Black Friday is here … another excuse for the internet to tell us to spend more money, right?
We’re as guilty as anyone of offering you inspiration for things to buy. But, Black Friday just grinds our gears a bit.
It’s just another excuse to push mountain bikers to spend money on stuff that they don’t need and previously had no idea they even wanted, right?
As a bit of a ‘screw you Black Friday’ we’ve come up with a few things that you could spend your money on that are NOT 10% off deals on the internet.
Donate your time (or your money) to your local trails group
Somewhere out there in the wind and the rain is a cold, hungry but stoked mountain biker swinging a shovel for your enjoyment. This dude is a an absolute bloody legend and should be treated like a god.
The best thing you can spend on them is your time. Go swing a spade, push a barrow or help shift some dirt. They’ll appreciate your time on a dig day more than anything else and you’ll get a say in what your local trails shape up to be.
If you can’t spare the time, maybe you can spare a bit of cash? At some point, they’re going to need to buy a new wheel barrow. Or a new handle for their pick. Or a new spade. A donation will make that happen.
Donate to your local trail crew via their website, via Facebook or by turning up and helping them to dig. We’re going to pop a quick donation over to the Dean Trail Volunteers and Belmont Riders this Black Friday.
Get your bike serviced in your local bike shop
Your poor old local bike shop probably takes a bit of a hammering on Black Friday… but remember the old saying “the internet won’t fix your bike”.
Why not give them a call and book your bike in for a once-over and enjoy the lost art of great customer service?
They’ll get your bike running beautifully and it’ll be a way better use of your cash than another pair of don’t-quite-fit-right reduced price shorts.
Get on an uplift
There’s no better a way to invest in your riding than to invest in actually riding.
Go book a day at Bike Park Wales. They’ve got a million trails and every one of them is more useful than discounted stuff that you don’t need. A day of riding Root Manoeuvres will make you a way cooler rider than a new pair of gloves.
If you’re stuck for inspiration, here’s a list of loads of places you can hop on an uplift and go shredding for a day.
Enter a race
Why not spend your cash on a big day out, riding new trails and trying to beat your mates?
Sure, racing is everyone’s cup of tea but as a bit of a treat it can be bloody brilliant. Why not drop a few notes on pushing yourself to try something new and supporting the UK race scene at the same time? For less than £50 you might find out you’re actually pretty good at it!
You might like to try the Mini Downhill at the Forest of Dean this December. Or maybe the Northern Grip Festival up north? Or perhaps one of the up coming UK Gravity Enduro events?
You can see all of our racing content here for a bit of inspiration.
Donate to Wheels4Life
There’s a million charities out there that need your help… But Wheels4Life is one that really seems to ring home with mountain bikers.
Run by Hans and Carmen Rey, Wheels4Life provides bicycles to people in the developing World. Bikes help people access food and water, boost the local economy and even help carry medicine where it might not otherwise be able to go.
You can learn more and donate at https://wheels4life.org.
Get your suspension tuned by a proper expert
Give your local suspension tune-up dude a call and book your fork or shock in for a custom tune and setup. Your bike will go faster, you’ll have more fun and they’ll create magic with your suspension that you can’t achieve at home in the garage.
We’d recommend Sprung Suspension at the Forest of Dean or Flowtec up in Scotland. Both are absolute wizards with suspension tuning and run small, independent, rider owned businesses. Give them your support before you buy a new pair of pedals, please.
Invest in something custom and hand made
There’s no substitute for something made by hand by a proper expert.
It all sounds a bit hippy-dippy sure but what about a pair of tough, light hand built wheels that have been built exactly to fit your riding style? RyanBuildsWheels is one of a small bunch of guys that are hand building wheels to custom spec here in the UK. He can build you wheels to your spec or he can teach you how to build wheels with a masterclass.
What about a custom paint job for a bike? 7PotCustoms creates beautiful one-off and custom paint jobs for bike frames. A full custom job costs as little as £300.
Or, how about some custom and hand made cycling gear for MacWorkshop? Made in the UK, Mac will create you bespoke baggage for your bike and has also just built his first MTB waist pack.
Go riding, finish at the pub
How about rather than spending loads of cash on kit you just go for a bloody good ride?
Ride your local loop with a few mates, finish at the pub, spend the money on a few beers and a bit of food. Don’t rush home after your ride, see your mates, have some fun, spill some beer.
Sure, you’re literally pissing the money away but life is short and the pub is warm, right?
Let us know what you think of Black Friday in the comments!
