Chenoa sometimes accuses me of trying to be too efficient.
The fact that I don’t think this is possible might indicate she has a point.
Maybe it’s my racing background, or maybe it’s being a business owner, I don’t know, but I look at everything I do and always wonder if I can do it better, make it simpler and complete it faster. My brain works in mysterious ways.
Riding a DH race, putting gas in the car or repairing bikes, it’s about doing it perfectly and…efficiently. Even as I write this, I am eating lunch and stretching my legs out. I’m hoping that if I save enough time by multi-tasking I can squeeze in a ride tonight instead of working or eating, and I’ll be limber.
Being that it’s mid-January, it’s a bit slow in the bike world. There isn’t as much riding, the shop is slower than normal and there is a bit of time to dream about the arrival of spring.
Imagine that first true spring day; sunny, warm, perfect trail conditions and your friends are all as stoked as you to hit the trails hard for a few hours of nothing but dry, fast, fun. This is the season you want to ride as much as possible, it just doesn’t get any better.
You get all your gear on, you set up your favourite playlist on the iPod and go into the garage to get your bike. That’s when you realize how much abuse your bike has taken over the winter. It doesn’t shift well, the brakes are rubbing and the suspension is pretty crunchy.
Now your dream day is more like a nightmare. You’ll be lucky to get through it without a mechanical, never mind keep up with your buds. So you head to the shop with a whole bunch of other riders and wonder why you can’t get your bike tuned up and your suspension overhauled before lunch. Now your bike is in the workstand for a week while your buddies are off riding without you.
If only you had been a little more efficient back in January when the weather sucked.
So, is this the year you get your bike ready early and take advantage of the best riding season ever, or do you line up at the shop again on that first great day, wondering why you didn’t do this back in January when you were snowed in?
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’…to work on my bikes, just in case spring comes early!