Good riders would probably be good on any bike.
it dont matter what or how you ride,it only matters that you do!
Those two statements sort of sum it all up, really.
Me, I just ride the bikes I’ve got. and enjoy it. What has made me a better rider is not the bike I’m riding, it’s watching people I ride with, learning from those with more skills. Getting tips on how to do stuff.
I thought I’d give SS a go, last summer, as I had a spare frame and some bits. SS makes perfect sense for riding round town, but how would it translate to off-road duties? Well, it does require a little more effort, speshly on climbs. But for the sort of Soft Southern Shandy Drinking riding I do, it’s mostly fine. What I found, was that not having gears to click through made me adjust my riding style a bit, and try to maintain momentum, to carry me over and around stuff. I found my pedalling technique improved. And it does help to build strength.
So, trying something ‘niche’ has had a positive benefit. I started off on a fully rigid, nose down bum in the air bike, and enjoyed the riding. Has starting off on equipment technically inferior for the purpose given me an advantage? I don’t know. Bikes like that weren’t ‘niche’, back then. Advances such as better brakes, suspension etc have made it easier to tackle tricky/bumpy stuff, granted. But they jolly well have not made me a ‘better’ rider.
I tried a full susser for the first time, recently. A proper ride, not just a pavement test that I’d been limited to before. All I found was that the bike was more comfy; it diddunt make me go any faster, or suddenly be able to do stuff I haddunt before. I woon’t mind owning one, though.
I think, for some people, ‘nicheness’ is an aside to actual riding. Some seem to ‘need’ a bike that is rarer than everyone else’s, well, up to them. Stuff like Jones bikes are interesting, but I personally can’t see why I’d want to buy one. If they were radically better than other designs, surely every manufacturer would have a version?
And what defines something as ‘niche’? It’s scarcity? Radical design? Singular purpose?
Is my Rock lobster 853 more ‘niche’ than my Cannondale? Is my Rossin road bike more ‘niche’ than a Spesh or a Trek?
I don’t really care; they’re all great fun to ride!