Instagram was trending with Easter bunnyhops this weekend! Cool, I thought, but would that work to get my 313 lbs on the air like everyone? There's only one way to find out!
VÄSTERÅS, Sweden, 2021-04-04
Where can I try it without being too embarrassed?
The sun is shining, but it ain't fooling me! I'm in Sweden and it is still cold out there. So, on with the arm warmers, gloves, base layer (Aerotech Designs makes them in big sizes), my favourite T-shirt from our friends from the Bicycling Adventure Club in Britain, and -well, soccer shin guards... Yeah, no MTB protection for big people available yet! But I'm talking to O'Neal MTB about it, everyone rides and we need gear too! So, now I've gotta find a place to try bunnyhops without being embarrassed when seen by people. Yup, I still get a lot of unwanted remarks and laughs when cycling, and they can mess up one's mental game. Not today! I'm about to learn something fun, and I don't want to be dealing with disrespect and bigotry. Unfortunately, such is still the reality for larger riders here in Sweden, a nation in which any fat means laziness, disease, and lack of education. Ridiculous nonsense! It's a worldview, a set of outdated presuppositions that need revisiting! Anyway, I found some woods in which I could practice uninterrupted for an hour or so before hitting the trail.
Allow me to be spontaneous: holy crap, this is fun!
What? Don't we all burst with free interjections when having fun? Reason has mastered the the language, but we need not let language master our reasoning or spontaneity will fly out the window! Alright, let philosophy take a break, I'll never let the opinion of others about my size and the way i bike be a hindrance! Bunnyhopping is one of the most fun things I've done on a MTB! Ok, I'm still not riding a trail bike so I gotta stick to trying to do tricks and skills on a XC (Cross Country) which is almost like a gravel bike with front suspension. The XC is made for pedal efficiency, and the rider's position on it is pretty much like on a road bike. In practical terms, sometimes it feels like you're about to fall over the bars, but it's still manageable, so let's do this! After a few tries the results began to show! Performance wasn't the focus, the best results were the smiles, adrenaline (when you're fat as me, its a big deal even to bike!) and endorphins! That was enough to make me even more curious and try other things as well! Stoke levels rising!
Dear diary...
MTB is awesome, I'm thriving! I'm still not able to cycle up all hills, and still squeeze the heck out of the brakes when downhill gets too fast and all I see are rocks and roots coming my way! But I always come home happier, since every little progress is a huge victory for a big guy that used to struggle cycling around the corner to buy groceries! I am so thankful for the daily inspiration and motivation I get from the XL Biking community on Instagram. At the same time I wonder: how can people be so mean as to actively prevent larger people from riding bikes? How can the cycling industry and cycling media have a clean conscience when they know they're not doing enough to enable people of all sizes and ages to enjoy cycling? All I know is that I'll keep doing all I can to see more people cycling! Yes, it is embarrassing at times and lonely here in Sweden since I'm pretty much alone in what I do. So What? To see normal people smiling on a bicycle is priceless, and I want XL Biking to be here for all cyclists!
Some bunnyhop videos that help
Next and thanks
We're still trying to bring in a Trail Bike as a lot of you want to read about it on the blog. Be patient, a lot of manufacturers keep jumping off helping us out, but one is looking for a bike for us. I can't say which yet because I don't want to create unfulfilled expectations, but it is a good one that makes awesome bikes that work fine for large riders! Thank you so much for reading our blog and telling others about our community! We want a better cycling culture and have been working for that since 2017. Most importantly we are a community of normal people riding bikes, everyone is welcome from the competitive cyclist to the recreational occasional rider. There would be no community without you - so thank you for all you do for all cyclists! Good luck with your bunnyhops! Ebbe Silva - Fat Cyclist. Founder, XL Biking.
__________________________