I’ve been trying something new.
I started cycling at about the exact same time that I started working in a bike shop. Up until about a year ago, I have not known what it was like to be a cyclist and not be working in the retail side of the industry. I’ve admittedly felt a bit lost after changing careers and locales, and have been working a few things out.
Working in the industry requires you to keep your nose to the grindstone when it comes to gear, following all of the latest trends and industry-driven stoke, but that has always been at odds with my dirtbag nature. I don’t want to push the top end of everything, and scoff at the smaller, cheaper bikes. I don’t want to have to evaluate how the gear I am borrowing for this ride (that I couldn’t afford on my own) functions. I want to just enjoy the ride. That was the main reason that I started this website back in 2015, and I’ve drifted away from that a bit.
That’s not to say that I’m not a total gear head, I still fall asleep sometimes thinking about a certain part that will make one of my bikes just a bit better. I always will be, turning wrenches and trying new (to me) things is part of the reason that I love bikes. But there are lots of different reasons too.
So instead of taking my camera and pointing it at my bike, I am going to try to tell the stories of riding in my area. I want to be a part of a cycling community again, and build a scene, build some stoke and make cycling on Salt Spring the best it can be. It can be really good, but there are some things that need some work.
My last few rides have gone undocumented, besides a photo or two on Instagram. A quick recap is that they were generally cold, more focused on finding cool places to ride than thinking about the performance of the bike I am on, and getting to know the small places on this small island I get to ride on. I went to a provincial park, climbed a mountain, fucked around riding mountain bikes (getting lost) and doing a quick roadbike spin.
Now, moving forward, I want to ride a bit more. I want to take pictures of the view, the people I ride with, and the food I eat on the way. I also want to tell the stories of the people I meet along the way. In a way it’s a refresh of the original purpose of this site, in another way it’s trying something new. Anyway, we’ll see.
Here’s to the ride.