Mountain biking has reached its limits

Bike-Mechaniker

The sport of mountain biking is finished! More mountain biking is not possible, whether on the cable car, in the hotel, on the train or in the bike store. The end of the line has been reached, says Thomas Giger in his blog analysis. New concepts and strategies are urgently needed, otherwise the sport will fail due to its own success.

In the past two summers, mountain biking has gone into overdrive. Never before have so many bikes been sold, never before have so many people taken to the saddle. Mountain bikers are no longer a negligible group of freaks, but a systemically relevant sport. We are happy about that, after all, we mountain bikers have not been taken seriously for long enough.

Trains and public transport are already at their limit

However, all that glitters is not gold. The push has also brought to light a memorable aspect: mountain biking has been pushed to its limits. For example with the mountain railroads. These are primarily and unabatedly designed for the transportation of pedestrians and skiers. Mountain bikers are still hardly an issue in mountain lift design, neither in the buildings nor in the access systems or gondolas. The rush since summer 2020 and the resulting capacity problems have demonstrated this in exemplary fashion.

Public transport is now also running on empty due to mountain bikers. At times, traveling by train to Valais or Graubünden became a game of chance, while the rear carriers on Postbuses with a paltry capacity of five to six bikes proved to be unsustainable. The same now applies to public transport as to the mountain railroads: more mountain bikers are not possible.

Even hotels are now reaching their capacity limits. In almost all establishments, mountain bikers have to park their bikes in converted ski rooms that are too small for bikes. As a rule, more than a dozen bikes do not fit in. Is this how you want to be equipped for the future? With the current growth of the sport, hotels will have to have rooms specially designed for mountain bikers in the future, which can then also be used by skiers in winter. And not the other way around.

Is the specialist trade in a sustainable position?

And finally, there are also the bike stores, many of which did the business of a lifetime in the past 18 months, but were virtually flattened by demand. Anyone visiting a specialist store for a repair or service often has to expect a long wait. In some cases, several weeks are estimated. In other words: Specialist retailers are overwhelmed by the increased demand.

The past few months have made it clear: The sport of mountain biking has reached the end of the line in various areas. The sport urgently needs new ideas, sound strategies and a completely rethought infrastructure if it is not to collapse soon due to demand. There are currently no signs that the mountain biking rush will soon subside. We have come to stay.