bike_freak said:
All the pros over there all say that they have the bike 'culture'. I guess we don't
MTB'ing is just not recognised as a big sport over here.
All these drug scams at the moment going on with track cyclist, isn't exactly good for the sport of cycling is it

.
Sure, I would love to see MTB or even cycling become as big as it is in other places of the world, but I just don't see it happen any time soon.
On the point of "MTB'ing is just not reconized as a big sport over here.", it's unfortunate isn't it (for us anyway). Buzlytyr explained it quite nicely...
Didn't you know that footy & rugby are more important than riding a bike
To the average nong...riding a bike is what you do either when you are a kid or when you get busted for drink driving in your HSV UTE.
So, Wayne & Bazza would rather be building quad cam limited slip diffs turbo charged with blow off valves. Bikes...gimme a break
It's either footy (AFL), cricket, soccer or maybe rugby (rugby coverage in WA is appalling).
Spectator sport will always be bigger, 'freeform' sports like MTBing or any outdoor sports will be significantly smaller market and audiance. Because the market is tiny compare to mainstream sports, the supply and demand attracts high prices. This is one factor that keeps people away from MTBikng (let alone cycling).
Strangely snow-based sports are extremely expensive, then again small market and more importantly limited season. Spectator events are compact... it's one side of the mountain with cameras easily positionable (no trees to get in the way). That's one reason snow competition get copious amounts of sponsorship, but sponsorship has it's pros and cons. Sponsorship when kept sensible, will help the sport. When I say sponsorship, I don't mean just individual riders or teams, but something like MTB parks, trails or clubs.
The biggest 'Australian' (NZ) reputable bike company has to be Avanti I think, next are the Malvern Stars and Shoguns, etc... then the reputable ones start again Craftworks, Ethos then *blank* the boutique builders start (Ti galore).
Again supply and demand, besides the boutique builders all other 'Australian' bikes are MIT/MIC (Made-In-Taiwan/China). The demand is too small for the sport to be consider mainstream like in Canada.
Canada where the revolution of modern MTBikng happened with North Shore. MTBiking in the USA used to be dominated by fire road excursions only and threatened to collapse, then the North Shore revolution begin. The fun started and never stopped. The sport progressed from strength to strength.
But will this mean Australia can do the same thing?, yes... in terms of building North Shore structures. But will the sport be considered equal among the staple sports like footy, not neccessarily.
What we have to do is ease off building North Shore and stop plagiarising other everyone else is doing and develop our own distinct type of MTBiking. Stop and look at what we've got, North Shore was created because the terrain of British Columbia is unforgiving.
I'm not say look for a problem and build over it, the terrain on our big country varies so much. From the gravel-rich trails of central WA, the evergreen forest of south-western WA, the rainforrest of QLD, the mountains of NSW/VIC and the challenging conditions of TAS.
We've got so much to use as a catalyst for creating a unique type of MTBiking to us.
I've got no ideas at the moment besides simply "saddle up and pedal!", it will take time that's the message.
One factor that really slowed down the progress of MTBing in Australia would have to be the division between MTBA and CA (Cycling Australia). MTBing has been largely ignored by the Federal government, without the help of such pioneering folks like Scott Sharples, Aussies would probably very rarely go international.
And glady after years of divide, MTBA and CA are finally reuniting, watch the progress of MTBing increase.
With this we can be sure more crown land is slowly set aside for us MTBikers, we can see places like Adelaide creating MTB parks in the city metro. Now don't tell me having dozens of different trails and styles built into one area in easy reach of public transport will not ease some of the hassles of MTBiking like traveling the road miles to get to just ride fireroad trails.
The moral is:
It will take time, be patient, it will happen.