I know there are better things to get upset about...

I can remember some time in the early to mid 90's when Rock Shox unveiled the Judy DHO (in magazines... Bike Rumor had yet to create the internet).

Pardon the fact that this is an image of a later generation as the original DHO had a canti stop on the brake arch.

Originally called the Diablo, but after Jamis had a hissy fit over already having a bike called the Diablo (which MBAction would censor the name out of the ads for), it was renamed the DHO. Anyways, it had a whopping four inches of travel and it had a dual crown because Rock Shox said they couldn't make a fork with that much travel and still use a single crown.

Shortly after that, Marzocchi made a 4" single crown fork.

Now it's 2011, and they have single crown fork with 160mm (6"+) of travel.

I can remember a time when people said disc brakes would never be used for XC racing since they were too heavy compared to V-brakes.

I remember a time not too long ago when people said that pro racers would never use 29'ers for so many lame reasons I can't count them.

Ummm... yeah.

I can also remember a time (2008) when Chris King said they would produce 21, 22, and 23 tooth cogs (quite relevant sizes considering the domination of 29'ers in the single speed realm).

Oh wait, that hasn't happened yet. Fuck.

So when Pink Bike posts up an article titled...

Burning Question: Will the 29er Replace the 26-inch-wheel downhill and all-mountain bike?


I cringe in parts of my body that aren't meant to cringe whatsoever.

I am not a staunch believer that 29'ers will be the only wheel size option for mountain biking eventually. It's just that most of the 450+ comments continue to perpetuate myths that have already been debunked.

Wanna argue about wheel strength?

Why argue when you can just post up a photo of a guy folding over a 29'er wheel?

I can't fight that logic. To my knowledge, that never happened with old fashion 26" wheels.

How about bitching about how 29'ers "sit higher"... despite having the similar bottom bracket heights. Sure, the front end can potentially sit 1.5" or more higher, but we are talking about downhill and all-mountain bikes right? Maybe they don't wanna give up the 2" risers and that gnar braaaappp moto look. Hell, only the most anal XC type riders I know on the planet complain about the high front ends on their XC rigs.

I guess there are three things that bother me the most. First off, sticking one's head in the sand and saying "never, never, never" doesn't stop progress, right Rock Shox?

Secondly, saying that companies are force feeding us 29'ers so they can sell more bikes is just wrong... for the most part. Let's face it, Specialized was only going to sit on their hands so long watching Fisher dealers sell out of stock halfway through the year for so long before they decided to join the game. CONSUMERS want what they want, and they'll buy it from whomever will sell it to them.

And lastly, there were quite a few comments around this line of thought:

"I think that yeah, maybe 29 inch wheels are easier to ride downhill with. But I didn't start riding downhill because I wanted it to be easy."

This from a group that considers 6" of travel the minimum and disc brakes a must. Don't want riding downhill to be easy? Take of the brakes, loose the squishy bits, ride downhill fixed with cyclocross tires... or better yet:

Gnar indeed.

There's more that bothers me, but before I forget to mention it...

Stevil has already covered the topic well, but seriously....

It pisses me off, both that the winners elected to not get the tats, and that the promoters/organizers didn't say "Fuck me? Fuck you. Go home."

Second place should have got the tats and the win (and the gold undies). It's not just the rules, it's the tradition. I'm not against pros participating in SSWC or SSCSWC because some of them actually enjoy the spirit of the race.

Adam Craig, eats shit trying to hold onto his beer during the race, wins, gets the tat. The race meant more to him than just an opportunity to get his sponsors into the limelight. It was also a good excuse for him to try the mustache look.

Last night I stood in my front yard and burned my Rapha scarf. No one in my neighborhood even noticed.

*sigh*