Do you downhill? If not why not?
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kaytronika wrote:and I'm not big on jumps or drop offs.
Well, you know, neither am I... But you can do the entire of the world cup course and 3 of the 4 runs at innerleithen with your wheels on the ground, without ruining it. Sure, you'd probably get a bit more out of it with some jumps and drops but it's a bit of a false assumption.
And at innerleithen, other than on make or brake which is basically just a million doubles in a row, you get less airtime than you would at glentress red. Assuming you don't do the 2 enoooooormous drops on Matador, anyway!
A lot of these trails are extremely rough, technical and steep but not particularily jumpy.Uncompromising extremist0 -
Northwind wrote:And they throw in features you won't usually get on normal trails, no trailcentre builder is going to throw away altitude like the final section of Cresta Run frinstance.
I think this is the biggest difference between a decent red or black and a downhill trail. We quite often skip from the Innerleithen XC onto make or break or one of the unmarked dh trails instead of doing plora craig etc. It's fun and it's not a big deal on a 5" bike - there is no major jump up in skill required to get down it, it's just a bit steeper generally.
The thing is, that after pedalling to the top of minch moor you almost feel a bit cheated because you get back down so quickly compared to the xc route!
Have you riden the rocky Northwind?0 -
I like going uphill!!! good for the heart and the stamina.
I also am a fan of flowing trails in the countyside, built tralls and places like Malvern, Peaks and Mynd.
Dont really get excited at the thought of downhill. Not really got the skills or the guts to hit things....
but each to his own and as long as you enjoy then who cares.
se what you are gtting at though Northwind.0 -
I'll happily ride everything. I did cack myself on the more extreme stuff at chatel though
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Raymondavalon wrote:I don't have the balls :oops:
That's kind of what this thread's for
One guy who was riding yesterday summed up what I'm trying to do here... He'd come to innerleithen to do the XC route, he had a Pitch Comp so a pretty capable bike, but on XC-ish tyres etc, open face helmet, not even so much as kneepads. They do a "one uplift for a fiver" when there's space, so he was just chatting to people trying to figure it all out. In the end he came up and did the Gold Run, and popped out the bottom grinning like a loon. Balls involved just to get to the top and start the riding but not that much balls involved in the riding down- it's all about getting over the preconception and the fear and once you're dealing with the reality, it's just riding a bike.
It was the same for me at fort william, the actual riding involved very little balls- I don't subscribe to "mtfu" or being braver, that gets you hurt. Convincing myself to do it and to roll out of the starting booth was hard but there was no point where big balls were needed to ride down. Just a decent amount of skill, a sensible bike and a bit of sense.Uncompromising extremist0 -
Northwind, I think that's an interesting suggestion, and a very worthwhile one.
I guess it's easy for people like me (without being big-headed) who've been riding for 20 years or so, and have had a crack at everything from XC to endurance to DH, and all sorts in between to get our heads round something like this. I've always been into the more adventurous, thrill-seeking side, and would often go out specifically to find something stupid to ride.
But for others who have got into it much more recently, I reckon maybe they get sidetracked into the "categories" of riding, since we actually HAVE XC trailcentres and DH facilities nowadays.
When I started riding, there was no real category, unless you were racing. Mountain biking was just "mountain biking" and the lack of that pigeon-hole probably gave us a bit more mental freedom to try things, without feeling held back by our bikes. All bikes were pretty much the same anyway, so why NOT try something fun with it?
Maybe magazines are partially responsible for this, due to their categorising of everything. I dunno.0 -
This man gets it.
Lots of pigeonholes in mountain biking these days. "Oh, I can't do black routes" was one I heard, from a guy who I'd seen ride far harder stuff on ungraded trails in France. "I can't do 10 Under The Ben, I don't have a race bike" was another. Lots of rules we make up for ourselves about what sort of rider you are and what you can and can't do.Uncompromising extremist0 -
Yep, I reckon the category thing can hold you back a lot.
I was wary of taking my old bike to Les Gets, but I had such a blast on it, and was quite often actually keeping up with the guys on "full-on" DH bikes.
The rider, and the mental attitude makes more difference than the bike. And there's no reason why you can't be all sorts of rider. At the end of the day, it's all riding bikes in silly places, just some places are steeper than others.0 -
Definitely, modern bikes are quite capable, you don't need a 200mm travel downhill monster to try downhill, it will make it easier and allow you to ride faster, but i was riding it yesterday on a 130mm hardtail. As long as you're reasonably sensible with it, you can ride pretty much any bike on anything.Northwind wrote:This man gets it.
Lots of pigeonholes in mountain biking these days. "Oh, I can't do black routes" was one I heard, from a guy who I'd seen ride far harder stuff on ungraded trails in France. "I can't do 10 Under The Ben, I don't have a race bike" was another. Lots of rules we make up for ourselves about what sort of rider you are and what you can and can't do.0 -
To an extent yes, I think each situation needs to be judged. You can't expect to hit a full on DH course on a trail bike like you could a 8inch DH bike. Unless your second name is Peat...0
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What if me second name was "Pete"? It's close, but is it close enough?0
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Palimanto wrote:No point in doing the Matador and not doing the drops, I love that trail...
I was at the uplift yesterday as well so prob seen you at some point
Rest of Matador is still very cool IMO... Wasn't my favourite of the 4, but it's not like the drops are the only reason to ride the trail. I was the guy festooned in video camerassupersonic wrote:To an extent yes, I think each situation needs to be judged. You can't expect to hit a full on DH course on a trail bike like you could a 8inch DH bike.
Well yeah. But the thing is, does that matter? I say no. You can't take a 5 inch full susser and hit a world cup XC course the same way the pros do, either.Uncompromising extremist0 -
I've taken mtbiking up late in life, been at it for nearly two years and love it, and it's probably long enough for me to know my limitations and what sort of riding I'm suited to (enjoy).
I soon realised I was a lot slower than my mates on the downhill techy sections of our rides and usually have the sense to take them at my own pace. Downhill 'courses' frighten the life out of me - so I am quite happy to stick to what I'm best at and what I enjoy. You guys that fly down those courses have my utmost admiration.
Furthemore, my racy hardtail is suited to my sort of riding and costs me quite enough thankyou
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Though my 5" full sus did come with warning stickers all over saying "not for downhill use". Wondered if that meant I could only ever go flat and up on it and I'd be stuck on the top of a mountain with no way downilovedirt wrote:Definitely, modern bikes are quite capable, you don't need a 200mm travel downhill monster to try downhill, it will make it easier and allow you to ride faster, but i was riding it yesterday on a 130mm hardtail. As long as you're reasonably sensible with it, you can ride pretty much any bike on anything.
In reality it's an XC/All Mountain kind of affair and built like a tank so it can take the rough. It just doesn't have the component strength and travel to hit the big stuff hard. So what? I'll do the course and take the chicken runs if the bike and/or me isn't up to it.
Though I subscribe to wearing more serious protection if you're going to do stuff that may regularly throw you (Aston taught me that). 0 -
I ve had a go on the easy DH tracks at Gawton, Tavistock, and I have to admit I can see the attraction of hammering the same route all day and getting it perfect, However i also like to use my bike to get around and see things, like I would if i was walking in the mountains
I remember talking to Michael from switchbacks about this and he could never understand people that came all the way to spain and just wanted to take on the same track above Malaga over and over again rather than do what he did and ride ALL of them once. I think that is a personality thing.
I don't ride much DH just cos I'm not all that good at the downs anyway, it's too expensive and I think I'd get bored hammering the same track day after day - it was fun for an afternoon but by then end boredom was starting to outweigh my perfectionism...We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
Palimanto wrote:Lid and Chest cam
Was moving them around but yep, had a chest cam on most of the day.
Now if these guy saw me riding he'll be able to tell you that what I say is true- you don't have to be particularily good to do DH trailsddraver wrote:I don't ride much DH just cos I'm not all that good at the downs anyway, it's too expensive and I think I'd get bored hammering the same track day after day - it was fun for an afternoon but by then end boredom was starting to outweigh my perfectionism...
Very fair comment this, comes down to availability of trails I guess- if you've only got one DH trail to ride it's likely to get dull. We're lucky up here in having a good selection but I wouldn't ride innerleithen every weekend, despite the wide range of trails.Uncompromising extremist0 -
Sound awfully like we are getting into the how many "BlackRuns" have you skied today area, only to find them spending most of the pottering arround on the "Greens".And yes i dont have the cohonnes to D/Hill, dont enjoy the pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!0
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It's the same on snow. Some people go all the way to the Alps or North America to ski or board and just stay in one resort and stick to the terrain park. I like to explore, though I do like fun along the way too. I'm bored to death of fire roads and bridleways. Same in the snow, the side trails that link slopes are boring, but then I often find pistes boring too these days. Much prefer off piste but getting good conditions is very hard now.ddraver wrote:I remember talking to Michael from switchbacks about this and he could never understand people that came all the way to spain and just wanted to take on the same track above Malaga over and over again rather than do what he did and ride ALL of them once. I think that is a personality thing.0 -
Definitely in the 'No, because downhilling isn't my sort of riding' camp. It really doesn't interest me at all. I don't even enjoy watching it, although obviously much respect for those who are good at it.
Hills are for going *up*. Uplifts indeed....why does nobody do downlifts? 0 -
Ah, just what I was after. Singlespeedexplosif, do you do technical/challenging XC trails? Committed rocky stuff and the like.Uncompromising extremist0
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I am firmly of the belief that if ski resorts painted all the sticks green then everyone would get better much faster!!
Know what you mean about getting good snow too, it seems to be getting harder and harder unless you can afford a guide who knows where to go. I may just be bitter but I swear skiing is so much easier to learn these days than it was in my day with old school parallel skis!
I'm even stranger on sonw - show me the gnarliest, steepest rockiest couliour and I ll have a ball but show me a blue kicker in the park and I can't remember how to stand up - I have to stick to the half pipe instead!We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
Well yeah. But the thing is, does that matter? I say no. You can't take a 5 inch full susser and hit a world cup XC course the same way the pros do, either.
Yes, I think it matters. While I completetly understand your point, and have ridden many DH tracks on lesser bikes, I think it is important to clarify - some people reading this thread may be thinking now that you can just turn up to a DH course in your XC gear and expect to go full on DHing. To me that is not really DH. Some courses may not even let you without the right bike and gear, and plenty have warning signs. All I am saying is be careful if you go this route, and know your bike, the course and your abilities.
Of course DH tracks do vary in extremity.0 -
supersonic wrote:To me that is not really DH
But again, does that matter? If you forget "It's a DH trail" and just think "It's a steep, hard, technical trail" then you can stop worrying if it's "really DH" or if you're doing it right. To me riding is what you get out of it not what it says on the tin.
The disclaimer about knowing your bike and abilities applies to all riding, all the time, if you ask me. You can find features on XC trails that are harder than those on most DH trails- crack attack at laggan gave me more bother than anything at fort william. Nevis Red is almost on a par with the Gold and Cresta Runs at Innerleithen despite being not just an XC trail but only a red (and it's got higher penalties for failure too) Plenty of people won't have the capacity to deal with these trails whatever the description/niche.
I think anyone who expects to go full on DHing without a full on DH bike is an obvious plum and can be depended upon to do stupid things without incitement from internet threads tbh There's a reason DH bikes exist and Steve Peat isn't riding a Heckler. But that just lies at the opposite extreme from "I can't/won't do it because it' s a DH trail". Uncompromising extremist0 -
But you said 'do you do downhill'? I just think the wording needs to be careful for safeties sake. Maybe 'have you tried a DH course on not a bigger bike?' The disclaimer applies more here than going around an XC route on a DH bike! Plenty of bikes are not warrantied either for 'DH'. I ride some downhill courses, I am sure as hell not a DHer or downhilling!
And there are parts in Wharncliffe you just simply cannot ride, I would say, on anything but the right bike without risk of things breaking. I cannot recoomend people take xc bikes to some routes here unless they are extremely skilled and know the risks. The big signs say this too.
So as above, know what you are doing ;-)0 -
That's the title, if anyone managed to read the second paragraph all becomes clear...Uncompromising extremist0
