- This topic has 156 replies, 89 voices, and was last updated 12 years ago by epicyclo.
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Correlation – The fancier the bike, the less skilled the rider?
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nealgloverFree Member
In 1984 I was younger, fitter, faster, more skilful and stronger than I am now.
But I can get down more stuff now than I could then.
My “skill compensator” or whatever you want to call it helps a lot.
If I was still riding My 1983 Stumpjumper I’d probably be dead by now.
But my 2011 Stumpjumper FSR makes me look like I can ride a bit.
What’s wrong with that ?
iDaveFree MemberI personally couldn’t care less if someone has a ten grand mtb and rides it on the road,
as long aseven if they are not enjoying themselves.loumFree Membergrahamt1980 – Member
How do you find a bike that you skill set has outgrown? Surely this is backwards, a really skilled rider is going to be able to outride most people on a shopper, let alone £4k’s worth of full sus carbon.
i) Why would you want one? ii) No its not backwards. iii) What’s that got to do with the price of fish?
bencooperFree MemberHave you thought that it might have nothing to do with your bike but the fact you’re not wearing a helmet?
When I see someone mountain biking without one I don’t give them the time of day, whoever they are or whatever they ride.I suppose that might have something to do with it – are people so safety-obsessed that they get all think-of-the-children over what other adults chose to do? I thought it was the bike – maybe it is the lack of helmet, knee and elbow pads, gloves, padded shorts and spine protector.
I’ve been riding mountain bikes from before all that stuff was invented – really don’t see the need to start now, but everyone makes their own choices. Compared to other things I get up to, mountain biking is relatively safe. It’s all about knowing and managing risks.
But this is off the subject. I’m not fussed if people buy expensive bikes and can’t ride them very well – as long as they’re enjoying themselves, who am I to judge?
bobfromkansasFree MemberWhy would anyone who likes riding bikes want to ride a shit bike, if they can afford a good bike. Regardless of their ability.
NorthwindFull Memberbobfromkansas – Member
Why would anyone who likes riding bikes want to ride a shit bike, if they can afford a good bike.
Ask everyone with a singlespeed or rigid 😉 Sometimes riding inferior bikes is good fun.
seosamh77Free MemberWhat I find amusing is that it’s always 3/4k bikes that get quoted on here as an expensive. But when asked how much my bike was, most non mtbers are stunned that i’d spend 800 quid on a bike!
Value is a fairly relative thing depending on how you are looking at something.
I’m another vote for not caring or noticing what people ride. well unless it’s obviously not up to the task and looking like it might fall apart if it sees a rock, i might mention something then.
MoseyMTBFree MemberOp I don’t understand your point?
Can’t you afford a better bike?
nickfFree MemberThe local bakery used to provide us with free flap jacks and pasties if we gave them some money.
At first sight, I thought that this might well be the stupidest sentence ever written on STW.
But then I tried it out this morning. Amazingly, it turns out to be completely true. Who would have thought that Waitrose would indeed supply me with free groceries, that the filling station would let me run my car for free, and that could fly to Australia this week completely free.
So long as I give them some money.
FunkyDuncFree MemberAt this years Mountain Mayhem I was just watching unfortunately, mainly on the last decent.
The people who were moaning about how bumpy it was and struggling to get down it on the whole were those with the most travel front and rear, on the whole they also looked alot less skilled….
rOcKeTdOgFull Memberi’ve mostly been riding this lately, what does that tell you?
wacky wheels at Snowshill by rOcKeTdOgUk, on FlickrbellysFree MemberLook on the bright side. Just means there are more bargains in used bike market. Let them buy um and sell on at a loss if they don’t like it.
BadlyWiredDogFull Memberi’ve mostly been riding this lately, what does that tell you?
That a Voodoo Wanga with a rigid 29er front end teamed with a red-walled rear tyre is well and truly minging?
justatheoryFree MemberI bought a nice bike because I’m in to bikes, could afford it and they make me happy. I managed to get up and down the same trails when I had a cheap bike, albeit a little bit slower and less comfortably.
I’ve always found the law of diminishing returns apply with bikes. Beyond a certain price, the benefits are so tiny that only a pro would really notice.
bitemebrynFree MemberI drive an a3 and ride a Zesty. If people want to label me that’s their issue, I’ll still ride with them. You meet all sorts of people from all sorts of walks of life in this sport. Anyone can come off, or have a bad day for any number of reasons, regardless of bike. If you can’t grasp this then you need look at yourself not the rest of us.
Singlespeed_ShepFree MemberThe local bakery used to provide us with free flap jacks and pasties if we gave them some money.
At first sight, I thought that this might well be the stupidest sentence ever written on STW.But then I tried it out this morning. Amazingly, it turns out to be completely true. Who would have thought that Waitrose would indeed supply me with free groceries, that the filling station would let me run my car for free, and that could fly to Australia this week completely free.
So long as I give them some money.
Not as stupid as you think. Read the FULL post from david.
ashphilFree MemberIt doesn’t matter what bike I own, it’ll always have the potential to be ridden better by someone else…
Does that mean I should stop riding?
nealgloverFree MemberrOcKeTdOg – Member
i’ve mostly been riding this lately, what does that tell you?…. That you have a red bike.
nickfFree MemberRead the FULL post from david.
I did. And I quoted accurately; did he give them some money (which he states) or did they give stuff for free, because they were “proud to be fueling the athlete”?
Whichever, it’s a spectacularly self-aggrandising post, and deserves to have the piss ripped out of it.
binnersFull MemberrOcKeTdOg – that does look a bit weird. But I think its purely a colour thang though. Terrahawk was out the other week on a similar getto 69er, but the it didn’t look as pronounced as that. If your frame was the same colour as your forks, and your tyres were’t same colour, it’d be reet
Now off you go, and sort it out! 😀
As for the other stuff. Does anybody give a flying **** what anyone else is riding? Seriously. Get over yourselves. You may be on an Apollo Halfords special, or a 5k carbon race missile
Guess what? Here’s the news. Everyone else in society thinks you’re a **** anyway, whichever you’re on!
mrblobbyFree MemberAs for the other stuff. Does anybody give a flying **** what anyone else isriding? Seriously. Get over yourselves. You may be on an Apollo Halfords special, or a 5k carbon race missile
Guess what? Here’s the news. Everyone else in society thinks you’re a **** anyway, whichever you’re on!
Only a tiny percentage of folk out there could tell there was any difference between the Apollo and the 5k CRM anyway. And if you can tell the difference then the folk who can’t most likely think your a ****.
jamesoFull Member“Whichever, it’s a spectacularly self-aggrandising post”
Nick, you may have missed the joke in his post )
GWFree MemberHave you thought that it might have nothing to do with your bike but the fact you’re not wearing a helmet?
When I see someone mountain biking without one I don’t give them the time of day, whoever they are or whatever they ride.What an utter prick!
binnersFull MemberExactly mrblobby -!
Occasionally (not very often), maybe at work, I forget who I’m talking too and start enthusing about something bike related. You can physically see peoples hearts sink. The light behind their eyes goes out. The will to live ebbs from their very being. Seriously… you can actually see it physically leave the body. Its tragic!
Oh… and well done Nick. I reckon DTF’s post went so far over you head, you could barely detect it with the human eye
Singlespeed_ShepFree MemberRead the FULL post from david.
I did. And I quoted accurately; did he give them some money (which he states) or did they give stuff for free, because they were “proud to be fueling the athlete”?Whichever, it’s a spectacularly self-aggrandising post, and deserves to have the piss ripped out of it.
kudos100Free MemberOp I don’t understand your point?
Can’t you afford a better bike?
Just for you as you are special…..
That’s the interesting thing about life, people have different experiences. I happen to know a few brilliant riders who ride pretty average bikes, as they seem more interested in riding than collecting anodized trinkets for their bikes.
I have also met and know quite a few guys who spend months building bikes that are dripping with matching chris king, team green hope and any other shiny expensive bling bit you care to mention. The are not great at riding (hardly ride at all in fact) and the spend more time lusting and collecting shiny things, rather than using their bikes.
Now I have no idea whether this is the norm, hence me asking the question. I do not care either way (although I do find it a bit odd collecting shiny things and not using them or perhaps expecting them to make you go faster) Maybe I happen to know some very strange people who are magpies, or perhaps collecting shiny bits to build the ultimate bike and then not actually riding it is a fairly common thing?
I personally couldn’t care less if someone has a ten grand mtb and rides it on the road, as long as they are enjoying themselves. Buying an expensive bike and then using it as an excuse because it doesn’t have the latest bit of go faster bells and whistles, or not actually riding it at all is not something I understand.
mrblobbyFree MemberPlenty of people buy a Ferrari and never take it on a track or race it. Guess it must be a nice place to be and make them happy when they see it parked on the drive.
epicycloFull MemberFunkyDunc – Member
…The people who were moaning about how bumpy it was and struggling to get down it on the whole were those with the most travel front and rear, on the whole they also looked alot less skilled….Actually one of the reasons I ride rigid is because I can’t stand the dive in front forks on descents if you hit the brakes, so I sympathise with those people.
messiahFree MemberActually one of the reasons I ride rigid is because I can’t stand the dive in front forks on descents if you hit the brakes, so I sympathise with those people.
Brakes and descents don’t mix – one or the other but NEVER together.
I love bikes… but people who ride them are invariably people 😉
epicycloFull Membermessiah – Member
…Brakes and descents don’t mix – one or the other but NEVER together.Can’t guarantee what’s round the corner except on closed courses.
Sometimes people are walking on the track or someone falls off in front of you, and it’s rude to ride over them. 🙂
TandemJeremyFree Membermessiah
Brakes and descents don’t mix – one or the other but NEVER together.Right – so how are you going to slow for the obstacle / stop yourself acheiving escape velocity? Some of us ride where descents take many minutes dropping hundreds or even thousands of feet
messiahFree MemberRight – so how are you going to slow for the obstacle / stop yourself acheiving escape velocity? Some of us ride where descents take many minutes dropping hundreds or even thousands of feet
I use my head… which is why I wear a helmet 😉
shorts_in_winterFree MemberI reckon it’s all pretty simple. I love bikes as a hobby and am lucky enough to paid the sort of money that allows me to spend a decent wedge on said hobby. I would be happy riding anything with two wheels, well except a 29er maybe 🙂 , it just so happens I can afford bling bikes so I buy them for my own personal enjoyment.
Know plenty of guys who will happily drop over a grand on a golf club because they love their hobby, no different.
Its all biking, couldn’t care less what others ride as long as they are having fun too, properly judging someone because they spend a heap on a bike and don’t ride like a pro is pretty narrow minded…. Although I am of course happy to rip the piss out my mates who do it 🙂
TessFree MemberI was sat at the top of the rock field path at Wilsden just off Lee Lane (part of the infamous Bingley Bash route)having tried unsuccesfully yet again to ride up it when a bloke with a carbon bling type bike fell off it and proceeded to push the bike up and stopped to chat about his new bike and how he loved it. Then a guy on another really good bike cycled up it like it was a smooth road and just pedalled past me and I was so impressed with his skills I spontaneously burst into appluase. Then a woman came up pushing her entry level hard tail and we exchanged greetings. The sun was shining, the scenery was lovely, everyone looked like they were having a lovely time.
epicycloFull MemberI think TJ nailed it earlier.
Some of us regard mtb as a fun pastime, while others regard themselves as extreme sportsmen, and then there’s the tiny group of real racers.
The first group don’t really care too much which bike they ride so long as it makes it easy.
The second group want a bike that makes them look good to the very small group of people who care about such things (a subset of this group).
The racer group know that the only thing that counts is first over the line and whatever enables that is good and everything else is an also ran.
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