If something like that doesn't make you a little bit joyful you're dead inside.
Needs a like button
Canoeists have bald knees IME.
Canoeists are weird though. Kayakers on the other hand (to double down on the subtle differences between sports which most onlookers would go "they are the same") only have partially bald knees/thighs.
Road riding bores me tbh
If I'm riding somewhere that's got decent scenery & hills, all I do is look for where the good MTB trails might be
If something like that doesn’t make you a little bit joyful you’re dead inside.
Nice scenery, ugly bike. Stupid front wheel too close to the frame, rubbish brakes, massive stem, weird stays etc. Would look better with a nice hardtail
Roadie culture is performance-orientated but that isn’t saying it’s why all roadies ride.
Well, I used this evening's ride to visit a couple of nice country pubs.
I road ride more often than mtb, and love the distance you can cover as well as the simplicity of it all.
Originally I started mtbing as a means of getting out of exploring, before having a car, but I'd say my road rides are closest to that now. My mtb rides have become more focused around some element of technical trail riding, or at least flowy singletrack. So I pretty much always go to the same places (Surrey Hills, or perhaps Swinley or QECP for a change once or twice a year) where there are guaranteed trails and I know where they are.
For road riding, I plan most my routes around cafe stops. And in my location there are far more miles of quiet-enough, pleasant, roads than there are of trail, so it's easier to inject some variety into the mix.
I can't say I get overly bothered by traffic. Either I'm good at picking quiet routes, or just tune out to it. Probably the latter. I nearly always ride alone though so there's no inconvenience of interrupting a discussion by moving to single file, which no doubt helps.
A road ride is far more fuss free. MTB rides for me involve a drive to some trails (a gravel bike could be the answer to make the nearby trails more fun) whilst opening the door and heading out is very appealing. Not to mention the far lower maintenance requirement of my road bike, and not needing to clean it after every single ride in the winter!
I get far more enjoyment out of 4-8 hour rides than I do for shorter ones. Anything much under 2 hours just feels a bit too local (and busier too).
Would look better with a nice hardtail
Nah, with a nice hard tail it would have been pitch dark by the time I got up there.
Well unless I left the office early and if I'm doing that even a fat bike would look nice
If something like that doesn’t make you a little bit joyful you’re dead inside.
This.
Nah, with a nice hard tail it would have been pitch dark by the time I got up there
And most definitely this...
For me with hairy legs, it was a trip to the showers every time I’d done a lap.
Sleeping bag liner FTW every time.
Sleeping bag liner FTW every time.
Isn't that a bit awkward to cycle in?
Don’t need to run when you’re the apex predator.
Running is how we catch dinner round here. Deer are quick at first, but tire out and overheat if you keep jogging towards them. Or sometimes we chase them off the quarry walls.
Roadies OTOH are limited to picking up roadkill, and MTBers rarely catch more than a faceful of cowshit. Now who's the apex predator?
If something like that doesn’t make you a little bit joyful you’re dead inside
Well other than the seat and bar tape not matching and the grass could do with a trim 😉
Well other than the seat and bar tape not matching and the grass could do with a trim
Are we not mentioning the mismatch bottles?
Well other than the seat and bar tape not matching
Who wants a yellow saddle? Weirdo.
Are we not mentioning the mismatch bottles?
Well you should probably also mention the fact the small one is leaking so its being taken home from the office for disposal as it's no longer any use for the gym. The black one is it's replacement, they're not really expected to match because they only get used one at a time normally.
Worse still I'm wearing a white shirt and bibs 😂
That's the thing with the road bike (well ride really) I guess, it got to 5pm and I thought sod it, I'm going to go the long way home, left my bag at the office and went, there was no forethought and planning in the morning about riding from the office. That doesn't work for the mtb, unless it really is a joyless mtb ride.
@dangerourbrain
But things have changed and the vibe I get from the forum these days is that XC is not real mountain biking and unless you are riding stuff that actually needs the 36lb gnarpoons that everyone seems to have you are really just a roadie anyway.
When I say XC I just mean riding A-B in the countryside. 'Trail riding' if you prefer. Could be the Ranger's Path, could be bluebell singletrack in the Chilterns, whatever. Anything that's not a bikepark / centre / man-made trails. XC racing at the top level has drops that most 'trail' riders wouldn't even consider. But I don't think of XC as meaning aspiring to XC racing or racing attitudes, it's just riding cross-country. Always was. 36lb enduro bike or 21lb XCO bike, take your pick.
Fishing? that I can believe there's no joy in.
😂
Pockets, lots of wonderful pockets.
Y'see, i've tried to like shorts like that, i've bought more than one pair, even proper expensive ones, i've ridden for hours, up hill and down dale (and some mountains) and the conclusion i've come to is, pockets, what a waste of time.
You simply can't pedal properly with stuff flapping around loosely strapped to your legs. As soon as you have a minor tumble you squash your wallet or phone, or stab yourself with a key (hex or house).
Oh, not forgetting the amount of goddamn mud and water they hold, unless they are "waterproof", then i get (more) sweat running down the back of my legs and boil in the bag genitals.
Ironically, the waterproofing is generally terrible too.
So back to lycra.
This ^^^ I have several pairs of baggies with more pockets than the Crucible in Sheffield and yet I can't stand to put anything in them other than maybe a 4 and 5mm Allen key if I am making on the fly tweaks. I don't think it harms my performance, I just can't stand it.
Ironically, the pockets in road jerseys are far more functional 🙂
Ironically,[s] the pockets in [/s] road jerseys are far more functional 🙂
FTFY
Well you should probably also mention the fact the small one is leaking so its being taken home from the office for disposal as it’s no longer any use for the gym. The black one is it’s replacement, they’re not really expected to match because they only get used one at a time normally.
Wait you ride a bike with two bottle cages but only put one bottle in? monster. Thats worse than yellow bar tape.
Thats worse than yellow bar tape.
Until about a month ago the cages didn't even match. If you look closer you'll notice the tyres aren't the same either.
Wait you ride a bike with two bottle cages but only put one bottle in? monster
Often I don't put any in at all. Sometimes I even wear a camel back and leave the bottle cages empty.
I've even been known to ride with one leg shaved and one not.
I'm a terrible human being.
I’ve even been known to ride with one leg shaved and one not.
all the rest I was just joking in a little nod to the "rules". But how on earth did one leg shaved come about?
But how on earth did one leg shaved come about?
Shaved is probably a bit deceptive, I only bother in summer as sun creaming hairless legs is much much easier, quicker and requires significantly less cream.
Any how, I used cream rather than a razor. And owing to the irregular schedule and associated poor stock maintenance I ran out.
I got more a couple of days later and rectified the problem.
I only bother in summer as sun creaming hairless legs is much much easier, quicker and requires significantly less cream.
At last! The legitimate excuse to shave my legs that I've been waiting for 🤩🤩
Enjoy! If you're a fellow ginger you'll appreciate not going through a bottle of spf50 every few days 😜
(And the extra minutes in bed it affords before a morning ride.)
(And, for what it's worth, it makes getting decent coverage with insect repellant more reliable too)
But how on earth did one leg shaved come about?
Drunken decision to shave legs while staying in a hotel working away.
One leg took forever, so gave up and went to bed.
Woke up next morning feeling a silky smooth leg next to my hairy one, and spent a few minutes lying motionless trying to recall the events of the night before.
Lolz
At last! The legitimate excuse to shave my legs that I’ve been waiting for 🤩🤩
I didn’t last year but have recently and I do prefer it in the heat and I think you get a nicer tan.
I’m bi-cycle thou - partial to a bit of MTB/Road action 🙂
Does seem to be pretty common for the younger guys in Spain to shave their legs and road riding isn’t mandatory.
