About a year ago I tried mountain biking and it has become almost an addiction. Advertising agencies are always interested in demographics and as the owner of Ad Excellence I can't help wondering about mountain biking demographics.

I've noticed the cars in the parking lot at Oleta River State Park in South Florida are very nice cars. I see people on bikes that cost from $1,000.00 to $5,000.00 at the park.

In mountain biking we are faced with challenges which could result in injury if we are not careful. We shift gears at just the right moment, we turn right after racing down a steep hill, we are constantly adjusting to the environment. I have faced a challenge shown in the video below. I'm riding on a raised platform which is at the highest point two feet above the ground. It is just high enough that if you fall you will get hurt. The interesting thing is that IF the platform was flat on the ground anyone could ride across it but raise it above the ground and you can't help thinking about falling. A good mountain biker doesn't think about falling because that leads to fear and falling. So instead we think about riding and we ride across the platform without falling.

Based upon the cost of mountain bikes, the cost of the cars I've seen in the Oleta River State Park parking lot and the problem solving skills required to ride a mountain bike I've developed a theory about who is likely to ride mountain bikes.

As with all demographic studies we make assumptions about large groups but can't be certain. For example a certain TV show may be watched mostly by women age 25-54. This doesn't mean that teenage boys don't watch it only means that it will be mostly women aged 25-54.

In my mountain biking, non scientific study I'm guessing that most mountain bikers either own their own business or have high paying jobs. I would also guess that mountain bike riders are in management or sales because of the problem solving skills required. I may be totally wrong and just think mountian bike riders are a lot like me but this is not scientific and is entirely based upon my observations.

If you are a mountain biker you've noticed that even when you wash your bike gloves they still stink.  Another problem is the bike shirts we wear are microfiber shirts designed to wick sweat away from our bodies.  The shirts do their job but within 15 minutes of road bike or mountain bike riding the shirts stink.  Here is how to solve that problem.  Microfiber fabrics that are used in making these shirts will wick sweat away from your body to the outer surface of the shirt very effectively.  The problem is that they also have millions of microscopic pores where bacteria get stuck.  Fabric softeners will block these pores trapping in the bacteria.  Here is what works to make your gloves and shirts go back to their original odorless state.  Use half the amount of detergent you normally would use and add half a cup of oxygen bleach and skip the fabric softener.  Oxygen bleach is sold under many brand names and is often referred to as color safe bleach or bleach alternative.  Try it and you and everyone near you will be glad you did.

Have you seen the Nature Valley TV commercials showing a mountain biker named Kelly Saunders?  Check out Kelly Saunders Nature Valley.