The boys of 50 to 01 recently posted a new edit, this time in our very own backyards of the west coast. A road trip from Norcal to Portland and back, the latest edit is filled with shenanigans that are not only fun to watch but display a massive amount of creativity on a bike.
It’s always great to see a fresh edit from this crew — they clearly have a lot of fun on their bikes and remind me of my favorite times riding with friends. The best days were those all days sessions, starting with a ride in the woods, shuttling trails and playing bikes. Afterwards, we’d head back into town for food, only to head out again to ride around campus where we’d look for new lines or one up each other on manuals, wall rides and anything we could think of.
I miss those days.
I’m not sure where it happened, but somewhere between debating tire/ wheel size, rim width, reach and wheelbase length the experience of playing on bikes has lost out to new gear acquisitions. It’s like we’ve all forgotten how to simply have fun on our bicycles. Between Strava runs and trying to dial in technique, I’ve also lost the fun of a good manual, nose wheelie and drifted turn. Flat pedals have lost out to being clipped in, “because its more efficient” and “faster”.
We used to mess around in the parking lots before rides. Nowadays, if we’re have manual contests or play on our bikes, people tend to stop and stare. 26″ wheels may have lost favor, but that doesn’t mean they’re still not fun. My quiver contains bikes with all sorts of wheel sizes, and I’m happy to say I still have several bikes with the “fun” wheel size laying about, and have plans to ride them.
That’s my new years resolution — more bike parks, more dirt jumps, more time on flat pedals, more drifting, more skids and more wheelies. It’s time for a Return to Raditude.
