| I guess that, with the development of the Internet from | | | | presented at length in these communities, from |
| a bunch of computers strung along a small network to | | | | bashguards to bike trails. And of course, with the spurt |
| a worldwide network of millions and millions of PCs | | | | of the e-commerce trend, it cannot be avoided that |
| and Macs, people can just about find anything online | | | | shops catering to the specialized needs of mountain |
| with just a smattering of keywords and Google. I have | | | | bikers have sprouted online as well. |
| been a Netizen for almost 6 years now; enough to | | | | But is this bad? I don't think so. The emergence of |
| have observed and experienced several of the | | | | e-commerce has brought along with it an unsurpassed |
| significant developments and changes that the Internet | | | | convenience and availability of products and services |
| has gone through. | | | | that your local bike shop cannot match. Mountain bikers |
| So why was I surprised when I discovered that | | | | are benefiting from the extensive range of products |
| mountain biking has its own place on the Internet? And | | | | that are available from the Internet. Whether you're |
| not just a sport, but an entire, growing community and | | | | just looking for the cheapest price you can get for that |
| culture of pedaling enthusiasts that spans the globe. | | | | disc brake you need, or you're looking for a cross |
| Going back to my self-imposed question, why was I | | | | country frame for your ultimate mountain bike, |
| surprised to see this? Probably because in my | | | | shopping on the Web can be the best way to go. |
| privately-held and biased opinion, I've never expected | | | | You don't have to be a technical wizard to enjoy |
| mountain bikers to be Net-savvy enough to build a | | | | online shopping for your bike gear. These sites usually |
| website, let alone a full-grown network of like-minded | | | | feature helpful hints and tips to guide even greenhorns |
| individuals. | | | | make the most out of their website. Are you looking |
| How wrong I was. Mountain biking is definitely getting | | | | for a particular product for your specialized mountain |
| more and more exposure on the Internet, and | | | | bike? Or perhaps you just want to see all available |
| well-deserved exposure, I might add. As I said, I have | | | | products from your favorite manufacturer? Online |
| discovered that there is already a booming population | | | | stores like LA Mountain Bikes help you to search for |
| of closely-knit communities of mountain bikers in | | | | any item you want using keywords. You can also |
| cyberspace. You can practically find hundreds of | | | | shop by using the categorized menu. Everything is |
| websites, blogs, and forums dedicated to the sport. A | | | | arranged and laid out to enable shoppers to find and |
| wide array of topics are being discussed and | | | | buy products faster and easier. |