Bike Brand Hate

Here's something I just have never understood. I call it "bike brand hate". You know, the posistion some folks take up against a certain bicycle brand and take things way out of line in terms of negativity. Sometimes this even borders or includes slander, threats, or terrorism.

Think I'm making this up?

If you have never gone to a forum like mtbr.com and spent anytime there, I can see where you maybe have not run into this. However; before the innerweb, and all of its online goofiness got started you could detect this breed of hate in your local bike shop. You just had to hang around enough. Maybe you have never gone to racing events where cliques of certain brand haters would like to gather and espouse their kindred negativity to anyone that cared to listen.

Whatever..........I just do not get it. Some people just take things way too far without thinking, without investigating the claims, and certainly without seeing how it makes them look to most other cyclists in the community. It is rediculous to read or hear another cyclist rant about such-and-such companies bad warranties, bad bicycles, or evil plots to ruin smaller brands, destroy custom builders, or rain fire and brimstone down on the earth. I've got a suggestion for any of the folks out there that are just too tweaked: Get out and ride!

I'm not so idealistic that I think a post like this will calm the situation down. If anything, I'll probably stir up the hornets nest more. I'm just not going to sit idle and let it go either. I'm calling a spade a spade. I'm saying that this "hate" is stupid. It's a waste of time and energy and the rest of the cycling community doesn't benefit from it at all. Not one bit.

Really, it is just bicycles. A great and fun way to do lots of things that are positive. Leave the negativity at the door step. Go out and ride.