I don’t like tag lines. I especially don’t like “less is more”. Not that I disagree with it but I think it’s become a silly tagline to justify a lot of cliche and uninspired East Coast riding. To me it’s something along the lines of “Make America Great Again”. It’s just some phrase that sounds good and feels like it should mean something but in reality it’s often used to justify a lack of real substance, closer to an excuse if anything.
But like I said I don’t disagree with it. I do like the concept behind “less is more” and I think this Mark Gralla’s section is what best describes it. Outside of his riding not being on the technical side and also being the epitome of what a lot of people’s idea of East Coast riding should be. “Less is more” is defined in different ways with his riding.
The easy way that whole “less is more” mentality manifests in his riding is his choice in spots and tricks or lack of tricks he does on them. Which is something anyone will notice about his riding immediately. It’s heavily unique spot based and he overcomes hurdles to make hard to ride spots interesting. It’s not about airing your standard 45 degree cellar door, at this point that’s just as uninteresting as a smith nose bar in some school in California.
To me, it’s stuff like this that makes his riding really interesting. It’s not a unique spot at all. In all honesty it’s probably the least interesting of what constitutes as a spot but he makes it work regardless. It’s a simple curb kicker setup. Everyones hopped one but no one would really try to make a clip out of it. Sure if it was just a boost out of it it’d be whatever but the fact that he included it with this hop up gap to cellar makes it work. There’s no barspin or anything but for some reason it’s better without it. That’s less is more.
It’s this too. It’s not hard or it’s not unusual but once again but in the context rest of the line it just works. It’s a great finishing touch to an otherwise pretty interesting line. It’s very minute but regardless it’s a detail that I think really matters. It’s not that he is finessing some extra trick in a line which I think a lot of line based riding that is popular today does, but more a continuation of a natural flow, like a final jump at some trails where it’s almost a wind down but still regardless an important aspect of riding the trails. He could’ve easily just rode off but he didn’t. It’s not impressive in any physical or even unique spot way but for some reason it’s almost the highlight of the whole line or at least equally viable.
I remember when I first saw this power manuel? down the curb. It was the coolest thing. Once again to reiterate the whole point of this, it’s really nothing but at the same time everything. It’s little pieces of style aesthetics on the bike that makes it cool. It’s not some goofy tennis ball in the wheel for street points or frivalous skid that serves no real function or anything completely frivolous and forced like that. It’s still on the bike maneuvers aesthetics which is ultimately everything in BMX. It truly is “less is more” in the sense that a better rider could’ve easily trucked off it but a power manuel just works so much better. Trucks are cool, don’t get me wrong but it’s working with what you have, little or not and making most of it that I think less is more should be. Like Tom White doesn’t have tricks and he doesn’t ride anything like Mark Gralla but he still has that strong “less is more” philosophy where the limited palette of tricks he has is expanded to it’s full capabilities. “Less is more” is not an excuse for East Coast riding to be never progress beyond what the forefathers of East Coast riding created cause less being less is completely a real thing.
And one a sort of related note. Sometimes more is better. Personally for me I’m a simple person and that expands to all areas of my life including bike riding but Butcher’s riding is “more is more” and it’s a thousands times better than most people could ever dream of. Same with Ryan Niranonta where he adds a bunch of strange nuances like switch footed and oppo, left in right to the point you’re all discombobulated, another case where more is more.
Mark Gralla
Orris Root Powder by Metal Fingers
Skavenger (2012)
Edited by Bob Scerbo
