Overbiking

RealMan

Went on a nice night ride today with some mates, bit more of a training ride, but still good fun. I was the only one there with gears.. and suspension..

However, I was also the only one to ride the "stairs of death". A long flight of stairs in a local wood, really steep, quite twisty, bit slippery. Never managed it before, was quite pleased.

So there I am, riding with these 3 other guys, all on rigid single speeds, on my chameleon, fork set on 110mm, but still feeling slightly overbiked - nothing against the chameleon, I love it, but was wondering if I'd be better off with building a rigid single speed as well, for our night time training rides. Been meaning to build one for ages, but other things keep getting in the way, and I'm not rolling in it, so I haven't put a build into action yet.

Then we come across a guy one of us knew, on his new Orange 5. Lovely bike, full XT and Thomson, fox fork, very nice. Apparently it set him back a little over £2.5k. He plans on using it just for the exact same area and riding that we'd be doing that night. 140mm front and back. 27 gears.

We chatted for a bit, then went our separate ways, to carry on our rides. Didn't feel too overbiked after that.

Mate said to me, "looks like he's been reading too much mbuk". And I can't help but think a lot of people out there are overbiking to compensate for a lack of skill, or just because some magazine tells them they need it. Is it all marketing?

And this definitely isn't a "everyone should be riding HT" thing. I think its more a "how much bike is too much". Are you overbiked? Do you ever feel overbiked? And what do you think of people who are obviously overbiked?

Took a short cut the other day on my bmx, down a little trail I know. Bit rooty, bit muddy, bit rocky. Slick tyres, 20" wheels, rigid steel frame. Still enjoyed it.

Anonymous

im sure most of the folk on these "overbike" bikes feel fine yet are expected to be apologetic about having bikes that in all honesty, other people think are too much bike but the owners think are fine for what they ride.

aparently dh can be ridden on a ht, does this mean that folk on 10 inch bikes are over biked?

gbrnole

Interesting thoughts. I ride a 140mm full suss on very easy terrain some days, ive also ridden 100mm full suspension bikes and hardtails on the same terrain.

Sure its rideable on any of the bikes but i'd always choose the 140mm rig because its more comfortable, the pedalling platforms on FS bikes these days are efficient, the forks stiff, I find the ride more fun and it weighs 25lbs - its just a very capable bike.

People want different characteristics in their bikes, some like the single speed rigid challenge, others want a more forgiving damped ride. I think the 'too much bike' term is a bit loose, the bike may well be capable of handling more but thats not to say its not a good tool for tackling easy terrain also.

Sure i feel overbiked when im climbing and could do with a 20lb hardtail but thats the only time!

If your talking a 180mm slack freeride/dh on a flat xc route then yeah obviously too much bike

GHill

If they enjoy it then who cares? Their money, their business.

supersonic

GHill wrote:

If they enjoy it then who cares? Their money, their business.

Spot on.

Northwind

RealMan wrote:

And I can't help but think a lot of people out there are overbiking to compensate for a lack of skill, or just because some magazine tells them they need it. Is it all marketing?

Some people just like a lot of bike. I could take my bodgy rigid carrera round most of the trails I ride, so presumably I'm overbiked on the Soul and ludicrously overbiked on my 6 inch talent substitute But they're all fun.

The question is, is your orange 5 man losing out by having his big mad bike? If it was me, I'd probably feel I was, but presumably he doesn't, which is all that really matters.

rudedog

If having a better bike makes someone feel more comfortable and they enjoy riding more because of it then why not?

People were doing crazy stuff on bikes long before suspension became available.

Northwind

The one exception I make to that is this conversation, to be heard on internet sites the world over:

"Trail centres are boring"
"Yeah, they're so smooth"
"And no technical challenge!"
"So sanitised"
"So what bike do you ride?"
"A hugely effective 5 inch full susser that smooths out every bump and makes every feature easier with a head angle so slack I can ride off a cliff without thinking about it and 2.4 tyres"
"Cool, me too!"

If it's too smooth and easy, do it on a bike that doesn't make it smoother and easier.

Briggo

I overbike, are you jealous?

hoochylala

If anything, I'm probably under biked for most of the riding I do. (compared to the majority of riders I see out and about)

In some ways I am kind of putting off buying a more suitable bike for the riding I do because I enjoy the challenge and feel when I do make a move towards something more appropriate my skills from riding my bike currently will hopefully be of a better standard.

Hercule Q

i only have 1 bike that i use for everything from DH to XC. Am i overbiked? i dont think so

Mccraque

I have a 5" trail bike but prior to that owned a 100mm xc and before that a fully rigid machine.

Each has their merits.I miss the hardtail but ultimately am very content with the current machine. I used to race on the old bikes and do reasonably well. On the current bike I enjoy the downhills a lot more but am still quick enough up them.

Another thing - people don't ride the same route every week, do they? The purchase may be for the toughest type of ride they do. So for example if off to the alps...which is probably a bit more demanding on the bike than the local woods. Doesn't mean you should only enjoy riding it for that one occasion per year...

bregante

IMO far too many people spend far too much time worrying about what other people ride .

The Spiderman

I am always thinking about the next bike ,but rarely do I actually need more than what I`ve got which is a hardtail with a 100m fork.

Doesn`t stop me wanting a full susser or longer forked hardtail though.............

.blitz

Overbiked :roll:

It's like having too much car or too much TV or too much money

Thewaylander

Overbiked is such an awful term.

Met a nice lad on the Wall this weekend who said he used to be overbiked and was now on a hardtail. I was there on my 5" 2007 Stumpy FSR with people saying i was maybe slightly overbiked and so on.. When i told them i'm lookng at 140-160 he couldn't get his head round it at first.

Then i took off downt he hill's i struggle these days getting mroe speed out the stumpy due to flwx in parts and so on head angle for cornering and so on. So due to the speed hit the downs i found i was underbiked... Who was right? neither i was for me he was for him.. Just ride what fits your style mate(or wallet)

lawman

Bregante wrote:

IMO far too many people spend far too much time worrying about what other people ride .

+ 1, in the group i ride with there are a number of different style bikes, tow mates have 22lb xc full sussers, one of these also has a 20lb ht and the other an old kona kula from around 1999, my dad rides a rocky mountain element, we have a guy on a boardman ht, me on my long forked maxlight. we swapped bikes last week and pretty much all them hated my bike. they said the front was too high, the bars too wide ( i know in this day and age ). i obviously love it, but i hated all the other bikes, except the boardman which was alright. none of us are overbiked, some of them maybe quicker than me up hill, but most of that is down to fitness not the bike. ride what the hell you want as long as you enjoy it

al2098

I got an expensive 'big' bike because I couldn't afford the alternative which is to buy a DH bike, and XC hardtail and a light trail bike..
People that have a lot to say about others who have nice bikes are just making excuses for their lack of money.
They need to chill out and do their own thing. I would never criticise someone on a rigid singlespeed even though I don't see the point. Although my full sus rig cured my lower back problem I suffered from my hardtail so anyone riding a rigid bike needs some respect as its got to be tough when you hit those rocks..
So a hardtail on a DH run? DH bike on a towpath? Live and let live I say.

cat_with_no_tail

Bregante wrote:

IMO far too many people spend far too much time worrying about what other people ride .

Yes, yes and thrice yes.

The only way somebody can be under/over biked is if they think they are.

The right bike for you is the one you like riding!

JamesBrckmn

it doesn't matter what you ride, as long as you have fun that's what's important.
i ride wwith one guy who has a 17kg freeride hardtail with a 130mm fork (Norco Sasquatch), another has a 13kg 140mm trail hardtail (08 Orange Crush) and I have a 12.5 kg XC hardtail with 100mm travel (Rockrider 5 XC) and i would say that i am under biked, as when my fork (RS recon race) is set at the correct sag for my weight, i'm always bottoming it out, so i need/want more travel. and perhaps you don't need a 17kg freeride bike for normal trail riding, but if he still has fun on it, then it doesn't matter.

scale20

My bikes are both at totally opposite ends of the scale. One is a Fully rigid 29er and the other is a 6in Pace FS.

On sunday I rode the Beast at CyB on the rigid 29er and kept on the back wheels of the lads on the 4,5 & 6 in Full sussers. It was a painful experience towards the end with a couple of cracking blisters on my hands but the whole experience is so fast and intouch with the trail. I recommend trying the fully rigid thing, 29 ers probably make the trail a little less rough.

I sometimes feel that I am a little overbiked with 6ins of travel for trail centres however it comes into it's own on natural trails and riding the North Wales mountain ranges including hurtling down Snowdon!

el loco pollo

Jesus do people really sit there thinking about this crap?

joshtp

overbiked is a subjective term. i feel many i meet on the trails at, say afan or brechfa are overbiked, 6 inch monsters is just TOO much, but in the alps, its just right. its subjective. personaly i like my bike for what i ride, and others like theirs for what they ride.


end of

timmys

I'm probably "overbiked" quite a lot of the time, and I'd love to have a bike to suit every occasion, but the fact is I only have space to store one bike therefore it has to be a compromise.

I actually find people being "overarmoured" at trail centres a lot more amusing than people being "overbiked" personally.

scale20

timmys wrote:

I actually find people being "overarmoured" at trail centres a lot more amusing than people being "overbiked" personally.

+1. Was quite amusing to se a bloke at CyB on Sunday looking like Robo cop. Each to their own I suppose!

Thewaylander

joshtp/mbukman wrote:

overbiked is a subjective term. i feel many i meet on the trails at, say afan or brechfa are overbiked, 6 inch monsters is just TOO much, but in the alps, its just right. its subjective. personaly i like my bike for what i ride, and others like theirs for what they ride.


end of

I disagree, For affan a 6" works really well, they are alot rocky rooty sections and a ^2 inch bike is way way stiffer so you can hit them at alot more speed with that. So what the bike is slower in the climbs its far more capable on the downs.

So in IMO your fairly wrong in this statement, see how subjective it is.

scotto

kit snobbery and jealousy, very very sad.

Thewaylander

timmys wrote:

I'm probably "overbiked" quite a lot of the time, and I'd love to have a bike to suit every occasion, but the fact is I only have space to store one bike therefore it has to be a compromise.

I actually find people being "overarmoured" at trail centres a lot more amusing than people being "overbiked" personally.

And this is also a very foolish comment in some ways... Do you know how many locals trails are around trail centers there are 3-4 other DH trails around cwm for instance that are the equal for the black DH trail. so how do you know there not locals hitting these?

Anonymous

i love riding my 6 inch bike on normal xc type rides, not necessarily for the bomb proofedness of it, but because of the angles of it.

i find it interesting that there isnt very often that a bloke on a big bike complains about folk on "small" bikes:

jealous much?

tsenior

dunno, but i was PUSHING THE PRAM round a path in alyn waters country park (wrexham) last week and a guy came past on some beast with MASSIVE forks, i dident catch the bike but the forks were boxxers, i looked these up later, the specificatiion seemed a little excessive for the use.

(btw i dont think he was on his way to something else as i saw him 3 times and he had no helmet/armour).

still if you've got a few grand to spend on a bike for pootling round on, knock yourself out, i'm the only one admiting to being a little jealous i guess?

Thewaylander

tsenior wrote:

dunno, but i was PUSHING THE PRAM round a path in alyn waters country park (wrexham) last week and a guy came past on some beast with MASSIVE forks, i dident catch the bike but the forks were boxxers, i looked these up later, the specificatiion seemed a little excessive for the use.

(btw i dont think he was on his way to something else as i saw him 3 times and he had no helmet/armour).

still if you've got a few grand to spend on a bike for pootling round on, knock yourself out, i'm the only one admiting to being a little jealous i guess?

but then think again.. He may mostly ride very big and aggressive stuff. but tries to ride to XC to keep fit but can't afford another bike?

I find this whole thread is becomng incredibly silly almost idiotic. Stop judguing people on what they are riding lol