I love riding my bike and I'm happy my bike is more capable than me.
I enjoy it that way, glad its not going to let me down. I'm not particularlly skilled at this, but I'm learning and trying new skills as I go. I know my limits (and try to expand them) but I also know the bike's limits are greater, and I feel safer that its not going to break and injure me. I've got other responsibilities now (like most on here) and I couldn't afford for my hobby to put me in hospital. I also ride "better" with confidence that my bike won't let me down. Personally, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want their next bike to be one they can "grow into", or develop with. Why would someone get a bike that their skillset has already outgrown. That said all bikes are fun, I'd just prefer not to find their limits in practice.
If this makes me, in your opinion, "all the gear, no idea" then fair enough.
Andyhilton - MemberOh No. I'm agreeing with TJ again.
sorry - I won't let it happen again
Who cares? People get different things out of riding - as long as they enjoy it and I enjoy riding with them I don't really care.
At the end of the day if you enjoy it, you enjoy it.
When people start a new hobby like mountain biking they want to get a good bit of kit because they think it will help them ride better and have more fun which is perfectly normal.
When I started I got the best FS bike I could buy for a grand on the C2W scheme (ok so it wasn't that amazing) when experienced mtb friends said I'd probably be better off getting a hard tail.
Since then I built a hardtail SS which I now do most of my riding on and is helping me to learn a lot quicker.
As long as your happy riding that's what counts.
if you can afford to buy(finance) a fancy ride good on you,most bikes look simalar when cacked up with mud anyway,and most people have a big cheesy grin on there muddy little faces ,so all good.
ride what you want!
it's your leisure time, do what makes you smile. good bike or shite bike, good rider or not. it just matters that you ride and smile
The fancier the bike, the less skilled the rider?
Check 8)
ride what you want!
it's your leisure time, do what makes you smile. good bike or shite bike, good rider or not. it just matters that you ride and smile
check 😀
I like walking too.
I bought a nice pair of Mammut boots that cost a fortune.
They are really comfy, but they are far better than I really "need"
I sincerely hope I'm ruining the Badass image of hillwalkers too 🙄
I honestly don't recall seeing a shit bike at the weekend on the trails anyway, at one point there was 20 people and easily £75kish of mountain bikes at the bottom of a run.
On that basis i can only assume these poor people cant even afford to get out and ride? Although the average temp was -1 according to my garmin so they probably couldn't afford fancy cold weather clothing.
That's a joke by the way [s]The average was 1c and the minimum -1c[/s]
One of my good friends has just started mountain biking this summer after having enough of motocross.
He borrowed a bike and loved a lap of dalby which was the first time he'd been in a push bike in 10 years.
He has a fair bit of cash and didn't see any problems in forking out £3k for a nice Zesty. We all including him have a laugh about all the gear no idea. But once in Hamsterly he stacked it next to a couple of guys who got a bit nasty over the whole nice bike shit rider rider. FFS its just a guy riding a bike in the woods.
He has money and likes nice things why should he buy a cheap halfords special when he'll get far more enjoyment out of nice bike. I can't see any member of this forum not spending that amount of cash on a bike if they had it.
On the whole image thing, Who cares I don't ride a bike to look cool and don't know many people that do.
I have spent a small fortune on my addiction to mountain bikes over the last 7 years. And I believe that good gear helps you improve. Plus it has kept me out of the pub!
Truly great riders can ride down anything on anything but I have needed all the help I could get 🙂
No correlation IMO. Poor riding just stands out more when it's a bling superbike.
I dont know where you lot are all from, but round where I live we are viewed as the athletes I've described.
Me and my mates used to go out and push the limits on the fire tracks around grizedale forest. Parents and children, dog walkers, the elderly etc. all used to stand aside to let us come screaming through. We obviously caused a bit of a commotion with our skills - the big dogs higher up the chain in the FC decided we needed much more challenging terrain to test our mettle, hence the North Face Trail was created.
Alot of our cycling was at high speeds across open moors/grasslands. We noticed that fences and walls had been built by the local farmers (obviously out of respect/admiration) to stop their cattle getting in our extreme ways.
The local bakery used to provide us with free flap jacks and pasties if we gave them some money. "Oh don't worry about it, I feel proud to be fueling the athlete" was what they said.
I was cycling through town once and I wanted to avoid the one way system so I bunnyhopped up the pavement to take a short cut. A woman shouted and waved her hand, I couldnt hear what she said but I can only imagine it was along the lines of "I didnt think that was possible on a bicycle, how do your feet stay stuck to the pedals!"
Prime examples of what I was talking about.
*swoons* 😉
.
Can I have some on what you're on?
ride what you want!
it's your leisure time, do what makes you smile. good bike or shite bike, good rider or not. it just matters that you ride and smile
That's the thing, I know quite a few guys who have the most pimped up bikes you have ever seen but don't ride them. When they eventually get them out of the shed they seem so mortified that they are not riding like a god, that the bike goes back in the shed and more shiny bits get added. Almost as though they prefer to collect shiny things to add to the bike rather than ride it.
Each to their own, but I'm curious as to whether this is a common phenomenon?
I know a man who rides a Carrera ! Yes . Someone who actually owns a Carrera , and I kid you not , He rides it... very fast.
LMAO @ DTF
I dont know where you lot are all from, but round where I live we are viewed as the athletes I've described...... A woman shouted and waved her hand, I couldnt hear what she said but I can only imagine it was along the lines of "I didnt think that was possible on a bicycle, how do your feet stay stuck to the pedals!"
Get over yourself.
Its only cycling. There's much greater things in life.
I think he was having a laugh... As we all are, this tread has disintegrated.
Its only cycling. There's much greater things in life.
If you could ride a bike properly I dont think you'd hold that view.
This can't be true as I have sold all my mtbs and only have two cheap cx bikes and I'm still crap
Right please don't shoot. 😳
But in the early days pre '96ish mountain biking was new and people where amazed at what people where doing on bikes. It was seen as this unreal extreme sport because hardly anyone did it. Especially in the lakes where DTF is talking about.
Imagine going to the middle of africa with your bike and showing some people it. People who had only ever seen people riding bikes to the next village and you go pop a little manual and jump a goat. They would freak out. You wouldn't just a get a flapjack you'd get a chicken and some dudes daughter!
Wow this is like an Mbuk thread from back in the day.
Imagine going to the middle of africa with your bike and showing some people it. People who had only ever seen people riding bikes to the next village and you go pop a little manual and jump a goat. They would freak out. You wouldn't just a get a flapjack you'd get a chicken and some dudes daughter!
Class!
Is this thread related to the next niche thread?
Do I need to buy a new, but crap bike?
If so, what crap bike does STW recommend? 😉
But in the early days pre '96ish
that's rather late chap lots of folks on here been riding since the 80's or since the very start 😀
"But in the early days pre '96ish mountain biking was new and people where amazed at what people where doing on bikes"
Yer smelly arse. I was right in to it by then and everyone thought I was a right wally.
turn up at Glentress with my old GT RTS,
awesome bike!
Most excellent riders i have met have had pretty good bikes to be fair. I do take mild amusement at people rocking up at glentress in their audi q7s or whatever with £5k bikes on though.
I dont know where you lot are all from, but round where I live we are viewed as the athletes I've described
by your mums
Yer smelly arse. I was right in to it by then and everyone thought I was a right wally.
+1
and this has been the case since 1986 too.. and every year since.. and so it will always be..
sorry to burst your bubble guys
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Its only cycling. There's much greater things in life.
If you could ride a bike properly I dont think you'd hold that view.
Geez man I really love cycling but you really need to get life.
Lots of great life changing shit out there that doesn't involve a bike.
Took me a while to learn that.
I can ride a bike but I can do a lot more. Good luck mate.
Clearly no correlation. I do not get better when I get off my flash bike and climb onto my Carrera. And I'm a better rider now than when I only had that Carrera.
Why would anyone believe there's any connection? Some folks will believe anything.
I know this chap called jeff jones, his bike is rather nice and he rides like a demon.
Also at the clunker classic all the bikes are real shite but the riders are mental fast.
But in the early days pre '96ish
that's rather late chap lots of folks on here been riding since the 80's or since the very start
Yep fully aware of that, still pre 96 though 😉 Was talking about it moving into the mainstream.
You could probably even argue it wasn't till 2000 when mtb became more mainstream but that's a whole other argument.
I ride a distinctly average 456 most of the time. Sometimes I take the Nicolai out, sometimes the Turner. Unsurprisingly, I have just as much riding ability regardless of the bike.
So am I allowed to ride any of my bikes when I want to, or do I have to pass a special STW coolness/riding ability test for the better ones?
I ride a boardman pro ht so I can go under the bike rider radar and not be laughed at when shit but still ride a great bike. 🙂
loum - MemberWhy would someone get a bike that their skillset has already outgrown. That said all bikes are fun, I'd just prefer not to find their limits in practice.
How do you find a bike that you skill set has outgrown? Surely this is backwards, a really skilled rider is going to be able to outride most people on a shopper, let alone £4k's worth of full sus carbon.
Clearly no correlation. I do not get better when I get off my flash bike and climb onto my Carrera. And I'm a better rider now than when I only had that Carrera.Why would anyone believe there's any connection? Some folks will believe anything.
That's the interesting thing about life, people have different experiences. I happen to know a few brilliant riders who ride pretty average bikes, as they seem more interested in riding than collecting anodized trinkets for their bikes.
I have also met and know quite a few guys who spend months building bikes that are dripping with matching chris king, team green hope and any other shiny expensive bling bit you care to mention. The are not great at riding (hardly ride at all in fact) and the spend more time lusting and collecting shiny things, rather than using their bikes.
Now I have no idea whether this is the norm, hence me asking the question. I do not care either way (although I do find it a bit odd collecting shiny things and not using them or perhaps expecting them to make you go faster) Maybe I happen to know some very strange people who are magpies, or perhaps collecting shiny bits to build the ultimate bike and then not actually riding it is a fairly common thing?
I personally couldn't care less if someone has a ten grand mtb and rides it on the road, as long as they are enjoying themselves. Buying an expensive bike and then using it as an excuse because it doesn't have the latest bit of go faster bells and whistles, or not actually riding it at all is not something I understand.
In 1984 I was younger, fitter, faster, more skilful and stronger than I am now.
But I can get down more stuff now than I could then.
My "skill compensator" or whatever you want to call it helps a lot.
If I was still riding My 1983 Stumpjumper I'd probably be dead by now.
But my 2011 Stumpjumper FSR makes me look like I can ride a bit.
What's wrong with that ?
I personally couldn't care less if someone has a ten grand mtb and rides it on the road, [s]as long as[/s] [b]even if [/b]they are [b]not[/b] enjoying themselves.
grahamt1980 - MemberHow do you find a bike that you skill set has outgrown? Surely this is backwards, a really skilled rider is going to be able to outride most people on a shopper, let alone £4k's worth of full sus carbon.
i) Why would you want one? ii) No its not backwards. iii) What's that got to do with the price of fish?
Have you thought that it might have nothing to do with your bike but the fact you're not wearing a helmet?
When I see someone mountain biking without one I don't give them the time of day, whoever they are or whatever they ride.
I suppose that might have something to do with it - are people so safety-obsessed that they get all think-of-the-children over what other adults chose to do? I thought it was the bike - maybe it is the lack of helmet, knee and elbow pads, gloves, padded shorts and spine protector.
I've been riding mountain bikes from before all that stuff was invented - really don't see the need to start now, but everyone makes their own choices. Compared to other things I get up to, mountain biking is relatively safe. It's all about knowing and managing risks.
But this is off the subject. I'm not fussed if people buy expensive bikes and can't ride them very well - as long as they're enjoying themselves, who am I to judge?
Why would anyone who likes riding bikes want to ride a shit bike, if they can afford a good bike. Regardless of their ability.
bobfromkansas - MemberWhy would anyone who likes riding bikes want to ride a shit bike, if they can afford a good bike.
Ask everyone with a singlespeed or rigid 😉 Sometimes riding inferior bikes is good fun.
What I find amusing is that it's always 3/4k bikes that get quoted on here as an expensive. But when asked how much my bike was, most non mtbers are stunned that i'd spend 800 quid on a bike!
Value is a fairly relative thing depending on how you are looking at something.
I'm another vote for not caring or noticing what people ride. well unless it's obviously not up to the task and looking like it might fall apart if it sees a rock, i might mention something then.
Op I don't understand your point?
Can't you afford a better bike?
The local bakery used to provide us with free flap jacks and pasties if we gave them some money.
At first sight, I thought that this might well be the stupidest sentence ever written on STW.
But then I tried it out this morning. [i]Amazingly, it turns out to be completely true.[/i] Who would have thought that Waitrose would indeed supply me with free groceries, that the filling station would let me run my car for free, and that could fly to Australia this week [i]completely free[/i].
So long as I give them some money.
At this years Mountain Mayhem I was just watching unfortunately, mainly on the last decent.
The people who were moaning about how bumpy it was and struggling to get down it on the whole were those with the most travel front and rear, on the whole they also looked alot less skilled....
I agree with this post.
i've mostly been riding this lately, what does that tell you?
[url= http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6240/6353963233_352a836b93_o.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketdog/6353963233/ ]wacky wheels at Snowshill[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/rocketdog/ ]rOcKeTdOgUk[/url], on Flickr
Look on the bright side. Just means there are more bargains in used bike market. Let them buy um and sell on at a loss if they don't like it.
i've mostly been riding this lately, what does that tell you?
That a Voodoo Wanga with a rigid 29er front end teamed with a red-walled rear tyre is well and truly minging?
I bought a nice bike because I'm in to bikes, could afford it and they make me happy. I managed to get up and down the same trails when I had a cheap bike, albeit a little bit slower and less comfortably.
I've always found the law of diminishing returns apply with bikes. Beyond a certain price, the benefits are so tiny that only a pro would really notice.
I drive an a3 and ride a Zesty. If people want to label me that's their issue, I'll still ride with them. You meet all sorts of people from all sorts of walks of life in this sport. Anyone can come off, or have a bad day for any number of reasons, regardless of bike. If you can't grasp this then you need look at yourself not the rest of us.
The local bakery used to provide us with free flap jacks and pasties if we gave them some money.
At first sight, I thought that this might well be the stupidest sentence ever written on STW.But then I tried it out this morning. Amazingly, it turns out to be completely true. Who would have thought that Waitrose would indeed supply me with free groceries, that the filling station would let me run my car for free, and that could fly to Australia this week completely free.
So long as I give them some money.
Not as stupid as you think. Read the FULL post from david.
It doesn't matter what bike I own, it'll always have the [i]potential[/i] to be ridden better by [i]someone[/i] else...
Does that mean I should stop riding?
rOcKeTdOg - Member
i've mostly been riding this lately, what does that tell you?
.... That you have a red bike.
Read the FULL post from david.
I did. And I quoted accurately; did he give them some money (which he states) or did they give stuff for free, because they were "proud to be fueling the athlete"?
Whichever, it's a spectacularly self-aggrandising post, and deserves to have the piss ripped out of it.
rOcKeTdOg - that does look a bit weird. But I think its purely a colour thang though. Terrahawk was out the other week on a similar getto 69er, but the it didn't look as pronounced as that. If your frame was the same colour as your forks, and your tyres were't same colour, it'd be reet
Now off you go, and sort it out! 😀
As for the other stuff. Does anybody give a flying * what anyone else is riding? Seriously. Get over yourselves. You may be on an Apollo Halfords special, or a 5k carbon race missile
Guess what? Here's the news. Everyone else in society thinks you're a * anyway, whichever you're on!
As for the other stuff. Does anybody give a flying * what anyone else isriding? Seriously. Get over yourselves. You may be on an Apollo Halfords special, or a 5k carbon race missileGuess what? Here's the news. Everyone else in society thinks you're a
* anyway, whichever you're on!
Only a tiny percentage of folk out there could tell there was any difference between the Apollo and the 5k CRM anyway. And if you can tell the difference then the folk who can't most likely think your a ****.
"Whichever, it's a spectacularly self-aggrandising post"
Nick, you may have missed the joke in his post )
What an utter prick!Have you thought that it might have nothing to do with your bike but the fact you're not wearing a helmet?
When I see someone mountain biking without one I don't give them the time of day, whoever they are or whatever they ride.
Exactly mrblobby -!
Occasionally (not very often), maybe at work, I forget who I'm talking too and start enthusing about something bike related. You can physically see peoples hearts sink. The light behind their eyes goes out. The will to live ebbs from their very being. Seriously... you can actually see it physically leave the body. Its tragic!
Oh... and well done Nick. I reckon DTF's post went so far over you head, you could barely detect it with the human eye
Read the FULL post from david.
I did. And I quoted accurately; did he give them some money (which he states) or did they give stuff for free, because they were "proud to be fueling the athlete"?Whichever, it's a spectacularly self-aggrandising post, and deserves to have the piss ripped out of it.
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Op I don't understand your point?Can't you afford a better bike?
Just for you as you are special.....
That's the interesting thing about life, people have different experiences. I happen to know a few brilliant riders who ride pretty average bikes, as they seem more interested in riding than collecting anodized trinkets for their bikes.I have also met and know quite a few guys who spend months building bikes that are dripping with matching chris king, team green hope and any other shiny expensive bling bit you care to mention. The are not great at riding (hardly ride at all in fact) and the spend more time lusting and collecting shiny things, rather than using their bikes.
Now I have no idea whether this is the norm, hence me asking the question. I do not care either way (although I do find it a bit odd collecting shiny things and not using them or perhaps expecting them to make you go faster) Maybe I happen to know some very strange people who are magpies, or perhaps collecting shiny bits to build the ultimate bike and then not actually riding it is a fairly common thing?
I personally couldn't care less if someone has a ten grand mtb and rides it on the road, as long as they are enjoying themselves. Buying an expensive bike and then using it as an excuse because it doesn't have the latest bit of go faster bells and whistles, or not actually riding it at all is not something I understand.
Plenty of people buy a Ferrari and never take it on a track or race it. Guess it must be a nice place to be and make them happy when they see it parked on the drive.
FunkyDunc - Member
...The people who were moaning about how bumpy it was and struggling to get down it on the whole were those with the most travel front and rear, on the whole they also looked alot less skilled....
Actually one of the reasons I ride rigid is because I can't stand the dive in front forks on descents if you hit the brakes, so I sympathise with those people.
Actually one of the reasons I ride rigid is because I can't stand the dive in front forks on descents if you hit the brakes, so I sympathise with those people.
Brakes and descents don't mix - one or the other but NEVER together.
I love bikes... but people who ride them are invariably people 😉
messiah - Member
...Brakes and descents don't mix - one or the other but NEVER together.
Can't guarantee what's round the corner except on closed courses.
Sometimes people are walking on the track or someone falls off in front of you, and it's rude to ride over them. 🙂
messiah
Brakes and descents don't mix - one or the other but NEVER together.
Right - so how are you going to slow for the obstacle / stop yourself acheiving escape velocity? Some of us ride where descents take many minutes dropping hundreds or even thousands of feet
Right - so how are you going to slow for the obstacle / stop yourself acheiving escape velocity? Some of us ride where descents take many minutes dropping hundreds or even thousands of feet
I use my head... which is why I wear a helmet 😉
I reckon it's all pretty simple. I love bikes as a hobby and am lucky enough to paid the sort of money that allows me to spend a decent wedge on said hobby. I would be happy riding anything with two wheels, well except a 29er maybe 🙂 , it just so happens I can afford bling bikes so I buy them for my own personal enjoyment.
Know plenty of guys who will happily drop over a grand on a golf club because they love their hobby, no different.
Its all biking, couldn't care less what others ride as long as they are having fun too, properly judging someone because they spend a heap on a bike and don't ride like a pro is pretty narrow minded.... Although I am of course happy to rip the piss out my mates who do it 🙂
I was sat at the top of the rock field path at Wilsden just off Lee Lane (part of the infamous Bingley Bash route)having tried unsuccesfully yet again to ride up it when a bloke with a carbon bling type bike fell off it and proceeded to push the bike up and stopped to chat about his new bike and how he loved it. Then a guy on another really good bike cycled up it like it was a smooth road and just pedalled past me and I was so impressed with his skills I spontaneously burst into appluase. Then a woman came up pushing her entry level hard tail and we exchanged greetings. The sun was shining, the scenery was lovely, everyone looked like they were having a lovely time.
I think TJ nailed it earlier.
Some of us regard mtb as a fun pastime, while others regard themselves as extreme sportsmen, and then there's the tiny group of real racers.
The first group don't really care too much which bike they ride so long as it makes it easy.
The second group want a bike that makes them look good to the very small group of people who care about such things (a subset of this group).
The racer group know that the only thing that counts is first over the line and whatever enables that is good and everything else is an also ran.