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Undoubtedly in all aspects of cycling. I see the same in motorcycle enduros as well . Pure novices doing absolutely terribly compared with more expereinced riders 40 years ago. Plenty of trail park heroes pottering down blue runs when tougher stuff was ridden in the 80s. Skill (lack of) compensators and nothing more. If thats your choice, well, meh.
It's the same everywhere, roadies on dogmas, folk driving stupid powerful cars, dog walkers dressed in North Face stuff blah blah.
Its not a MTB thing.
I also prefer the olden days when everything was worse.
Lol 😆
: deletes long post:
Essentially,
It’s a toy. For messing about in the woods. Stop over complicating it in your head. No one gives a shit about what bike you ride.
Who cares?! Unless your on an internet....
I think its more the belief that more plush = safety, when it really doesn't.
so you’ve got a multitude of excuses ready for when you’re the slowest up/down the trail or you’re not nailing that jump that you usually would on one of your other bikes when nobody else is around…
No one really cares or even notices you so you don't have to make excuses to anyone.😉
I have never heard of anyone having safety as a priority buying a bike? 😀
What @Nickc said. Some of it is who you ride with. Most of us are on what would be called 'big bikes' and we're riding FoD/Staunton most of the time. But those same bikes go to Finale/Malaga/etc.
There's also something about riding the same bike all the time. Definitely a benefit to serial bike swapping. I find my Rascal (140/130 29er, not stupidly slack) fantastic for round here. But that didn't stop me riding my RipMo and hardtail interchangeably where the mood took me.
And now I bought a Giga. So what do I know 😉
Up until recently if one wanted a bike for riding 'gnarly' trails, geometry dictated that one had to buy a mini-DH, Super-D, Enduro etc type bike, which meant fairly long travel. 'All Mountain' was terrible and resulted in short-shocking, angle-sets, offset bushings etc to get a reasonable head angle.
Only recently are we finally getting bikes with proper slack head angles yet shorter travel. My ideal 'one bike' would probably be 29 front and rear, have 63-64 HA, 150 up front, 120ish in the rear with a coil shock, 480-490 reach, medium length stays and a fairly high rise bar. Then a beefy set of wheels for Park type riding, and a lighter set for longer rides. No idea if such a bike exists though.
Never something I'd heard about til I started using this forum, I do understand the argument that a big, plush bike (I have one) can make trails a bit tame and lacking in challenge, but the fact is that sometimes I want to ride a big, plush bike. I won't be overbiked, I'll be having exactly the experience I wanted.
But it was also a great excuse to buy a hardtail too!
I'll you what though, that bike you describe, with a very progressive kinematic, sounds like a total bomber.
Never something I’d heard about til I started using this forum
Good point - it does seem to be something discussed here more than any other mtb site that I know of. Not sure why, maybe a demographic thing or something?
Hows a 130 trail bike with a shock? I'm tempted might try megneg first!
Loving the comments!
It's a just a fun debate.
I certainly don't care what people think about what travel of bike I'm on. I'm always having a grine on my face
I find people who say:
Nobody needs more than 1 gear/front suspension/rear suspension/dropperposts/<67 head angle/more than 120mm travel
for
riding in the south/trail centres/anywhere in the Uk
Fit in to one of two categories
They either absolutely rip the trails up down and around while ‘under biked’.
Or more commonly, are slow as snailshit but love to poopoo anyone who is faster than them magically because they have bought a more appropriate bike.
There’s more than one way to enjoy a trail, and so there’s more than one ideal bike for any given situation. Ride what makes you happy, and find some friends with a similar outlook.
Didn't feel overbiked today at the Golfie when I was rolling down right side clyde on my back . Ideally i'd like a trail bike but why makes trails harder than they need to be with short travel forks. My local trails are fairly tame so hence the reason I bought a gravel bike.
Good point – it does seem to be something discussed here more than any other mtb site that I know of. Not sure why, maybe a demographic thing or something?
Never been to pinkbike?
Most ebikers I know have one bike, maybe some folks should turn the looking glass back on themselves now and again, intead of having so many bikes they need to use the loft.
Hence why it's going up for sale lol🎣🤡
Nikc is of course correct. Essentially it is a toy and we are discussing whether it makes sense to be over-toyed, or under-toyed.
I'd like to see this argument taken further. Perhaps you could say they're a child's toy or a toy for idiots, for the immature? What do you think? #onlylosersridebikes
Definitely a toy and a fun one
if you race it becomes sports equipment.
Never has bothered me what other people ride , ….as long as I can keep up with those I ride with! I’m still enjoying my 26in wheeled bikes although I do have a 27in full suspension trail bike that I use in summer.
I’m still happily using 10speed too as it works well for me and don’t want to spend ££s for little benefit.
OK lol
You're missing the point
An individual is only over biked if they themselves think they are over biked.
If an individual is happy with their (current) bike and enjoys riding it then they are right-biked. If anyone else thinks said individual is overbiked their opinion has precisely zero relevance.
I ride a G170. So 170mm both ends.
Why, well because sometimes I need 170. The times I don't, sure I'm over-biked, so what? My choice.
I feel safer, secure, happy, whatever in a big travel bike, so that's what I own.
Do I justify it, nah I doubt it. But I try to.
I only have 140mm out front but it’s all I need and I’ve never been disappointed with it’s performance.
Some folk need more 😉
Over biked, nah. Thats what climb switches are far and nothing a bit more psi or a 2nd firmer spring can't fix, and stroke differences on a super deluxe coil are just a spacer under the bottom out bumper after all, 😏
You’re missing the point
Which is?
Dunno about bikes, but this thread is well over-nobeerinthefridged
Pleasure. 😄
I certainly am - but I prefer to think of it as "under-skilled".
If you're happy with your bike and what you feel comfortable riding on it, then does it matter? Why does anyone care what anyone else is riding? So my enduro rig helps me cope with the occasional errant stone on the canal tow path? What difference does that make to anyone else?
Bikes are like dogs - you should get the type that you like best, and neither care what others think nor judge others for their choice. They're all ace.
ETA: Unlike dogs it's perfectly OK to get bored with what you've got and decide to change it 6 months later. Do not do that with dogs.
If you’re happy with your bike and what you feel comfortable riding on it, then does it matter? Why does anyone care what anyone else is riding? So my enduro rig helps me cope with the occasional errant stone on the canal tow path? What difference does that make to anyone else?
That.
A side note, especially on group rides, some might want to session a feature or whatever. Whilst a skilled rider could do it on a rigid ultra light xc singlespeed, there's probably a finite number of times you can do something daft until it breaks.
Unless they're a racer, I reckon very few MTBers ever have the bike/trail relationship 'right' unless they ride the same trails on the same bike every ride.
Riding round my local flatland woods, I'll take whatever bike I fancy that day, and so could be stupidly overbiked (RocketMAX), slightly overbiked (140mm forked Transmitter), or aboutrightbiked (120mm Epic 29er).
Heading up to The Peak for an away day, that relationship changes totally. The RocketMAX is probably still a bit too much, but potentially a better match than the other two options. Someone with better skills than me would possibly be happier on the HT or the XC bike though.
TLDR. Who cares? Ride what you feel happy on, whatever you have, what's cleanest/dirtiest, what's safest, what's fastest, what's not currently broken, whatever...
140/130 trail bike 29er, it's right-biked for me, having tried out more and less before. Tried out more and less before choosing it. I run out of bravery before the bike runs out of capability, which I prefer to the other way round. Don't really pay much attention to other people's bikes on the trails, but I sometimes spot 160mm somethings and wonder where they might be going, what kind of pace they are doing on the way down, or where else they might ride that bike on another day.
my 170mm 30lb "enduro sled" was a much faster bike that I am a rider.
I sold it as I was definitely overbiked and not prepared to ride it as fast as it should have been.
...... led underbiked! Got my Scale set up beautifully for my local Thetford trails.... then moved to the hills of North Portugal! 🙄
Depends on context for me. If I'm out with a group I'd rather err on the side of caution and take the big bike, especially on unknown trails (big for me is 150 front 140 rear at the moment), but if I'm solo or riding known trails and I'm happy to be a bit slower then I do like taking the my rigid bike out and seeing how much I can mince down!
Overbiked as in meaning one cannot get to the limits of the bike? almost all of us I would think. More capable bikes are quicker even if you are nowhere near the limits tho I guess and maybe even feel better to ride.
I also have a theory that thrashing a less suitable bike can be more fun. A trail that is a challenge to get a short travel hardtail down smoothly but on a longer travel full sus is easy - which bike is more fun?
My fatbike is a lot more capable than I am. Its fun to ride tho.
A trail that is a challenge to get a short travel hardtail down smoothly but on a longer travel full sus is easy – which bike is more fun?
The one you actually make it to the bottom on.
I've ridden many trails this year I simply wouldn't have got down on a short travel bike. Theres no fun in that.
Anyone under 60 with a motor in their bike who doesn't have a registered disability should be subjected to ridicule and shame, irrelevant of the amount of travel.
If you don't race DH or Enduro, there is no need for anything bigger than maybe a 120mm 29er in the UK. Anyone compensating for their skill should also be subjected to ridicule and shame.
I think those are fair levels to set - and totally reasonable.
I’ve ridden many trails this year I simply wouldn’t have got down on a short travel bike. Theres no fun in that.
Thats not my point.
*swoons at continuity*
I’ve never raced DH, but I have ridden a lot of DH tracks. They would’ve been shit on a 120mm 29er
And I am definitely not a DH rider either, but had a 200mm travel DH bike for trips to the Alps but also used on UK uplifts. Whole lot of fun and didn’t feel beaten up at the end of every day.
I have just as much fun on my fully rigid singlespeed as I do my 29er trail bike, as both involve me doing what I love which is getting out in to the countryside and riding local trails.
I have just the one HT with 140mm forks. It's a bit much for around the local trails but about right for trail centre reds and natural stuff in The Lakes.
The younger woman at Machynlleth on the full bus e-bike was amazed that was on a hardtail but I run what I have and go slower for a similar amount of fun or faster for a greater amount of terror.