Come on then, what aren’t you good at MTB wise?

For me:

I totally suck at jumping

Not sure why, i’ve read all the books, watched plenty of you-tube, even been coached by the Jedi, and still, i really can’t get “up” off the floor ;-(

Hopping to the left. Right is fine, left is a no go.

Flat corners. It’s actually downright embarassing, considering I am not bad otherwise.

Rock Gardens….

I know the theory and I can do them, an unknown trail will have me panicking if I know there is a rock garden somewhere in it and a known trail will see Steeling myself at least 4-500 yrds before tackling it.

For me they are and always will be my “Bete Noir”

…all of it.

but I don’t care, it’s just messing about on bikes.

M’ing TFU and actually going out in bad weather.

Pedalling

Jumping. Constant fear of getting it badly wrong and ending up in hospital. Even though I have hit some decent jumps and had no bother.

.. the rock gardens on the red route at Cannock.

cycled all over the lakes incl Helvellyn down dollywaggon and the borrowdale bash and had little or no issues cycling over rocks but that small section at the top of the monkey just gets me, don’t know why. Now I don’t even bother and take the grey coward run.

What I don’t suck at would be a far shorter list. In fact I’m struggling to think of anything to put on it (I suppose I’m quite decent at fireroad climbs).

wheelies / manuals

Steep trails. I’ve often tried to rationalise it that being tall, my bikes aren’t set up right (as I do tend to like a lowish front end) but I suspect that I’m just chicken and rubbish.

Blind drops, gaps and exposure. Basically I’m scared of heights!

Steep descents always freak me out. The ones where once you go over the edge, there’s no turning back.

Off camber rocks and roots especially in the wet.

technical stuff: turning on steep trails, especially where there’s only one line to take
brave stuff: drops – they take a lot of building up to for me – I can do other ballsy stuff like gap jumps, exposed stuff, roots, etc. but drops always give me the fear

i used to be good at pretty much everything but spending less time on the bike nowadays leaves me with less time to brush up on the skills and therefore knocks my confidence.
also as i get older i find myself doing more risk assessments in my mind before tackling the more gnarly stuff and my physical conditioning isnt anywhere near as good as it used to be due to age and old injuries catching up with me…

so i’m pretty poo nowadays on the bike (but in my dreams i kick ass!!)…but i love it all the same.

Yep, deffo jumping. A few years ago I did a few ladder drops (up to 6ft) and found them OK. I also had no issue with the many (admittedly small) doubles at Carron Valley. Since then I’ve sort of convinced myself that I can only get airborne on features that are man-made. I seem to stick to the ground like superglue on “natural” trails. A few too many crashes in the last 2 or 3 years have not helped build confidence.

Wheelies/manuals are nothing other than perfunctory ways of avoiding an obstacle rather than cool tricks to impress my kids. I suppose I’m not as good at trusting my tyres when cornering either; too defensive.

Plenty of work to do then 😆

drop offs – left half my face at Cathkin 6 weeks ago 🙁

Climbs on loose gravel and/ or roots. Back wheel spins out, resulting in a quick unclip and dab.

Riding one handed while holding a coffee. 😳

wheelies / manuals

this

Please explain how this works

I totally suck at….. Fitness, it’s sooo bad. I’m not a bad rider for the first 30 seconds. 😆

Jumps too. Absolutely no idea what I should be doing, so I avoid them.

Used to do a lot of jumping on BMXs when I was younger. Nothing fancy. I maybe braved the odd one hander or no footer. Most of it just involved clinging on for dear life, I suppose mainly because I wasn’t very good at it. But still, we used to get some height out of those jumps. Yet I’ve never been able to bring myself to jump a proper set of doubles. Not even baby ones.

In fact, anything scary I suck at.

Steep alpine switchbacks can’t get my head round them properly and there’s nowhere really in the uk to practice them.

Jumping still squash everything and drops above waist height gives me the heebie jeebies.

Anything with wheels more than 12″ off the ground. Broke my collarbone one the most modest looking jump. At least I can make up for it uphills with fitness 😈

Peddling. Especially uphill. Seriously I am just crap at it.

I can sprint down hills but going up I am terrible. It doesn’t help that I have pretty strong lower back pain and being in a climbing position really hurts.

mrhoppy
Steep alpine switchbacks can’t get my head round them properly and there’s nowhere really in the uk to practice them.

I wish some trail centre would build some proper, steep, arse clenching real Alps spec switchbacks so we could practise! 😉

I wish some trail centre would build some proper, steep, arse clenching real Alps spec switchbacks so we could practise!

Ride down some of the Cannock climbs in the dark whilst drunk and you might recreate a little of that Alpine vibe 😉

Gap jumps, any size, just hate them.

And wheelies/manuals.

and riding up, and riding down in wet, and anything that requires any kind of fitness, and………….. 😳

Jumping for me too. I’m ok with small-medium drop offs (done the biggest of the three on the last descent at Inners) but I’m rubbish at actual jumps. The take-offs always feel too steep to me.

Really steep Alpine switchbacks I struggle with too. And in fact pretty much everything at Revolution Bike Park.

maxtorque – a day at BPW and we will become amazing! 🙂

Jumps, drops, corners, manuals, wheelies and going fast.

my wife says……giving Bjs!

I was propper shit trying to ride Half Cut at BPW on saturday in the piss pouring rain.
Not even near to riding it. 🙄
How slippy are those exposed roots in the wet. 😯

jekkyl – Member

my wife says……giving Bjs!
😯

grum – Member
Jumping for me too. I’m ok with small-medium drop offs (done the biggest of the three on the last descent at Inners) but I’m rubbish at actual jumps. The take-offs always feel too steep to me.
Really steep Alpine switchbacks I struggle with too. And in fact pretty much everything at Revolution Bike Park.
maxtorque – a day at BPW and we will become amazing!

Pfft you and your going riding to get better, I’m gonna buy me some skill, to CRC/Merlin/Wiggle (delete as appropriate).

being

Rad
Stoked
Sick
Gnarly
Grranarcore
Mincing

generally a mountainbiker…………….

8)

Drops over a couple of feet
Gaps
Blind and poorly sighted stuff
Wheelies and manuals

The first two are linked psychologically t and practically to the fourth.

The third is my low mental processing speed and slow reaction time.

I am generally a bit rubbish but love my riding and I guess 1,2 and 4 would be my wish list.

XC racing.