I think this is actually a rather difficult question. Clearly you don't have to go on mountains or few of us do much mountainbiking. Does it have to be singletrack? I know doubletrack routes that go into and over the real mountains.
Can an old railwayline be mountainbiking? Can urban riding be mountainbiking? is what Jedi does mountainbiking? ( the planks in trees stuff?) is what Danny Macskill does mountainbiking? If your wheels stay on the ground is it mountainbiking?
I am shortly heading out on a route that is 30 miles long, almost no road, 1/3 of non technical singletrack, 2/3 of old railway line / canal towpath Is that mountainbiking?
So guys - how do you fdefine muntainbiking? Can it be done? Or is it simply that you know it when you see it?
Can an old railwayline be mountainbiking? Can urban riding be mountainbiking? is what Jedi does mountainbiking? ( the planks in trees stuff?) is what Danny Macskill does mountainbiking? If your wheels stay on the ground is it mountainbiking?
Yep.
Mountain biking = Riding a mountainbike to me. 🙂
Off-road cycling. Usually involving driving to where you ride.
Why does it matter?
If you do it on a mountain bike then it is mountainbiking imho
How do you define mountainbiking?
i don't - i go cycling, sometimes on a mountainbike.
To me a route like I am going to ride today does not count as mountainbiking. No technical difficulty at all even tho its almost all offroad.
If it could be ridden on a road bike by somone with average skills then its not mountainbiking to me
Threefish - it does not matter but its an interesting debate to me. I find it very hard to define.
I own a road bike and *ahem* some mountain bikes. If I can't/won't ride my road bike on it, it's mountain biking.
I am shortly heading out on a route that is 30 miles long, almost no road, 1/3 of non technical singletrack, 2/3 of old railway line / canal towpath Is that mountainbiking?
Hmmmn, depends.
How wide are your handlebars?
Do your rims match your pedals?
Do you intend to 'session' (sorry) any of it?
Again - riding a mountain bike = mountain biking.
Defining what a mountain bike is though, there's the tricky bit 🙂
Ah ,see they never should have dropped the ATB descriptive 😆
Mountain biker....Mountain biking is a persuit which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes or hybrid cycles.
TJ, I find MTBing hard to define with words too. Hence I decided to put together a 7-day route (and add a certain event format to it) to let that "do the talking" (for lack of a better expression).
[img] 
[/img]
I Define “Mountain biking” as the broad descriptor for a number of varied cycling activities than individuals or groups can do on a bike described as “Mountaing Bike” by it’s manufacturer…
In other words, it’s a broad church, and those looking to divide and conquer “MTBers” by their sub-niches should piss right off, we’re all the best of friends… Got it!!
Any riding that for an "average cyclist" requires a "mountainbike" - by which I mean 2"+ tyres and granny gears.
So does this count as a mountainbiking route?
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3287/2533134153_2a0eba756d.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/2533134153/ ]05 Glen Dochart[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr
or this?
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4109/5054402685_fb3bb90c5d.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/25846484@N04/5054402685/ ]25 Flooded path[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/25846484@N04/ ]TandemJeremy[/url], on Flickr
cynic-al - MemberAny riding that for an "average cyclist" requires a "mountainbike" - by which I mean 2"+ tyres and granny gears.
Thats a tighter description than many but I tend to agree. I won't be using my granny gear today.
So does this count as a mountainbiking route?
Were you on a mountain bike? But yeah, I'd say so.
To be fair, I don't feel a need to 'DEFINE IT' at all. To me, bikes are bikes, with or without engines. I make no distionstion: It's all the same whatever - Good!
Any riding that for an "average cyclist" requires a "mountainbike" - by which I mean 2"+ tyres and granny gears.
So an XC race bike doesn't count then? Don't be daft! 🙂
By Als definition (and I tend to agree with him 😯 ) then neither of those are mountainbiking as both could be ridden on a roadbike without any great difficulty
it's that thing you do to get away from the wife
brakes - Memberit's that thing you do to get away from the wife
Oh dear - mine follows rather closely 🙂
toodle pip. Off for my ATB ride now
PP, so riding my mountain bike to work on the A65 trunk road, is mountain biking?
Why define when you can just enjoy 😀
as both could be ridden on a roadbike without any great difficulty
Ahh. But you WERE NOT on a road bike were you? So I think it's MTBing. 🙂
I know people that can ride a CX bike pretty much anywhere I ride an MTB. I don't care what they call it, but I doubt they call it MTBing. And that's the key: It's utterly unimportant what the definition is.
Why do you need to DEFINE it?????
Like I said, if you do anything on a bike described as a Mountain bike by the manufacturer:
You bought a mountain bike thus anything you choose to ride on it is mountain biking, doesn't matter if its a fixie 29er with mary bars, a 2x10 Carbon XC whippet or a 10” travel DH monster, if your descending an Alp, taking a pootle down a tow path with the kids or slogging 400miles across Alaska it’s all mountain biking it’s all good…
Why get so caught up in “Definitions”… does it really have to become so factionalised?
I know my def is flawed, not sure how to improve it, as the first of your pics is mountianbiking to me.
By granny gear I meana proper 80s one btw: 26/28, no 22/34 softness!
EDIT I don't think TJ is trying to factionalise cycling, it's just an interesting academic exercise.
Well, if it matters, I'd venture it has something to do with cycling in mountains, but who needs Scotland or Wales when we have [url= http://www.london2012.com/games/venues/hadleigh-farm-essex.php ]Essex[/url]?
[url=
😉
So, presumably weather and season plays a part in this as well?
Summer's middle ring climb is winter's granny (or walk).
And racing round that muddy field at Eastnor, then that mysteriously becomes mountain biking the first time you find yourself dropping onto the small ring after hours of - what- just riding along?
It must be frustrating having to label all this stuff. 😕
PP, so riding my mountain bike to work on the A65 trunk road, is mountain biking?
I don't know? Is it? Is riding a CX bike on a ramp BMX? Is riding a commuter bike offroad MTBing? What do YOU call it?
The question is "How do [u]you[/u] define mountainbiking?" and I define it by riding an MTB. How YOU define it, if YOU feel the need to, is up to YOU. 🙂
I'm sure Sam Hill would be delighted to know his lack of granny gears means he is not a "mountain biker".
Anyway Al, I thought you were no longer of this forum??
The question is "How do you define mountainbiking?" and I define it by riding an MTB. How YOU define it, if YOU feel the need to, is up to YOU.
😀
it's just [s]an interesting academic[/s] exercise
[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_biking ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_biking[/url]
[b]How do you define CYCLING?
How do you define RIDING A BIKE?[/b]
Some people use the description "QUAD BIKE" for a 'motorbike' with 4 wheels. So, therefore, they must be riding a bike, yes?
I know a bloke that has a racing tricycle. Is that a bike?
Logically, riding a UNICYCLE is CYCLING, but it only has one wheel, so are you riding a bike?
🙂
If you’re getting caught up defining Mountain bikes by the width of their tires and the number of teeth on individual sprockets then I think you’ve maybe missed the point of it all but that’s just me obviously some have a more “orthodox” definition, I assume divergence is punishable in some way…
The bike is simply a piece of sporting equipment at the end of the day, the activities an MTB (or ATB if you like) can be used for (and specifically setup for) are quite varied, so what’s wrong with broadening your definition of “Mountain Biking” to include all those variations, even if you don’t partake in all of them…
Like I said “a broad church” with a (mostly) tolerant congregation is how I’d like to think of mountain biking…
ST unfortunately alantromboner was banned as a multiple account, so I'm back.
For the first time in STW history, I think the first sentence of TJs OP is an understatement. 😉
I think it's [u]impossible[/u] to define as it means so many different things to so many different people.
Off-road cycling
^from the second reply posted - pretty much does it I believe.
TJ's routes are 'mountain-bike touring' routes IMO
good Wiki edit Torminalis.... 😆
Cookeaa has a good point. An MTB is probably the most versatile vehicle on the planet.
It can haul a load, tour, commute, climb, descend, ride on or off road, be for race, pleasure, business or emergency. It can go where no engined vehicle can go, and where you can't ride on any animal (50 ft gap jump on a horse anyone?)
And a multitude of other stuff I can't think of 🙂
I think this is actually a rather difficult question. Clearly you don't have to go on mountains or few of us do much mountainbiking.
If I go for a ride on my road bike but I only ride on lanes, am I really road riding?
It sounds stupid, but mountain biking is whatever you want it to be. XC racing is as much mountain biking as DH racing or FR.
What if you ride a road bike off road? Is that mountain biking? Or is it just cross on a road bike? Or road biking in the wrong terrain?
atb for me
TJ, I think you have to ask the question: "why do you need to define Mountain biking"
Are you having a moment of doubt?
Are you worrying that you might not be a real mountain biker?
if i'm having fun on a bike (by definition this means i'm not on a public road) then its mountain biking to me 😀
If it's not riding for extended periods on the road I reckon it's mountain biking. Only because MTB seems to have replaced ATB.
If you think you are mtbing, then you are.
ATB is bit of a daft term too. Maybe STB "Some Terrain Bike" would be more accurate (even if it sounds stupid) ? Or MTB "Multi-Terrain Bike".
Now who wants to define the various sub-classes of "mountain" biking? XC, Tour, Marathon, All Mountain, Enduro, Freeride,... Suspect there may be some differences of opinion there too, especially across geographical boundaries.
I would say those two pics of mine are the two extremes of " ambient jeycore lite"
Its my niche and I am keeping it
When I bought my very first Trek way back in 1989 I was genuinely asked: "But why? There are no mountains around here (England)".
For me, the type of bike and the routes are defined by what can be done with that bike and what would destroy other bikes in the process, or be impossible to ride on.
MTB, ATB, WTFTB it's all much of a muchness. There are really only two categories: smooth road vs rough off road and use the appropriate bike for each.
Andrew - what about the RSF boys ? tourers on offroad routes
RSF = Rambling with a bike.
MTB - Men Talking Ballcocks
I don't know why all the angst about defining mountain biking ? If your riding off road on a mountain bike, well your mountain biking. what else would you call it !!!!
No angst or overwhelming need to define it. It just amused me that it is so hard to define.
For me it needs to be more than riding offroad on a mountainbike however - rides like the one I did today are IMO not real mountainbiking. could be done easily on a roadbike
ATB is bit of a daft term too. Maybe STB "Some Terrain Bike" would be more accurate
how so?
what terrain can you and your mountain bike [i]not[/i] cope with?
For me it needs to be more than riding offroad on a mountainbike however - rides like the one I did today are IMO not real mountainbiking. could be done easily on a roadbike
If your trying to define what type off terrain defines a mtb ride, I can't see how there can be a definative definition. There's probably as many answers as riders.
It's called a mountain bike so if you ride one you're mountain biking surely? I would call any hill over about 1000ft a mountain but it's not often I'll ride to the very top of one and down again. Most of my mountain biking is done on local trails on hills and in woods and stuff.
Different definitions for different people. For some of the more socio-economically challanged youths they would say:
There must be jumps, it's no mountainbiking without jumps.
There bike must be "minted"
They will ride it like they stole it, whether they did is another question.
Some sections of the trail will be "Pure Jailbait"
Any minor crash will entail them telling the rest of the group "I nearly died"
There must be a section where they can wheelie for at least a hundred feet.
There must be skids to bring the bike to a stop. "I'm no using the front brake I'll go over the handlebars"