Minus Ten Review- 14

The OG FS Niner. The RIP 9

Ten years ago this week the bicycle industry was heading to Sea Otter, just as in years past, and this coming weekend Sea Otter is happening again. Well, back in '06 I was invited to attend by Niner Bikes founders Steve Domahidy and Chris Sugai. Being that I wasn't budgeting for travel as a lowly shop rat back in those days, I had to decline the invite. However; they did agree to an interview, and my biggest "Ted-terview" yet was with them and was published here ten years ago.

By this time I was pretty entrenched doing reviews for the now defunct Biking Hub site, and doing mechanic work for the shop where I still wrench at. I was raising two young kids, and Trans Iowa v2 was coming up fast. So, I get why I didn't go, but sometimes I regret that I didn't. I think things would have went far differently than they had if I would have gone out there on my own. But I didn't, and this interview and a couple of images that Steve and Chris were so kind to give me access to were all I got then.

However; looking back on this, I see where I attracted the attention of the guy who originated Twenty Nine Inches.com and he was hot on my tail to work for him from this point onward. Later that Fall, I did go to Interbike with Twenty Nine Inches and became a big part of the site going forward. The next eight years I was all about 29"ers with that site. But, it basically would not have happened without this interview, or if I had decided to go on my own to Sea Otter that year, I think.

What might have happened? Well, for one thing, this here blog might have ended up being the "twentynineinches.com" of the web, since I was starting to get all kinds of industry attention back in the day. But the thing was that I really resisted the whole thing. Honestly, I refused the TNI gig several times throughout the Summer of '06, and only a free trip to Interbike enticed me to show up. Then a false promise was made which led me into the mire so deep it took me several years to "make things right" enough that I felt I could walk away leaving everything better than it was left to me. I should have stuck to my original "no". Maybe. Heck I don't know.

It is what it is.