Swicked Cycles

I Hate the Internet!!!

Don’t read this title and instantly think it’s one of those "old man ranting because he can’t change the clock on his microwave" type situations.

My microwave clock is very accurate, as is the clock in my truck, and they both match my phone. This hatred is more about key board courage.

And in all fairness, maybe this still is an old man issue.

When I was younger, before the internet, e-mails, InstaGram, and FB existed to spew how amazing you may be to all your “Friends”, that you’ve never met, spoken to, or know anything about, we had to deal with people . . . in person. And then stand behind our random opinions or statements while looking into someone’s eyes.

I have to admit, it created filters within people. If you’re going to spew out any and every negative thought you may have, but you stand to deal with the consequences of those comments, most of us think twice and maybe even try to see another point of view, before we shout out some random, ignorant opinion to the masses.

I miss those days dearly.

Recently a nice woman came in the store and asked if she could create a reel for her Instagram account, which apparently has a ton of followers.

It sounded like a cool project and away she went.

She had recently purchased a used bike and wanted to get it running like new again. The Swicked tech set the bike up and went through the standard inspection.

After all was said and done, there were many, many things left unattended on this bike over its life, therefore, it needed quite a bit of work to get back to tip top shape.

And, as most of you are aware, if you don’t do regular maintenance on anything mechanical, when you finally get around to it, it’s a lot more work, and more work costs more money. No surprises there right?

I thought the reel was entertaining and somewhat educational if you are in the market for a used bike. A reminder to maybe have it checked out before you buy, or perhaps budget in more $$$ for repairs if you’re not sure of its history. The bike owner in this case knew this full and well, hence coming to a bike shop for maintenance soon after her purchase.

Then I read some of the hundreds of comments from her viewers. And yes, I was reminded of why I truly hate the internet.

There were lots of positive comments, but then the inevitable negativity kicked in.

The one that stood out the most, was one troll stating that we clearly ripped the bike owner off, because she was a woman.

Wow, really? In todays world, does someone out there actually think all women are so naive that they can’t make their own decisions, research something as simple as bike repair costs, have the mindset to step back to think it over, or this is a crazy one, imagine if a woman actually understood how a bike works. Oh no, did I just make the troll’s head explode?

These are just a few examples of how we think when we go outside and interact with other humans, face to face. You know, the real world.

The amount of people that jumped on this guy's bandwagon to reiterate his opinion, was baffling.

This says one thing to me, and believe me, it is not that women are not capable. It's how sad it is, that so many people are sitting behind their computer, never living life on their own, all in the hopes that they can trash talk some random target that they have no knowledge of. They spew out recycled, ancient opinions like they just discovered knowledge. But it’s clearly filled with ignorance.

One dude stated the in all his years of being a bike mechanic, he has never done a repair that cost $950.00. I call BS, unless he has only ever done flat repairs and gear adjustments, but what if the bike needs more to run correctly, or safely, did he ignore it, not understand the needs, or just work for free???

Doesn’t sound like he really has much experience at all, but in the world of high end mountain bikes, E-bikes, and gravel bikes that weigh sub 20lbs and perform amazingly in several different terrains, we have some bikes that cost well north of 10K these days, so yes, sometimes repairs cost more.

For those of you that own mechanical things, here is some advice. If you want to avoid really expensive visits to your mechanic, do your maintenance more regularly and you can break up these costs over a longer period of time, plus your equipment will run way nicer.

As an example, I spend about $1500 per year on my truck maintenance. I skipped two years and on year three, my bill came to $7000. Do the math. I shouldn’t have waited.

Even if it didn’t cost more overall, $1500 a year is a lot easier to budget for me than $4500 all at once . . . but it did cost more, because I abused my truck. Pretty simple isn't it?

Anyway, I also have lots of opinions and one of them is that trolls are useless in our society and bring absolutely no value. Please get out from behind your desk, climb those stairs out of your mom’s basement, and go outside. Maybe ride a bike, or talk to the opposite s*x. And, if you still have some deep rooted opinions on how I do things, feel free to stop by and chat with me, face to face. I’m easy to find and easy to chat with, maybe you’ll learn something, or at least see how the real world works.

I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin'

Yahoo! It’s ride night!

Meet at the Yellowgate Parking Lot, south end of BeaverLodge Lands at 6:25pm. We ride from 6:30 - 8pm.

Requirements:
- signed waiver at Swicked
- fun positive attitude with group ride etiquette knowledge
- proper working mountain bike
- helmet

Hope to see you there!

What do we do on the chair lift other than talk about the next lap?!

We see who has the best socks on!

Fun feet make for fun laps at Mount Washington, Vancouver Island!

Check out all the fun your feet could have with OUTWAY in store!

Are These Even My Kids???

Well, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve had any motivation to write. Coincidentally it’s been a few weeks since I’ve had a working hand and been able to ride . . . OK, maybe not such a coincidence.

Anyway, with no riding, short of a few cruiser bike rides, I’ve not had much adventure, and my deep thoughts, that often inspire somewhat entertaining blogs, have been on the darker side, so I spared you my complaints. Wow, exercise really does affect my mindset a lot.

BUT, last week we went to Whistler and despite not riding my favourite trails, climbing thousand of metres of single track, and bombing back down some steep and scary descents, I consciously decided to have fun with whatever I could manage.

I rode a lot of the valley trail. (If my physio is reading this, it was paved, and tame, and safe, and I only used my good hand.) I watched lots of Crankworx events, and yes, the brewery is always an entertaining stop in the afternoon.

With all that activity, I was still feeling bad that my kids weren’t getting the same experiences without me taking them out for rides, so we hit the dirt jumps, the pump track, and Chenoa took them out for a good ride, but still, I wanted more for them.

Last Sunday, after a nice family ride into the village and back home, we grabbed lunch and then the sun came out. With the small amount of rain the previous day, the trail conditions were perfect.

Time for SUPER DAD!

“Hey Kids, how about if I load up your bikes and shuttle you to the top of Cheakamus for a full DH lap on Flashback?, Then I’ll buy you dinner.”

“Nah, thanks dad, but we’re tired, let's just eat at home and hang out.”

I truly can’t remember any time in my life where someone offered to drive me up a giant hill so I can ride down at full speed on perfect single track, just out of the goodness of their heart, and if it did happen, I would never decline. What is wrong with these kids?!?

So, instead of shuttling my kids, I took them to the hospital and we all got blood tests, ‘cause these kids clearly are not mine and I wanted to figure out who their biological father is. Maybe he can help pay for all these bikes.

OK, just kidding, we don’t need blood tests and the following morning proved why.

Before we headed for the ferry and Vancouver Island again, I woke up to my kids standing over me, suited up in their riding gear. “Hey Dad, can we shuttle today, we have time before we leave don’t we?”

Phew, I don’t have to put them up for adoption after all, and clearly, there is some of my blood running through their veins.

I dropped Chenoa and the kids at the top and met them back down at the bottom.

They came out a little bit muddy, definitely sweaty, way out of breath, and smiling. I was envious, but stoked I somehow made myself useful for my family’s biking adventures.

I can’t wait to get back later in the summer and actually ride my favourite trails. I wonder if the kids will shuttle me???

I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin'

It’s Swicked Monday!

That means we ride. And ride for beer!

Meet at the Yellowgate Parking lot at 6:25pm, we will ride at 6:30 and then will enjoy a bevvy at 8 back in the parking lot.

Don’t forget to bring your change ($3/) for the beverage!

* Signed waiver at Swicked
* Proper working mountain bike
* Helmet mandatory
* Smiles and fun
* Social & group ride etiquette appreciated.

SWICKED CYCLES, Offering marriage advice since 2010.
A couple that Rides together, Stays together!!!
New Bike Day for this happy couple.
Enjoy the ride and thanks for supporting local.

A long day of shuttling the fam up Cheakamus, and a great valley trail ride. Then we were going to ride into the village to watch the dual slalom, but decided to have a mellow night at home and avoid the rain. This truly is my happy place. How can it not be???

Amazing day in Creekside. 1199 race was epic. Hiked up the hill with the Fam, found a great spot to watch, and got so close to the racers it was scary.
Can’t believe how fast they are.
Got to watch Gracey and Goldstone only inches away.
If you haven’t planned on coming to the Workd Cup here in September, then you should.