Ex BMXer here….used to ride DJ….have a bike that is representation of my BMX (4X Bike)….Love fast flowy jumpy bumpy smooth trails….reasonably good at gravity orientation riding, keep up with some of these flash FS bikes on the downs…. CRAP at climbing and long hauls get beaten by the fat old and unfit!

Better than I was but not as good as I’d like to be. Probably got about 20 years worth of bad habits in the bank. Would like to spend more time just practising but life keeps getting in the way.

Average, but then that depend who I’m riding with.

Some days I’m “FFS can we stop faffing and get on with this downhill, get out my way, STRAVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

Other days I’m made to feel far to mediocre either by people who are just plain good, or locals who’ve figured out that track, but then on an even playing field I’ll kick their ass.

No longer fit enough to hand it to people on the climbs though, STRAVA for motivation and a better diet are slowly turning that back, I used to ride with a load of roadies beat them up and down hills so it it do-able!

I’d always thought I was fairly average but I did the MBR trail at CyB yesterday in the 22nd fastest time, out of 113, according to (the dreaded) Strava!

Today I fell off in the car park, before my ride! Then proceeded to ride the MinorTaur Loop 3, back still in spasm from my car park spill, and I’m 4th fastest, out of 23. Not too shabby!

Imagine if you will a potato with cocktail sticks for legs trying to ride a bike. I’m almost that good.

I can look at a tiny drop/ jump and after weeks have a go at it.

If I see a near identical feature in another location, I absolutely wont ride it without lots more pontification.

I ran strava off road for the first time last friday. I was 84th out of 84 on one segment. You can’t argue with data…

I’m alright. Don’t crash that often, fairly smooth, probably very boring and overcautious in a lot of cases, but not bad. Typical former XC Jeyboy, really. Now spend lots of time mincing and reading maps under the guises of Trailquests and Bikepacking 🙂

I know my weaknesses more than I know my strengths. Very slow on wet roots. Can’t rail tight berms properly, and massively less fit than I think I am.
Did better than expected at the STWeekender, but worse than expected at the Ft Bill Enduro, so swings and roundabouts really.

I’m rubbish, horribly unfit and fat, but still faster than my mates downhill, which is all that matters! 😀

Going uphill.. struggling, swearing, sweating and eating haribo.
Going downhill.. smiling, swearing, less sweating and eating haribo.

Technically i’m fairly decent, as i’ve been riding with some nutters for the last 2 or 3 years and mainly riding DH type stuff, totally unfit though after having 2 kids and not riding long distance that much. Getting easier though as kids are getting older. Just waiting for summer now!!!

Like to get some air but not really a fan off big jumps and drops, gap jumps are my worst nightmare!! Fast flowy single track is what I dream of.

Not as good now as I once believed I might have been – growing up and realisation of my own mortality has taken it’s toll.

Happy to ride at my speed all day over most terrain, do struggle with geardy wierdies as they go fast and go slow and trying to match them knackers me completely.

So I ride solo most of the time which is really therapeutic.

Y’ know, OK.

Not too bad on twisty single track (recent coaching session has improved my skills) pretty poor at everything else, can’t jump more than 6″ off the ground and would struggle to bunnyhop over a drinking straw.
Fitness has been steadily improving since I started riding 2 years ago – still too fat, but it is slowly getting turneed into muscle!

cynic-al – Member

How do you rate yourself riding off road? (DH style riding excepted).

Hi Al, not to stir sh*t but why DH excepted?

Anyway, as I said I don’t want to divert the discussion too much. Personally I’ve spent years trying to improve my riding. For me, that is mountainbiking – progressing. The trail you ride slow and easy, can be hard when done fast. I love that.

In a break with tradition I’d say I am pretty good. better than most, by some margin but still a massive/unlimited amount to learn. The guys I ride with have some serious results across all mtb disciplines and I am pretty happy judging my progress against them. I’m no racer though, don’t have the head for it.

My weakness is definitely judging entry speeds for jumps, air time in general though.

First to the top, last to the bottom (though I hardly ever ride with other folk).
Fitness and stubborn determination gets me up climbs but I’m very cautious on descending, particularly so after a broken collar bone and subesequent lay off last year. But I can occasionally get myself out of over-cautious thinking and feel a bit more flow. Sometimes the trail inspires the ride. That’s certainly what I found in Torridon (and elsewhere) last month. It also helped on one of the days up there to follow better riders down, (even if they had ‘twenty years of bad habits’).
It seems to me there’s a blurry area between surprising yourself with what you can actually do and what you were lucky to get away with.

Like to go as quick as I can which should be faster after seeing Jedi on Monday, he discovered my shock and forks were rebounding to fast among various other aspects of my riding.

My riding – never consider the consequences of “what if”, totally rubbish at racing (who cares!),have an inordinate belief that 2.5 supertacky maxxis minions will ALWAYS get me to the bottom regardless and frankly don’t really care if my riding is crap or brilliant – some days its both at the same time. I have delusions of grandeur anyway, don’t we all!!!

Pretty shit skills really and amongst the slowest in most groups i ride with, but I have a good time.
I’m getting worse as I get older too. I blame injuries, loss of confidence and greater financial responsibilities.

Interesting thread, I’ve copied about 4 posts to quote while I read it!

Not a fan of anything really steep, have a tendency to just give up before I crash, then get annoyed at myself. Pretty quick on flowing stuff, anything where fitness is handy. Above average climber. Won quite a few XC/endurance races over the years.

Hard to say relatively as generally a lone rider, but technically at best very poor to rubbish especially downwards – particularly terrified of drops. I like climbing though and I suspect that I may be reasonably strong for an old bloke; can merrily climb away for hours.

I tend to avoid technical rides for the above reasons and prefer long A to B rides in the saddle all day (apart from when there’s any of those terrifying steps greater than 1″ high of course).

Oh yes – I do seem to have found a strange ability recently to “stand” the bike in one place for ages downhill while I pontificate on the best route over the next couple of yards. didn’t know I did it until someone pointed it out.

World’s worst at slow trialsy-type stuff. I can’t do walking pace riding I just topple over. Rubbish at narrow tree gaps as well.

Am not too shabby on fast flowy pedally stuff and I don’t mind drops & little jumps. Also good at dieseling – riding all day at aerobic pace without stopping.

I would say moderately nervous, and I HATE fast descents, especially if they’re short. I would say that, even in an unfit state, I’m fairly good at climbs – both technical and straightforward – and have quite a bit of natural power in my legs.

Me: mostly competent, good at slow techy rocky downhills, crap in the air and scared at speed.

sounds like me but I’ll add “a right mincer in the wet” and acknowledge the fact that I’ve got some pretty awful technique, drag the brakes too much, don’t commit enough in corners and steep switchbacks (speed is your friend, off the brakes, etc) I enter too slowly, brake all the way round but normally manage to thrutch my way round somehow.

could do better

really need to book a skills course but not sure if ed/jedi/whoever can rid me of these ingrained habits.

Rocketman – I like that word, “dieseling”. Yes that’s what it is – I love it.

The art of riding round at low rpm all day 🙂

I see the consequences of failure too often or I sh!t it at the wrong time. I do have some big off’s so I do try.

I’m a bit of a wuss really. In a group (and on Strava) I’m usually one of the quicker ones on the ups & in the bottom half on the downs. I lack self belief and have a vivid imagination combined with a strong self protection urge (partly resulting from still not having a properly working right hand after crashing at Xmas). So even though I know I have the skills to let the bike run at things I don’t let myself try, I always brake too much and know I could’ve taken obstacles faster/better, my jumping/dropping is better than it was (thanks Tony) but I still hold back from what I know I could do/attempt. Steep stuff bothers me more than it should, and as for steep and loose…

And best of all Mrs P has none of these issues so disappears on anything downhill – just glad she’s not got the legs to do the same on the climbs.

Not as quick as I was 15 years ago 😥

Njee -50% (esp. the race bit, but got gold standard in last one!). We should look out for each other mincing at the top of a big local drop off!!

Above average: hurting myself, cutting elbows (inside, outside) and knees, breaking bits of bikes that I don’t understand, getting into situations beyond my current level of ability

Average: most of the rest, but not a bad climber

Below average: spending money on myself. Hence old but reliable kit. Nothing flash, cheapest bike among friends, kit borrowed from other sports etc. None of the gear, no idea!

Got basically competent when I was younger and have managed to maintain things at that level over the years. Have not progressed much, but not regressed, either [in the context of the sport itself changing].

I’m very plodding, don’t really go fast at all, up or down. I ‘negotiate’ difficult sections, rather than race through them. Flip side of this is that I very rarely crash.
I do like a technical climb. I can usually put in a good show of clearing it (slowly) as long as it’s not too long.

Good at technical climbs, and general fitness pretty good.
A crash and a fractured elbow last summer has effected by confidence on steep and uber-tech stuff, but gradually getting my mojo back.

Need to improve my tight switchback technique on climbs and descents.
Good at putting together routes and navigating in the mountains etc (coming from a hillwalking/mountaineering background).

Try and ride something new everytime I go out – even its just a short section of trail I’ve never ridden before. Can’t stand riding the same trails again and again… Always planning epic multi-day routes, but never quite get round to doing them.

“Big fish, little pond” i’d say. Get me in a group of average mtbers, im generally the “best” (fastest and interpreting the terrain in more unique ways), get me with really good people, the sorts who place well at national level, it becomes apparent im really far off of fast pace. Only been MTBing for 1.5 years though, so doing ok.

On a strava rating, im generally atleast top 10%ish on the downs, middle ground on the ups.

BMXer for 12+ years, jumping, gaps, making the bike do exactly what i want it to and safety reaction riding is really natural to me.

Less scared hit a 20ft+ long gap jump than ride sheep tracks on the side of a steep hill.

Im rubbish at dealing with pressure, do a bit of racing, people i annihilate when casually riding all of a sudden beat me by massive margins. If im stressed, i get slow and fall for no reason.

My regular spot is Cannock and neither the dreaded braking bumps nor the infamous werewolf drop roll hold any fear for me, thus cementing my gnaaar credentials. Don’t for one minute think I’m all about the freeride tech-fest…I can complete a lap of the Donkey in sub 1:40, so I’m a bit of a racing snake too.

Happy with how it is, and the rate it’s progressing….

Still got the balls to go gnaaaaar when required 😉

(Although 90% of my riding recently has been on the road bike…)

Inconsistent would be my description of myself.

If I can stay on the bike, I could be dangerous. On those occasions I can, i’ve won & been on the podium a few times on smaller regional DH races. On the bigger regionals, i’m usually hovering in the top 10, nationals are a horror story due to crashing most times. In the races I have managed to stay on the bike i’ve been top third.

Moving more into the enduro side of things, so working on one of my biggest weaknesses, which is fitness. Finding it tough, as a lot of people have been riding a lot more XC than me for years so they have a strong base fitness. I’ll keep plugging away & hopefully things will improve over time.

Think I may even give XC racing a try, just to ram home just how unfit I am in reality 🙁

Riding falls down on bigger drops & gaps, which is more of a mental issue for me.

some interesting answers but I just spotted njee wrote “Above average climber.” now this is the thing, what standard are we all comparing ourselves to? I’m tempted to say I’m an above average climber but by his racing credentials I’m sure njee (and most other racers) would wipe the floor with me.
(Was it you who were 10th in line from an olympic ride or something?)

I’m comparing myself to friends and other forum dwellers I’ve ridden with, I’m guessing anyone who races is making a comparison with their peers, you know proper fast/skilled people. Completely different scales.

seavers – Member
Imagine if you will a potato with cocktail sticks for legs trying to ride a bike. I’m almost that good.

Thanks, I did imagine and it made me chuckle. 🙂

EDIT – No offence like.

I’m tempted to say I’m an above average climber but by his racing credentials I’m sure njee (and most other racers) would wipe the floor with me.
(Was it you who were 10th in line from an olympic ride or something?)

I’m not 10th in line sadly, there are folk on here who would be within that though!

I guess it’s false modesty then (without now appearing big-headed), but within my group of riding friends I tend to be the one hanging on the coat tails. That said… I can do a 40 mile ride in the Surrey Hills without leaving the big ring, I was Strava KOM for Winterfold, Leith and Holmbury off-road climbs (have lost Holmbury, and I think Leith, now!), and tend to be in the top 5 for any climbs that I regularly do. That… and I do really enjoy riding up hill, in a masochistic way!