No, I am not going to write about riding alone vs in a group. Maybe in the future. This is actually about products. There are products out there that have the stated goal of helping us on the ride. To ride better, to enjoy it more, to connect with others … etc.
Long ago there were odometers. My uncle had a 1950 racing bike, and it had a mechanic odometer on the front hub/fork. You had to lift the bike up and look at it from the bottom to read the milage in tiny format on that odometer. High tech of that day.
Then came analog and then digital bicycle computers, speed, distance, time…then added elevation, averages. More data.
I used a bicycle computer and then nothing for many years. Why? I bought the computer and after a period of time it broke. I had to mail it overseas to get it repaired. Needless to say, that took a while. I found I was a bit addicted to that data. By the time my cycle computer returned to me – I was no longer addicted to that data and did not want to return. I sold it and rode without one for years (almost three decades). I did not need an object to tell me I was slow/fast that day, I already knew. I knew my normal routes and had time to get lost when I wanted. It was great.
Then, many years later, I wanted to explore some old dirt roads that were not accurate on paper and internet maps. Mobile phone coverage was variable – at best. I needed to ‘map’ it out on my own. I bought a GPS head unit with mapping. I could see exactly where I rode, how close I was to other places I had been on other rides etc. I could more easily piece together some routes. It made finding new routes and following them much easier. Yes, it did add some ease/enjoyment to my experience. It also added some frustration…technology always does.
We are now in another era entirely. That data on that head unit (or now maybe on your phone) was private. Well, nothing is really private, but it was not as public as it is now. In the past they used your data, but now they take our ride data and aggregate it and often sell it. In many cases they also present it to the world. Interesting data. No doubt. Good marketing data for many. Then they did heat maps. Hmmm, that can be helpful in looking for new riding routes. But…what about private land? If you use these units and ride on private land the heat map still shows the route. There are those that will now come there to ride. Some might see it is private and not go there – others will go there anyway. This is not limited to trails, there are many private roads. I am told there is a way to mark those now…I hope that is accurate, but I do not know how.
I have permission from a man to ride on his property. He was specific – only you and Eric have permission. My GPS unit wants to track me on those areas. I have to be vigilant. I do not want others to show up and assume it is OK to ride there because someone has ridden there. If they do, they could frustrate the landowner and cause him to shut us all out. Yes, I hope that with time the landowner might allow more of us to ride there. I also hope the adjacent landowner will eventually allow us access. They are both open to conversation at this point. I am working on it by being a good steward, respecting his rules and, when the opportunity arises, talking about including others. But if ‘entitled’ individuals show up and ride without the same regard, we will never get greater access and will likely lose our current access.
Remember when an unnamed ‘social’ GPS company posted a heat map that included the map of a military installation overseas. Yeah, whoops. Cat is out of that bag – no putting it back in there. Nothing to lose except national security and the lives of those assigned to that base. How did they get that data? Well, those on the base used that software to track their runs…and thus it was included in the heat map data. That company did remove that information – but again, the cat was out of the bag. You and I could not locate that data now, but those with less noble intents likely can.
The addition of social media to the riding data has made this worse. My opinion. Maybe it has made it better for you. Social Media? Yes, I participate – poorly. Or, depending upon your perspective – appropriately.
It has been said that when you gain a luxury you give up a freedom. I think it applies here. It is nice to have that mapping information for personal consumption and there is usefulness in the aggregate data. But do we have enough controls to control the potential negatives? Yes, technology always moves fast enough that we are playing catch-up. Thieves have used that bike social media to locate nice bikes to steal. People that are willing to trespass are using it to find private land to ride without permission.
I rode with a guy once that told me it was OK for me to take him on the land that I mentioned earlier that only I had permission to ride with another particular friend. He literally said, ‘it does not really matter.’ I disagree. I think it matters greatly. The landowner owns, manages, and runs his business on the land in question and I (and others) should be respectful. This bike rider from out of town did not really care about the long-term impact locally; he just wanted to ride it now. Of course, that is how he acts in his own community also. I guess I could say “at least he is consistent,” but I actually think he is just plain wrong.
I know, there is a history of secret and illegal trails in the mountain bike world. Sometimes they made an impact that led to progress – eventually. Overall, I hope we are past that. Being respectful should trump just ‘wanting our way.’
I mean, it is the same right? I just want to ride my bike on your property, no harm/no foul. So, if that is fair then I need to be open to allowing anyone to just hang out in my backyard, park in my driveway, sip a beer on my front porch. I mean, I was not using my front porch at that moment, and they did not leave the beer bottles behind. Why would I (you) be so selfish?
OK – I know. There is a balance. I am thankful for the landowners that have granted us access. I want to be a good citizen and treat other humans well, not just in relation to the bike. Sure, you might be comfortable letting that unknown person, have a beer party on your porch and/or sleep in your guest bedroom, but not everyone is that trusting (nor should be). We do not know the ‘big picture’ of other people’s lives. They do not know what is going on in our lives. Thus, we must respect each other.
Aside – thank you to all the organizations and individuals that have and continue to work/lobby for access to locations that are enjoyable for us to ride. It is greatly appreciated. As I have said before, there was a time where we did not have such great access. Yes, there is always more to do – let us celebrate what we have while we work toward the future we would like to see.
Sure, there are plenty of places I would like access to ride. Maybe being respectful we can get there.
Tell me your thoughts…
