Reading and replying to this thread has made me realise that not everyone on here is a gnarr-shredding riding god, with the lung capacity of Red Rum, the stamina of your average sled-pulling husky and the bike handling prowess of Dougie Lampkin (ask your dad). Not everyone looks fear in the eye, knees it in the balls and shags it’s Mrs. Some of us are, actually, a bit crap.

Are you the kind of rider who meets their riding buddies at the top, who picks their way down stuff that others seem to fly down, who, let’s be honest, gets off and walks stuff that others ride with ease? Me too. With that in mind, I am thinking of forming the Rubbish and Unfit Cyclists Kindness and Understanding Society. RUCKUS for short.

RUCKUS will offer a safe space to be a bit rubbish, and, hopefully, we can organise a few rides where we can all be a bit crap together. Who’s in?

My user name says it all. I’m in.

I’m in, no skill whatsoever

I would but I lack your confidence.

bike handling prowess of Dougie Lampkin (ask your dad)

Bloody hell Kickstart and Junior Kickstart were brilliant programs!!

I’m in @IHN. I feel I more than meet the membership criteria as no doubt a fellow forumite will fully attest to

I’m not great at downhill, tend to ‘take my time’ but I’ve not been doing serious MTB for that long, and I’ve bits missing from my spine.

I’m OK uphill, but two of my riding buddies are seriously quick road cyclists, who MTB also, so keeping up with them uphill is a struggle, and one is a nutcase downhill.

I’ll join !

Could we just push our expensive bikes to the pub and get drunk in the beer garden whilst complementing each other on how nice our latest factory chris axs live valve king upgrade looks?

That’s the essence of mountain bike for me.

Perfect for me – no skills, no fitness and poor heart health!

I don’t have any riding buddies though.

I’m in – bring the RUCKUS!!!

With a couple of years of intensive training I might one day be good enough to be considered for RUCKUS membership.

bike handling prowess of Dougie Lampkin (ask your dad)

As an aside, I ride past Dougie Lampkin’s house fairly regularly. He’s got a very big trials area built in his front garden.

And I met Martin Lamkin and Malcolm Rathmell at the Church Tavern sections at Pontsticill sometime in the late seventies.Amazing to meet your heroes as a child.

May I refer you to @pook’s concept of the Peak Pootle

Peaks Pootle – blimey

1) if you’re fast, hold the gates and count the folks through
2) if you’re slow – have something to talk about with the other 20 people with you
3) bring cake
Pootles aren’t a typical ‘group ride’. I started them ‘cos I hated being the person at the back. I wanted a group ride for the people at the back. There aren’t any people at the back in a pootle.

Aye, I suppose RUCKUS would be the spiritual successor to the Pootle.

Can I bring my E Bike and give you buggers something to chase 😬😬😬😬😬

bike handling prowess of Dougie Lampkin (ask your dad)

I used to watch Arthur Lampkin on the telly on a Saturday (scrambling).

I like it. Been riding for 30 years and still can’t manual consistently. Intimidated by small log drops.

As someone who’s always erred on the side of caution, I have noticed a correlation amongst people I’ve known/know, between ‘fearlessness’ and injury (sometimes quite serious). A couple of people I know who were keen skateboarders as youngsters, and suffered quite serious head injuries, now display symptoms that could well be attributed to brain injury. As a kid, I was always far happier to let someone else hurt themselves, in order to learn. And it’s all the fearless kids who now seem to have those long lasting, sometimes quite debilitating, injuries and conditions. My own injuries have been relatively problematic, but I consider myself pretty lucky. My strategy for being able to continue enjoying life, is to perhaps take it a little more slowly, and not get hurt. The body doesn’t heal so well once you’re middle aged and above. I think RUCKUS is a great idea.

Been riding for 30 years and still can’t manual consistently.

The implication that you can manual at all points to a skillset above typical RUCKUS levels.

What’s a manual? Do we get a tufty club style badge?

What’s a manual

Its a book that tells you how to do things, I think

I’m in if there’s stickers😁.and cake there must be cake 🍰

It’s easy to get this wrong…here’s some help

Manual

Manuel

Yes! Even when I was at my best I wasn’t that good. And now I’m crap.
I used to attempt most things (and usually fail), but now my bottle has gone too.
And man, I could sprint up climbs! But now my heart is fecked, so I cant even do that!
Oh, but I still love it (and I ain’t getting no shitting ebike!)

Discretion is definitely on the increase round these parts.

I went for Swinley’s Kerbs of Doom the other day instead of the Drops of Doom as it was a bit quiet and if I cocked it up and hurt myself again, there was nobody there to help me.

Happy to attend any events held by the Southern Chapter of RUCKUS.

“. . .  Dougie Lampkin (ask your dad)”
Ask your dad?  I’m old enough to be Dougie’s mother!

At least if I came on a RUCKUS ride, you’d all realise that you’re a LOT better than you think you are.

I’m pretty good downhill, but my fitness has always been crap even when I tried my hardest for a while for it to increase. So uphills are slow. Very slow.
I go out to ride for fun though, have done for 30+ years, so I’m not too bothered.

Yep, count me amongst the ranks of RUKUS.

Happy to join in, I can show folk around the funner bits of Calderdale if you want rides to plan?

Hopeless is my middle name – I’m in! 🙂

Zero skills and very mediocre fitness here….up for a meet.

Count me in, I’m rubbish AND unfit

No, I’m not just a “bit” crap. Sign me up for life membership. Fitness isn’t bad for an old feller but I never had much bottle and you’d be amazed at some of the things I won’t attempt. But it’s OK, we have gravel biking now for people who want an excuse to ride tame trails 🙂

Shonky is my middle name,

RUCKUS sounds good to me, especially after a couple of crashes in the last couple of years have totally destroyed what little confidence and competence I may have had.

I used to be a brand ambassador and group ride leader for FLAB – Fat Lad at the Back – so I feel I have experience to offer….

yes to all of the op can i also join please 👍

ps don’t let my username fool you,i do not race in any way shape or form.

Here’s my application. I’m crap.
But I love it.

matt_outandabout

Shonky is my middle name

Another Dad “riding vicariously” ? 😀 Makes ya proud eh? Kid must’ve inherited those skillz from somewhere!

I’m here for this too – I’m ok fitness-wise but when it comes to anything remotely steep or rough I’m such a mincer

@nobbingsford finally a group we could be proud to be members of. Unlike Team Biketragic back in the day… 🤣