The mountain-bike quandary...

A few days ago, as I was riding my mountain bike, I literally ran into old acquaintances of mine who were hiking on the same trail. I stopped and we chatted for a while about life, business and mountain-biking. They said that these days they hardly ever used their bikes because they would find it too hard and after trying a few times, they just gave up on the sport altogether.

That's when I chimed in and surprised myself by saying that mountain biking isn't merely riding two or three times and “getting it”, but more like a three season learning curve. This is so true and while mountain bike professionals, from equipment rental shops to mountain bike school would like to tell people that two to three hour is all it takes for someone to absorb the rudiments of the sport, this is just a superficial primer.

The painful truth is that it takes indeed two to three seasons, depending on the number of outings one takes, to begin mastering the technique and enjoying the ride. Once more, it's all about time and patience!