Spent the journey home from todays brass monkeys thinking about it - what do you think?
Also what about introducing handicaps like golf or sailing to make racing even more competitive
Bike Forum
racing - should 26 and 29 be seperate cats? and what about handicaps?
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Posted 6 months ago #
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Pulls up chair
Posted 6 months ago # -
Surely a 26" wheel is a handicap?
Posted 6 months ago # -
lol... kettle's on
Posted 6 months ago # -
Wheelsizeist.
Posted 6 months ago # -
If you don't feel fast enough on your 26" bike then buy a 29er. Simples
Posted 6 months ago # -
I'm amazed that anyone still rides a 26" wheel bike.
Posted 6 months ago # -
I think it would be good idea to have time penalty if you dab a foot at certain sections.
Not happy today, i was planning to do brass monkeys today but ill so had to miss. Oh well only 3 weeks till next one.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Handicaps, no. Separate cats - well they pretty much have separate cats for people aged 20, 21, 22, 23 etc in the USA so why not have ones for different wheel types too? Why not different cats for different tyre widths?
Posted 6 months ago # -
Since everybody knows that red bikes are fastest shouldn't there be a category for them too?
Posted 6 months ago # -
And beards. They create undesirable drag coefficients and therefore are surely a handicap.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Interesting, I didin't think todays course particularly favoured the 29ers. Perhaps I had just got faster since the last Gorrick, but I found myself overtaking people for a change, 26ers and 29ers alike.
The Crowthorne course 2 weeks ago was another matter. I lost count of the number of 29ers that overtook me on the corkscrew and bumpy section afterwards.
Have to admit to taking a close look at the Merida 29er. Can't afford a new bike though
Posted 6 months ago # -
Would be very interested to know out of all the broken chains I saw how many were 10 speed though!
Posted 6 months ago # -
Silly me expecting serious debate on stw
Personally.I really like the idea of handicaps that way everyone would be racing, probably be carnage.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Maybe we should have have a different bike for each lap,
Posted 6 months ago # -
It's all bicycles, run what ya brung, pedal faster to increase speed, only one person wins and chances are it ain't you, so wotsits matter about wheel size, mtb don't need any more fragmentation. Would you ban a racer who won the xc race by riding a dh bike?
Posted 6 months ago # -
Nah, stick them all in the same category 26 and 29 together. Where does it stop, do you say people with carbon bikes are going faster than alloy framed ones thus need their own category?
Taken to extremes you could end up being in a category of your own (29er, alloy, xt cranks, flat barred etc. etc.), though to be fair with my skills/fitness I'd still end up coming second in a group of one...
Posted 6 months ago # -
Everybody could have thier own category...that way everyone is a winner AHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Yes ...lets reward the people who can't be arsed trying,no need to try and better yourself dear.
Posted 6 months ago # -
26 vs 29 - I'm yet to see anything that Proves that the 29er is quicker overall. Therefore how do you handicap.
Personal handicaps? I suppose it beats training...Posted 6 months ago # -
In my experience any advantage gained from having 29 inch wheels is more than offset due to lack of technical skill of the riders. Plus SPD sandals are rubbish for putting the power down.
Posted 6 months ago # -
lets reward the people who can't be arsed trying
Wooop woooop.
How do i enter that cat?
Can we have a cat for people that ride round enduros filming excessive mincing please.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Maybe not a different category yet, but it would be interesting to see it marked on the result whether people were riding a 29er or a 26er.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Surely if you were going to separate wheel size, you'd have separated full sus bikes out first
Posted 6 months ago # -
And grey gear cables from black gear cables.
Posted 6 months ago # -
29ers need a longer course to make it fair when racing against the dwarves on their dinky bikes, a bit like always being in the outer lane on the scalextric track.
It will also increase the size difference/perspective in all race photography as the 29er will always be closer to the photographer at the outside of the course making it look like a giant racing against pixies
Posted 6 months ago # -
29ers are not real mountain bikes, just road bikes with nobbly tires
Posted 6 months ago # -
26ers are just beach clunkers with silly wide bars...so there!
Posted 6 months ago # -
No handicaps, better riders should be at the front as they've earned that spot.
26,29 and 96ers ridden them all, and it's swings and roundabouts.Posted 6 months ago # -
what is the difference between a 29er with off-road drop bars and skinny tyres, and a cross bike? Cross bikes aren't allowed in mtb events (not sure why...is it n safe or un-sporting?). Honest question, as to me the line is very blurred.
Posted 6 months ago # -
I like singelspeeds in with gearies as well. It makes it easier to work out how well your doing against the dangler brigade. (only really applies to more endurance based events as pukka short xc racing will never be worth it on a silly speed)
Posted 6 months ago # -
russjp - Member
29ers are not real mountain bikes, just road bikes with nobbly tires
No they're called CX bikes.
Posted 6 months ago # -
fettling - Member
Would be very interested to know out of all the broken chains I saw how many were 10 speed though!
I snapped a chain on lap 1 and my mate on lap 4. Me on a 29er, mate on a 26 f/s - so we had an even handicap there.Posted 6 months ago # -
This 'discussion' goes on at hit the north every year.....[Whiney voice]Well all the top 20 were on cx bikes,therefore cx bikes are faster and thats not faaaaaiiirr[/whiney voice].
Regardless of what they ride....the fast guys are fast.
(and cx'ers am de fastest
)
Posted 6 months ago # -
Cross bikes aren't allowed in mtb events (not sure why...is it n safe or un-sporting?). Honest question, as to me the line is very blurred.
Suspect because CX bikes would generally be quicker over most XC courses.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Cross bikes aren't allowed in mtb events
cross bikes ARE allowed. tyres under 1.3 inch are normally disallowed.
if you could fit 2" tyres to a cross bike you could be in.
Posted 6 months ago #
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