at HtN on saturday i was constantly thinking that the majority of the cx riders have very little skill on a bike…running down descents, through the stream and even over those mini rock garden efforts at the bottom of the course.

so whilst not tarring everyone with the same brush, are cx riders just engines that can keep on going and mtb riders have the skills to actually ride the course (apart from that stupid flipping bog!)?

epic troll fail

🙄

Have you ridden a CX bike?

nope never been on one and don’t quite see what the point of running down a descent is only to run up the next hill.

As said above – have you ridden a cx bike?
Was it because they were lapping you at the time that you’re trolling?

What’s the point in going on a ride on an mtb and finishing at the same place you started?

And what’s the point in riding an mtb when an offroad motor bike would do it faster/easier?

my self and leggyblonde are both very good technical mountain bikers also we (mainly LB) ride CX. LeggyBlonde doesn’t hang about and would rather ride some thing then run over it!!

if its faster to run over then thats the line 9/10 cx riders will take.

aP – not at all – i was near the front at the start and just ended up being frustrated by all those walking down the descents & getting on and off their bike all the time. maybe you think i’m a troll for thinking that too. i don’t really care, just from my experience of seeing them in that race the majority of the riders i saw were fast but had little technical ability.

All cyclocross riders can’t ride bikes

[video]http://vimeo.com/11695455[/video]

Also remember that loads of mtb-ers who ride cx bikes don’t actually ride cross, they’ve just bought one on their IT company’s b2w scheme after last year’s road bike. 😉

I saw many MTBers walking, mincing down the HTN ‘descents’

Also many CXers nailing the ‘rock garden’ bits very quickly

all down the the rider and how they choose to approach things rather than skill I think

All cyclocross riders can’t ride bikes

he can’t ride them a lot better than I can’t.

I think cx bikes are probably ‘differently fast’ – possibly slower in some areas where an mtb would excel which could pee off an mtb rider looking to make up time.

As a CX rider at HTN I just opted for the fastest route round the course…

This meant running some of the descents and riding the rock garden.. even though I could feel my carbon rims bottoming out through it 🙁

I think cx bikes are probably ‘differently fast’ – possibly slower in some areas where an mtb would excel which could pee off an mtb rider looking to make up time

yeah maybe that’s what got me thinking what i was thinking. obviously the flat sections there’s not much in it but when i was at the top of a descent which i could get through with few issues and there’s someone in the way carrying their bike down it’s just a little frustrating! and then to be overtaken by someone running up carrying their bike as i was pushing mine!!

should probably give up stupid mudfest races which involves more pushing than riding then i wouldn’t have such thoughts.

Nice film Northwind, some good riding even a proper drift at one point:-)

Don’t think HTN had more running than riding…

Its CX vs Mtb as they both have their own strengths and thats what makes it such a fantastic event 🙂

The point of this is that the two bikes are quite different. A mountain bike excels in some terrain and a mountain bike excels in others. I ride both, which doesn’t make me an ‘engine’ or skilled or anything like that.
Some mountain bike courses are far too easy and would be miles quicker on a cross bike which is why they are banned. I think it’s good that this event allows both.

I’ve also found that in most mountain bike races I’ve done you get held up with people who are walking some very easy sections. That very rarely happens in cross races in my experience.

at HTN, i was the marshall at the bottom of the long slippy descent, and will testify to a lot of the cx riders running down whilst most of the mtb riders riding down.

i think this was mostly because of the mud tho not bike handleing skills.

the guy who won was flying down it without dabbing every time on a very skinny tyred cx bike.

Its CX vs Mtb as they both have their own strengths and thats what makes it such a fantastic event

Maybe have a ‘pushing’ lane?

It did annoy me at the gorrick enduro when you’ve but a gut to stay with the fast guys on a climb only to have to mince down the singletrack because you can’t overtake. Bit like saying they can overtake you (because climbs are fireroad) but you can’t overtake them.

I’ve not ridden a CX bike but often wondered what they would be like.

In the autumn I watched a running v bike race on Baildon Moor and was seriously impressed at how fast the CX riders were downhill compared to the people on mtb’s. Oh and the guy who won by some margin was Rob Jebb on a CX bike.

I’d love to do Mountain Mayhem on a CX bike, I think course is much more suited to a CX bike than a mtb and would take about half the time.

When I did HtN in the Summer, the CXer in front of me picked up his bike to carry up a hill and promptly dislocated his shoulder. That’ll learn him! 🙂

Purely from an interest point of view, it would be good to have CX, Real and SS noted in the results of events though. (And times too, will they be added to the HtN results soon?)

Peachos did get lapped by various CXers on Saturday though!

TINAS, your race strategy needs to be changed.
Drop off the the fast guys halfway or so up the hill so as to not go into the red, then catch them back up on the descent. Simples

To be fair,all the cx’ers who beat you would still have beaten you if they were on mtb’s.Come and watch the 3 peaks sometime.Jealousy is terrible thing 🙄

It did annoy me at the gorrick enduro when you’ve but a gut to stay with the fast guys on a climb only to have to mince down the singletrack because you can’t overtake. Bit like saying they can overtake you (because climbs are fireroad) but you can’t overtake them

yep – had this at the Dyfi a couple of year ago too, i’d be overtaken by a few whippets on the climbs only for them to get in my way on the downs. really annoying, especially when it settled down and there were a few of us riding in sync and the faster guy would rarely move over on the descents. i had the last laugh though as i must have done about 20 or so riders on the final descent to the finish line!

The only downhill parts I didn’t ride were (1) the off camber bend just before where Ton was marshalling and (2) the “chute”.

I rode both of these fully last year on my MTB, just this time they were a little tricky on a cross bike without operative brakes and so it was definitely quicker on foot.

OTOH, there were loads of MTBers in my way going up the climbs – and I was fully gurning on SS.

Swings and roundabouts, but don’t assume crossers aren’t good bike handlers.

Rorschach – not really about jealousy…you got the wrong end of the stick fella! i know that the majority of cx riders are fitter & i’m comfortable with the fact that i can go out and drink beer & eat kebabs and they can’t. maybe they’re jealous?!

peachos – Member

“yep – had this at the Dyfi a couple of year ago too, i’d be overtaken by a few whippets on the climbs only for them to get in my way on the downs.”

This drove me mad at 10UTB, best example was 2 guys sprinting to pass me right at the end of a fireroad climb then getting about 50 feet into the descent and getting off to push over a slightly techy section (right in the middle of the trail obviously) then still in the middle of the trail slowly getting back on and riding off. That was top racing.

“i had the last laugh though as i must have done about 20 or so riders on the final descent to the finish line!”

You are obviously a riding god!

don’t assume crossers aren’t good bike handlers

in my OP i did say that ‘without tarring everyone with the same brush…’

You are obviously a riding god!

or a better technical descender than the race whippet’s i’d been battling with for the last 4 hours… 🙄

Is there such a thing as just a ‘cx rider’? I can’t think of anyone who does cx and doesn’t do mtb as well.

there are no talent compensators available for cross bikes.
it’s not like MTB’s where technology is there to cover up your lack of skills.
the best crossers like the best xc racers know how to to handle a bike.

i’m comfortable with the fact that i can go out and drink beer & eat kebabs and they can’t. maybe they’re jealous?!

Haha, you’ve never been out with Rob Jebb and Paul Oldham then! the guys are beer monsters, did 6 pints in the beer tent after finishing the Cyclocross world champs whilst still wearing their skinsuits!

I love that these middle of the packers think that elite racers can’t ride bikes and are just quick up hill, they’re lapping you for a reason!

Imagine what its like being held up on the climbs AND the descents….ahh the tribulations of a riding demi-god 8)
If you don’t like being held up on the descents make sure you’re ahead of them on the climbs!!There are no moral victories in racing.

peaches, will you be rideing the event next year on a CX bike and then you could tell us after it it takes more skill to race the CX bike or MTB after. 😀

haha yeah maybe…but i’d still be aiming to conquer all the descents and technical sections – running would be an absolute very last resort. that’s my point!

the death chute for example – which would be quicker running down it or riding it?

fact is, riding is always quicker if you can do it. if you haven’t the skills then running is probably the best option for you!

Peaches Riding God:

http://www.sportsunday.co.uk/photo8599662.html

err… riding isn’t always quicker, sometimes running is – why would the good guys be running if not?

😉