Category: Mountain Biking

Masks Are The New Cigarette Butts

jimmymac

Cigarette butts drive me crazy. My eyesight may be blurry, but I can spot a cigarette butt while riding along a beautiful singletrack or while hiking or when setting up a campsite. My brain is wired to focus in on this trash and it really bugs me. It is bad enough that these butts “harsh my mellow” but now I’ve got a new nemesis on the trail. Face masks! Flicking cigarette butts has been glorified by everything from movie stars to the Marlboro man. From combat solders to rock stars.…

When Updates Become Excuses: Park & Diamond Helmets Still Not Shipping – UPDATED

jimmymac

April 13, 2021: Park & Diamond released another update on April 11th with photos of the production helmet and manufacturing facility. The company also urges their backers to open a Shopify account because that is how the helmet orders will be fulfilled. Wait. Check that. First backers have to “lock in” their shipping address. AFTER everyone has done that, Park & Diamond will move all the orders over to Shopify where the orders will be processed. Got that? Good. Because I don’t.  It seems that Park & Diamond’s early promises…

The Passing Of Another Friend And Thoughts On Mortality – Updated

jimmymac

Mike Bell’s shop-sponsored Husky broke during a Carlsbad CMC Pro moto and he was pushing it off the track. A long-haired, 250 Junior got behind him and helped push the bike back to the pits. Mike was appreciative, said thanks to the guy and flashed his famous smile. I was around 21 years old so Mike would have been 17. I never imagined that we’d be friends the rest of our lives. In hindsight, it is not surprising. Almost all of my long-time friendships started out on a motocross track.…

Proposed E-Bike Act Subsidizes Recreational Vehicle Purchases Up To $1500

jimmymac

The proposed E-BIKE Act introduced by Congressman Jimmy Panetta and Congressional Bike Caucus Chairman Earl Blumenauer has great intentions. Unfortunately, it is so poorly defined that it invites abuse. If the act passes in its present form, riders who use their e-bikes solely for off-road recreation get the same incentive as riders who use their new e-bike to reduce car trips. THE GOOD INTENTIONS Congressman Jimmy Panetta has great intentions with his E-bike Act. “E-bikes are a legitimate and practical form of transportation that can help reduce our carbon emissions,”…

Congressman Panetta’s E-Bike Act Discriminates Against Bicyclists

jimmymac

Congressman Jimmy Panetta recently introduced the E-BIKE Act that financially benefits purchasers of electric-motorized bicycles (e-bikes). The Act has a major loophole (the $1500 tax credit can be claimed by riders who intend to use their e-bikes solely for off-road, recreational activities) and just as disturbing, it is highly prejudicial to riders who choose non-motorized bicycles for transportation. Congressman Panetta says that “cutting our carbon output” and encouraging “more Americans to transition to greener modes of transportation” are what justifies his tax kick back. Excluding non-motorized bicycles (that cut carbon…