Imagine going to the middle of africa with your bike and showing some people it. People who had only ever seen people riding bikes to the next village and you go pop a little manual and jump a goat. They would freak out. You wouldn't just a get a flapjack you'd get a chicken and some dudes daughter!
Class!
Is this thread related to the next niche thread?
Do I need to buy a new, but crap bike?
If so, what crap bike does STW recommend? 
But in the early days pre '96ish
that's rather late chap lots of folks on here been riding since the 80's or since the very start 
"But in the early days pre '96ish mountain biking was new and people where amazed at what people where doing on bikes"
Yer smelly arse. I was right in to it by then and everyone thought I was a right wally.
turn up at Glentress with my old GT RTS,
awesome bike!
Most excellent riders i have met have had pretty good bikes to be fair. I do take mild amusement at people rocking up at glentress in their audi q7s or whatever with £5k bikes on though.
I dont know where you lot are all from, but round where I live we are viewed as the athletes I've described
by your mums
Yer smelly arse. I was right in to it by then and everyone thought I was a right wally.
+1
and this has been the case since 1986 too.. and every year since.. and so it will always be..
sorry to burst your bubble guys
Its only cycling. There's much greater things in life.
If you could ride a bike properly I dont think you'd hold that view.
Geez man I really love cycling but you really need to get life.
Lots of great life changing shit out there that doesn't involve a bike.
Took me a while to learn that.
I can ride a bike but I can do a lot more. Good luck mate.
Clearly no correlation. I do not get better when I get off my flash bike and climb onto my Carrera. And I'm a better rider now than when I only had that Carrera.
Why would anyone believe there's any connection? Some folks will believe anything.
I know this chap called jeff jones, his bike is rather nice and he rides like a demon.
Also at the clunker classic all the bikes are real shite but the riders are mental fast.
But in the early days pre '96ish
that's rather late chap lots of folks on here been riding since the 80's or since the very start
Yep fully aware of that, still pre 96 though Was talking about it moving into the mainstream.
You could probably even argue it wasn't till 2000 when mtb became more mainstream but that's a whole other argument.
I ride a distinctly average 456 most of the time. Sometimes I take the Nicolai out, sometimes the Turner. Unsurprisingly, I have just as much riding ability regardless of the bike.
So am I allowed to ride any of my bikes when I want to, or do I have to pass a special STW coolness/riding ability test for the better ones?
I ride a boardman pro ht so I can go under the bike rider radar and not be laughed at when shit but still ride a great bike. 
loum - MemberWhy would someone get a bike that their skillset has already outgrown. That said all bikes are fun, I'd just prefer not to find their limits in practice.
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.
Clearly no correlation. I do not get better when I get off my flash bike and climb onto my Carrera. And I'm a better rider now than when I only had that Carrera.Why would anyone believe there's any connection? Some folks will believe anything.
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.
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 ?
I personally couldn't care less if someone has a ten grand mtb and rides it on the road, as long as even if they are not enjoying themselves.
grahamt1980 - MemberHow 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?
Have 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?
Why would anyone who likes riding bikes want to ride a shit bike, if they can afford a good bike. Regardless of their ability.
bobfromkansas - MemberWhy 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.
What 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.
Op I don't understand your point?
Can't you afford a better bike?
The 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.
At 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....
I agree with this post.
i've mostly been riding this lately, what does that tell you?
wacky wheels at Snowshill by rOcKeTdOgUk, on Flickr
Look 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.
i'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?
@rocketdog
That your weird 
I 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.
I 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.
The 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.
It 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?
rOcKeTdOg - Member
i've mostly been riding this lately, what does that tell you?
.... That you have a red bike.
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