Mountain Biking - Best and Worst of 2007

We had one of these threads last year and I thought it was a fun read so here it is to close out 2007.

There are no specific categories, feel free to make up your own. Last yea (http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=252951)r some of the categories were:
- best/worst bike trip
- best/worst bike
- best/worst personality
- best/worst event
- etc.


Here's my list:

Best:
- My new full suspension rocks (Turner Flux). I love how nicely it rides compared to my Kona hardtail.
- I'm pretty happy with how my riding has improved.
- The creation of the TGMBG.
- The Dminor affair. I know to Doug this would probably qualify under Worst of 2007 but I found this whole thing very fascinating how it unfolded and what took place behind the scenes.
- The Hacksaw Jim Duggan thread.
- My new road bike. I know, I know but I actually enjoy going out on this bike from time to time.

Worst:
- Rev.monkey passing away.
- Missing the Pisgah get together this past fall.
- The unnecessary involvement of mods that don't frequent the mountain biking forum.
- My riding still sucks on some things and I haven't shaken the chicken-sh|t factor in certain areas.
- I still can't wheelie or bunny hop.

If I come up with more stuff to add I'll do so. Now, what are your Best and Worst of 2007 categories and candidates?

Worst, my bike crank leg fell off :(

Best:
-Becoming an honorary member of the TGMBG despite my lycra.
-100K charity ride for cancer.
-Finishing my MBA.
-Ric0h

Worst:
-revmonkey
-Lack of riding time

Worst: (addendum):
- Not being a member of the TGMBG but my goal is to qualify with a visit to Pisgah.

Best trip.. Tamarancho, Marin Ca.

Best personality.. Ricoh

Best bike... my new bike

Worst trip.. Applegate Lake, Or.. ok for me other than a flat, but my wife crashed so many times it was ridiculous

Worst personality.. Mike Dansey

Worst bike.. hmm, maybe that carbon trek that broke in half in front of those snobby college girls.

The best
trip- the TGMBG gathering in Pisgah. It was the best one yet...and I have the pics to prove it.

Folks-TGMBG....which now includes Santiago,junkyard,and DMinor. We also have a new Canadian chapter with Never as the man in charge.

New Bling is the new 2tone I9 wheels.

RicOh..

Worst....
Losing Revmonkey

.. a toss up between Zumba and Mike Pansey. The Zumba thing got reallly strange.

The Dminor affair.

It was a **** year overall to be honest. Between being sick and the weather, I might as well retire from casual mountain biking...not to mention rev, I also lost a close friend in mountain biking as well. Neck injuries are a *****.

I am making a keen effort to forget 2007 and move into 2008, at this point 2007 is right up there with 1989 and 1999 for the worst years I remember :)...

Best.
having time to ride 2 times a week in the summer
getting a full suspension bike
getting faster on the trail
ricoh

Worst
still gaining 10 pounds despite riding 2x a week
still not daring enough to tackle some rideable terrain
ricoh

Best: Getting the wife up to speed on the mountain bike.
Finally got in another ride with Chelboed.
Yearly trip to Fancy creek state park.
Ricoh!

Worst: Losing Revmonkey
Norco Rider, Mike Dansey.

I live in Australia and my Worst was the passing of rev.monkey. It sucks.

I haven't been on the forum very long, but Ric0h rates pretty high in lul factor for the year, and i agree that the Dminor Affair was really interesting.
Best thread? "2007 STP1 vs. 2008 Kona Stuff" or something to that effect. It was a MulletArgyleMan thread nonetheless.

Wow. Ricoh scores pretty high considering he hasn't been here that long. Imagine if he was! :eek:

Actually, after thinking about it some more, my all time best and worsts are as follows.

Best:
- Getting my new bike in August.
- Racing for the first time!
Worst:
- My baby being stolen on Christmas eve. It wasn't much at all but i have some pretty fond memories on that bike, and I know it wasn't easy for my mum to save up the money to buy it as a surprise for me. She worked really hard for it. Now its gone...

...
Folks-TGMBG....which now includes Santiago,junkyard,and DMinor. We also have a new Canadian chapter with Never as the man in charge.
...

I'm starting the year with a tear in my eye...

BFG - Sorry to hear about the bike and stuff. That really sucks.

I'm starting the year with a tear in my eye...


Hey, TGMBG don't cry.

I haven't been here too long either, what is the Dminor affair?

Best:
The new fs bike.
Surviving the year.

Worst:
Losing Revmonkey.

Best
My friend finally got a really great girlfriend, and a huge promotion
New Titus! Woot!
Re-furbed my 8500 into a fast SS road bike
Got some awesome SS rides in over the summer
No serious injuries
My wife turned into a really fast XC rider
Having really great friends

Worst
a friend had to get a mastectomy, and still isn't out of the woods yet
a friend got divorced
finding out our planned house was going to cost double what we were expecting
not building a new house
hot summer - it was too hot to sleep, and my riding suffered for it
getting burnt out on riding by the end of August
realizing my job sucks
My friend got a really great girlfriend and a big promotion and didn't have time to ride with me

Best
-Northstar
-Downieville
-3 new bikes

Worst
-Ricoh

Worst of 2007
Losing Al (revmonkey)
The dminor affair
Losing the State DH title
Missing hooking up with never in Sept.
Not being able to go to an SC Forum ride

Best of 2007
Whistler trip in June and getting to meet Maelstrom
The dminor affair (and finding out how many friends I have)
Our son graduating college and getting married in the same year
Our daughter moving back from L.A.
Getting to be an honorary TGMBGer
Assembling my very first all-new bike (and completely from sponsorships)
Getting articles (twice!) in the local outdoor press
Getting a 'thank-you' gift from a sponsor for a series of posts I did on a forum
Being asked to be a mod (oh, that's a good thing? :))

I haven't been here too long either, what is the Dminor affair?

Here's a very brief summary:
- New user asks for help on a subject.
- dminor posts a funny photoshopped picture that was somewhat related
- New user dislikes photo and anyone who derails his threads. Goes so far as to phone dminor's employer. dminor is relatively public given how much of a sponsorship wh0re he is ;) so finding out who his employer is doesn't take a genius.
- Mountain Biking regulars rally around dminor. The user is found. He turns around and apologizes blaming personal problems on his lack of judgement. User departs. His supporting cast is banned and the dminor affair is put to rest. A lot of the posts and threads were deleted.

I've glossed over a lot of details but there are some real heroes in this story.

Wow. That's just plain ridiculous.

Some people really need to get a life.

Here's a very brief summary:
- New user asks for help on a subject.
- dminor posts a funny photoshopped picture that was somewhat related
- New user dislikes photo and anyone who derails his threads. Goes so far as to phone dminor's employer. dminor is relatively public given how much of a sponsorship wh0re he is ;) so finding out who his employer is doesn't take a genius.
- Mountain Biking regulars rally around dminor. The user is found. He turns around and apologizes blaming personal problems on his lack of judgement. User departs. His supporting cast is banned and the dminor affair is put to rest. A lot of the posts and threads were deleted.

I've glossed over a lot of details but there are some real heroes in this story.

How many times do I need to apologize for... er, uh, yeah... what a chump.

Here's a very brief summary:
- New user asks for help on a subject.
- dminor posts a funny photoshopped picture that was somewhat related
- New user dislikes photo and anyone who derails his threads. Goes so far as to phone dminor's employer. dminor is relatively public given how much of a sponsorship wh0re he is ;) so finding out who his employer is doesn't take a genius.
- Mountain Biking regulars rally around dminor. The user is found. He turns around and apologizes blaming personal problems on his lack of judgement. User departs. His supporting cast is banned and the dminor affair is put to rest. A lot of the posts and threads were deleted.

I've glossed over a lot of details but there are some real heroes in this story.

Crap I forgot all about that. Ya, thats one of the worst too...

one of the best:

coming 2nd to rico in October at Race to the Canal roughly 8 weeks after breaking my fibula and having surgery and a titanium plate installed in my leg. During that race, I did a tree smack while I was behind Rico and bent my rear derailer hanger. Lost gears 2-5 and still managed 2nd. Also, 9 of 11 club members podiumed during that race in different categories.

another good one:

Riding a century road ride in December

good:

Riding MTB again basically 5 weeks after the broken fibula.

Worst for me personally:
had a horrible car wreck...had weeks of PT to learn to walk properly again, broken leg later in the year, a close friend had a bike wreck and I had to take her to the ER, one of my club members was hit by a car while riding and spent some time in the hospital, another one of our riders had to stop one day because he got dizzy and turns out he was bleeding in his brain and had to be flown to Vandy. He made it but it we all were nervous.

Well...I guess from a club standpoint...we all lived and are riding again so bad does become good from our standpoint. I was thinking we should apply for a group discount at the ER though.