I think You’ve read a bit much into what I was saying Mrmo, it wasn’t a Socio-Demographic Comment on Trail centre riders nor was I suggesting the whole world has gone soft.
Simply that people tend to use whatever is most commonly available/widely sold, and the fact that you can now have very low ratios that give you some quite ridiculously spinney gears, which are perhaps a step too far…
I have no problem with anyone riding any trails, any way they choose and using whatever kit they feel is appropriate (or indeed having a chat while they do it), I was simply questioning the prevailing acceptance that 22-34 or indeed 22-36 gearing ratios now being widely available is necessarily a “good” thing…
Personally I don’t really fancy going back to the late eighties/ early nineties, 1:1 gearing was fine when I was younger and my muscles were a bit more supple, Now I’ve got tendons like perishing elastic bands, I appreciate slightly easier gears, but I don’t want to throw my legs around at 16000 RPM either, my knees will wear out, somewhere in the middle seems more sensible…
