This week I’m taking a break from comics and their associated Instagram controversies (“It’s called a crossWALK,” “Cy is promoting rabies,” and “Line the valve stem up with the X dumbass”) to talk about something even dorkier: LEGO.
On June 1, the Danish toy manufacturer released its latest set snappily named “Mountain Bike Adventure Van.” It retails for $20 US and comes with 260 pieces to build a sweet little converted camper van, two mountain bikers, two bikes, a workstand, and some tools.
It’s always fun to see our passions recognized in the form of mainstream toys but I think this set is especially interesting because three and a half years ago, LEGO released set 60387, “4×4 Off Roader Adventures” which, again, comes with two figures and two mountain bikes.
The new LEGO Mountain Bike Adventure Van set.
The older 4×4 Off Roader Adventures set.
But instead of a Sprinter-esque van, the set comes with a lifted 4×4 truck, a tent, a shovel, and a camera. This presents a different perspective on mountain bike culture that contrasts sharply with the more recent #vanlife set. So, of course, I had to grab both sets, build them, and spend way too much thinking about how they function in conversation with each other as cultural commentary.
And yes, these are children’s toys. I’m reading too much into all of this, but sometimes that’s fun to do.
An Incomplete History of LEGO MTB
Before we get any deeper, it’s worth noting how intertwined MTB culture has been with LEGO for years. The most-viewed example might be this iconic rendition of Caleb Holonko’s 360 with LEGO, but long before that clip hit the zeitgeist, Oxburger Studios was putting out bangers like this LEGO edit and this LEGO bike check. LEGO has been making bicycles since the 1950s and just dropped a larger-scale, working road bike model in the same June launch that brought the Van Life set. We’ll get back to that road bike later.
LEGO people struggle to put the bike on the van sometimes too.
Viewing MTB Culture through Toys
When I first caught wind of the new LEGO mountain bike set, I was immediately interested from an anthropological perspective. It’s rare that we get to see compelling mainstream depictions of mountain biking, and this set feels surprisingly incisive, especially when contrasted with the earlier truck set. Going forward, I’ll refer to the newer Mountain Bike Adventure set as the “Van Life set”, and the older 4×4 Off Roader Adventures set as the “Truck set.”
Yes, it’s fundamentally frustrating that both LEGO sets are defined by non-bike vehicles, and there’s a broader dialogue worth having about how too-often mountain bikers define themselves by the cars we drive, but, in the context of LEGO, this actually makes a lot of sense. Complex vehicles with hidden features are a core pillar of the brand, so it shouldn’t be surprising that both sets offer bikes as an accessory to a vehicle, rather than the main event.
The Van Life set perfectly encapsulates a growing flavor of mountain bike culture that’s taken off post-pandemic. In this paradigm, mountain bikes are portrayed as an accessory to an “outdoorsy,” “adventure” lifestyle. At its worst, this brand of #influencer #vanlife #wanderlust #yougoober culture is exactly the sort of thing that Trail Clones calls out so effectively. It’s a sanitized, GoPro-ready, heavily-Instagramed lifestyle that incidentally involves riding bikes and tagging sponsors. Or, to put it another way, creating content around the ride too often supersedes the ride itself.
This is Checkov’s Med Kit. Also, the sliding van door mechanism here is super cool.
“Just follow my line babe!”
See, there’s that med kit. The little LEGO dude has two faces, you can turn his head around to reveal this “just ate shit” face.
Again, that’s the most cynical, ungenerous reading of this set. But it hits the mark well, right down to the generic compass decals on the van. It would be right at home in a Visit Bentonville advertisement. Park this thing poorly at the trailhead, paste your Insta handle along the side, and then film some secret trails and piss off the locals, before moving on to “make content” at the next spot. And no, not everyone who drives a Sprinter van is a monster, but it’s a fun narrative to project on a children’s toy. Are these folks riding eebs poorly in lightweight full face helmets while complaining about roots and tech? Perhaps.
I did not have any scale machine-built flow trails to shoot on, but I think that’s where this set would be most at home.
In contrast, the truck set comes with a sick tent (complete with hilariously chaste sleeping bag layout), a fire, a frying pan, a camera, and, importantly, a shovel. No dig no ride, even when you’re a tiny plastic person. The landscape and wildlife bits that come with it suggest a desert setting. Perhaps Virgin, UT, although I prefer to imagine that these folks are visiting Kamloops because, if I had this truck, that’s where I’d go.
The truck is comically lifted, with articulating suspension, and (true to my personal experiences with trips to Kamloops), these folks don’t have any bike tools or a med kit. Just some cast iron to cook with and a shovel to slap lips.
This is an older set, and it presents an older ideal of mountain biking. It’s like a mid-2000s freeride flick but more gender-balanced (one of the characters is femme-presenting). Gather up the bros, load up the truck, and disappear into the bush to make some memories. Build booters, fry up dinner, fall asleep under the stars, wake up dirty, and do it all over again.
My mountain bike dream is to fry breakfast directly over the fire with my bare hands, while my crush takes pictures of blue scorpions.
You can tell they’re just friends because of this hilarious sleep setup, specifically prescribed by the instructions.
I have seen so many of my riding buddies make exactly this face, with this same level of stubble.
That face when you find a sick drop right by the campsite.
The inclusion of a full-size camera is interesting. In the LEGO universe, this is a professional still camera. It’s a different paradigm of “content creation” than the current GoPro and iPhone world.
I’m biased here, but I massively prefer the “real camera” lifestyle for two reasons: First, the outcome, or “content,” is much more likely to be interesting and palatable. I’m so over POV trail previews and vertical “bangers” and I prefer a decent still image every day of the week. Bonus if it’s shot landscape.
Second, as a rider I vastly prefer shooting, or being shot with, a real camera, because there’s a level of implied consent that’s often missed when someone is waving a GoPro around. You can’t just shoot stills as you ride. You have to communicate, and everyone else on the ride has to consent to being on a “photo ride” instead of the often-frustrating experience that occurs when one person in the group is shooting POV footage for their Youtube. I hate being on the periphery of a content creator’s ride, because said content creation does affect the tenor of the ride, but not in a way we can easily talk about or consent to. Whereas, if someone wants to take photos with a real camera, we have to talk about it, make a plan, and make sure everyone is down for that sort of ride. YouGoobers ruin rides without even realizing they’re changing the flavor of the experience.
It’s impressive that both portrayals feel “true” to the mountain bike experience. I’ve been on trips with both sorts of people, in both sorts of vehicles. The vanlifers rarely have a shovel, and the freeriders rarely have a med kit or a bike stand. Combine the two sets and you have everything you need to create your own little LEGO mountain bike universe.
I love the inclusion of a full-size camera here, especially since in the box art, it’s used to shoot the wildlife, not the riding.
Shooting with a “real” camera brings a level of consent and communication to the process that I greatly appreciate.
Details
Both sets come with the variety of details and features you’d expect from LEGO. I quite appreciate the Park Tool Blue pump that comes with the van life set, along with the super-slick sliding door on the van and the rack that pivots out of the way to allow access to the back of the van.
On the truck, I find the wheels and suspension to be a bit overkill visually, but they’re so much fun when you bounce the truck around. It’s cool that the tailgate works, but unfortunately the bikes don’t fit in the bed shuttle-style. This feels like a bit of a miss, given how long its total wheelbase is, but it does have a rack in the bed. The tent is rad and I love the scorpion and rabbit accessories. It’s also easy to swap the wheels and suspension system between the two vehicles, and I’ll probably have to figure out a way to build a six-bike rack at some point.
This shuttle setup is sick. He just needs a beer.
This truck will take you to trails that aren’t on the internet.
Geometry Comparisons
A less-important evolution between the two sets comes with the bike. The older truck set comes with bikes that include the bar and stem built into the main frame while the newer van set has a removable and adjustable high-rise bar. This bar is more high-stack-Dak than BMB RR and it’s more geometrically-current, but also pretty frustrating to play with, since it pops off the bike easily. The new bike also has a much steeper head tube angle, eliminating the benefits of that higher stack. Both bikes have 7-spoke, 20.5 mm diameter wheels front and rear, obviously LEGO doesn’t care for mullet bikes.
Because I am a nerd, here’s the math: A LEGO person stands exactly 40 mm tall. The average American man is 69 inches tall. So, a 20.5 mm wheel translates to a 35 inch wheel when scaled up. Eat your heart out 32, LEGO is ahead of the game here!
The older, slacker, lower stack bike (left) compared to the new, steeper, taller one (right).
The detachable bars are actually pretty frustrating to play with.
Our Version of That LEGO Road Bike
At the top I mentioned the road bike set (#11380) that came as part of the same June launch as the Van Life set. This $130, 1015-piece set is part of the “Icons” collection, LEGO sets aimed at adults 18+. LEGO says the Icons sets are “designed for a challenging yet rewarding building experience […] Find your passion and immerse yourself in builds that are worthy to be displayed.” I’d translate that as the sorts of LEGO sets that are meant to be built once, then displayed on your desk at work instead of being played with and modified.
The road bike looks pretty sweet, with its working chain and freewheel mechanism that allows you to pedal the bike and let it coast. Should we as mountain bikers wish for something similar? Perhaps, but based on my time on mountain bike forums, I think there’s room for something much more interesting here. I’d love to see LEGO drop a Technic-based set with instructions to build multiple different rear suspension layouts. It wouldn’t be that challenging to put together a modular set that lets folks build single pivot, Horst Link, DW Link, high pivot, and even six bar suspension systems out of the same pile of parts. It would be fun to build, and would help folks better understand how linkages actually work.
What if they were all just friends, sharing their frying pans and bike tools?
I love that they can only hold this water bottle by the nipple.
For Now
Growing up, my favorite toy was always and forever LEGO. I’ve built so many tanks and forts and robots, all consigned to some yard sale or thrift store at this point. And then I ignored LEGO for almost two decades. It turns out that the Danish brand has been cranking along just fine in my absence. I’m blown away by how well each LEGO mountain bike set captures different facets of our favorite activity. Playing with them has been an enjoyable exercise in reading too much cultural commentary into an innocent children’s toy.