Josh, we didn't see many of those kinds of bikes in the shops here until we found some smaller, hard core shops in the city that carried some of the more esoteric brands. Most shops that we checked out (and there were many) had the usual big brands -- Specialized, Trek, GT, Cannondale, etc. The smaller shops out in the country towns carried Kona, Rocky, DeVinci. But bikes like Santa Cruz, Ibis, etc., were hard to find, and if available, were way too expensive. At the time, the Canadian dollar was worth 30% less than US, so anything imported was pricey, so the shops mostly carried the big recognizable brands that they thought would sell. Canadian-made bikes sold well, and were priced better -- Rocky, Brodie, DeVinci, Opus, Norco -- and were often better made for the same price.
Things are different now, with more choice and variety. It's all good....
As for tubeless and the West Coast guys -- I think you misunderstood my message. I was just passing on their opinions, not busting on yours or stating my own opinion. I have not tried it, so I have no opinion, but just listen to other's experiences at this point. But hey, it works for you, and you are willing to take the time to make it work. OTOH, for those guys, it is just not the thing, and I respect that too. And why wouldn't I? These guys do multi-day back country big mountain rides and need gear that works and that they can rely on. If they say something, I listen and learn. These guys are constantly experimenting with gear, BTW, and swapping stems and cranks and pedals and tires every week to try something different. For you to say they are closed-minded is just not on. If you read my post again, I said that they tried it, but didn't think it was worth it for whatever reason. They didn't explain. So there is no need for you to get defensive about your position. To each his own.
Another thing I would add about the West Coast guys, is that they are humble, quiet and never boastful. They do stuff, at age 60 no less, that would make most men half their age cry after only an hour. And they do it for days at a time, and train for it every day in between. But you would never know it unless you asked them outright, that's how modest they are. And for that, I respect and like them even more.
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