections, downhill riders would slow to a stop to allow me, the uphill rider, room to slip by. Most of the time, they’d extend a friendly, “Have a good ride.”
Thanks? Communication? Etiquette? This is the stuff of real community building.
I’m not totally naive. I read plenty of essays from hardened cyclists complaining about the lack of etiquette. I know all about the conflict among trail users. I am well aware I haven’t been doing this nearly long enough to become jaded. I don’t have anything to compare the attitudes of today’s riders with those of a decade or two ago. I am still a newb. I don’t know enough to know what I don’t know.
But I can tell you, fellow riders, that you have it very good. It’s been a refreshing joy to arrive at the trailhead to smiles. It’s been beyond thrilling to announce that I’ve only been riding for a couple of years when I’m asking for help at a local bike shop and not be condescended to. A thrill to encounter badass teenagers on expensive bikes who actually seem to understand the value of trail etiquette. A real pleasure to actually share trail beta with riders far, far better than I, who could just as easily hoard their knowledge of favored trails. I suppose it’s possible they are, but I don’t at all feel like I’m not cool enough to ask, that there’s a secret handshake I have yet to learn before I’m allowed in the club’s door.
It’s been nothing but smiles and a welcoming attitude since I arrived. Honeymoon phase? I don’t think so. For whatever reason, I’ve encountered many surfers riding mountain bikes over the past couple of years, who, like me, are surfing a whole lot less and riding bikes a whole lot more. Some of whom traded a surfboard for a bike years and years ago. We all say the same thing: Can you believe how friendly people are on bikes? And no, we can’t.
The surf world could learn a hell of a lot from the mountain bike world when it comes to bringing newbs into the fold. It’s not easy to build this kind of welcoming vibe.
Photo: Sam Marx
Made me happy. Good words.
Exactly! Super stoked after about the same time spent riding. Still on my original hardtail, though I have upgraded it a bunch. I can say the friendliness (almost) extends completely through the service part of the sport, too. Sometimes you’ll find an “ok, buddy, whatever you say” kinda shop, but they’re few and far between.
Always feel free to ask for help, and always ask others if they need help. MTB’s the best for a reason!
I have been surfing for 10ish years and mountain biking for about 3. Really enjoyed this article. Seems accurate. Surfing, given its finite and ephemeral nature, is guarded with an undeserving possession. No one owns the ocean yet they act like it. I have yet to have the courage to paddle out at the prized peak. For me it would be Lowers at Trestles in SoCal. I am just now having the self esteem to paddle out at Cottons, the slightly less caliber wave. Great article. Well written
Oh my gosh, reading this made me so happy. We are a happy bunch on our bikes, aren’t we. Although, I’ve never surfed, and want to but I like being on a bike in the woods.
Ride what you have when you can. Ride on.
So good.
Exactly what I have always loved about MOUNTAIN BIKING. Roadies however are the surfers of the biking world.
Great piece, and perspective, Justin.
Nailed it with this. Bike culture and community continues to be fantastic, now if we can just get more involvement and more inclusive to minorities it’ll be one heck of a force to reckon with. I stopped donating to surf foundations long ago. The elitist attitudes at local spots are in direct conflict with getting the rest of the world to pay attention to ocean health. I’ll still get out there when waves look good but I’m not competing with a local jerk for space. I’m also grateful that I didn’t grow up with a local break out my front door for fear I may have inherited those same poor attitudes that keep beaches unwelcoming.
Add a decade to your age, change gender and relocate this to Scotland … and you still get the same story. Miles and miles of smiles.
We’re like polar opposites. I grew up on mtn. bikes, and I sorta took that welcoming vibe for granted until I took up surfing in my mid-30s.
You’re not really exaggerating. I’ve pretty much never felt particularly welcome in a line-up, even in the less coveted, 2nd/3rd-tier surf spots my barely competent kook ass paddles out at.
Contrast to my experience mtn. biking, where other riders have always been nothing but welcoming, from my beginner days on up to transforming into one of those “spandex clad XC maniacs”.
These days I find myself a newly-minted mtn. bike almost-noob, dipping my toe in the freeride scene and attempting to catch up on a decade of riding and tech progression that passed me by while I was grinding out miles training and racing on a singlespeed hardtail. Know what, those riders in full-face helmets and full body armor, looking like storm troopers in the lift line are just as welcoming as all the spandex clad ones I used to battle against every other weekend, and I’m still learning new stuff. It never gets old.
Mountain biking has always been about shared-stoke, and that’s why it’s always been my first outdoor-love.
Speaking of stoke, is that first comment *the* Richard Cunningham? Gotta be a mtn. biker of a certain age (or at least steeped in the sport’s history) to recognize that name. I never did have a Mantis, but I reeeeaally wanted one.
It is good to hear this perspective, Justin. Lately I’ve been grumpy about how this friendliness has diminished over the 35 years (ouch!) that I’ve been riding. It’s good to know that those coming into the community still see it in a good light.
Been surfing for 38 years and riding for 14 not far from where the author plays and totally agree. Now the task for those of us who have been enlightened is to take those good vibes you’ve picked up from the trails and bring them back to the beach. The limited wave resource issue will ensure greater competition amongst surfers than riders, but rising above the status quo by being warm and open to your fellow surfers will pay dividends (and an occasional hassle).
My takeaway: Surfers = cats, mountain bikers = dogs
That might be a tad divisive 😉
I drive out to a mountain range daily, east of the phoenix valley to hike. I encounter road bikers on the drive out, and mtn bikers on the hiking trails. there’s quite a few arrogant, ride in the vehicle lane road bikers, but nary a “prick” mtn biker. maybe the difference is the ride. mtn bikers are dodging cholla cactus and rocks (and hikers!) and feral range horses and exquisite desert vistas. whereas the occasional arrogant road bikers are plodding along with not much variety in their view, and challenging vehicles to a side by side game of chicken……….
Tom: “Arrogant” is assuming that you have exclusive rights to the road, dude.
You sound like a surfer.
Share the road dude, the cyclists have just as much of a right to be there as you do. All you have to do is move your hand 3 inches to left and you can get around them. Get over yourself.
Whenever we are posturing and glaring over finite, mixed-use areas, it’s important for outdoors people to remember we are on the same side in the cultural battle. Forget worrying about posers and newbies and reputation, cheer on every runner/biker/climber/surfer you see, because of the enormous inertia we all overcome just to walk out the door or put down our devices. We need to stand together to preserve the things we love.
Rad article. It’s good to hear a fresh perspective from a newer rider. It doesn’t matter when you start riding, but that you do. Get on the ‘ol steed and ride. #fezzarmy
The negative surfing experiences you describe must be a California thing. I absolutely suck monkey balls at surfing but when I was trying it out about 10 years ago I never got that sort of treatment here in Washington.
YMMV, I guess.
Hence why my surfboard stays dry but my bike gets dirty.
But…it turns out that this resource is indeed finite. Saturday mornings in SoCal are nuts…”the people are wearing out the scenery.”
I’m in the same boat! and been saying this for years! it’s nuts, but understandable.
My only experience biking was when I used to use a $5 garage sale bike to ride into town from the farm for a Pepsi. Then I married and relocated to Cuyuna MN. And now, 3 years later—I’m mountain biking on some of the most amazing trails outside my back door and on the edge of buying my first full-squish bike.
Mountain bikers have amazing community and yes, like you said, are so welcoming. Imagine Minnesota-nice paired with first class mountain biking love. It’s a fantastic combination. Come and shred the red here in Cuyuna! We’ll certainly welcome you all!
The unwelcome attitude towards new people is a primary reason why moto-x is in a current downswing on the grassroots level. All the experienced riders are to cool for school and act like elitest d-bags to newcomers who may not have the “right” gear or whatever. Nice to see you have had mostly good experiences so far with the MTBers.
Back in the old days surfers would help each other out just like you described in mountain biking. Two things helped destroy that attitude. Leashes and surf reports. I lived two blocks from Ala Moana and could catch it at full sets during the first day of a swell this may be only a couple guys out. The next day the North shore guys would show up and it would become a gladiator pit.
Back then if you lost your board you swam in to get it and that would thin out the troops so that there were waves to catch. Now, leashes allow you to stay in the lineup even though you shouldn’t be there.
After I retired I started mountain biking and have found it to be just like you described.
I just started riding a year ago a little further north in Chico. Same….
Got me a gravel, and road because the stoked cycling community up here.
I think that practically any sport community can be favorably compared to surfing…
This was a great article and very encouraging to know!
I feel that the climbing community is very similar in terms of kindness and inclusion. While I realize there will always be bad apples, I still have very fond memories of how I was reached out to and supported as a newbie, and now I do my best to give back and continue the trend.
I do worry that as climbing becomes more popular, this supportive and welcoming nature may be at risk, but I hope that the veterans in the community will help ensure that as we grow, we continue to support and encourage one another.
My friends have been nagging at me to try mountain biking, this article is certainly working in their favor!
As along time MTBer and a recent climber, I have to disagree. I have found climbing to be the most elitist sport I have ever been involved in. There are so many climbers that once they realise you’re only climbing 6a or VS snort and give you the brush off. Add to that the climbing media which is fixated on incredibly hard routes rather than the vast majority of climbers who will never get anywhere near these routes. I remember stupidly asking for suggestions on long mountain routes and VD or S on a forum and about half the comments were along the lines of,’it’s not worth climbing that, you need to get better’.
All in all if you find the climbing community supportive, I suggest getting a mountain bike, as you’ll think MTBers are some kind of group of angels.
As a SoCal resident surfer and mountain biker, I agree for the most part, but will say that there is some elitist attitude in the bike community here (which is different from most other bike communities I have visited to explore trails).
I can’t help but wonder if increasing unwelcoming attitudes are more tied to resource (trails or waves) capacity versus the type of craft one is riding.
While many trail systems get a good amount of traffic it is rare that the trails are actually hitting capacity where riders are limited from using trails due to an overabundance of users.
SoCal does have these trail capacity issues, and this is where I have seen the most selfish attitudes in the bike community out of anywhere I have traveled. MTBers here can always ride the trails, but due to density of other users, especially during weekends and peak after work times, bikers can’t always ride how they might like (slower speeds, frequent stops, etc.) Due to volume of other riders, hikers and equestrians.
Hopefully this plague won’t spread to other trail systems as mountain biking continues to grow in popularity and the trails grow more packed in areas that have traditionally never had to deal with trail crowding.
I suspect there are more top tier trails available than top tier surf spots, so not having such a finite resource could be one reason the MTB has this far been more inclusive than the surf community.
Great read! Exactly what happened to me almost ten years ago. Caught the MTB bug and hung up the board and rarely take it down to brave the line up. I miss surfing so much. It’s like an old friend that you rarely see but when you do you realize why you have new friends. Also an old friend I rarely see is road biking because of the crazy traffic and texting drivers. Tom is dead on about the new arrogant road riders of today hogging the road, just like surfers hogging the waves. Jyn however must live in the boonies because if there is one place there is little if any discrimination or shortage of minorities it is in the mountain biking community, at least in San Diego. ALL are welcome no need for quotas or bussing here. Try Meetup it is the best app invented to get people from all walks of life to get together to get outside and enjoy life.
I did think about trying to surf…
I find the same comradery in the white water kayaking community. If someone has a problem on the water, help is as close as the nearest paddler. In fact a lot of my mt. biking friends have become my paddling friends and also have several peddling friends that I met through kayaking. I spent a few of my younger yrs. (late 60s & early 70s) in So. Cal. and the surfing community was pretty much then as described by the writer.
I can’t say that I don’t surf, but I don’t surf often, and this is the precise reason. The joy of a good wave, even a crappy wave, is extraordinary. And it’s so different from the buzz of riding. But the aggressiveness that’s required to get a wave, which you then won’t get to yourself, as well as the complete lack of aloha in the lineup, has killed my enthusiasm for paddling out. With riding on the other hand, well, we all know. Can you imagine riding past someone stopped on the trail and not asking if they need help? Neither can I.
I know a lot of surfers who are nice on land and dicks in the water. But if you’re a dick in the water, aren’t you just…a dick?
Thanks for sharing. I’ve been mountain biking for almost 30 years and absolutely love the sport. I guess I have taken for granted how most MTBers are pretty cool and respectful. I appreciate you opening my eyes to how fortunate we are. I’m glad you discovered this sport that gives so many of us joy. Keep on riding…
Having a great community makes the tough stuff easier and keeps you coming back for more. I found this with the crew in Port Jervis, NY.
Thank you!