I’m a gaper. If you live in a mountain town, you know what that means, if you don’t let me enlighten you. Its a person who is attempting a sport, and just learning but just doesn’t have the right gear, techniques or “cool-looking style” down yet. You’ve all seen em’, the tourists carrying their skis wrong, new road bikers in tall socks, etc.
My two new sports: mountain biking and kayaking.

Mountain biking for me has been a long-time goal. I just couldn’t afford a bike when I first moved to town and was waiting tables. Now, it is doable budgetwise, but still a tough sport to get into. You’d think, all you need is a bike, right? Right, but easier said than done. To find the right one, I started asking friends for recommendations. The response was as follows.

Person A: Get a crappy cheap bike, you’ll be falling all over the place at first and you’ll wreck it.
Person B: Get a full suspension bike, lower end, so you have a great frame and bike that will last a long time.
Person C: Get a hardtail, they are lighter, easier to learn on and cheaper.
Person D: I’m not sure who told you to get a hardtail, but they are WRONG, it will ruin your first experiences and make you hate the sport.
Person A: Go to shop A, they are great and know their stuff.
Person B: Dude, just make sure not to go to shop A, they are overpriced and will swindle you.
Person C: Buy one used, its a much better deal.
Person D: Buy a new one, bikes take a beating so don’t buy used.

And on and on and on and on it went…. The solution? I decided to take the decision into my own hands, buy a new bike, but on the lower end, full suspension and just get rolling. Cause talk is cheap, bikes aren’t, but I wasn’t going anywhere without wheels, so Step 1- Buy Bike= Accomplished. Standby for the trails (thats right I said trails, not trials- what’s a good blog without a good pun?) and tribulations of my learning to mountain bike like a champ.
Saturday I begin a whitewater kayak course. My Gaper Life to be continued….