What's Up with Tacos?

Why do mountain bikers—at least a good portion of them—seem obsessed with tacos? Could it be that tacos are the perfect post-ride grub, along with a tasty beverage of your choice (adult or otherwise)?

We love our tacos at NTX Trails. Being born-and-bred Texans, we could eat some good ol’ Tex-Mex pretty much any time. Seriously, when is the wrong time for Tex-Mex? We can’t think of one.

But why tacos? Why not some other type of Tex-Mex? Why not some other type of food altogether? Here’s our theory.

Why Do Mountain Bikers Love Tacos?

First, you can find a good taco stand or restaurant within a stones throw of any location, you just have to know where to look. Nowadays it’s easy to find tacos. Just open up Google or Apple maps and type in the word “tacos” and you’ll probably get dozens of results.
Second, you can get tacos just about any way you want in most restaurants. Unless you’re hitting up a fast food chain that just assembly lines their tacos, you can get yours refined how you like them. What’s not to like about build-your-own tacos? You can get everything from ground beef and carne asada to tofu and vegetarian versions. You can have them with or without veggies, or sour cream, or guacamole, or salsa, or….well, you get the picture.
Third, it’s hard to mess up a taco. When you think about it, even Taco Bell makes a decent taco, and that’s setting the bar fairly low. The ingredients are pretty basic—a tortilla (hard or soft), some protein, some veggies, and some cheese and other extras—and you’ve got a flavor explosion in your mouth.
Fourth, they’re fairly inexpensive. Go to just about any Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant and order a taco plate. For a few bucks you’ll get two or three tacos, beans, rice, and a drink. Not to mention all-you-can-eat chips and salsa before the dinner plates arrive.
Five, tacos are a really great recovery meal. You get all the major food groups in a hand-held package. When you’ve been shredding the trails hard, you need to replenish your energy, and tacos deliver what you need in a pretty balanced, self-contained meal.
Sixth, and lastly, maybe we eat tacos after a great ride as a way to give thanks for not getting our wheels taco’d on that sketchy landing back on the trail. You know what we’re talking about.