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Out of interest where and what do you ride continuity?
The problem with motors if you are older is lifting the bike over the locked gates. I have a bus pass, but will stick to pedalling.
Continuity must be fun on a ride. Demanding to know the ages and disabilities of fellow riders. Must be exhausting to think in those terms.
Or it's just some lazy trolling.
The only thing I will say about the "overbiked" thing is that it's a bloody excellent tool for outing the bellends who like to make judgements on other people's choice of bike, as if their opinion is
a: wanted
b: relevant
c: respectful of the bike owner's personal choice
d: of any consequence since its just bloody bike riding which is meant to be fun
That way, it's easy to give them a wide berth. So please do keep making thise judgement comments boys, that way we know who to avoid 🤣🤣🤣
Nah, you buy whatever bike you think suits your use case (and budget).
Ride what you want, nobody actually cares.
I reckon my AM9 is 'just right' as I sometimes feel underbiked on the more challenging trails around here (Aberdeenshire) but it's still a lot of fun when I hit the mellower trails & trail centres.
A unicycle around my house. A 115mm xc bike around Yorkshire, the Peak and Lakes, but rarely at trail centres unless with mates new to mountain biking.
The entire thread is stupid, why not try and lay down some arbitrary rules?
why not try and lay down some arbitrary rules?
Because that's roadie behaviour. I don't care what colour your socks are or how sharp your tan lines are. I certainly don't give a shit what type of mtb you're riding.
This thread is pap.
Or it’s just some lazy trolling.
He's not over biked just under bridged.
^ heh.
Oh a unicycle clown.
I'll just ignore anything else you post then.
@Continuity is behind Lulzy. I appreciated.
Secretly, my prejudices *mostly* align...
I am in the overbiked list of shame.
I judge any rigid rider who doesn't have artisanal quince in their utility sporran. They are under-quinced
No, because being over biked doesn't actually exist in real life. People just ride the bike they have (or have with them) in the place that they happen to be.
Underbiked, overbiked, wombling free.
There's fun in rattling down a slightly rooty/rocky descent on a gravel bike, on the edge of death, passing walkers with looks of horror/amazement on their faces, and there's also fun in riding the same trail on a big bike with loads of suspension and coil springs and big knobbly tires, at mach speed on the edge of your limits/bravery.
Which is correct? Both.
Dunno about the bike, but post Xmas binge I am feeling very under-legged and under-lung-ed
TBH, I've been over biked since I got my first tricycle aged 3yrs.
Two folk riding the same blue trail, one on a Geometron, one on a rigid fixie.
Geometron dude has only one bike.
Fixie dude also has a fatbike, a summer road bike, a winter road bike, gravel bike, hardtail, a BMX and a unicycle*.
Which one is overbiked?.
Makes ye think. 😅
*just for you continuity 😘
I'm on a trail bike and I'm very happy with it but I do definitely think I might be be off with a bit more travel. But I guess I'll always like the idea of something new and slightly different.
Yes everyone is over biked, bring back 500mm wide bars, full rigids and v brakes just to make the tame trails where i live more "Fun"
But in the same vain No, lots of people can only afford one bike, so they buy a bike for the most extreme riding they will do, which for me is bike parks, however lots of my local trails, flatish single track dont need a 160/140 full suspension rig.
I do also have a hardtail, however thats going up for sale soon as i cant justify having two mountain bikes and a road bike.
I took a beginner to Dalby the other day and went on a CX bike. It was the most fun I've had in ages and I suggest it to anyone as a way of reigniting joy at soulless trail centres. It even had a slick centre tread so I had to properly lean it to get any grip at all. Perma-grin, although my poor 303s...
I think it's useful to define the problem here, but I'm struggling to do that. What does over-biked even mean? To know that, you have to have an idea of what the optimum bike is - the bike that's the most efficient for getting from A to B? Perhaps some of us have a commute that crosses the Grampians or something, but the rest of us don't need a mountain bike - they're just a fun thing to play with.
Let people be, I certainly am not going to judge anyone for their choice, even if they are guilty of having more travel than me while seemingly being less rad.
On the other hand, maybe we can discuss this without the element of judgement? I've had a lot of fun riding a slightly shorter-travel bike this year (gone from 160 to 130mm FS).
I have a Norco Optic (140mm front, 125mm rear). The modern geo on it allows me to ride pretty much anything on it and i do. Self preservation or lack of skill/confidence stop me from riding the odd feature, rather than blaming the bikes lack of travel/geo/weight/etc.
I have ridden it down EWS tracks in Finale, black trails at Bike Park Wales, local Enduro races and i will be doing the Ard rock Enduro and Megavalanche on it this year. Would those places be 'easier' or more 'comfy' on a bigger bike... most probably, but i enjoy the challenge, get a sense of satisfaction from riding things 'outside of its paygrade' and just love the way the Optic rides.
I have no problem with others riding what they please. I am sure some bikes might be more suited to certain trails, but you can pretty much ride anything, anywhere, if your spuds, skills and inclination allows! (see Blake Sampson do the Mega or Tweed Valley EWS on a hardtail).
I occasionally think about getting a longer travel bike, but i am pretty sure i would never ride it, as i would always reach for the Optic.
<scenesetting>I was out with a mate last night, him on a new Stumpy and me on my Five. We were doing some pretty techy steep trails in our local woods and it was -1c when I got back to the car.</scenesetting>
Anyway, as we tracked back up the hill on a fire road we saw a bloke on a gravel/cross bike going down the very same trails we’d just done. I’m sure we had less squeaky bum time on them than he did, but it was mighty impressive to see him even dropping into those kind of trails.
Rigid...that's proper dick swinging
I think it’s useful to define the problem here, but I’m struggling to do that. What does over-biked even mean?
I'm not sure there is a problem!
I would define "overbiked" as having a bike more capable than the rider. For me by that definition I am overbiked on my fat bike! But where is the problem? It matters not one jot!
I would define “overbiked” as having a bike more capable than the rider.
That's not the definition. It means when the bike is designed for significantly more extreme conditions than the ride it is on.
Eg Enduro bike at Llandegla
Triple clamp DH bike on Buzzards Nest Blue.
Top of the range Cervello for a trip to the corner shop for fags.
Even if it was Rat, Duke and Chris respectively on those rides, they would be overbiked.
If I took an enduro bike to degla then I'd be OB. If I took that same bike down Ullock Pike then I'd not be OB.
It's the trail it's being used on that is important, not the rider.
I would define “overbiked” as having a bike more capable than the rider.
Well, I definitely don't agree with that. I didn't think the term is intended as a measure of rider skill - I thought it was to do with the terrain you're riding on. Outside of riding off cliffs in Utah, or racing WC DH, the best riders can ride anything on any bike. By your metric, since a rigid bike in the hands of a great rider can probably ride any UK trail, even that bike would be 'overbiked' for most of us?
I would define “overbiked” as having a bike more capable than the rider.
But even that doesn't make sense. I regularly ride a 22 year-old 26in rigid SS on some relatively techy local stuff, as well as a CX bike and a modern FS 29er. I'm sure basically anyone better than me could take any of them and ride them quicker. Because they're better than me. Someone fitter than me could ride them all further and faster than I can.
Which bike they might want to take and ride quicker than I can doesn't really matter. The bikes aren't capable of anything on their own!
It would be interesting to know how much better than me someone would have to be to ride the SS quicker than I can ride the FS. Probably not a lot!
Edit: basically as above!
it would be interesting to know what type of bike folks would or wouldnt ride down a trail.
If you had biker 'a' at the top of fairly techy steep trail and said would you ride the following bikes down it, what would they accept or decline. Assuming they had a choice of DH, Enduro, Long Travel trail bike, short travel trail bike, down country, XC, rigid, fat bike, penny farthing.
Whether its a mindset rather than a bike capability issue.
As looking at any major brand releasing a new model, there is always a team riding ripping down a serious bit of trail, at serious speed... way faster than anyone of us could do!
Do you think theres loads of threads on forums like piston heads about people being 'over car'd' or over motorbiked??
I think people on here deliberately underbike themselves so they can use it as an excuse when they're avoiding lairy features and mincing down chicken lines.
Do you think theres loads of threads on forums like piston heads about people being ‘over car’d’ or over motorbiked??
I don't think there is, even thought that's much more of a real thing given the proliferation of 7 foot wide cars with 300+bhp. Roads aren't getting any wider and there's no jumps or pro-lines to worry about.
I would define “overbiked” as having a bike more capable than the rider.
Supposing my sister, my son and Steve Peat load three bikes into the Nevis Range Gondola: an Anthem 27.5, a Spec Enduro and a full on downhill bike.
At the top one they each get allocated a bike and a trail: the WC, Top Chief or the new blue.
Is TJ seriously suggesting that Steve Peat isn't overbiked if he ends up on New Blue on the Downhill Bike, but my son is overbiked if he gets the Enduro to do Top Chief?
Bollox. 🙂
I’m would say that claiming someone is overbiking is just another example of riders either feeling jealous of those with bigger, shinier toys or wanting to feel a bit smug/superior to them.
Are some bikes better suited to different terrain than others? Yep, but for some N+1 isn’t really a possibility so the rest of us ride what we want/have/afford.
Do you think theres loads of threads on forums like piston heads about people being ‘over car’d’ or over motorbiked??
Yes, 100%
Buying a 200bhp litre sports bike as your second bike which will do 200mph and is capable of breaking the NSL in first gear. A very very common thread, I think you'll find 🤣
Same for cars tbh with the ludicrous power some are now putting out - less of an issue though as you need big money to buy something north of 500bhp, whereas £2k can get you a 180mph litre sportsbike.
I think people on here deliberately underbike themselves so they can use it as an excuse when they’re avoiding lairy features and mincing down chicken lines.
Or, I hate to say, a bit of 'holier than thou' attitude - 'Helvellyn? I've ridden that on a 1992 rigid Kona with cantilever brakes and a foam mushroom for a helmet. Anyone who needs 160mm of travel and 29 inch wheels to ride it is stupid!!'
The only argument that makes any sense to me about this sort of thing is the following I had on a ride a while back while chatting to my ride buddy:
The trails you were doing with some practice, finesse and skill are now going to be somewhat easier (for any given definition of the word) on a bike that has more DH oriented geometry ad more travel (i.e. the eponymous Over-Bike).
If we mostly go down these sorts of trails because (like the watcher of horror movies or the rider of roller coasters) we all like the adrenaline rush of fear. If that rush is no longer there, (because the bike is way more capable) the only way you can really recreate that sensation is to go faster. Some folks are going to reach the limit of "the skill needed at the new speed you're travelling" sooner than others. For those people the over-bike is probably going to be too scary to be fun any more, and you may just end up at A&E If your new speed can keep up with your skill, your over bike will be mor funz. Choose accordingly
copyright @Chipps
@Ta11pau1 That’ll all change later this year when the govt. mandate governors on all new cars regulating their speed. Lol.
Or at least it will once all the older cars eventually die off.
Do you think theres loads of threads on forums like piston heads about people being ‘over car’d’ or over motorbiked??
Absolutely. There's a reason why low powered sports cars like Caterham 7's still exist and why the mk1 mx5 is popular.
If the measure of being "Over/Under-biked" is the amount of travel and gadgets Vs the Gnarr factor of your typical Terrain (which it seems to be), then it's hard to be "Overbiked" on a Rigid MTB or a Gravel bike IMO.
I have a 130R/140F 29er which is probably just about in the "Overbiked" category for my current MTBing use (or lack thereof), I do spend far more time on my 700c Gravel bike.
It's not that the FS MTB is no fun to ride, it simply works better if you have some more challenging (rough/steep/jumpy) terrain to throw it at, which I don't have so much to ride from my doorstep. I'm just not loading up the car and driving places to ride at weekends (certainly not until summer TBH) hence the Gravel bike sees more mileage.
I like the FS MTB and it serves it's purpose admirably So it won't be going any time soon. By the same token I won't be going through the rigmarole of replacing it with a slightly shorter travel FS MTB any time soon, I'd rather have 10-20mm more travel than is 'optimal' half the time TBH, it's not the worst thing ever.
My latest project though is resurrecting an old 29er HT frame (actually from the bike the current FS replaced), with some Rigid forks (previously it had 120mm Reba and an angleset) to be used as a bit of an in-between option; not as harsh as the gravel bike due to having more tyre volume, and wider MTB bars will make it a bit more fun and controllable on trails, at the same time it won't be as 'inefficient' or complex as a bouncy MTB.
It won't have a Dropper (at least not initially) and will start off single speed, possibly gaining cheap 1x8 or 1x9 if I decide it needs some gears later.
It's going to be a bit of a cheap "KISS principle" based MTB, which I may experiment with drivetrain and wheels/tyres on a bit but ultimately the intent will be for me to be either slightly "Underbiked" or just "Biked" (can you ever achieve the zen state of being neither over or Under-biked?) primarily for my local riding.
Or, I hate to say, a bit of ‘holier than thou’ attitude
'Holier than thou' could be on the STW coat of arms.
Who cares ! - so many pompous riders that think they are some sort of "purists" and quietly scoff any anyone having fun and daring to ride a line/trail with anything over 100mm travel. Always ready to pontificate on here about how their cobbled together, cheap, short travel/hardtail bike is all you need. Would never say it to anyones face though
Over biked.
See also mocking new riders with nice kit.
Calling road riding 'The darkside'
Taking 'The rules' seriously.
Etc etc etc.
It's all just riding bikes, which are brilliant, Try not to ruin it by being a ****.
Do people use the term overbiked mainly when referring to other people?
I don't. I very much considered it in relation to myself. I stupidly bought a specduro after an alps trip and then used it loads in the UK.
'Overbiked' described me perfectly for most of the next two years. So I went and bought an Anthem and was underbiked.
Now I've got an Occam and am Optimallybiked.
Actually, those 2 years could be just as well described as Undertrailed rather than overbiked. I was doing lots of family rides, and longish XC rides, for which the Specduro was too much. Had I shifted my riding focus to trails more suitable for the bike then that would have also served the purpose.
I'm going to be controversial here - I really enjoy riding my big bike on normal XC and trail centres too. The extra weight and grippy tyres etc mean I get in a better workout for the same time commitment.
What's travel?
Rigid steel SS 26er with carbon forks.