From what I can gather, looks like everyone on here is on megabuck owns several bikes all build up with the latest gizmo, is apparently unable to read a map and must be “guided” on holidays. Plus a vast majority are selfish right-wing bigots who buy on-line because quoting from them, LBS are evil and they all want to rip you of.
So hands up people on here who actually shop in shop, have a sense of compassion, can actually read a map and navigate themselves on trails and have less then 3 bikes, or at least have a bike several year old?

nah, not me 😉

1 Bike. All off STW classifieds + other people’s sheds. Total build cost less than 200 quid (yes its an on one)

Its my only bike and it gets me to work too.

If i had loads of spare cash I would buy something bling – why wouldnt you?

Edit. I do use my LBS for small bits and bobs – it is invaluable for that. I wont, however pay hime 15 quid for some fork oil when I can go to the Motorcycle shop and get better stuff for half the price.

Oh and Wouldnt bother with a map as I am never allowed out long enough to warrant needing one

Me! a ‘top end’ FS, a 20yr old HT & a cheap road bike. I use my LBS & love to get lost, or not, whichever the case may be. I don’t do trail centres or guided holidays.

I have 1 and a half (low-end by internet standards, they’re both 2002-2003 frames) mountain bikes and always rely on sat nav/gps because I can’t be arsed with maps. I don’t like trail centres much and only really ride DH/jumps. I only go to the lbs for stuff like wheel builds as I’m useless at it myself, and for buying clothes so I can try them on. I don’t know where I fit into the STW stereotype.

I have 2 bikes, of which 1 is over 3 years old, can read a map well and have a sense of compassion. I want to support my LBS but I am also financially aware and search for the best price. If I was a megabuck buck guy you speak of, I might be more inclined to spend more on the same thing at the LBS. Also I have never been on a guided holiday.
P.S – the title of this thread shouldn’t have a question mark. 😆

I have one bike, nothing special, and shop where I get the service I require at a competitive price. That might be a physical shop, or online.

Compassion? I carry out volunteer work, am a First Aider, and look after sick animals too. Map reading not an issue, I’m right wing middle class (Cubs, Scouts, DofE, ATC…usual stuff)

selfish right-wing

I’d be careful aligning the word selfish with right-wingers when you consider the financial mess (not to mention illegal wars and occupations) that resulted from public sector workers (and I use the term ‘workers’ loosely; my mum and my partner both work/have worked in the public sector) voting in the previous government to secure themselves a lucrative pension deal.

I was under the impression that most people are liberal democrats politically. And you don’t need big wages to have several bikes, you can buy yore few over a period of (in my case) 7 years with interest free finance etc. if you’re sensible.

megabuck

No average salary

owns several bikes all build up with the latest gizmo

yes but i have just finished upgrading 10 year old bikes

, is apparently unable to read a map and must be “guided” on holidays

I can read a map and never been on a guided holiday.

Plus a vast majority are selfish right-wing bigots

Bit to the left of the right wing bigots

who buy on-line because quoting from them, LBS are evil and they all want to rip you of.

Merlin are my LBS so you decide

So hands up people on here who actually shop in shop, have a sense of compassion, can actually read a map and navigate themselves on trails and have less then 3 bikes, or at least have a bike several year old?

Have compassion but more than 3 bikes of which two are 10 years old

I’d be careful aligning the word selfish with right-wingers when you consider the financial mess (not to mention illegal wars and occupations) that resulted from public sector workers (and I use the term ‘workers’ loosely; my mum and my partner both work/have worked in the public sector) voting in the previous government to secure themselves a lucrative pension deal.

Have you been missing your meds again?

I think we’re quite representative of a certain sort of mountain biker, put it that way 😉

“must be “guided” on holidays.”

This is just a question of making the best use of your time though- if I’m on holiday for a week I don’t want to waste any of it.

juan – Member

So hands up people on here who actually shop in shop, have a sense of compassion, can actually read a map and navigate themselves on trails and have less then 3 bikes, or at least have a bike several year old?

Puts hand up- OK, I have at last count 6 bikes but one of ’em’s 21 years old. so that averages all the other ones out 😉

juan, I think you’re just noticing the loud voices with the flash bikes, cars, jobs and the like. It’s the same in the pub, do you notice the dozens of guys in there on a Friday night, all in for a quiet pint, or do you notice the one flash bastard that pulls up in his new Porsche/Aston/Ferrari/Bentley, talks at twice the volume of everybody else, has an opinion on EVERYTHING, yet still makes sure everyone has their turn at getting a round in so he’s not out of pocket…

This place is the same!

There are people on here with 12 bikes, there are people on here with one, there are people on here that think nothing of dropping £5k on a carbon bike draped in XTR, there are people on here that have cobbled whatever they can get together just to make a bike work. Most of us fall somewhere inbetween I think.

Me… 2 mountain bikes, both have evolved over the last few years, both quite Trigger’s Broomish (as in they’ve had lots of different parts), but both frames circa 2008 vintage. Both a good spec and nice to ride, but all of it bought very carefully and almost everything I buy is 2nd hand, save for finding something at a bargain price new that’s too good to refuse, and I’ll buy from my LBS if they’re competitive (sometimes they are, sometimes not) but they know they can’t always be on parts alone.

Stereotypes are usually formed because of some peoples perception, and whilst I’ll agree to an extent the stereotype of the STW forum dweller is close to what you describe, that’s only cos that section of the populous on here is probably more vocal in general. Not all roadies are miserable bastards despite the stereotype! Not all Audi/BMW drivers are trying to knock you off your bike, or trying to make up for a lack of penis size.

Both my fiancé and I work for less than 20k a year in jobs we love, I own 2 bikes which are rideable (rigid commuter and steel ht both pretty standard) but have a couple more in bits in the shed (I’ve been riding since I was 12 and it’s hard to part with old frames!). Not especially left or right wing really, I listen to radio 4 and can mostly see everyone’s point of view. OP, there are definately people on stw who fit your description, there are plenty more who don’t, there are some who defy description altogether, we are all mountain bikers and generally speaking I think this forum is a pretty good representation.

Oh, and I’m on a mountain leader assessment in October so i should be able to read a map by then!

*sighs*………. trolling……..* shrugs shoulders*

Still…i’m not French 😉

I’m French too!

Not megabucks, but not doing badly.
Plety of gizmo’s

I can read a map, but OS map’s don’t give many clues as to good trails, so I’ll go on guided holidays, besides it means someone’s carrying a first aid kit, knows where the nearest pub is and probably has a minibus at the bottom of the hill to do the climbing for us.

I hate all political parties equally at the moment.

I shop on-line as there’s more choice at lower prices. I could shop at my LBS but all my bikes would end up costing 50% more. Only my road bikes are over 3 years old, the racer’s 8, the fixie about 30, tourer about 50! Due to a nice pay rise meaning I’ve been luck enough to upgrade pretty much everything this year the mountain bikes are nice and shiny have patina of use rather than f****d 🙂

Earn less than average, 3 bikes – HT PA mostly 2nd hand & sale parts, a road bike & full suss bought new from LBS.

All my spare cash goes on bikes, I have a car but it’s a beat up s-reg Astra.

I can read a map & can’t afford a holiday to the alps, let alone a guide.

But I am a Nazi.

La vie est trop courte pour s’énerver par de telles choses. apprendre à se détendre…….. 8)

Run one of those terrible guided holiday companies. Damn us and our local knowledge and good value! We are clearly evil creatures. 😉

I get to meet loads of mountain-bikers. Amazingly, a large proportion have, in fact, never heard of Singletrack and probably reckon on-line forums are one step above wife-swapping (they’re probably right).

Quite a few have heard of this place and a fair few of them even post from time to time. I can’t say I notice any kind of “type” within that. People with bling bikes, people with clapped-out hardtails, people who ride loads, people who don’t ride much outside of their annual trip away. About the only common thing is that they all like riding bikes.

We are clearly evil creatures.

Never said that, it will all depends on how you run it. Do you maintain local trails? Do you give to the community (having your guest in a local hotel and making them take their meals in local restaurant) if yes you’re clearly not evil in my book 😉

My bike speaks french,shes a rite dity cow

Can she teach you English 😉

Quoi? Bosser avec les francais? Jamais! Qu’est-ce qu’ils pensent, que les montagnes sont a eux?

Serieux, nous employons un guide francais, nous aidons a entretenir les sentiers et nous faisons des efforts pour envoyer des clients aux commercants de coin (meme si des fois il me semble que c’est vraiment un effort…).

Good on you steve I just wish all the guiding company were like yours and nasher’s one.

“(having your guest in a local hotel and making them take their meals in local restaurant)”

How else are they going to do it, fly them back to britain for dinner?

Northwind – I think he’s suggesting using local hotels/restaurants instead of doing it all in-house. Which we would do. If anyone would pay what we’d have to charge if we did it that way. 😉

Ah, I see. Well, sorry Juan, you’ll have to forgive me but I’m eating at Stevo’s except for the rest day. But he is a local business 😉

he is a local business

Glad someone noticed. That does annoy me a bit sometimes – we’re French-registered, year-round, pay our taxes in France but we’re not a “local” business? 🙄

To be fair to the locals, I think all of the above is acknowledged and we all get on pretty well. Speaking the lingo helps a lot!

But he is a local business

Not really, I assume it’s a UK company (I may be wrong), plus the in house thing is actually a “manque à gagner” for local hostel and restaurant.
However this is another debate for another thread if you wish to do so.

EDIT Ok I was wrong 😉 as you suggest speaking french does indeed help. This is one of the thing that annoys me the most about british. I don’t expect the tube staff in london to speak french, why would you expect a local in france to speak english?

yawn…sounds like someone wants a better paid job, a new bike, would rip their own arm off to have a week in the Alps and can’t afford a GPS etc etc

would rip their own arm off to have a week in the Alps

You’re joking right…

juan – Member

would you expect a local in france to speak english?

Lungua franca, innit 😉

This one won’t get you very far either northwind 😉

TBH I’ve found rural france pretty receptive to my diabolical french (when I say diabolical- I keep accidentally speaking german, and I’m pretty awful at that too), I suspect they think “This poor man is doing his best despite being mentally handicapped”

ROFLMAO you own me a new screen and a new keyboard.

Me,a Giant Reignx1 2009 bought brand new with £1200 off it as it was an older model ,on one ht frame bought second hand for £70 bought an xlarge Kona caldera for 100 with full deore lx stripped that down transferred all that parts to my one one summer and sold the caldera frame for £70 then my bro gave me a Look carbon road frame for nothing and a bag of campagnola kit had to buy a bb for £22 then a set of 3t road bars and stem from ebay at £18 and i use Dales cycles in Glasgow as they will price match and they have looked after me for years but can’t read a map as i just use the sun and stars to navigate

Sorry Juan I missed your post as I was out riding on my 29erSS..

Is that representative of us on here, you know, out riding?

Ah 3 bike limit, that’s me scuppered then.

Oh and the LBS too, I don’t have one that holds a good stock. Nearest is about 20 miles away so easier to order online.