{"id":379955,"date":"2025-12-31T19:01:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T19:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/379955\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T19:01:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T19:01:07","slug":"things-i-dont-want-to-see-in-mountain-biking-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/379955\/","title":{"rendered":"Things I don\u2019t want to see in mountain biking in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s be clear: I\u2019m not a grump shaking my fist at progress. I\u2019m fine with 36-inch wheels, e-bikes and even drop-bar mountain bikes. I like handmade hardtails, vintage restorations and I don\u2019t even hate fat bikes<\/a> all that much. I respect spandex. I\u2019ll never wear it, but I respect it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m generally open-minded. But as 2026 approaches, there are a few things I\u2019d be happy to never see again. It\u2019s not a long list. It\u2019s just an honest one.<\/p>\n

Massive injuries<\/p>\n

Having dealt with a fairly serious injury myself in 2025, my tolerance for carnage has dropped to zero. Watching crashes like Adolf Silva\u2019s Rampage disaster is brutal, not entertaining. In 2025 it felt like every other month brought news of another spinal injury and each one landed heavier than the last.<\/p>\n

I know the sport is dangerous. Bigger jumps mean bigger consequences. That part is unavoidable. But somewhere along the way Friday Fails stopped being funny and started feeling grim. Maybe it\u2019s age. Maybe it\u2019s experience. Either way, I\u2019d love a year where progression doesn\u2019t come with a hospital bracelet for anyone.<\/p>\n

More bike companies disappearing<\/p>\n

The bike industry is still shakey from the post pandemic hangover. Watching brands like GT disappear was sobering. Seeing local bike shops quietly lock their doors hurt even more.<\/p>\n

Yes, some companies managed to refinance<\/a> their way through the year. Others didn\u2019t. I\u2019d love a season where fewer people lose their jobs, their savings and their sanity over bikes that are supposed to be fun. Is that too much to ask?<\/p>\n

Everything needing an app<\/p>\n

I\u2019m down with technology. I love e-bikes. What I don\u2019t love is my garage slowly turning into a Silicon Valley onboarding process.<\/p>\n

This year alone I had a bike rack, a bike and a watch that all required apps. Each app needed my email address, a password, a verification code and a solemn promise to receive six emails a week forever. All just so I could ride my bike.<\/p>\n

I already have separate apps for my thermostat, TV, speakers, car and vacuum cleaner. When I go for a ride it is usually to escape digital clutter, not add to it. If gloves start needing firmware updates, I\u2019m out.<\/p>\n

The simple hope<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want less progress. I just want less damage. Less noise. Less unnecessary friction layered onto something that should feel simple.<\/p>\n

I hope 2026 involves fewer injuries, fewer apps and of course, more days on a bike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s be clear: I\u2019m not a grump shaking my fist at progress. I\u2019m fine with 36-inch wheels, e-bikes…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":379956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,635,1700,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-379955","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cycling","11":"tag-mtb-features","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/379956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}