Glentress – Did everyone forget their manners?

Often when beginners crash it seems serious to them, but little more than slapstick comedy to others, this sounds like a perfect example.

Sheesh 🙄 . Do you laugh when toddlers fall over too?

No, I punt them through the nearest window into a skip filled with pitbulls and broken glass as I’m incapable empathy.

Just the way of the world these days if my weekend in The Lakes was anything to go by. Mostly car drivers who couldn’t wait a couple of seconds and allow a bit more room to pass, although the bus driver in Staveley on Sat night was just as bad. Grumpy bar maid that went to the Basil Fawlty school of charm but missed the bit about humour and a few walkers who had forgotten how to say hello. Coming down Garburn Pass I was halfway back in our group and thought the first three guys may have given a couple with two young kids a fright, so when we stopped at the gate I waited for them and held the gate open and apologised in case we frightened them. The wee lad said no he hadn’t been frightened and we then had a great chat about a unicyclist that had also been down that day and how he was going to be getting a new bike soon , without stabilisers. It made up for anybody that didn’t return our hello’s. Off to Glentress later today and will give a hello to anybody that wants it.

stevenmenmuir I saw the Unicyclist on Gaburn too- with a lass on a bike? Where were you then? You must have been in the group with girls in who we passed on the way down?

We never saw the unicyclist unfortunately. Would have loved that. It was probably about twelve when the six of us made it to the top of Garburn.

Yep he was about a mile ahead of you. I stiopped/pulled over on my descent to let one of you r group climb a technical bit first.

Eeeee I feel all smug now considering the title of the thread! 😀

We havn’t started on cars driving up the road at GT @ 40mph kicking up dust…
Bob, hope your mrs is ok to keep riding….

Mtb has definitely become less friendly as it has become more popular. But that’s normal right.

I remember when I were a lad, I could ride all day at glentress and not see a single other mountain biker. No hassles at all, although it was 80% fireroad.

These days afan is my local and you do meet a few people who aren’t the friendliest. Some people just aren’t used to speaking to strangers but most will chat if you rant at them for long enough.

Overall I do think the sport benefits from its popularity. And there’s still lots of places to ride if you want to get away from it all.

Sorry to hear about the crash.

Also a member of Newcastle Mountain Bike Club, distressed that FoxyChick mentioned the clubs name in this thread, considering the amount of times we have stopped to help people with crashes and injuries, breakdowns and parts at our own expense and the amount of work our club does for the sport and getting people out on bikes. But what really troubles me is the fact that you then go on to insult the riders fitness? Maybe you should look at yourself before critisising others. It’s a cold day in hell when any of our people are not polite or helpfull.

Back on subject, never met a bad our ignorant biker yet, there’s always a bad egg somewhere though so why show suprise when it happens?just get up off the ground, get back on your bike and ride off to meet the other 99.9% out there that are decent!

Can I go back to the point that if you had had the manners to let your wife go first down the trail then non of this would have happened

Lets hope the lack of manners or courtesy is in the minority, I always say hello or stop if I see anybody in trouble. A month or two ago coming down the only steep descent on the Marin a women had an over the bars incident and she had hurt her nose and there was a fair bit of claret, although she was with a group of 4 guys I still stopped and got out my first aid kit and gave her some antiseptic wipes and made sure she was ok and showed them the quickest route back to the car park. I would do the same even if it had been some tosser with no manners barging past me on the trail then coming a cropper, would question there manners though!

djglover – Member

Can I go back to the point that if you had had the manners to let your wife go first down the trail then non of this would have happened

This is a good point.

Can I go back to the point that if you had had the manners to let your wife go first down the trail then non of this would have happened

🙄

Actually brains, we were taking turns about going in front so I could watch her to see how she was doing and then when I was in front I would ask her to watch me so she could learn.

If you bothered to read my original post instead of skimming over it, you would have noticed that in the first incident I was in front and in the second one I was behind.

For the people who wouldn’t bother to stop etc, this just speaks volumes about the type of person you are. Unfortunately the swear filter on here doesn’t allow me to put it in writing…

To be honest when a post comes to the point where riders are becomming threatening to each other and abusive then it’s about time it was locked. All objectivity has gone now so the discussion is pointless. Move on and enjoy your life, don’t sit here playing forum warrior

😆

Who’s threatening anyone?

Good point on those racing upto the play area. You’d almost think they werent actually riders themselves the way some drive past you

It’s not just Glentress, I came across a similar kind of person @ Llandegla the other week.

I was having a mare of a day, and on the long board walk bit, the back wheel span out and I lost all momentum resulting in a foot down and a start again. I actually stepped off the board walk so the riders behind me could pass.

The bloke who was about 3 inches behind me also had to stop, he looked at me as if I’d completly runied his life!!

I then laughed to myself as he couldn’t get back on his bike and into a pedalling motion, hehe

I always make sure I go right up behind people if they hold me up when I’m descending (which is all the time) so that I buzz their tyre. Eventually they fall off and I laugh, safe in the knowledge they will never be as good as me.

Ah Amy you and me are kindred spirits. We must jump in the air and bang chests together soon!

Kinda half agree with the man no-one else agrees with. THe OP says his missus is inexperienced, so surely a green/blue run would be a better starting point. {never been to this place btw – assuming there are easier graded runs more suited to beginners??)

Anyway, hope the good lady isn’t too put off, and next time picks a route more suited to her abilities.

No one gets molly coddled

Lulz. “Molly coddled”. Come in 1980s, your time is up.

Well Bob, you are asking for the swear filter to be removed which looks like you want to verbally abuse someone on here and Richieboy wants a photo of someone so he can give them grief on page two. Somehow this post has managed to abuse, threaten and demonise not only the three people who did not help your wife and ‘youngsters’ but also a trail centre that many people have toiled over for years to make one of the best in the world.

People should help others but please consider that them guys could have been doing 40mph on a tricky section and not even noticed her where she was, it’s possible is it not? Consider this before we get a three page hate thread

40mph? At glentress. Maybe your freeride speedometer needs recalibrating 😆

Thats what I though DJ. The only place you could do 40 mph unless you really are a DH god is on the forestry road

Sigh

I’d just like to add my tuppenceworth here. I think it’s kind of sad that there are a lot of people getting very het up over this subject. To be fair, the three fellas weren’t under any obligation to stop, it would have just been good manners to do so. Personally, I’ve been mtn biking for a long time and, I’m into the sport to get outside and enjoy the countryside. Yes, I like to push my skills when I’m out but, if I see someone hurt or having a mechanical, I ask if they’re OK. If you can’t spare two seconds out of your life to do that, you really need to ask yourself if going as fast as you can all the time you’re on your bike to the exclusion of others represents the kind of person you want to be. If so, good luck to you … I just wouldn’t necessarily buy you a pint in the pub.

On the subject of GT, I’ve ridden there since before it had any official trails and I’ve got to say I love the place (even now after all these years). Yeah, there are people who could do with taking a quick look at their attitude but, they’ve still got some of the nicest trails out there. I’m living in Oz at the moment and I miss my Friday afternoons doing the black. Inners is bloody good too BTW.

I dont take my missus Mountain Biking because of this she doesnt fall off, get knocked off and finally cause me to start what ends up after initial sympathy a tetchy and argumentative thread.
But then again I do like the easy life.
🙄

not read all the replies but riding a mountain bike does not suddenly make you part of a caring, sharing community. Indeed, complete **** ride around on bikes all the time as is shown in boardingbob’s wife’s experience. I’m lead to believe that even people in marketing and sales ride bikes sometimes, perhaps it was these people who ignored her. After all, there was no money to be made from stopping to help her.

lol samurai, now theres a sweeping statement!

Oxboy:

lol samurai, now theres a sweeping statement!

It’s what STW is built on.

Well Bob, you are asking for the swear filter to be removed which looks like you want to verbally abuse someone on here and Richieboy wants a photo of someone so he can give them grief on page two. Somehow this post has managed to abuse, threaten and demonise not only the three people who did not help your wife and ‘youngsters’ but also a trail centre that many people have toiled over for years to make one of the best in the world.

People should help others but please consider that them guys could have been doing 40mph on a tricky section and not even noticed her where she was, it’s possible is it not? Consider this before we get a three page hate thread

😆

You’re a veiny throbber.

Wow, very mature,abusing me now?

You are obviously not interested in another opinion, I can see now that you just came on here to rant and rage and for everyone here to go “there there Bob it must have been horrible for you”

When you finally pick up the toys you have thrown out of your pram hopefully you and your wife can enjoy riding again.

I’ll not bother reading this thread again, it’s pointless.

Bob: Hope it hasn’t put your mrs off!! My wife had a fairly nasty one at Afan (long walk back on busted ankle). We had at least 10 blokes stop to see if we were ok, offering first aid, food etc. One even gave us his map so that we could find a shorter way back on the fireroads. There are plenty of good folk out there, perhaps it is just certain centres as both Afan and Cwmcarn seem to be full of lovely folk…

May I suggest riding behind, it kind of helps the situation if you’re there when it happens… 🙂

it’s irrelevant which trail centre it happened at.

spent 6 hours on the trails at GT yesterday and it was possibly the friendliest place I could have spent a bank holiday Monday at.

pantsonfire – Glad you ride in the dales. The reason that there was no one in Settle is because they were all in Swaledale, fantastic rides and brilliant weather. Great coffee and cakes at Dales Bike Centre to, Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe just does not have the quality of coffee.

PS I have no connection with Stu Price at all But Brenda does make great cakes.

Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe just does not have the quality of coffee.

that is certainly the truth!

mrsflash – whenever I get there I’d normally eat and drink anything but not there coffee, in fact had I found a weeping young lady by the side of a trail it would be an insult to offer said coffee from Settles premier eatery.