What's the difference?

Spatulala

What are the different types of mountain bike riding that you can do? There's loads of terms that I don't really understand the difference between - XC, trail riding, all mountain, freeride, singletrack, and probably a whole heap of others that I haven't heard yet.

Thanks.

Recently got a new Avalanche 1.0, really enjoying it so far, live a short pedal from Woodbury Common nr Exeter in Devon that seems a good place to ride.

LordBanks

How do.

XC - Cross Country, thats really light bikes, energy bars, lycra, mainly grass tarcks, nothing too harsh, sorta of running on a bike.

Singletrack - this is sorta like XC but with looser clothing, more rougher terrain, the bikes are a bit more burly, hardtails and full sussers.

Enduro - 24 hours on a bike, 100 mile races, that sorta thing, relentless, hardcore XC.

Downhill - Big travel full sussers blasting downhill, fully padded up over harsh rocks and that sorta terrain, normally short distances.

Freeride - Downhill with singletrack, XC, dirt jumping etc, the bikes are big and burly, alot of travel, you can do it on hardtail, but normally their full sussers, full range of gears.

Slopestyle - this is sorta dirt jumping, dropping of northshore type trails, flinging yersel aboot and that.

Dirt Jumping - erm, jumping over jumps, made of dirt, and that, BMX really.

Trials - ever see 'Kickstart' as a kid?? Thats it, hopping about over barrels and logs, bikes have no suspension and normally no seats?!?!? This is one of the best types of riding to watch i think, get on youtube and search for 'mountain bike trials', some of the stuff they do is amazing, pure bike skill.

Street - just as the tin says, street riding, very much like BMX, gap jumps, stair drops, 360's and what not, normally running 24" wheels and single speeds, i've even seen a kid running pegs on his bike doing a handrail and you can get hydraulic gyros now.

I think thats most of it, these are only my opinions of the different styles of riding like, so don't take it as gospel.

Anonymous

Singletrack isn;t really a type of riding, it's more of a description of a trail.

Anonymous

some nice description there lordbanks, i second your view on trials riding, supreme skill.

LordBanks

Cheers Sheepsteeth.

That trials is amazing, i'd love to be able to ride that sorta stuff. I do try to stick abit of it in when i'm out riding, but its just relentlessly hard to do.

Anonymous

Banks, if you want to learn trials, try getting a DVD called "the art of trials" by Ryan Leech. It's got loads of useful tips and I reckon it's well worth a look.
I still suck bad at trials unfortunately, but i did learn a few things I never knew before.

LordBanks

Aye? I'll have a look at it. I wouldn't mind learning a few moves and that, i see them bunnyhop onto park benchs and stuff like that and i think 'i can't even jump that high on me feet!

Cheers fella.

Spatulala

Thanks for that, makes much more sense now. There's some guys doing dirtjumping on some unfeasibly large dirt ramps on Woodbury Common, think I'm a bit old for such lunacy, but great to watch.

I love the idea of there being two types of riding, virtually identical except for one having "looser clothing". I bet they have a right old ding dong when the two sides meet. Looks like I'm in the XC camp for now, hope I don't bump into any of those baggy singletrack types, things could turn nasty. ;-)

OK though what's a "northshore type trail"?

Anonymous

I'd still maintain that singletrack is not a kind of riding, it's a kind of path, which is only wide enough for one person at a time.
The whole lycra/no lycra seems a personal preference in MTBing. You won't get looked at particularly strangely whether you wear it or not.

LordBanks

North Shore is riding through forests on wooden gangways, with drops and see-saws and what not, some sections 15 foot of the ground and only 6 inches wide, insane. It started in North Shore in Canada (i think its in Canada) but now you get North Shore all over the world.

My opinion of Singletrack is its a more relaxed, less fitness orientated and more skill and 'tricks' sort of XC, thats how i see it.

Try clicking on this link below, if that doesen't work cut and paste it into the address field at the top, that should work.


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ruN3vpkQyf8

LordBanks

Anyway, Singletrack is a style of riding, its on the front of MBUK every month at the very top.

Spatulala

Thanks for the link, it led me to this:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wWeWjllm--M&NR=1

mad me realise what a complete pussy I am. Or maybe they're all pussies for using more than one wheel...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=1uPznTbus ... re=related

Tiddlywinks anyone?

LordBanks

Nuh mate, doesen't matter what you do, as long as you do one thing that scares the sh1t out of you, whether thats a 30 foot drop or a 3 foot drop, you'll get the same kick out of it.

That unicycle freeride video is mental!!! Don't think he'll be having any kids anytime soon!!!! :?

Anonymous

LordBanks wrote:

Anyway, Singletrack is a style of riding, its on the front of MBUK every month at the very top.

I've got two copies of MBUK on the coffee table that beg to differ with you!
If it is now a type of riding, it's the first I've ever heard of it. This could be a world exclusive right here.

nonnac85

and how not to do northshore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA0B2JucDuc

LordBanks

Look at the very top of the cpver, theres a yellew banner at the top, which says what riding it covers,

"CROSS-COUNTRY FREERIDE DOWNHILL DIRT JUMP TRIALS SINGLETRACK SLOPESTYLE"

Xybadog

LordBanks wrote:

Look at the very top of the cpver, theres a yellew banner at the top, which says what riding it covers,

"CROSS-COUNTRY FREERIDE DOWNHILL DIRT JUMP TRIALS SINGLETRACK SLOPESTYLE"

I've got April & May 08 copies here and I agree, they do state that.

Spatulala

so you're both right
http://www.imba.com/resources/bike_mana ... track.html

Ok, what about all-mountain?

Xybadog

Spatulala wrote:

so you're both right
http://www.imba.com/resources/bike_mana ... track.html

Ok, what about all-mountain?

If you look, they haven't got enough space to fit it.

Spatulala

lol mabe they should print a wider page size to accommodate all the different riding styles. In fact, we could make up another half dozen just to annoy them. How about "Flopjibbing"?

actually this is a useful resource, echoing much of the good stuff provided by you lot, and adding some more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_bike

Xybadog

Spatulala wrote:

actually this is a useful resource, echoing much of the good stuff provided by you lot, and adding some more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_bike

Not bad, but Wiki has to be taken with a pinch of salt sometimes, as much of the content isn't verified. The link you provided wasn't too bad though. The IMDB site is, in contrast, an invaluable and credible resource. I looked at the link to IMDB page you posted and I "wowed" at the scenery in the top photo. I wanna go there!!!

Xybadog

Spatulala wrote:

How about "Flopjibbing"?

You have to have a very special bike for Flopjibbing!

LordBanks

I've invented a new style of riding, XC Trials, its trials on a XC bike over 30+ miles.

Anonymous

Ok, the two copies of MBUK I have on the coffee table are from 2007, issues 205 and 216.
Neither lists any kind of riding discipline on the front covers.

GHill

I would guess one man's definition of "singletrack riding" may be very close to another man's definition of "trail riding"

papasmurf.

Fireroadings where its at.

Spatulala

Whoah there.

Now this thread will descend into lots of people making up fictitious riding styles to try and bamboozle me.

Fireroading? Hang on I'm Googling this one...


...OK so that one's real. Do you ride the fireroad while the forest is on fire? Is this all part of the appeal?

LordBanks

hehe, that would increase the enjoyment of the tedium that is a fireroad.