Should we use a different name for advocacys sake?

retroenduro

retroenduro

Likes Dirt
Interesting thing happened to me recently..i was explaining to some locals about going 'mountainbiking' along a particular local trail that has no signed restrictions etc...i.e. its just a narrow trail that people use, its not even on a map...immediately dark clouds and frowns appeared and they started to um and ar until one of them said ' i dont think that track would be suitable for trailbikes'.

I was a bit shocked as even if i do have a pommy accent i was pretty sure said 'MOUNTAIN BIKING'. Then it suddenly dawned on me that these locals had no idea what i was on about...i guess in the area i was in (and indeed most areas where the good trails are) every man and his dog had a farm bike/trail bike but there are very few mountain bikers. The only cyclists they know of ride road bikes. I guess when they think of 'bike' they think of some noisy smokey fast thing, not a bicycle.

Anyway so i re phrased the question using the term MOUNTAIN CYCLE...all of a sudden all the clouds and frowns lifted when they realised i wasnt about to go zooming down the trail on a 450cc Kawasaki or similar. Next thing i know they are all laughing and joking with me and giving me directions to heaps of other trails...things like 'oh yeah and go and have a ride along so and so walking track its amazing scenery although you will have to get off for the steps' Its amazing that a simple re phrase of what i was intending to do changed the image of MTB in thier eyes so drastically and practically got me welcomed with open arms.

It got me thinking...maybe if we started refering to Mountainbiking in advocacy circles as Mountaincycling perhaps it wouldnt immediately scare people off. I know that lots of people would hate that name as its not as 'extreme' and sounds a bit soft but if it gets us trail access.....

Has anybody else has instances where MTB has been quickly written off and confused with trail biking?
 
moorey

moorey

call me Mia
....and then prepare to explain what mountain cycling is.... Sounds like something for hipsters.
 
markb84

markb84

Likes Dirt
Isn't mountain cycling the process by which farmers avoid using all of the resources on one mountain by cycling their crops between several moutains?
 
John U

John U

MTB Precision
Where is this strange back water you speak of?

I would've thought 99% of people in the developed world understand that mountain biking is on a push bike.
 
retroenduro

retroenduro

Likes Dirt
John U said:
Where is this strange back water you speak of?

I would've thought 99% of people in the developed world understand that mountain biking is on a push bike.
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Honestly folks in backwater areas, especially 'older folk' those who are more likely to write in to thier local councillor to 'complain'. Go and find one and ask them what mountain biking is. I bet they will say something about hoons on trail bikes...along with 'in my day....'
 
c3024446

c3024446

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Pay ACA and TT $2000 to run a story on Mountain Bikers, what they do, how noiseless they are, that the riders care for trails and the community etc. Include a piece showing a mtber saying "I considered a motorbike, but these are just as much fun, I get more exercise, and I didn't want to disturb the natural sounds of the bush or my fellow community members"

Every over 65 now knows what a MTB is and how considerate their riders are.
 
John U

John U

MTB Precision
c3024446 said:
Pay ACA and TT $2000 to run a story on Mountain Bikers, what they do, how noiseless they are, that the riders care for trails and the community etc. Include a piece showing a mtber saying "I considered a motorbike, but these are just as much fun, I get more exercise, and I didn't want to disturb the natural sounds of the bush or my fellow community members"

Every over 65 now knows what a MTB is and how considerate their riders are.
Click to expand...
ACA and TT won't run that. It won't generate outrage and it's not a cute cuddly animal.
 
R

richie_gt

Likes Bikes and Dirt
retroenduro said:
Interesting thing happened to me recently..i was explaining to some locals about going 'mountainbiking' along a particular local trail that has no signed restrictions etc...i.e. its just a narrow trail that people use, its not even on a map...immediately dark clouds and frowns appeared and they started to um and ar until one of them said ' i dont think that track would be suitable for trailbikes'.

I was a bit shocked as even if i do have a pommy accent i was pretty sure said 'MOUNTAIN BIKING'. Then it suddenly dawned on me that these locals had no idea what i was on about...i guess in the area i was in (and indeed most areas where the good trails are) every man and his dog had a farm bike/trail bike but there are very few mountain bikers. The only cyclists they know of ride road bikes. I guess when they think of 'bike' they think of some noisy smokey fast thing, not a bicycle.

Anyway so i re phrased the question using the term MOUNTAIN CYCLE...all of a sudden all the clouds and frowns lifted when they realised i wasnt about to go zooming down the trail on a 450cc Kawasaki or similar. Next thing i know they are all laughing and joking with me and giving me directions to heaps of other trails...things like 'oh yeah and go and have a ride along so and so walking track its amazing scenery although you will have to get off for the steps' Its amazing that a simple re phrase of what i was intending to do changed the image of MTB in thier eyes so drastically and practically got me welcomed with open arms.

It got me thinking...maybe if we started refering to Mountainbiking in advocacy circles as Mountaincycling perhaps it wouldnt immediately scare people off. I know that lots of people would hate that name as its not as 'extreme' and sounds a bit soft but if it gets us trail access.....

Has anybody else has instances where MTB has been quickly written off and confused with trail biking?
Click to expand...
No never...this is enough reason to not stop riding and talk to randoms with nothing else better to do! :p
 
bikesarefun

bikesarefun

Likes Bikes and Dirt
If we're going to re-name the sport in the interest of pandering to the greenies, let's be more creative. How about something like "nature-cycling", "sustainarolling", or "tree-f#cking-on-wheels"?
 
retroenduro

retroenduro

Likes Dirt
bikesarefun said:
or "tree-f#cking-on-wheels"?
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ha ha I guess whatever you get up to when your out on the trails is your own business lol

Im not suggesting we rename the whole thing just perhaps the advocates among us refer to it slightly differently when we are talking to land managers and stakeholders. Its all about painting a more positive image. And unfortunately we do have to pander to the greenies as they are always the ones who object...usually on incorrect facts and dodgy science however.

For example which of these is a land manager more likely to give the green light too

Nature-based mountain-cycling tours
Gravity assisted All Mountain Bike adventures
Dangerous daves freeride bike weekends (for the record i like this one)

Essentially they are all the same thing. They could all be on singletrack just some of them paint a different picture to those who dont know one end of a bike to the other.

Also instead of saying 'we want to build a sic DH track down the whole mountain with loads of shore and massive kickers' how about 'we want to build a challenging cycle trail that descends from the top of the mountain showcasing the various natural ecosystems'

There was also a story (on this forum i think) about a bike park being proposed but all the locals objected as they didnt want noisy bikes in their backyard...noisy bikes? MTBs? so the confusion may be more common than we think.
 
pharmaboy

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
Bloody hell, i thought it was already called "offroad cycling" in national parks parlence?

Mountain cycling will simply confuse mountain bikers as well as the general public
 
eyes

eyes

Likes Bikes and Dirt
pharmaboy said:
Bloody hell, i thought it was already called "offroad cycling" in national parks parlence?

Mountain cycling will simply confuse mountain bikers as well as the general public
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I actually don't mind 'off-road cycling', sounds actually betterer than 'mountain biking'. CORC - Canberra off-road cyclists, sounds pretty good...
 
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bikesarefun

bikesarefun

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Admittedly, I was thinking of calling a trail building company something like "eco-friendly sustain-a-trails"...
 
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