WNC Cycling is a new on-line message board hosted by Motion Makers Bike Shop in Sylva, providing a forum for bikers to chat about the latest bike news in the region; to hook up for leisure outings, training rides and races; to buy, sell or trade bike gear and parts —with a focus on riders in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain.

The moderators also tout the message board as a place to “tell tall tales (about biking), enjoy (or challenge) bragging rights, bestow praise, and chastise the deserved.” The message board may be accessed at www.motionmakersbikes.com.

Topics range from group road ride etiquette and pet peeves, to whether shaving legs really improves speed, from debating over proposed route changes for long-standing races in the area to safety advice, gear reviews, etc. But one of the most frequent uses is to hunt down fellow riders. One guy wanting information about the Western Carolina University bike club was bombarded with helpful posts providing a slew of contacts for the club.

Others planning a weekend ride post their plans along with a broad invite, like this mid-January ride post:

“Departing the Reid Gym parking lot at 12:30 p.m. sharp. Riding the Ring of Fire (Cullowhee Mtn - Walnut Creek - Ellijay - Tilley Creek). Easy to moderate winter pace, should take about 3 hours from campus. Looks to be much cooler than the recent weather. See you there! Feel free to post if you are planning on riding so I can know to look for you or not.”

While the message board leans toward a roadie focus, mountain bikers have certainly carved out their niche and have their own section for posting upcoming rides. Take this posting by Surly Dave in late November ’04:

“Planning to mountain ride in the Moses Creek area on Friday. Meet at the parking lot across from Ramsey Ctr at noon...will drive/ride share to Moses Creek. Plan on 4 hr ride with lots of climbing, chills and thrills.”

Anyone can go on-line and view the posts, but to become a bonafide poster of bike messages or reply to one that you’ve read you have to register and create a user name — an easy, free process. Some of the regulars on WNC Cycling include “Wrenchmeister,” “Dual Geek” and “Surly Dave.”

And then there’s “Bike-run-beer-man,’ who logged on in early January seeking winter gear suggestions: “My old polypro balaclava is just about shot, so I’m looking to upgrade and buy something new for face protection on cold winter rides,” bike-run-beer-man posted.