[Closed] Crap Riders & Niche Bikes

Nice attempt, i'd give this trolling attempt 7/10. 😀

ime it's the 'niche' bike riders that are adamant that they can ride everything that the other riders can...

a rigid singlespeed is never going to be any good as a mountain bike

oh dear

7/10? A bit obvious for that.

I nearly got overtaken by a niche rider on a rigid singlespeed at Glentress. I was on a Commencal MiniDH at the time so some of these niche riders must have some bike handling skills. I put it down to local knowledge and the fact I had never ridden that bit before. That and the fact a MiniDH is far to much bike for glentress anyway. I'm just making excuses now... err hangs head in shame.

jclaw, are you a riding god like me....

filthy,

mibbe thats cos glentress (while fun) is pretty smooth, and much more fun on a race bike/rigid type thing than it is on a trail/big bouncy bike... anything longer travel takes more than it gives down any descent there.

Ah, it's that time of year again when the mighty jeycloth is bored of UK weather and can't wait to get back to shredding the gnar in canuckyaland, so resorts to not very subtle attempts to wind up thin skinned stwers.

How's tricks John? :-p

(ps having spent 2 weeks last summer riding with some singlespeeders* who absofugginlutely whipped my ass on a daily basis on big alpine descents, SS does have it's points)

*In the loosest sense of the word - SSes with 170mm forks, 2.5" tyres and 8" brakes, and they maybe got pedalled for 5 minutes a day - usually the climb up to the pub at the end. 🙂

mibbe thats cos glentress (while fun) is pretty smooth, and much more fun on a race bike/rigid type thing than it is on a trail/big bouncy bike... anything longer travel takes more than it gives down any descent there.

couldn't agree more, thats one of the reasons why I sold it

a group of us ride sherwood pines every wednesday and (Anthony) the fastest amongst us (by a long way) rides a rigid single speed, bugger!

Ah those on-one riders. Soon we'll have shedfire ones too. Should be able to pick up some cheap second hand on-ones for commuting though as the they all follow Brant.

Ah, it's that time of year again when the mighty jeycloth is bored of UK weather and can't wait to get back to shredding the gnar in canuckyaland...

How's tricks John?

Tricks are good thanks Jon. How about you? I fled the UK early last year & haven't been back since. I might have actually got some riding in over the winter if I'd been at home though. Oh well, snowboarding is fun 🙂

I agree with the OP. I often think that those endowed with below average bike handling skills have a higher propersity to foray into the niche bike market.

I have several bikes - I'm rubbish on all of them. Singlespeed is probably the next one I'm going to be rubbish on.

But I have fun on all of them

And here's a pic of someone being crap and using his bike as an excuse. 😯

[img] [/img]

photoshop innit dude...... 😉

My bike handling is rubbish, but I don't have a niche bike (well I suppose I do ride the CX on proper off-road stuff, but not very often). Should I get one?

Wheres the next photo of the rider with his wheel stuck in the sand going over the bars?

SSS - That just looks plain wrong, cleary having bar ends is his downfall there, with uber wide 2.5" rise DH style bars and a 30mm stem he'd clean that easy

He is being crap in that pic singlespeedstu... a real rider would have dropped it not rolled it !

looks steeper than it is.......................

No photo of the wheel stuck in the sand as it's a 29er wheel and rolled out of the transition no problem. 😆

i do have a picture of a crap rider on a none niche bike though. 😉

[img] [/img]

Singlespeedstu definately was NOT using his Niche bike for being crap last weekend ;o)

😆

I do not think a rigid singlespeed is any slower than a fullsus having ridden Glentress with one on my tail, however that was only on one section and the full sus made it down the 3 sections from spooky wood in rapid succession (no stopping between sections) whereas the guy on the rigid stopped at the bottom of the first section which left in my mind the thought that his armpump was that bad he wanted a minute or two.Feel free to give thoughts or disagree.

😆 at SSS In my defence, I got better after that

[img] [/img]

You couldn't really have got any worse though could you. 😉

WGAF

I've got a rigid SS, a hardtail with 160mm forks on and a 6" travel full sus. I'm crap on all of them, I even have 'can't ride for shit' tattoo'd in Ogham on my leg. So what's it to you?. I've been a crap rider for the last twenty one years, but at least I ride my bikes and get some fun out of them.

I like to think that my crapness transcends any bike I ride

I only own 1 mtb,

does that make me in some way more awesome,

so awesome in fact that Im affaid adding niche to my arenal would simply cause other trail users to bow down to my speriority an worship the ground i skid on?

Everyone I know is fast as regardless of 'ought let alone a bike

*punctuation* please

Some ( and I mean a tiny fraction ) of these uber niche / quirky bikes are definately owned by riding gods.

However they often inspire silly ideas in the er... many not so godly riders. Even I've been the recipient of the occaisional "you're not going to ride that trail/jump/drop etc on a hardtail!??" followed approximately 3 minutes later by "god I really need to buy a hardtail etc".

At the end of the day it's all about having fun. I can think of plenty of trails where a rigid would be more than ample or even quickest, I just cant afford/justify/dont/need one.

[i]"Soon we'll have shedfire ones too"[/i]
I thought they've yet to gain themselves (the bikes) a brand name yet

Given the sales of downhill only bikes are surely in a minority compared to MTBs bought by the 'ordinary' MTB masses (however much of a tool they may or may not be), would that make DHing a niche?

I often think that those endowed with below average bike handling skills have a higher propersity to foray into the niche bike market.

there's no shame in being below average 🙂
somebody has to help inflate the riding gods ego's and make them look good.
best to enjoy yourself and not worry about what others think. IMHO.

I've ridden with some people with a reputation for nicheness and can quite comfortably say that they'll piss over most non-niche (including me) riders I know. I think one of them rode some kind of ride down the middle of North America last year on what the OP termed a niche bike.

I have a niche road bike, and a marin, and I lost all my skill anyway MrSmith 😆

Most folk on non-niche bikes are very average.

too generous cynic-al

Way too generous.

cynic-al
Most folk on non-niche bikes are very average.

Shhhhhh........there seems to be some sort of sound coming from your arse!? Sounds like someone talking.

Its only a ****ing bike and as Lance said, its not about the bike.
Good riders would probably be good on any bike.
Of course there does appear to be a number of people who believe they can buy themselves into being a better rider but I'd suggest a rigid singlespeed isn't the route they often take.

Depends on your definition of niche I guess....

"Now I'm not saying that everyone has to be a riding god to get any enjoyment from mtbing - I'm sure even the most basic riders have a lot of fun on their bikes...

However, it strikes me that some 'lesser skilled' riders use their niche bike as an excuse for their crapness.

For example; a 7" full sus bike is never going to be any good as a mountain bike, so no-one expects its rider to go anywhere particularly quickly (well maybe across a massive boulder field). Therefore the bike can effectively be blamed for the rider's poor performance. Add 10lbs of weight, a chain device or some stupid bars & you have an even more unusable contraption - then everyone applauds you for just making it up the trail & your mincing goes unnoticed.

A bit scared of that tight, exposed switchback? Get flat pedals & no-one will see your sneaky dabs and fear of being clipped in.

Can't do drops? Then add multiple inches of suspension travel & you'll have a great excuse not to learn the repercussions of a bad landing.

You can see where I'm going with this..."

😀

I think that 'niche' bikes are [i]specifically[/i] designed for better riders and mtb gods. That's why mine has been trying to kill me for the last 3 years now, she's completely disgusted in my lack of anything approaching ability! 8)

[IMG] [/IMG]

it dont matter what or how you ride,it only matters that you do! 🙂

I'm sure even the most basic riders have a lot of fun on their bikes...

Mike - a "basic" rider who has a lot of fun on his bike, thanks,

I' would like to know what bike(s) this jclaw fella rides. He sounds like a student to me.

J-Claw has made a few good points, to clarify the subsequent STW frequent posters reactions-

Getting a big stupid front wheel but no suspension forks so its like riding a barge, avoid any tight trails.
Take your gears off then be unable to ride muddy steep hills. Or long flat sections. Or DHs.
Take your SS off and make a fixie, its utter w4nk but its good for trackstands outside a whiskey distillery.
Buy really light equipment then act surprised when it breaks, or is expensive to replace.
Getting a two stupid big wheels but no suspension so its like riding a massive barge, avoid any tight trails.
Put stupid handlebars on that defy convention, just so you have somewhere to rest your beard, which you grew so you can look like your shed dwelling mentor (whose probably a millionaire btw , his shed is built of Faberge eggs & lined with mink, his beard is clip-on like Lego hair )

1 photo has been offered to counter claim, it’s a small steep drop liek those which I used to ride when I was 9 on my Team Murray. Weak as rescued from the canal kittens.

I don't understand this anti bike rivalry bollox, all bikes are good..........

i like niche bikes, i like to buy niche bikes and sell them if i do not get on with them.
i think the people who moan/condem/take the pis5 out of nicheness are probably people who would like to try them but are not in the situation financialy to do it.
how boring it must be to have to ride the same boring bike for the rest of your days.
bit like eating toast for every single meal for ever.... 😆

Terrible, terrible troll. Scruff is way better at this sort of thing, and he's barely literate. 🙂

does he actually mean being a niche rider on a crap bike?

Bikes are ace. I am hopeless. But happy. It's all good. Yes?

deffo

To be fair, J-claw is the best rider out of out extended Local Kruw, apart from Walleater who is more betteriest. (J-Claw doesnt live in the UK anymore btw, hes now atShimano skunk works , based in California, just so you know)

To be fair, J-claw is the best rider out of out extended Local Kruw, apart from Walleater who is more betteriest. (J-

all the more reason he should not condem/take the pi5s out of lesser riders.

i think the people who moan/condem/take the pis5 out of nicheness are probably people who would like to try them but are not in the situation financialy to do it.

Woah there, when did 'nicheness' become something to do with expense?

Weren't old Kona hardtails converted to singlespeed with some brazed on track ends considered 'niche' a few years back?

Didn't some people consider On-One Inbreds 'niche', before hoards of tightwads realised they were pretty good value bikes?

Lets not confuse cost and niche. Yes they can applied together for some products but they can also be applied on their own.

sootyandjim
i was thinking jones stuff, custom ss and 29r frames....
sorry..

Ah, a select group of niche products to match a POV, I see.

Don't be sorry, apologising isn't the STW way.

😉

Im a crap rider but I have a really nice bike!

Its a quiet day in the shop* so I'll pull up a chair and watch 🙂

SSP

*Gold Cup day...

1 photo has been offered to counter claim, it’s a small steep drop liek those which I used to ride when I was 9 on my Team Murray. Weak as rescued from the canal kittens.

From what I can gather from so far Niche bikes are mainly ridden over smooth cheeky trails, also known as foot paths, in areas lacking in any technical terrain, or leant up against garden Fences on Barrat estates, so not supprising there is little evidence out there to support the counter claim.

Erm....what is a niche bike?

Is it one that is over-priced so most people don't buy it because it is expensive for what it is?

I honestly don't understand the phrase 'niche bike'.

read scruffs post then

read scruffs post then

He really is quite bitter about something, possibly that others are having more fun than him 🙂

Big wheels, drop bars, fixed, canti brake, water bottles and seat pack, Brooks saddle, custom frame from a bloke with a beard.

BINGO!

SSP

inglespeeders* who absofugginlutely whipped my ass on a daily basis on big alpine descents, SS does have it's points)

That could possibly have happened regardless of the number of gears involved 🙂

I see it in reverse to the OP.

I often ride pretty crap trails with few drops, jumps, rocks, steep sections etc so riding a rigid 29er makes the trails more interesting.

On days when I do ride trails with more of the above I tend to ride my FS 26er.

The "niche" bike doesn't disguise the fact that I am crap, it is just more appropriate (and more fun) for the trails.

I'm moving into a whole new niche, I may even do a Gary Fisher and claim to invent it.

The idea is simple, flog my bikes and thus enter the niche of "No Bike (NB)". If that doesn't cover up my total crapness then I may have to give up cycling totally.

Good riders would probably be good on any bike.

it dont matter what or how you ride,it only matters that you do!

Those two statements sort of sum it all up, really.

Me, I just ride the bikes I've got. and enjoy it. What has made me a better rider is not the bike I'm riding, it's watching people I ride with, learning from those with more skills. Getting tips on how to do stuff.

I thought I'd give SS a go, last summer, as I had a spare frame and some bits. SS makes perfect sense for riding round town, but how would it translate to off-road duties? Well, it does require a little more effort, speshly on climbs. But for the sort of Soft Southern Shandy Drinking riding I do, it's mostly fine. What I found, was that not having gears to click through made me adjust my riding style a bit, and try to maintain momentum, to carry me over and around stuff. I found my pedalling technique improved. And it does help to build strength.

So, trying something 'niche' has had a positive benefit. I started off on a fully rigid, nose down bum in the air bike, and enjoyed the riding. Has starting off on equipment technically inferior for the purpose given me an advantage? I don't know. Bikes like that weren't 'niche', back then. Advances such as better brakes, suspension etc have made it easier to tackle tricky/bumpy stuff, granted. But they jolly well have not made me a 'better' rider.

I tried a full susser for the first time, recently. A proper ride, not just a pavement test that I'd been limited to before. All I found was that the bike was more comfy; it diddunt make me go any faster, or suddenly be able to do stuff I haddunt before. I woon't mind owning one, though.

I think, for some people, 'nicheness' is an aside to actual riding. Some seem to 'need' a bike that is rarer than everyone else's, well, up to them. Stuff like Jones bikes are interesting, but I personally can't see why I'd want to buy one. If they were radically better than other designs, surely every manufacturer would have a version?

And what defines something as 'niche'? It's scarcity? Radical design? Singular purpose?

Is my Rock lobster 853 more 'niche' than my Cannondale? Is my Rossin road bike more 'niche' than a Spesh or a Trek?

I don't really care; they're all great fun to ride!

SSP, better bitter than biter ➡

Good fishing trip there Scruff. Thats a keeper.

Scruff,

I was looking for a pic of the BIG PINK SOLITUDE to try and rouse JoB in to action 🙂 Sadly my monster bike was all I had to hand 🙂

So you admit you are bitter? I had you down as more of a shandy man.

SSP

looks like another "Friday Special" from the man Scruff.

I was looking for a pic of the BIG PINK SOLITUDE to try and rouse JoB in to action

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🙂

scruffs idea of a Friday special is a triple egg an bacon fri up in the canteen followed by a Fri utube blocker. Thats special.

Anyone who has to buy gears or suspension must be rubbish, why else would they buy them?

Anyone who has to buy gears or suspension must be rubbish, why else would they buy them?

because they don't want to be like you?

because they don't want to be like you?

But [i]everyone[/i] wants to be like samuri!