Off Topic: Cigars!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by this post represent my own and not of the entire site. You may disagree with my opinion and I’m OK with it. I’m also not a professional writer and I’m OK with that too.

So what do cigars have to do with Mountain Biking? We at MtnBikeRiders.com do have other hobbies other than ripping the trails, taking names on XC, SD and DH races and being semi-famous. We have decided to shake it up a little bit by adding a new section to the site called “Off Topic”, although we know that 99% of our lives revolve about Mountain Bikes, these articles will be musings of that 1%.

Although I’m not a smoker, I’ve been known to enjoy a good cigar now and then. My interest in cigars grew when RL started to smoke them and I’d ask my wife to bring some “famous place” cigars from Mexico.

As with Mountain bikes, you have “big box store” bikes (Cheap, low quality) and Local Bike Shop bikes (pricier, better quality). Cigar shopping is the same, you have liquor store cigars and smoke shop cigars. Cigars also vary quite a bit in price, from below the $10 mark to almost $100 bucks!

Cigars also need special care, storing cigars is like storing your beloved bicycle; you just don’t leave your bike out in sun nor rain. Storing your bike away from the elements keeps your bike fresh and ready to be ridden without worrying about rust or crumpling saddles. In order for a cigar to keep “fresh” it has to be stored in a humidor at a certain humidity point and temperature.

Cutting a cigar also needs a specific “tool”, cutting it wrong could influence on how the cigar burns and it will eventually affect the taste.

Another interesting tidbit is how you light a cigar; using sulfur or paper matches or regular lighters are a no-no, a cigar should be lit with a torch lighter and hold the torch so that the tip of the flame can barely touch the cigar.

So you maybe thinking “Smoking is bad for you” and yes, you maybe right… but I have roadie friends that think that Mountain biking is bad for you… I mean, I’ve never broken my shoulder smoking a cigar but I did Mountain biking! So just like Mountain Biking, Cigars are not for everyone and I’m not advocating that you smoke cigars but if you do, do it with moderation.