On a number of the hills in the peak, I’ve often been stuck behind blokes on motorbikes trundling down hills.

What’s the best way past?

(and how do they feel when a push bike overtakes them?) 😉

I’d suggest “in the nicest possible manner” cos they’ll get revenge on the next climb if you p!ss ’em off.

Overtake them at speed sideways one handed giving then the Loser sign at the same time, MXer pulled over shaking his head letting the rest of us pass.

The same way as you’d pass the many, many bimbling mountain bikers?

Of course, making a point of looking casual and nodding an acknowledgement as you pass them with your wheels at their shoulder height is always warmly welcomed.

The same way as you’d pass the many, many bimbling mountain bikers?

What, with a swift boot into the banking and a hearty laugh? MXers normally are a bit more bulky…

There’s a road descent in Bath where I regularly overtake cars.

I’ve overtaken a few motorbikes as well, really seems to piss them off*

* As a motorcyclist myself if a cyclist ever overtook me I’d be seriously upset and give myself a good talking to.

Sideways.

Yeah, this happens quite a lot. Does anyone remember that video of Gee Atherton (I think) racing an Enduro motocrosser down Ft Bill? I think Gee won in the end but it was very close. I can only conclude that the MXers that get overtaken by the likes of pushbike riders are very amateur.

Err Atherton (or whoever it was) “beat” David Knight; multi enduro world champion. He has proper bike skills. They should do a rematch at Erzburg

since when have you been passing trail bikers?

this isn’t another one of your tales where you get faster every time you tell it is it?

Superficial – Member

I can only conclude that the MXers that get overtaken by the likes of pushbike riders are very amateur.

Green laning is a very different thing to enduro, at any level. It’s not hard to pass a motorbike that’s not trying to go fast.

You must be a riding god…
This only happened once didn’t it?

podge – [video]http://vimeo.com/2895367[/video] here at about 1.27. Three years ago.

Rubbish vid content.

It’s not a question of being a riding god (even though I most certainly am), or flying past people and calling them losers etc….

It’s just how do you do it safely? How can you let them know you want to get past for example?

I don’t think you can in the sense that they have limited peripheral vision – especially with goggles on – and can’t hear much either thanks to covered ears. Unless they actively glance behind, they won’t see you ime.

I think all you can really do is make the call that they’ve committed to a line and aren’t going to meander into your path and then pass them as fast and safe as possible. No that I’ve ever passed anyone going downhill, but that’s how people overtake me. I think.

if it was me I’d probably do as I would with anyone else on a trail, pull over and wait till my run is clear or stay well behind out of harms way.

if its an inexperienced rider you could cause them to drop the bike which could result in anything from scratched paint to broken bones.

I’ve dropped my motorbike once and it wasn’t fun.

As it only happened once and it probably won’t ever happen again, I wouldn’t worry about it.
If however it ever does happen again (outside of your dreams) you’re probably better off just giving them a couple of minutes to clear the trail and then ripping after them, as you’ll only blocking them as soon as it heads uphill.

Pook -is there someone without a helmet pushing down the Beast in that video? I wouldnt walk down there without a lid! 🙂

fourbanger – have you got some kind of issue with me? Have you never been behind Mxers yourself going slowly downhill? Never caught up with anyone on a motorbike working their way down a trail, with, as BWD says, little or not peripheral vision to see or hear you coming? I don’t claim (without my tongue firmly in my cheek) to be a riding god, far from it, but I seem to have irked you this fine Sunday morning. But hey – I’m off out and I’d let you sit here griping yourself. 🙄

VDub – looks like it! didn’t even notice I was going SOOOOO FAST because I am a riding god. 😉

I don’t think you can in the sense that they have limited peripheral vision – especially with goggles on – and can’t hear much either thanks to covered ears. Unless they actively glance behind, they won’t see you ime.

You don’t ride motorbikes, do you? I can tell……. 🙂

What’s the secret then PP?

I’ve got nothing against you, I don’t know you, never (knowingly) met you. But your post has something reminiscent of those on car forums where the young chav or chavette claims to beat a (insert super car of choice) off the lights.
Not sure if trolling, but it’s pretty obvious how to deal with it. Especially if it’s a common occurrence as you imply.
And as for how mx (think you mean enduro…) riders feel, well, honestly, I doubt they’d really care. Same as the (insert super car of choice) driver feels when a shitbox Nova “beats” him off the lights.

Good story to tell down the pub or on an internet forum though.

Thought you were off out?

I’ve passed motorbikes on descents on numerous occasions and I’m a 30-something weekend warrior dad with a collection of very non-special bikes, rather than an international DH champion.

I also ride a motorbike. Motorbikes are great and have advantages, but riding a motorbike (& driving a car) quickly is easier uphill than down, mostly due to having to decelerate the large mass of the vehicle. A motorbike also takes more effort to turn and change direction, as opposed to a mountain bike that weighs almost nothing.

The husaberg wasn’t so bad but the XR600 is a bit of a handfull!
Sorry Pook, got a bit carried away there. Got a grump on as I can’t ride today…
It’s pretty hard to see or hear on a motorbike so just give them a few minutes is best.

Maybe try and make eye contact in his/her mirror, find a bit of space around them and belt it past? This can be accompanied by:

1. “Braaaaaaaap”.
2. High 5ing said MXer.
3. Waving in the same way as the Queen to suggest mockery.
4. Looking as relaxed as possible.
5. Dropping banana skins, firing turtle shells or that lightning thingy that shrinks everyone else as you lap them on the way round.

Ps. Most motorbikers, like most mtbers, will either be incapable of riding very quickly (ie. can’t ride for toffee) or just be happy with riding slowly (ie. can’t ride for toffee 😉 )

Not everybody is “ON IT” at all times. Probably a good thing, as the green lanes of the Peak would be very noise and totally ripped to bits if every motorbiker was giving it the beans at all times.

if it was me I’d probably do as I would with anyone else on a trail, pull over and wait till my run is clear or stay well behind out of harms way.

Agree with that – although perhaps not if they’re on Bridleways where they shouldn’t be, ripping up the ground and making a stink.

Funnily enough I’ve recently met quite a few motorbikes on bridalways in the Peak, they’ve always been on ones that can sustain the traffic and been polite and chatty. I have no problem with these motorbikers.

On the whole I have no problem, some of them seem nice, and I can’t get too upset at them riding on bridleways when I’ve been known to ride the odd footpath. I’ve also met some dickheads that sped past me on a flat bit at 30+mph missing my bars by a few cm.

Like all walks of life, there are some good guys and some idiots. Re: motorbikes, even the good guys smell bad.

Overtaking MXers downhill

Hate to piss on your bonfire but they ain’t MXers. 😆

I’m of the hang back persuasion. Normally stop and wait for the trail to clear..

You don’t ride motorbikes, do you? I can tell…….

I do actually. Not as much as I ride mountain bikes. But yep I do. Don’t worry though, you’re still the only motorcyclist in the village…

It’s pretty hard to see or hear on a motorbike so just give them a few minutes is best.

Can I just say, in the spirit of Peter Potty. You don’t ride motorcycles do you, I can tell 😕

Can I just say, in the spirit of Peter Potty. You don’t ride motorcycles do you, I can tell

I can’t imagine a situation where a kid on a bmx would overtake me going downhill, but yeah, I do ride a bike. 7 to chose from at the moment. Where are you coming from?

I think he’s from whaley bridge

As a teenager, I was riding along a 1 mile long straight road that starts flat and then goes gently downhill. I was on an MTB with knobblies and near killed myself keeping up on the flat. As we approached the downhill I thought I’d sail past but unfortunately his restricted faux MX bike also found the going a bit easier (plus the rider saw me in his mirrors and got his chin down on the bars).

I ended up spinning out in top gear and when I eventually moved out to pass, I unfortunately couldn’t manage a nod or wave as I don’t think I had any spare energy left 🙂