Am I Getting Soft?

Back in the day, I used to ride a hardtail MTB; that is a MTB sans suspension. No front shocks, no frame shock, just a bike. I rode that bike over all sorts of terrain and thought nothing of it. My buddy and I would hit the trails HARD almost every weekend and sometimes not know where we'd end up.

Now, I ride a full suspension MTB with a GPS in my pocket. Have I gone soft? Not at all. I look at it as riding smarter. This technology didn't exist when we were tearing up the trails in Southern CA. Well, front shocks were just coming onto the scene, but I didn't have 'em. The suspension takes some of the shock from the trail so it doesn't transfer to your body making you able to ride longer (as long as your legs and lungs can hang). 

I went for a pre-work ride this morning and certainly appreciated the technology. I appreciated the suspension as I screamed down a trail at 25mph. I still felt the washboard trail  in my arms but it wasn't quite as bad. I certainly appreciated the GPS when I missed a turn in the trail and ended up in some dude's front yard. I was able to locate the correct turn and get back on track. Since I was riding before work, I didn't have the luxury of "figuring it out" as I went. 

I heard an interview with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top who relayed a story about his guitar strings. Blues players traditionally use pretty heavy (thick) strings for better tone. BB King told Billy that he was working too hard by using such heavy strings. Basically, the newer technology in guitar string development made it possible to have the tone without working so hard. The same goes with mountain biking. There have been a lot of changes in the equipment. Why work so hard?

I still consider myself an old skool mountain biker, but I may have to revise that thought. Old skool in mind, body, and spirit; but taking advantage of modern cycling technology. Definitely NOT soft!