On The Pedals
By Jason Giacchino

The Good News About High Gas Prices

I'll admit, unless you happen to be on the payroll of one of the world’s top oil companies, it’s tough to find any redeeming qualities of the recent trend of record-smashing fuel costs. The auto industry has taken on some of the pressure through decreased sales numbers and a nice healthy dose of mandatory fuel consumption agendas. Believe it or not, ours is one of few industries that actually benefits a little by the soaring oil costs. Bike dealers all across the nation are reporting bike sales that are doubling even tripling their forecasted projections. The reason? A recent spike in commuting. Sure it makes sense too; individuals who were on the fence for some time about heading down to the local bike shop to purchase a replacement for the skinny tired 10-speed circa 1978 hanging from the rafters have suddenly found motivation in the form of near $4.00 per gallon signs at the pump.

Don’t fret if you fear this influx in consumer cash is only going toward the acquisition of road bikes, comfort, and hybrids. Sure most of the increased sales figures target the pavement but from the manufacturer’s perspective, increased sales simply means more revenue. In case you’ve forgotten what you learned back in Economics 101, a profitable company means more dollars can be distributed across the entire line especially in areas such as new markets and the ever-important research and development. R&D is the literal backbone to the success of mountain biking as a whole. It’s quite unlikely you would pass over all of today’s latest and greatest models during your next purchase to pick up a 45 pound, three-inches of suspension travel, 21 speed, cantilever equipped antique even though a mere decade ago this antiquated porker would have been considered cutting edge. Ours is an industry of rapid development and even quicker trends. Companies learn early on that their only choices are to keep up with the fray or lock up shop.

However, there is a third option for a bike manufacturer that those without a healthy budget need not apply; innovate. Sure all of our sports crowning achievements in technology had to come from somewhere and who can possibly discount the benefits of a company with a fat bank roll when it comes to research and development costs? They say that it’s necessity that inspires innovation but anyone who’s ever been in the real world knows darn well that money plays a big role in the process as well. So what’s the bottom line? When the bicycle industry experiences a phase of growth, we all benefit.

This time around however, things will be a little different for the mountain biker than they were in the mid 1990s (the industry’s last big growth spurt) on account of the fact that this time the media won’t be scrutinizing our segment specifically. The type of media exposure the sport experienced then was truly a double edged sword in that sales were up and the sport was embraced by countless individuals who would otherwise have devoted their attention to other hobbies and activities. However, it seems that whenever any aspect of society benefits from such a meteoric rise, it is so often accompanied by an equally impressive fall from glory. And so it was when the media began to turn the spotlight on the dangers of mountain biking complete with the requisite crackdown on ski resorts (many of whom never recovered) and a series of slanted pieces designed to target bikers as irresponsible destroyers of land.

While some argue that the sport still hasn’t fully recovered from the damage done then, I like to think that those who were turned away were probably the same individuals who were quick to adopt the sport in the first place. There is no shortage of fickle wannabes out there who move from one sport to another, damaging it along the way. The heart of mountain biking is alive and well (as it was before the surge and after the tumble) as indicated by the steady stream of impressive innovations and technologies the manufacturers release year after year. Like I was saying before, R&D is a pretty good measure of success and apparently the mountain bike segment has proven worthy of the time and budget required to keep things fresh. With more and more individuals turning to the bicycle as a cost-shaving measure of basic transportation, we can look forward to continued innovation to come our way.

Still, that doesn’t forfeit our right to complain every time we pull up to the pump!

Questions? Comments? Love letters? Send 'em to Editor@mountainbiketales.com.