[Closed] So why are we such pariahs ?

I never really knew the scale of our plight! Perhaps a charity record to benefit us may help 🙄

nude calander

the landlord made it clear we wernt welcome but the waitress at the hotel .....well thats another story.

Dont let the ****ers get you down

we are the hooded youth of the outdoor activity world

Mr K so you enjoyed the baps then 😀

[i]Can all these people have really had that bad experience[/i]
Probably 🙂
Despite what we'd like to think, there's an awful lot of ****s on bikes out there.

Oldfart - maybe it's just a matter of perception 🙂

All I've been doing tonight is checking out quite a large number of different ride photos/ holidays and race reports and seems loads of STWorlders this weekend have had some great times all over the UK, top to bottom. Or maybe it's just me never really having had any of these experiences?

Ian, I've met hundreds of people biking, only one or two with questionable attitudes. I think SimonRalli has it, the negative episodes appear to stick in the memory, simply because they're unusual.

Simon Ralli don't get me wrong.Had a brilliant weekend as i hope knottie's pics show .Just like Rich said negative's seem to stick in your mind.

wasnt the miserable old ****er at the plough in holford was it?

Yep - panic not - seen those pics too - looked great. Lived a couple of years in Wiltshire and have a fondness for the countryside there - from childhood.

I wasn't taking your thread too seriously, assuming you wern't. Some people ay? I just try as much as possible not to judge as these things are often their stuff and sometimes you don't know where they are coming from.

I just seem quite lucky maybe in most often than not meeting top people everywhere I go.

jambo spot on !!!
simon glad you liked the pics.no not too serious some people precisely.

i think he is pro-hunt and anti everything else....

a pro hunt you say ?

I had some old crusty farming type shouting at me in Edale a while back, completely unprovoked. He seemed to think mountain bikers were causing problems by riding through puddles on trails, and this made them deeper. We should apparently ride AROUND the puddles to stop erosion, you see.

So I sneaked back and released some hungry rabbits on his land.

Everyone has different experiences in life and subsequently some people are actually not happy.

We're in a recession, there's more negativity around, long term the future is not looking good.

I've had more than my fair share of "life's worst experiences" this last 18 months but, you know what, I have my health and can ride my bike. I can temporarily forget all the c**p, enjoy the countryside and the company of friends on group rides.

Stay positive and upbeat 😀

Last few times I've spoken to walkers I've been offered tea on a hillside while sheltering from the rain, told to "give it rice" down a hillside and had an old dear shout "go on son" at me while holding a gate open (bitch, I was looking forward to a breather !)

I thought the landlord at the plough had a change of heart cos he realised the business he was missing ??

Why are we such paraiahs?

Bicycles are seen as poor peoples transport so we are second class citizens
Some mountainbikers act like utter cocks out there
Some folk hate to see folk having fun
some folk are miserable gits
Some folk blame mountainbikers for erosion ( and sometimes they are right)

The plough? Is that the one in the quantocks where a bunch of us would have bought lunch if we were welcome - but we wern't so we didn't. £50 he didn't get.

TJ +1.

I'd add in that mountain biking has become one of the most middle class activities available, and as such has led to the kind of conflicts between Mr. 'I drive an Audi and I have a perfect right to be on this bridleway don't you know' and the rest of the people in the country.

God him in The Plough. I had a civil chat with him once but it's clear he's not that keen on us.

I miss wonderful Stella [sobs].

He's a surly shite in the Plough, hypocritical enough to take our cash though. He won't be getting any more of it after I experienced his rancid version of "hospitality" that one time though.

"I'd add in that mountain biking has become one of the most middle class activities available"

I always wonder when people make these comments how they actually know - have you done a survey or something?

It's an educated guess, based on the price of bikes, the cars one sees in trail centre carparks, the cost of bike maintenance, the number of bike trips abroad, the appearance of biking in the Independent, the Guardian, the Telegraph, and so on.

Plus, I've been doing it for 20 odd years and the class of the people involved in has changed as far as I can tell.

If you can prove or suggest otherwise, go on.....

well if it,s become one of the most middle class activities avalable it,s going down the tubes then.or is it just a case of fur coat no nickers(middle class wanabes).proberbly just pen pushers anyway.

Isn't this just spurious victimhood thinking ? I'm not convinced I should care about the opinions of people who know nothing of me or my sport. 99% of the time we go about our riding without interference, and whatever those opinions may be has scant real life effect...

Simon, I think we should care about others opinions because we are grown ups and that's what grown up people do; all that 'I don't care' stuff is like teenage rebellion, not really that important.

if there is a charridie record can I sing Bono's part

, I think we should care about others opinions because we are grown ups and that's what grown up people do;

I completely disagree if those opinions are:
a) irrelevent
b) founded on ignorance

well I have been riding for 20 years but have only been to a trail centre 3 times, the groups I ride with tend to be a cross section of society.

Perhaps it is the people who ride trail centres who are the middle class people riding the expensive bikes?

Relevance is a two edged sword; if our actions affect others then I would argue that they are relevant both to us and to them.

Ignorance is a temporary state, and we can change that ignorance, because no man is an island.

Relevance is a two edged sword; if our actions affect others then I would argue that they are relevant both to us and to them.

I find this hard to quantify - it may be zero effect

Ignorance is a temporary state, and we can change that ignorance, because no man is an island.

hmmm, more of a task than I care to take on - we're heavily outnumbered and I see no motivation

I'd like people to think that mountain bikers are good people, because I'm one.

I just wrote a load of stuff about why cycling is ridiculed in this country. I then re-read it and realised it could be summised a lot easier.

'British people are, on the whole, a complete bunch of bell ends'

There you go, that's the reason.

I'd like people to think that mountain bikers are good people, because I'm one.

it's as well to have more realistic expectations...

Plus, I've been doing it for 20 odd years and the class of the people involved in has changed as far as I can tell.

Or maybe you and the age group you ride with have grown up, got more responsible jobs etc, or just become more aware of the class system? The people I know well and ride with locally are a mix. No toffs tho 😉 Not got much of an idea of the class of people I meet at STW rides, not interested in that stuff, all lovely folk mind.

The lease is up for sale at the afore mentioned Quantocks pub, the landlord is off to another pub at the south end of the hills, so once a new person is running it, it has a chance to be my new mid ride home..untill such time we'll have to just put up with eating the many wild fruits (not to be mistaken for the owner of SSC).

Today i choose to give the place a chance as he has put on the plough inn website that mountainbikers are welcome.......despite being offered a roast dinner or baguettes it was his generally attitude that forced us to the hotel, where knottie was treated to wonderful scenery and creamed his scones just after.

My banana, brie and bacon sarnie was wonderful so glad we went.

I'm a bad tempered, moody, moaner when i'm anywhere but riding the bike, perhaps i'm just as much to blame only in a different environment.

And tomorrow i'll be an exceptional grumpy sod 🙂

Sharki poor old Knottie it's unfair to get him so excited at his age . 😆

Perhaps it is the people who ride trail centres who are the middle class

You've never been to Llandegla then? 😉

nudge

I'm not convinced I should care about the opinions of people who know nothing of me or my sport.

Two points:

1) I [b]do[/b] think you should care about the opinions of other people in general. There is a name for people who [i]cannot[/i] understand the opinions of other people - autistic.

2) Is it a sport? Are you racing? If you are generally just ride around enjoying the countryside isn't it really just a hobby?

I do not feel like a pariah, ever. I have access to an extensive network of rights of way; whole areas of country which are maintained for access and where riding is encouraged as long as it doesn't get silly; spots specifically provided in which it can get as silly as it wants; entire settlements taken over for enormous occasional mass-participation rides and dozens of races held on private land. In my regular riding spots there are pubs, cafes and shops that are happy to serve me food and youth hostels, inns and B&Bs that are happy to deal with my dripping gear and muddy tyre-prints.

In about 12 years of riding I've had just the slightest hint of hassle on just a couple of occasions. Mostly other people, out and about enjoying the same countryside in different ways have been no worse than indifferent and often kind and friendly. Perhaps it's just that I'm a particularly lovely human being, but that doesn't seem to explain someone building the trail centres... 🙂

There is a name for people who cannot understand the opinions of other people

wrong, autism is the inability to understand that others can have different mental states. My contention is that those mental states may be of no interest to me

Is it a sport? Are you racing? If you are generally just ride around enjoying the countryside isn't it really just a hobby?

does competition define sport? But really I don't care what you call it.

The bloke at the Hood Inn in Kilve is a star. We were touring through that area last year and he opened up on a Monday afternoon just to serve us ice cream and beer. 🙂

My contention is that those mental states may be of no interest to me

You are correct. I was was simplifying for the sake of argument. But it is interesting that you seem not to care what other people think - or is it just the people that have a different opinion to you?

How far do you take 'not caring'? Are you more nihilist or sociopath?

And FWIW I think that ultimately competition [i]does[/i] define sport. But since you don't care what I think or what I call it...

[i] Nihilists! **** me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos.[/i]

But it is interesting that you seem not to care what other people think

essentially, what other people think is a private matter, and calls for fruitless speculation. It's only what they [b]do[/b] that matters, and in the case of biking that's "not a lot". If I had no interest at all in other people's thoughts I'd not be posting on here trying to influence them...

And FWIW I think that ultimately competition does define sport.

OK, I'm doing something else. FWIW I think competition is the worst part of sport as it puts many off from ever taking part

Samuri I think you can remove the British from your statement 😉

Funnily enough I've noticed that as more poeple MTB the less people say hi on the trails, conversely it appears like more roadies say hi to MTB'ers now.

Was up on the SDW yesterday and saw Lewes road club who were friendly whilst the trail riders (dunno what trail ride) were less so.

Have faith Old Git we rode Cut Gate yesterday and as we descended from top of the trail a red sock opened the gate for us all and waited patiently for all 14 riders to go through, naturally we thanked him and carried on.

Rare event but hey made me smile.

One guy later on told a friend he looked comparatively clean so naturally I told him he didn't scrub up to bad either! 😀

All healthy banter and top riding to boot if a little boggy in parts!