[Closed] “Aggressive” riding - expressions you love to hate

"Aggresive XC" lol

It's like regular XC but with a dose of small man syndrome thrown in...

Agreed! Just WTF is 'aggressive XC'... swearing whilst riding?!

aggressive XC - is that getting pissed off with the congestion and mincers at trail centres?

A few weeks ago (at Llandegla) I actually heard one rider shouting to his buddy infront of him "Ride it like you stole it"..I nearly made myself fall off to convince myself I wasn't dreaming.

steed - do you really ride a horse?
rig - its not an oil platform (unless its actually that gary fisher singlespeed)
sweet, man, dude, stoked, nailing it, pinning it, killer loops, epic rides - when they're just a day ride, anything followed by 'lite',
Attempting to grade non-man made loops/rides under man-made trail classifications. Just use real words. Saying its a black grade (because its rocky) surely puts people off getting away from trail centres (though maybe thats a good thing?)

I do use 'to clean it' though, and technical which are both pretty silly really.

Singlespeed - yawn yawn yawn!!

I like 'aggressive'. Not sure of a better term to describe those times when you're really attacking a trail, using lots of body english, railing the corners and generally pumping every ounce of speed out of it. Maybe while riding your xc race weapon, which just plain looks fast. Man, i'm stoked even thinking about it.

Whilst waiting for the missis's guitar lesson to finish I found myself in Borders at the cycling section, I figured I'd have a flick through MBUK, I don't remember the page but there is an absolute classic picture of Mr Dodd in quite an amazing outfit, it has to been seen to be believed, its not just awesome, its gnarly, rad and extreme.

In a "Freemans catalogue" kind of way 😆

sorry Mr Dodd, but you've got to admit its not your best 😆

I like 'aggressive'. Not sure of a better term to describe those times when you're really attacking a trail, using lots of body english, railing the corners and generally pumping every ounce of speed out of it.

But ultimately is it not just riding a mountain bike? People feel the need to find a name for what they do as XC just isn't cool anymore...

was XC ever "cool"??

surely its like class?
as in the only people that have an isse with it are the ones in the middle?

and XC rider is quite hapy with that, a DH rider is quite happy with that,

i hate being lable aggressive XC, im propper XC don't cha know?
😛

Its all just mountain biking right ?.....in which case,I actually think the term "all mountain" isn't actually that bad in that it could describe everything.................

hides

sessioning, railing, having it dialled.

Dude, you like totally got 2 feet of air.

I go for XC lite myself.

mini-XC is the future!

XC-jeycore-lite

AKA cyclocross, on a dry track

micro XC ? ..when you have ordered the wrong size hardtail frame ? 😀

'sending it'

sending it where, ffs?!

oh and look at that thread about Elbry Sandland from last week, plenty of ridiculous huckfesting in that too.

Wheres Elbry when you need him!

he will undoubtedly be out with his destruktion kru on their mint rides, scoping out a zone for some sick lines, maaaaawnster hucks and ill flipwhips.

'Stoked' - just **** off

Bloik

"Aggressive, etc" sounds too much like ****erboy Nintendo Ninja language to me. Too much like the talk of our little evilzone mates.

Free ride. It's all free, well other than FC car parking charges!
Niche - indicates luddite tendencies and attempting to naysay technological progress.
All mountain - not much use in 80% of UK.
Lets face it most riding is cross country, anything else is marketing garnish.

Clearly then, there are no bitter, insecure, xc jey boys on here? 😆

Seriously, the next time you make it to the bottom of that technical section....you know, the one with the rocks and that root? Yeah that one, - turn to your buddies and say [b]" I am so stoked - I totally shredded that gnarly section. Did you see me rail the burm? Lets go session it again!" [/b]

Initially you will feel strange, and no doubt your friends will recoil into their lycra in shock but soon you will realise that [i]you are enlightened[/i] and your life will never be the same.

Ive always wondered what the black diamond runs look like.

Call it what you want - its just riding a bike..No point getting stressed about it. If we get hung up on what we call certain aspects of our hobby AND then start slagging folk off for using words we dont like - arent we missing the point of WHY we go for a ride? Arent we just taking the stress & shit from everyday out onto the trails? Leave it in the carpark/trailhead (WHATEVER you want to call it)..

[b]

was XC ever "cool"??

[i]Back in the day[/i] when there were no DH kiddies, DJ was a bloke with headphones and [i]Old Skool[/i] meant drum brakes and mustaches I thought I was cool and rode aggressive XC.

Nowdays I ride a [i]Freeride Lite all mountain rig[/i], sometimes [i]sessioning gnarly sections[/i], [i]pining[/i] the fast ones and [i]totally rocking some gnarly hucks[/i] 'till we're [i]wasted[/i]. You hear '[i]lets pad up[/i]' from your mates and you know [i]it's on[/i].

[i]This is Mountain Biking[/i]

Proof I was cool racing XC \/
[img] [/img]

Come on... break out those [b]Aggressive XC[/b] photos!

30 posts before someone said my most loathed phrase - "Back in the day" - somehow it always brings up an image of Gary Fisher looking smug.

Not a ridng expression (The just make me laugh) but the one that's like fingernails on a blackboard to me is when suspension is described as 'PLUSH'
Aaarrrggghhh!

Plush (from the Oxford Dictionary)

• noun - a rich fabric of silk, cotton, or wool, with a long, soft nap.

• adjective - informal expensively luxurious.

So it basically means 'soft'

I don't want soft suspension. That would be horrid. I want controlled, supple, taut.... etc
👿

All mountain makes me feel a bit funny but it does describe my riding (but faster than me).

Somebody on the old forum, cant remember who came up with drum 'n bass trail hooning. And I do like that.

Wow you guys must be the life and soul of any party. 😉

Btw send is originally an American climbing term, as in 'ascend' - apparently.

I have to admit some of the language on that Elbry blog is pretty ridiculous for someone from the uk, but why do people get so agitated about all this stuff?

I have to admit some of the language on that Elbry blog is pretty ridiculous for someone from the uk, but why do people get so agitated about all this stuff?

It's what we Brits do best. Ripping the piss out of lesser individuals.

My mates describe lines I take on rocky descents as "aggressive" after I informed them that there was no such thing as a "bad line" as long as you rode it with some style and without nearly or actually falling off.

I think it comes from my bump skiing days where I just used to hammer the fastest route directly down the fall-line. I use the same technique on my bike! :o)

Works for me. Word.

[list=1]@ flamejob - fair do's for "getting air" 😉 with those bar ends on !!! wouldnt have fancied landing on those bad boys if it all went a bit wrong !

Those Agressive urban vids are class!!

I had no idea Simon Ralli had a pro snowboarder wee brother 😉

Peaslake last year, overheard some xc guys (didn't seem particularly aggressive) talking about the Hindhead trails and Earthed 4, and how Brendan had had to 'over ride' them to make them look good on video?

WTF?! Presumably they didn't mean he rode them too much and were concerned about erosion, but something else - please help, or just let me carry on thinking they were talking do-do.

Yes, some terms used by da kidz (and grown upz) can be a bit annoying, but the more florid stuff is pure entertainment.

Wasn't there a quote from that Elbury character about "nailing sick acid lines" or something?

Brilliant!

'All Mountain'? 'Freeride'? WTF!!!!!!!!! 'Agressive XC'? Boils my piss

Lovin that picture flamejob, jumping with bar ends and a long stem - MBUK would have a heart attack!

neil853, think you should get your blood pressure checked. Honestly, out of all the things in the world to get angry about...

retro- no it's old

Clearly then, there are no bitter, insecure, xc jey boys on here?

Well I actually ride an Orange Five and wear baggy 3/4 lengths and ride allsorts so I'm not a stereotypical XCer.

It's just terms like AM and Aggresive XC and Freeride lite *yak* bring up visions of people on giant 6" bikes of death pottering round trail centres - which I'm fine with, I admit I'm probably too slow for my bike - but when you hear these same people talking about the extremes of their riding, it just makes me feel kinda dirty using those terms.

There's actual AM (Whistler Fall segment on Seasons DVD?) and then there's mainstream AM which is basically red runs at trail centres... lol

When people ask what I ride, I kinda just feel like saying 'bikes'

This thread smacks of manufactured indignance to me. Let's reverse it - does anyone describe their riding as "passive XC" and when getting to the bottom of the trail do they feel "extinguished"? Actually, don't answer that. 😉

Have to agree about the Pinkbike/Elbry house style being unintentionally amusing though. The Elbry press release actually referred to "[url= http://www.aquarterof.co.uk/acid-drops-p-438.html ]acid drops[/url]", which makes me think he was punting off giant boiled sweets.

I did once read a quite amusing post on pinkbike:

"I got my pitch and i've been doing sum dj and freeride on it Will it fall Apart?" if its lite freeride, it should be fine. i say stop djing and maybe do lite freeride, but stick to allmountain

Thing is, although it sounds silly, I do have some idea of the kind of riding they are talking about, without them having to explain it. It's just a shorthand, like using genre names to describe music.

If only we could harness the power of neil853's anger, we would have a renewable energy source capable of boiling a kettle of water every time somebody uses MTB slang... !

'ride it like you stole it' LOL 😆

GaryLake - Member

Clearly then, there are no bitter, insecure, xc jey boys on here?

Well I actually ride an Orange Five and wear baggy 3/4 lengths and ride allsorts so I'm not a stereotypical XCer.

It's just terms like AM and Aggresive XC and Freeride lite *yak* [b]bring up visions of people on giant 6" bikes of death pottering round trail centres[/b] - which I'm fine with, I admit I'm probably too slow for my bike - but when you hear these same people talking about the extremes of their riding, [b]it just makes me feel kinda dirty using those terms. [/b]

I think its fear of being seen as, and or repuslion by "those other types" which leads people to get their backs up. Careful you dont say you're "stoked" or someone might think you are trying to be cool, while you sit astride you 3000 pound bike with carefully co-ordinated anodized bits, in your nicely matching riding gear. At the trail centre. Which of course you can do on a rigid single speed......but you're not trying.

GaryLake - Member
There's actual AM (Whistler Fall segment on Seasons DVD?) and then there's mainstream AM which is basically red runs at trail centres... lol

When people ask what I ride, I kinda just feel like saying 'bikes'

Posted 3 minutes ago #

Whistler? All mountain? You mean the seasons section where Cameron McCaul, Steve Peat, Shandro, Vanderham etc are ripping down the hillside together doing insane jumps, tail whips etc all with amazing style and speed? Not to muddy the waters but I didnt think lift assisted dh/frreride trails counted as All Mountain. Surely, all mountain is just getting up the hill (almost as fast as the xc guys) and getting down it (almost as fast as the dh guys)?

At the end of the day as someone above has said - it's all just shorthand.

This is a sport in its infancy really and we are irrelevant in terms of pushing trends. Go to a bar in BC and start ridiculing the way people talk about riding why dont you, see how far you get.

@shinsplints Orange gave me the cowhorns with the frame, so I knida felt obliged to use them. That was actually taken during an XC race!

Rad!

Passive XC - Hell yeah, when out on a sunny day with the GF; stick a couple of baguettes in the shinpad holders on your camelbak and mooch up to the top of Holmbry Hill
[img] [/img]

(This is "Web 2.0" I will post images with all comments!) ---- aaaaagghhh Web 2.0 WTF does that mean??? Stop me!

they are all expressions from the baggy pant, too cool for school generation. people don't realise that these are terms dreampt up to create niche markets that were already covered?

why pigeon hole yourself? its all just mountain biking. do people honestly say they are going 'freeriding' at the weekend???!!!!

Elbry does 😛

But were all these terms dreamt up by annoying-spec-wearing marketing men in air conditioned offices?

I'd guess no, they probably come from riders (and sometimes journos) across the Atlantic. They just sound particularly ridiculous when repeated with a brummie accent.

neil853 - can you not cope with the idea that maybe different people do different types of riding, and that different bikes/gear are more or less suited to these types of riding?

It is indeed all mountain biking, but again, that's like people saying we shouldn't use genre names in music, because 'its all just music'.

*neil853 walks into a record shop, and asks for some music:

'what kind of music?'

'god why do we have to try and pigeonhole everything, jesus christ I'm so angry'.

😉

Neil853, if I told my friends I was going out on an "XC" or "mountain bike" ride at the weekend, when what I meant was having a few runs down the local DH course, it's quite possible that when I turned up on a big bouncy bike with pads and full-facer, and they had brought their lycra and rigid carbon fibre singlespeeds, that some or all of us would end up having quite an unsatisfactory experience. Whereas if I were to say "I'm going out to huck some gnarl" then it avoids any unpleasantness and gives everyone a good laugh.

War, famine, poverty, injustice, these are all things to get angry about. Slightly florid language is not in the same category.

GaryLake - Member

Clearly then, there are no bitter, insecure, xc jey boys on here?

Well I actually ride an Orange Five and wear baggy 3/4 lengths and ride allsorts so I'm not a stereotypical XCer.

It's just terms like AM and Aggresive XC and Freeride lite *yak* bring up visions of people on giant 6" bikes of death pottering round trail centres - which I'm fine with, I admit I'm probably too slow for my bike - but when you hear these same people talking about the extremes of their riding, it just makes me feel kinda dirty using those terms.

I think its fear of being seen as, and or repuslion by "those other types" which leads people to get their backs up. Careful you dont say you're "stoked" or someone might think you are trying to be cool, while you sit astride you 3000 pound bike with carefully co-ordinated anodized bits, in your nicely matching riding gear. At the trail centre. Which of course you can do on a rigid single speed......but you're not trying.

GaryLake - Member
There's actual AM (Whistler Fall segment on Seasons DVD?) and then there's mainstream AM which is basically red runs at trail centres... lol

When people ask what I ride, I kinda just feel like saying 'bikes'

Posted 3 minutes ago #

Whistler? All mountain? You mean the seasons section where Cameron McCaul, Steve Peat, Shandro, Vanderham etc are ripping down the hillside together doing insane jumps, tail whips etc all with amazing style and speed? Not to muddy the waters but I didnt think lift assisted dh/frreride trails counted as All Mountain. Surely, all mountain is just getting up the hill (almost as fast as the xc guys) and getting down it (almost as fast as the dh guys)?

At the end of the day as someone above has said - it's all just shorthand.

This is a sport in its infancy really and we are irrelevant in terms of pushing trends. Go to a bar in BC and start ridiculing the way people talk about riding why dont you, see how far you get.

Forgive me, I'm quite new here, a refugee if you like - perhaps I've spent too long on BikeRadar :-/

I'm going to go an All Mountain the sh*t out of the trails this weekend, I promise!

neil853 - Member

why pigeon hole yourself? its all just mountain biking. do people honestly say they are going 'freeriding' at the weekend???!!!!

No, I say Im going mountainbiking. To my girlfriend. But if I meet you in a pub and we start to discuss the matter, we're not going to get very far if we just keep saying "mountainbiking" are we.

I mountainbike.

Oh really, so do I.

Really? On a mountain?

Yes, and on a bike as well!

Do you go up the mountain and also down?

Yes I do, but I greatly prefer going down......

neil853 - Member
they are all expressions from the baggy pant, too cool for school generation. people don't realise that these are terms dreampt up to create niche markets that were already covered?

Wouldnt have anything to do with the sport evolving would it? Nah......its all just marketing. Anyone who rides a downhill bike must be a right bloody muppet then eh? I mean a rigid xc bike can go up and down a hill, who needs suspension eh? Bloody world cup dh numpties.

evoloution is part of any sport and especially one as young as ours, but things evolve with a need to find a solution to something? dics brakes, indexed gears, spd's. people walk into shops now that have been reading marketing bumph and MBUK and look straight at 'all mountain' bikes with 1.5" headsets and 7" travel and then ask for full body armour and lightweight full face helmets. i mean come on?

bikes have now evolved into fantastic things that on the whole offer good value for money and give great experiences. my point, which people like GNARGNAR seem to be taking a bit too heart (Freerider obviously?) is that people are sold an idea on a lifestyle and they admittadly do that then fair enough, but many of these people forget the routes of the sport and how its eveolved? many people have never heard of John Tomac and have always ridden in trail centres as Chipps said in one of his arcticles, and this is fine also, just not me

"Stoked!" is that not what you say when you need to put some more coal on the fire - "better stoke the fire", so i guess "stoked" is the past tense of stoking said fire. More to the point, what are you doing stoking a fire when your out riding! 👿

neil853 - Member
my point, which people like GNARGNAR seem to be taking a bit too heart (Freerider obviously?) is that people are sold an idea on a lifestyle and they admittadly do that then fair enough, but many of these people forget the routes of the sport and how its eveolved? many people have never heard of John Tomac and have always ridden in trail centres as Chipps said in one of his arcticles, and this is fine also, just not me

Posted 3 minutes ago #

That's your point? Reaaally? I think that point got completely lost in you bile spewing against youg folk who wear baggy troos and the marketing geniuses who force us to buy bikes we dont want.... As for me being a freerider......I might have been one when I was in Canada briefly, then somewhere over the Atlantic on my way home I became just a guy who prefers to push to the top rather than climb. "Sessioning" became "doing the same section repeadetly until I was satisfied that I had mastered it". "Gnarly" became "A challenging trail with a variety of difficult and challenging features, both natural and man made" And "Stoked" became "thouroughly delighted having succesfully enjoyed a fulfilling jaunt on my mountainbike".

JamieMc - Member
"Stoked!" is that not what you say when you need to put some more coal on the fire - "better stoke the fire", so i guess "stoked" is the past tense of stoking said fire.

Exactly, the metaphorical fire within oneself. Stokedness is the supreme state of existence. To be stoked is to be enlightened. Obviously one can only achieve the state of being stoked having mastered something "gnarly". Christ you people know nothing.

But I will teach you.

I've never heard of John Tomac, and I bought a full face helmet for riding (downhill?) in the alps this summer - is that allowed? Can you help please, I'm confused.

It's all covered by either XC or Downhill. Alternatively hoppity gubbins or going for a ride will also cover it.
All else is just the b@st@rd child of management speak. Any one for low hanging fruit? 😀

hey someone else who speaks sense! ha ha

lol look at the lot of you, this is such a funny thread - the number of puckered people bent out of proportion due to a phrase - only on STW 🙂

Agressive is a perfectly acceptable term, meaning to really attack a trail - it differs from the way your non-mtb mates would ride the same trail, both are mountain biking but you need to make some sort of distinction between the two "that rider is mountain biking, that other one is riding more agressively". Some superlightweight components are good for XC but would be less suitable for an agressive rider who may break them by using different methods. Have you seen the way the olympic XC riders ride - other than fitness they appear to lack all trail skill and "flow", they dont ride agressively.

While I agree that girl that got wiped out by a truck in the US/Canada the other week sounded a tool when she kept saying "like... like.... yeah it was gnarly", there's no reason that the phrases cant be used in a "correct" place.

As someone who's grown up with the sport over decades I find the segregation a little odd, but then I do have a DH bike, an XC bike and a trials bike. I dont like the "lifestyles" that are sold with it, but then I dont jump to the conclusion that anyone using those terms is buying the lifestyle and a knob - that would just be petty and childish. As a kitesurfer too we use similar phrases and I do actually quite like the lifestyle of kitesurfers but I dont "try to be" one - thats just how I am naturally and how the sport (which is very much a solo sport) leasds you to be - calm, laid back, wear certain clothes (as they're useful) etc...

Sandwich - why the need for the term 'downhill'? Surely XC also includes downhill?

what coffeeking said

I like the references to 'Passive XC'. I ve done a bit of that myself....

[img] [/img]

[i]Wouldnt have anything to do with the sport evolving would it? Nah......its all just marketing. Anyone who rides a downhill bike must be a right bloody muppet then eh? I mean a rigid xc bike can go up and down a hill, who needs suspension eh? Bloody world cup dh numpties. [/i]

Christ man, calm down! The XC jeyboys have got under your skin. It's all a bit silly really: it's not as if they're terms that originate in mountainbiking - they've been borrowed from surfing, skateboarding, etc. It might be 'native' across the pond but can sound a bit forced even with a US accent. Over here it does suffer a tad from 'white rapper' syndrome or 'middle class chav' or little boy in mummy's clothes. And when that happens it's hilarious.

How about passive/aggressive XC?

[i]'ride it like you stole it' LOL [:lol:] [/i]
Now, I'd imagine that meant riding slowly and inconspicuously, so as to not draw attention to one's self, before hiding the bike for a while until the heat is off, then flogging it down the boozer for a monkey, or a weasel if it's a hardtail.

Any of the Freeride/All Mountain/Trail 'pigeonholing' bolox as before. Look, there are 3 kinds of riding, basically.
1) Cross Country
2) Downhill
3) ****ting around on a few bits of wood you've nailed to a perfectly good tree, with the waist of your jeans somewhere around your knees. Before going back to your job as a marketing executive.

I like BigDummy's phrase "ambient jeycore lite" too.

Take note everyone, it's going to be all about passive XC in '09. Tartan rugs are the new body armour, and travel pillows are the new neck braces.

Bi - Polar XC ? 🙂

How about passive/aggressive XC?

I prefer passive XC with agressive cake eating.

I prefer passive XC with agressive cake eating.

Sign me up for that 😀

Why do you feel the need to pigeonhole cake eating into aggressive and non-aggressive, its all cake eating at the end of the day. In fact, its just eating, which is a necessary process of life, so why not just call it living, and stop pigeonholing it into all these different so-called 'activities'? 😛

LOL @ EVERYONE who has got even slighly anoyed/upset about this thread.

Lets go ride.

AndyP -

Any of the Freeride/All Mountain/Trail 'pigeonholing' bolox as before. Look, there are 3 kinds of riding, basically.
1) Cross Country
2) Downhill
3) ****ting around on a few bits of wood you've nailed to a perfectly good tree, with the waist of your jeans somewhere around your knees. Before going back to your job as a marketing executive.

Boooo...hisssss...marketing executives. I hate professional people doing sports....yeah, they are probably retarded and cant build for toffee, pah. Nailing bits of wood to trees. Not like those good old xc'ers who build such good trails. I know lots of those guys, the way they stand around and point out potential obstacles that "could be removed from trails" "if someday they could be bothered to carry a saw". That's essence of mountainbiking right there.

If there are 3 tyes of mountain biking as you say, please explain to me what this is?

[img] [/img]
(using the word mountainbike is inadmissible as an answer)

[i]please explain to me what this is?[/i]

A bicycle. Ride it and enjoy. Simple.

"Ambient XC lite" is my description of what I do. Sounds better than " wandering around the countryside looking at the view" recently I was jumping my xc bike with mary bars but wearing a pisspot lid - is theat freeriding?