[Closed] Benjis' rant in the new mag

as a piece of tongue in cheek writing I though it was very funny, some folks really need to lighten up 😆

maxray - Member

Lol, seems to have touched a nerve with the forum massif then! I wonder how many of these replies are covering up their sadness at not being able to ride due to other things in their life.

I'm not covering up anything, go back and read my first post and come back and look me in the eye with your smug attitude.

Oh and I will still be out tomorrow night for a ride, but it will involve carers looking after my wife while I enjoy myself 😕

Its quite amusing to read some of the defensive stuff on this thread. He much have touched a nerve.

Thinking about it, I reckon that a lot of people work hard, have a lot of responsibilities, have less disposable income and kind of rely on riding when they can. To be told by someone who works in the bike trade that what they do isn't enough and that they've effectively sold out is like a red rag to a bull.

Still waiting for the author to post on here....

Probably still in bed

Still waiting for the author to post on here....

Probably still in bed

Why sleep when you can be out on your bike?

Same goes for having a poo.

[i]Why sleep when you can be out on your bike?

Same goes for having a poo. [/i]

now I'm getting on a bit I live in fear of combining the first and last.

I've only metaphorically cacked myself whilst riding, so far, though.

People need to recognise that the article was written as a challenge and thought piece, no-one really believes that Benji is shallow enough not to realise that life involves compromises are they?

His central point (from my reading) was 'Don't give up on riding 'cos it'll take something away from your core.' was valid. Even MrOvershoot recognises that riding a bike is critical to his well being (albeit that he has limited time to do it).

is benji the tall one with the stubble? if it is he ignored me at MM when i told him he'd get told off by the marshall for pitching his chair next to the hole everyone was falling off in, this was shortly before someone told him it might not be a good idea to sit there and to shift it

not read the article though, my copy is still in Tesco

It"s the first article in the mag that I've actually printed off to show people, I liked it.

Just re-read it, to see if I was being a bit harsh before.

I wasn't. It just feels like someone being edgy for the sake of being edgy. It's a bit 'hipster'...

Reads as pretty tongue in cheek to me.

Enjoyed it for what it was - an opinion piece. I thought he made some good points. It was written in a polemic style so I don't think he had an obligation to qualify everything he wrote to cover every readers circumstances.

@MrOvershoot - I didnt direct it at anyone in particular merely said it seemed to have touched a nerve, which seing there is 4+ pages of replies to his article would suggest it is a valid point.

No smugness here, I have to balance my life like anyone else, I just didn't take umbrage with Benji's article and took it for what it was rather than seeing it as an attack on me. As much as people might protest I think we would [b]ALL[/b] like to have more disposable time to spend getting out in the hills.

I wasn't. It just feels like someone being edgy for the sake of being edgy. It's a bit 'hipster'...

What, like those weird people with singlespeed clown-wheeled bikes? [i]Totally[/i] hipster.

I wonder how many of these replies are covering up their sadness at not being able to ride due to other things in their life.

Most of them. Me included. But I'd rather have my family than my bike.

If it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, what Benji failed to realise is that it would wind up at least half the target audience of the mag. If it wasn't tongue-in-cheek, what Benji failed to realise is that it would wind up at least half the target audience of the mag. All-in-all, bit of a bad judgement?
I'll keep with my subsciption as I love the articles about riding different places, I find the gear reviews very well written even when its stuff I've no intention of buying, and the access stuff has been brilliant. But recently, a lot of the "thought-provoking" articles about general riding by Benji et al have been, frankly, rubbish and its a real shame they tend to be the first articles in the mag. That pro and con of winter a few months ago was a complete waste of paper and ink.

Reads as pretty tongue in cheek to me.

except there was no humour

I enjoyed that, I agree with a lot of it despite being guilty of a lot of it, so I deffo think some people could do with lightening up...

That said, I don't know what Benji's plans are RE kids but if he does plan on having them, I'd say be prepared to take some of that back 😉

Kids are harder than they look! I'm a die-hard biker and when I'm old and wrinkly and ready to go, I'd rather die on my bike than in my bed. BUT. Being a Dad is waaaaay cooler, and soon I get to play bikes with the boy as well!

magazines are ephemeral, why all the consternation over something somebody has written in a magazine that's probably in the recycle bin by now.

That's just how it reads to me, pointing the finger a pretty much every section of the bike community and the ingrained prejudicies within each little section of them.
I could be the blueprint for the not having time to ride, due to family, house, business (although I spend alot of time at events and races allowing of people to ride/race) , however I'm not offended and it's being changed slowly as things settle down and I make more time to ride, not taking any offence from it at all.

I liked it, I could almost hear the collective teeth grinding of STW forum members thinking "how dare he say my choices are wrong?!?! I bet he doesn't even have a life or a heart or a soul or a wife or kids, and he's probably ginger! I hate him, I hate him, I love my road bike, and how dare he suggest I stop watching grand designs and go for a ride??!?! Doesn't he know my personal situation?!?!"

Seems like he loves riding his bike, it's a provocative bit of writing and I have a feeling he knew a lot of what he wrote would get a reaction, especially from the overly sensitive STW types. If I were to write a blog or forum post on the subject I'd be writing the same thing... and probably watering it down with phrases like "as long as you're on a bike having fun then it's all good" "it doesn't matter what bike you're on" and "if you've got kids or an ill relative then that should take priority over riding as chances are they're important to you"... but that polite stuff would just be included to slow down the kinda reaction seen in this thread... if I was in a position to write a piece that would be published and would provoke a reaction/discussion then I would.

I've never met the guy but I'd like to ride with him, and I think that if I turned up on a singlespeed cross bike that's got an element of retro about it he'd chuckle, make a joke (as I would) and we'd still go out and enjoy a ride together 🙂

successful article me thinks.

successful article me thinks.

What, like those weird people with singlespeed clown-wheeled bikes? Totally hipster

Ahh.... I see what you've done there. I don't wear skinny jeans though. And I've got brakes too.

(sigh...)

I liked it, I could almost hear the collective teeth grinding of STW forum members thinking "how dare he say my choices are wrong?!?!

I've never met the guy but I'd like to ride with him, and I think that if I turned up on a singlespeed cross bike that's got an element of retro about it he'd chuckle, make a joke (as I would) and we'd still go out and enjoy a ride together

exactly!

maxray - Member
@MrOvershoot - I didnt direct it at anyone in particular merely said it seemed to have touched a nerve, which seing there is 4+ pages of replies to his article would suggest it is a valid point.

No smugness here, I have to balance my life like anyone else, I just didn't take umbrage with Benji's article and took it for what it was rather than seeing it as an attack on me. As much as people might protest I think we would ALL like to have more disposable time to spend getting out in the hills.

I know you didn't direct it anyone in particular & TBH my replying late at night was probably not the best thing to do after having to dash back from work in the afternoon to get my wife off the floor crying in pain, it sort of spoils the day!

My only real gripe about the article was the slightly preachy "I can do it so why aren’t you" stance.
Hell even my wife gets cross with people who can do but don't, she used to be very fit & active but now that's been taken away from her she knows how precious it is.

wwaswas is spot on with his observation that cycling is critical to my well being, without the time on a bike I think I would have probably cracked up by now.
I don't know about anyone else but people often ask me "what do you think about on a bike while your riding?" My answer is always "Nothing" and its absolutely brilliant as I think it gives me a chance to recharge?

I don't know about anyone else but people often ask me "what do you think about on a bike while your riding?" My answer is always "Nothing" and its absolutely brilliant as I think it gives me a chance to recharge

+1

almost zen like with the added bonus of endorphins and stuff buzzing through you for hours afterwards.

An absolute quality article. Frankly - its the reason I got a subscription to Singletrack in the first place. Because I don't want to read bland anodyne crap. There's a whole world of that out there. We're awash with it. The internet hasn't revolutionised that. Its just multiplied the volume of it.

Just brilliant to see something that's provoking a bit of debate. I'd started to think that was a capital offense to actually print [i]anything - anywhere[/i] - that might run the slightest risk of offending the multitude of people out there who are just itching to be offended. **** 'em! Which seems to have been Benji's attitude. Hats off to him

[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/sep/17/comment.charliebrooker ]offended people[/url]

I think mike ferrentino's article is worthy of a mention too. Another belter. And, as people have pointed out, maybe a style in which Benji might be revisiting in a few years.

Just a great mag this month though. More of that please chaps 😀

So, the article was "edgy", "tongue in cheek", "a polemic", "provocative", "meant to cause a reaction"

On the forum, that's called trolling - only some of the regular posters are better at it 😆

Funny, I had a couple of months off the bike due to injury. I didn't notice any change in myself but everyone else did. I wondered why everyone was asking me what was wrong. I thought it was them!
The ability to ride has everything to do with personal circumstance; kids, sick relatives, job and also proximity to decent riding all effect the amount of time which people can put in. An hours blast from the front door is far easier to squeeze in than a 4 hour trip.
I do agree with many of his points though particularly the trail centres and the sneering at peoples "skill compensating" bikes.

binners, if i'm ever lucky enough to meet you... you will have to stop me from licking your eyeballs in appreciation.

Cheers Phil. I may even let you 😉

But remember: we are all individuals. All together now

[img] [/img]

[i]YES! WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALS![/i]

"what do you think about on a bike while your riding?" My answer is always "Nothing"

Spot on at least when I am mountain biking although I find I have more time to contemplate and think things through on my commute to work by bike as you are just sitting there pedalling.

[img] [/img]

That "offended people" article that binners linked to is great, especially this phrase:

gratuitous offence, when performed with aplomb, is the funniest thing in the world.

Ben's article is similar in tone to something that Jeremy Clarkson would write/say. Something done to get a reaction. It's got enough truths in there (the sneering about trail centre riders/skill compensators being the obvious one) combined with enough rhetoric and (God forbid) [i]opinion[/i] to do the job it's intended to do. I think a lot of people on here have recognised in themselves enough of the character traits that Ben assassinates in the article and reacted accordingly.

Personally I quite like to read something a bit different in a bike mag these days rather than another regurgitated press release or a product test of something I'll never buy.

Read the article, accept it for what it is and move on.

I think I know what the problem with this article is for me. I thought it was this;

To be told by someone who works in the bike trade that what they do isn't enough and that they've effectively sold out is like a red rag to a bull.

But it's not. Actually the tone of the article wasn't the problem - I deal with preachy self-righteous teenagers on a daily basis, so reading a similarly veined article by a journo doesn't bug me.

It's the intimation that cycling is essential or [i]you live listlessly and die[/i] (metaphorically, socially, physically etc) [i]a slow boring death[/i]. This is bollocks. Ironically, it actually [b]is[/b] a life-or-death matter for me due to my illness, so to read someone's excessively dramatic musings gets on my tits a bit. I think it just has to be put in context, although I'm happy to be corrected by the author of the article.

i havent read it yet, nor beyond the first 5 posts of this thread.

however i can definitely state that all of you are wrong and nobbers. FACT.

i havent read it yet, nor beyond the first 5 posts of this thread.

however i can definitely state that all of you are wrong and nobbers. FACT.

Ah, **** it. You're probably correct! 😀

I should probably add that although I didnt agree with the tone or preachyness, I do wholeheartedly agree thats it better to read an opinion that the usual dross in MTB magazines.

I dont think the tone of the article was tongue in cheek (willing to be proven wrong).
I dont agree with much of what he said
I should probably lighten up
I will be subscribing to the magazine.

cant say fairer than that.

I read it all last night and still liked it. Really liked it in fact and failed to spot half of the stuff folks on here seem to be frothing about. TBH I'm not that keen on a lot of the writing in the mag (subject, style etc). There are other mags I prefer because they do stuff better than STW does, AFAIC.

This forum is the home of some sanctimonious, hystrionic plonkers though.

P&L 😎

As a result of this thread I'm now a Premium Member and have read the article. It's good, I get what Benji is trying to say. Maaaaaybe he'd had a couple of drinks when he wrote it and maaaybe someone could have done a sub-ed job on it but otherwise is good.

My mag arrived yesterday so had a chance to read the article last night. There seems to be a lot of contradiction in the article, almost as if it is written by someone who doesn't naturally like confrontation trying to provoke a reaction, so it all comes over a bit confused to me. Has obviously worked though; it would certainly appear to have provoked a reaction 😯

To be fair to singletrack mag, at least its printed in a font size that can be read, unlike Dirt.

at least its printed in a font size that can be read,

probably because the projected age of reader most likely to take umbrage at the article wouldn't actually be able to read it in a smaller font... 8)

The ability to ride has everything to do with personal circumstance; kids, sick relatives, job and also proximity to decent riding all effect the amount of time which people can put in.

Whilst sick relatives are things that just happen to people, and kids are things people have, the rest of it is all personal choice - what job you do, how hard you decide to work, where you choose to live.

I would love to not have to be away from the house for 15+ hours a day and have perfect trails on the doorstep. Not choice but reality for me.

Like this - you choose a lifestyle that requires 15 hour working days, you choose to live somewhere without trails to ride.

Obviously for some biking is not a high priority in their life choices, whereas for others it is, but that doesn't stop most stuff being a choice.

Personally, whilst having a kid has curtailed my riding a bit (and other unavoidable family stuff somewhat more so), I've still done 6 hours riding since Monday plus a quick 6km offroad jog up the hill. I made the choice to go down to 4 days a week, so Thursday I'll go riding with my daughter. I chose where to live partly in order that I a)have trails from the door, and b)I have a nice ride to work. But they are all choices, and doing fun exercise is a high priority for me.

Joe

It's almost back to the first few years of the magazine.

Samuri - I really wish you would come back to writing in STmag, I miss the wit and observations of your articles (back in the day). Once I laughed so much (the article where you were stuck to the bed sheets because of puss) that tears were rolling down my cheeks.

The mag needs more humour - oh and girly things.

please no more sixth form poetry drivel about a bead of sweat rolling down a leg

There seems to be a lot of contradiction in the article, almost as if it is written by someone who doesn't naturally like confrontation trying to provoke a reaction, so it all comes over a bit confused to me.

+1

T'was a bit 'trying to be clever' , but fell a bit short.

I love how the STW dwellers (of which I am certainly one) cannot wait to vent their ire over the contents of a magazine they feel that they own.

Let go of the reins people - it's not your mag; it's the writers'. And if they want to srite stuff that gets up your nose, respond in kind.

Write a letter. Or an email. Or a blog. Or a tweet. But make it interesting enough to justify the irritation to your sensibilities.

I want opinions. Even poorly thought through ones. It shows people still care about something.