Ask Uncle Dave

Uncle Dave offers his "semi-coherent advice" for the gear a new mountain biker should consider…

"How on earth can you talk about value when you have no experience paying money for the thing that you are talking about..."

"A thought I have often had when reading fresh reviews is, just how good is this guy at riding the bike..."

"It seems like we’re doing something wrong if we don’t drop a bucket of cash on the latest and greatest..."

"Not like a major gun shot. But a minor gunshot. Like a really large pellet gun, or a really small cannon."

"f you want to buy dozens of guns to play with in the bath while you splash around and make 'bang bang!' noises, that’s fine..."

This could be the last time that the "right" kid wins Gold at a flippy-spinny event in the Olympics…

Dear Uncle Dave: My Riding Buddy is a Total A-Hole

"Studies have found that while some choice is necessary for happiness, too much choice can lead to increased stress and anxiety..."

Uncle Dave wasn't grouchy, he just hadn't torn anyone a new one in a while.

Uncle Dave really didn't want to make a Christmas list - but it turns out he already bought a bunch of new stuff and he actually likes all of it...

"Have you ever worked with a guy who continually told the same joke over and over and over again..."

"Am Mr Chainsaw Guy. I would like to place an order of(chainsaw bar oil)from your company to Haiti, kindly email me with the types you have..."

"You’ve fondled the right balls and wined the right people…and then all some jackass reviewer has to say..."

"Am I fooling myself by believing that in the age of Amazon I can be the outlier and make it long term with a brick and mortar bike shop?"

"Do we think that a hardtail requires more attention to detail than something made of patents and carbon?"

"I have nearly a dozen full suspension designs sitting in a folder on my computer that I have very nearly pulled the trigger..."

If you know that trails on land being closed for 'environmental reasons' are destined to be turned into little boxes on the hillside - should you be a scofflaw...

"We’ve all spent a large chunk of our lives pouring over the rantings of a bunch of schlubs that just happen to be pretty good at pretending to know what the hell they are talking about..."

"Do all bike shops have that one guy who's always in a bad mood? Is there such a thing as a super chill, small, local bike shop?"

" Are we guiding the sport? Or are we just another arm that can be used to sell people shit that they don't really need..."

"I'm back out on the trails but I've found my confidence is shot - so much so that biking doesn't hold the same magic..."

"I'm not suggesting that every online interaction with a hate spewing white supremacist is a chance to obtain a new worldview..."

Sell the bike and quit riding? Downgrade to a hardtail? Swap components for cheaper ones?