Are you a groomed rider?

Real mountain biking involves carrying your bike for 15 miles along some god-forsaken dashed red line on a map and the odd bit of pedalling.

Real Lakes mountain biking involves carrying your bike for 15 miles along some god-forsaken dashed red line on a map and the odd bit of pedalling.

FTFY

The modern day dhiller prefers smooth arse tracks taking away what mountain biking really is!

There’s a whole bunch of people who’ll tell you that downhill isn’t “proper” mountain biking regardless because you don’t (usually) ride up the hills. It’s some sort of cheat’s option innit.

Which just goes to show, there are as many varying tastes in idiocy as there are tastes in riding.

Real mountain biking? Well let’s nail it down – if you ain’t riding on a mountain, it’s not mountain biking, and if you are it is.

This has the quite horrific consequence that riding a road bike on tarmac in the alps is mountain biking, whereas riding a mountain bike on the Quantocks isn’t.

How d’ya like that?

The modern day dhiller prefers smooth arse tracks taking away what mountain biking really is!

That’s quite a statement.

I suggest you go & watch some ‘old school’ DH video’s & then watch something a bit more recent, of say Val Di Sole or Champery.

How d’ya like that?

Just a tag innit? A rose by any other name….
I generally tell people that I “go out on by bicycle” rather than “go mountain biking” anyhoo.

I never even ride in them places! full of ruperts dressing up like storm troopers thinking they can ride!

How was the Innerleithen Enduro?

Trail centres usually have ice cream or cakes at the end of the run whereas bridleways and rocky descents do not. Calippo or mr whippy ftw

pussywillow – Member
Seems that mountain biking is taking a turn for the worse with all this 29er shite and marketing bs, but recently started to notice new trails being built are all super smooth berm baby berm with the odd feminine jump! I mean come on guys!! what ever happened to real riding steep n techie, that is what mountain biking is surely?? I could do most of these modern day downhill tracks on me bloody bmx for christ sakes!
So basically got me thinking about what riders want?
Is it groomed or is it tech? over to you!

POSTED 20 HOURS AGO #

You are awesome!.

Saying that, you’ve used one example of a trail, berm baby berm, which is in a trail centre. Tis you who is groomed, no me.

PW,your mum’s calling you in for tea.Fishfingers and mash!!!
Make sure you wash your hands.
Now run along.

I wonder if Pussywillow is an option it the Dirt fantasy league.

Groomed trails = trail centres not particularly good trails just a false sense of mtbiking led by the industry thus keeping it ticking over buy a 6″ travel hike a bike mini dh bike n ride the trail centres eh,whereas a good road bike would do the trail centre just fine n dandy I kid you not

Yes ohhh yes the majority and yes I say the majority of young spunkers(downhillers) seem to think its all about the smooth ass tracks n jumps ;0S
With their full on dh bike and neck brace is what their led to believe is what they need ca Ching !

A lot of groomed riders around here, they are fast on lovely groomed manmade trails but the moment it goes natural ie rooty, rocky, branches on ground more than an 2in wide, ruts, washout etc they are stuffed.

Yes ohhh yes the majority and yes I say the majority of young spunkers(downhillers) seem to think its all about the smooth ass tracks n jumps

So what if they do? Who honestly gives a shit? If they like the smooth trails then they can damn well ride them.

Seriosuly, get over yourself.

I´d love a day off on some smooth machine built trails.
We don´t really have so much of that round here, miles of singletrack and scary descents but not so many hip-high berms.

It´s like everything else in life, you have to mix things up a bit now and then not to get bored.

To answer the OP, no, not groomed but then again I´ve never had that choice. If I was starting out today the nearest trail centre would be my first stop.

Screw people that whinge smooth, groomed stuff because it’s not “gnar” enough.

They normally whinge because they’re pretty terrible on a bike and need to plow over rough stuff to get some kind of reward.

If anything, it’s harder to be noticeably better (whether it be faster or come up with something interesting) on smooth groomed stuff, that’s where people with that certain something are the only people that really shine.

It’s all bikes though, steep rough stuff is fun, flowy smooth jumps and berms are fun, a track that’s a mixture of the two is really fun.

Also screw all the MTB jumps that MTBers are into being no more than nipple height, i’ve no time to build that stuff, someone go build it for me. All the MTB jumps i find, the landings are always lower than the takeoff, rubbish that.

Trail centres usually have ice cream or cakes at the end of the run whereas bridleways and rocky descents do not. Calippo or mr whippy ftw

You’re doing it wrong. Find out where the cake and coffee stops are around the area and plan the route accordingly. Coffee/Tea and cake in the middle of a big off-road ride FTW. 😉

Whilst i wouldn’t want to only ride trail centres, folks who think them boring confuse me. Are they riding somewhere else? Or are are they just bimbling around really slowly? Lay off the brakes, pump and pedal like a banshee. Ride fast enough so you can hop every rock, clear every mini-table or double, and rail the top edge of every berm – then tell tell me again that it’s boring and I’ll call you a liar [in a jokey poke-you-playfully-in-the-ribs kinda way]

Nobeerinthefridge – Memberpussywillow – MemberSeems that mountain biking is taking a turn for the worse with all this 29er shite and marketing bs, but recently started to notice new trails being built are all super smooth berm baby berm with the odd feminine jump! I mean come on guys!! what ever happened to real riding steep n techie, that is what mountain biking is surely?? I could do most of these modern day downhill tracks on me bloody bmx for christ sakes!So basically got me thinking about what riders want?Is it groomed or is it tech? over to you!POSTED 20 HOURS AGO #You are awesome!.Saying that, you’ve used one example of a trail, berm baby berm, which is in a trail centre. Tis you who is groomed, no me.POSTED 5 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

cheers nob, but I do work hard at it and to be honest these new groomed tracks haven’t been much help to me honing the skills..I also don’t think they can be much help to the young up and coming riders and this is my point!

The modern day dhiller prefers smooth arse tracks taking away what mountain biking really is!

I wish a was as awzome as u r!

So what if they do? Who honestly gives a shit? If they like the smooth trails then they can damn well ride them.
Seriosuly, get over yourself.

Spunkers need to realise there’s more to riding than trail centres and manicured dh tracks as they are the future

Time of the month ? 😀

All the local downhill boys around my way seem to build them all smooth with berms and kickers, I wouldn’t class it as mountain biking but each to there own, it was fun to ride down but not exactly challenging, I wouldn’t want to do it on a hefty big bike!

Or you could try something a bit ‘out there’ and ride to a trail centre via natural stuff, taking in quiet lanes, bridle ways, mountain passes and Roman roads, have a nice bite to eat at the cafe, perform much gnar shredness and maximum velocity attacks round said ‘groomed’ trail centre and pootle off home again via coastal paths and country lanes.

Couldn’t agree more about Minor Taur at CYB, it’s a great trail for all abilities, great to learn on, cracking smooth switchback berm section, rollers, mini tables, unbermed corners that require careful line choice at speed, and fast as you like – got a rather good Strava time too 😉

But then again sections such as Glide and Pins & Needles are cracking too, for their off camber rooty bits and prolonged rock slab sections respectively.

As me and my mate said yesterday after riding MBR, Coch, Minor Taur and the apple bite one at CYB, Llandegla don’t arf make you soft 😆

Just as a contrast we’re off to Macc Forest & The Goyt Valley for an all dayer with a mix of everything.

Oh yeah we were both on 29’ers with minimal travel, and I shall be the same on Sunday, I may not be the radest or fastest on fast techy stuff on my industry led FS 29’er but then again I enjoy everything I ride form supergroomed trail centres to mountain passes and bridle ways, it’s just riding bikes afterall

ron70 – Member

All the local downhill boys around my way seem to build them all smooth with berms and kickers

People normally build the stuff that doesn’t exist already. If you want to ride over a bunch of rocks or roots or steeps, you just go where they are. But if you want to ride a jump, someone’s got to build it. Especially for the keen ones who’re out to actually practice and improve- a shonky jump in the woods is to mountain biking what a driving range is to golf.

I reckon a day of playing on smooth berms and jumps would teach me more about bike handling skills than a typical rocky point-and-shoot descent. Loose, rocky and uneven berms and jumps is the Holy Grail 🙂

What about an un point and shoot rocky techy downhill twisty like ?

stilltortoise – MemberI reckon a day of playing on smooth berms and jumps would teach me more about bike handling skills than a typical rocky point-and-shoot descent. Loose, rocky and uneven berms and jumps is the Holy Grail POSTED 22 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

maybe you ain’t riding down technical enough descents! 😉

All I see is ruperts with all the gear n protection riding smooth stuff then as soon as they get onto something moderately technical they get off and push!!! 😆
Wtf’s that all about?? big bike n smooth trail tells me the industry is fobbing them off! 😆
tis generally the southern ex stu’dy accent types! 😆

If they are having fun who gives a ****?

Any trail is technical if you ride it fast enough. Otherwise Forumla 1 racing would be piss easy.

Any trail is technical if you ride it fast enough

This^

If they are having fun who gives a ****?

…and this^

maybe you ain’t riding down technical enough descents!

Maybe you aren’t pushing yourself very hard and fast on the groomed stuff you’re trolling protesting about 😉

[/quote]molgrips – Member
Any trail is technical if you ride it fast enough. Otherwise Forumla 1 racing would be piss easy.

POSTED 3 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

What a load of shite! 😆
Takes more skill to ride something technical fast than it does smooth groomed bmx Rupert loving tracks!! 😆

Any trail is technical if you ride it fast enough

is true

Takes more skill to ride something technical fast than it does smooth groomed bmx Rupert loving tracks!!

is also true

Therefore

What a load of shite!

…is not a relevant conclusion but is a smooth groomed bmx Rupert loving troll. Let’s see some proper technical trolling that requires skill please.

So……….. some people may be better than others at mountain biking. So what?

What’s a rupert? Analogous to a Fred roadie?

trail centers are what keeps it ticking over,they have help benefit the bike world thus creating more jobs and sales.

groomed trails as the op calls it is what riding is all about imo.