| ss that, with the development of the Internet from a | | | | presented at length in these communities, from brake |
| middling bunch of computers on a network to a | | | | levers to bike trails. And of course, with the spurt of |
| full-blown phenomenon of millions and millions of PCs | | | | the e-commerce trend, it cannot be avoided that |
| and Macs all connected throughout the world, you can | | | | shops catering to the specialized needs of mountain |
| find anything you want online with just a smattering of | | | | bikers have sprouted online as well. |
| keywords and Google (or Yahoo!, or MSN, or AOL, | | | | But is this a bad thing we’re talking about? |
| whichever you prefer.) I have been a Netizen for | | | | Personally, I think not. The emergence of e-commerce |
| almost 6 years now; certainly not as old and | | | | has brought along with it an unsurpassed convenience |
| experienced as the other veterans of the World Wide | | | | and availability of products and services that your local |
| Web, maybe, but enough to have observed and | | | | bike shop will be hard-pressed to match. Unless, of |
| experienced several of the significant developments | | | | course, your local bike shop has established an online |
| and changes that the cyber world has gone through. | | | | presence as well. Enthusiasts and shoppers are |
| So why was I surprised when I found out that the | | | | greatly benefiting from the wide array of products that |
| sport of mountain biking has found a new home on the | | | | are readily available from virtually anywhere in the |
| Internet? And not just a sport, but an entire, growing | | | | world, via the Internet. Whether you just want to find |
| community and culture of pedaling enthusiasts that | | | | the best price for that crankset you need, or |
| spans the globe. Going back to my self-imposed | | | | you’re looking for the ultimate mountain bike |
| question, why was I surprised to see this? Probably | | | | package, going online can be the best way to go. |
| because in my privately-held and biased opinion, | | | | You don’t have to be a technical wizard to |
| I’ve always thought that freewheeling mountain | | | | enjoy online shopping for your bike gear. Most |
| bikers who spend their time going up and down hills | | | | mountain bike websites, or cycling in general, usually |
| riding their two-wheeled pedal machines | | | | feature helpful hints and tips to guide the |
| wouldn’t have the time nor the inclination to build | | | | less-than-expert shoppers make the most out of their |
| a place on the Web. | | | | website. Are you looking for a particular product? Or |
| How wrong I was. Mountain biking is certainly getting | | | | perhaps you just want to see all available products |
| more and more exposure on the Internet, and | | | | from your favorite manufacturer? Online stores usually |
| well-deserved exposure, I might add. As I said, I have | | | | allow you to search for any item you want using |
| discovered that there is already a booming population | | | | keywords. You can also find what you need by |
| of closely-knit communities of mountain bikers in | | | | browsing the organized categories of items. Everything |
| cyberspace. You can practically find hundreds of | | | | is arranged and laid out to enable shoppers to find and |
| websites, blogs, and forums dedicated to the sport. A | | | | buy products faster and easier. |
| wide array of topics are being discussed and | | | | |