what type of mountain biking do you do

cloudynights

it appears to me that more and more mountain biking seems to be around trail centres, all talk seems to be about this and that trail centre and what size suspension you need for it, is cross country riding only appealing for us old timers, i still get a much bigger kick from riding cross country and comming across the big diversity of terrain than going to a trail centre

roger_merriman

varies, i can take a off road route to boxHill or around esher woods, or via the car have swinley or north Downs.

and much rarer going back to my folks place in the breacon beacons so a varied stuff,

I like routes over hills, drop offs, berms rocky downhills, muddy, rooty downhills but also good technical climbs, also mucking about on north shore (ish). I started MTB before v brakes and suspension and so on. and thus have been getting muddy longer than some of the younger lot have lived.

there is a place for all of it, yes some of the terms are marketing flannel.

bike-a-swan

I ride my bike. Mostly from my house, and as there aren't any trail centres I ride 'around'. If there were trail centres nearby I'd ride them too. Sometimes I'll do trips away to wild country, sometimes to trail centres- enjoy both!

cat_with_no_tail

bike-a-swan wrote:

I ride my bike. Mostly from my house, and as there aren't any trail centres I ride 'around'. If there were trail centres nearby I'd ride them too. Sometimes I'll do trips away to wild country, sometimes to trail centres- enjoy both!

Very this

nicklouse

i ride bikes.

weeksy59

Varies.

My preference is for trail-centers, but location means that's not common. Therefore Swinley forest comes into play.

However due to time constraints and location of living 100m from the Downs, most of my riding is in and around the Downs near Didcot. Last 3 days i've barely been on dirt, it's been muddy and orrible and i'm sick of cleaning my bike every day LOL. So last 3 days i've done about 90 miles on the road. Just plodding out some big hills,some miles some peddaling...

fatwomble

Real trails and trail centres, both have their merits.

xtreem

roger merriman wrote:

I like routes over hills, drop offs, berms rocky downhills, muddy, rooty downhills but also good technical climbs, also mucking about on north shore (ish). ...

there is a place for all of it, yes some of the terms are marketing flannel.

+ potatoe

I ride XC with the local guys, and DH with the others.
And I'm in the better than average category in both, better in XC than DH and I just
don't take the 5ft+ drops. I know the limits of my bike, but the rest is all rideable.

MountainMonster

I just enjoy riding.

I don't have any thing like a trail centre here in Austria. TBH I don't even know what it is when someone says a trail centre. I just ride.

_HENDO_

I'll ride anything aslong as it's fun!

popstar

Trail centers as a treat, some natural riding aka aggresive XC on normal days in Surrey Hills. Would love to visit Glencoe though, there are stories circulating around that it's natural riding is as super Knarr as Knarr can get. Amen.

The Northern Monkey

The fun type!

joshtp

I mountain bike. This is mostly of the fun type. Sometimes hard. I don't really care what type, and don't categorise it. I ride local woods type stuff, TC's and natural. f its fun, I ride it.

If i had to categorise it'd probably be Aggro XC/trail/AM.

robertpb

As long as I'm on the bike riding where there isn't an engine near me I'm happy.

Northwind

I do all sorts. Bikes don't fit into pigeonholes, they're too big.

Anonymous

cloudynights wrote:

it appears to me that more and more mountain biking seems to be around trail centres, all talk seems to be about this and that trail centre and what size suspension you need for it, is cross country riding only appealing for us old timers, i still get a much bigger kick from riding cross country and comming across the big diversity of terrain than going to a trail centre

Cool story, bro.

Andy B

nicklouse wrote:

i ride bikes.

This ^^^

Sometimes off road, sometimes on road

Sometimes my wheels are in the air, sometimes they're not

Sometimes I am on the bike, sometimes I am on the floor

It's all fun.

weescott

An Irk of mine is that some people don't know how to differentiate between a trail centre. A marked trail, and natural riding. All 3 can be XC. I ride XC on my mountain bike. Screw the marketing hype on what type of mountain biking you are told to buy into!

Anonymous

I do the type of mountain biking that involves riding over what ever is under my wheels.

(unless it's too scary, then I get off and push for a bit).

supertwisted

The type of mountain biking I do:

Browse MTB sites at work daydreaming about riding this trail or that on this bike or the other.

Come home from work and help my wife with looking after our son and making dinner.

Phone my one riding buddy, sling the bike in the boot of the car and rush out to meet him at the local woods for a hardcore amble round the cycle path while his dog runs ahead of us and barks at shadows.

Say something like "we need to find the time to do some serious riding..."

Pack up, go home, repeat next week.

True story.

Anonymous

nicklouse wrote:

i ride bikes.

This.

I don't get the pigeonholing in mountain biking, although there are definite disciplines. The problem is it all crosses over a lot.

I'm a weekend warrior mostly and ride trails, anywhere, anything. Prefer technical and some bits that go downhill and basically give me a buzz or thrill. I don't care how fast I'm doing it or how light my bike is, and climbing a hill or setting a best time in a race (or entering a race at all) is not the ultimate achievement. Some call this XC. If that's what it is then I don't do that. I've given it a go, but I can't keep up with the fitness freaks .

I ride singletrack and stuff that goes down a little (or attempt to at least). If it gives me a buzz, is just fun or scares me then that's what I do. I'm not a Down Hill rider by the definition of it. I don't really do proper DH trails, though may give them a go sometimes at my own pace. I don't have a DH bike but that doesn't make it illegal.

Thing is, was out today and there was a girl on a folding bike and slick tyres going down Barry Knows Best! She wasn't on the official sanctioned type of bike the "discipline" says you should have for the trail, but she did it great and put many people to shame.

Just ride it.

u05harrisb

XC is not for old times, well mabye ish, i ride XC but i race in the junior catagory and there arnt too many people in those races, and up my way anybody who does XC is late 30s or older so yes and no i would like to give trails a go but i cant drive yet im only 17 so mabye in a couple years i might get a chance but i dont think it will beat the fast paced all day epics that the more extreme XC races are!

pugaltitude

trail centres are good if you are trying to get fit.
You know how many miles you have to do so you can push it each time you go round to beat your time.
Orange grade trick parks just bore me. I just dont get kona dark side at mabie. Its probably because im crap and dont have good balance.
Like a bit of natural if you know where to look but faster the better with caution of course!

weescott

pugaltitude wrote:

trail centres are good if you are trying to get fit.
You know how many miles you have to do so you can push it each time you go round to beat your time.

My local route plus google maps works fine for me. Or you could go really old skool and buy a cycle computer. :?

pugaltitude

trail centres are good if you are trying to get fit.
You know how many miles you have to do so you can push it each time you go round to beat your time.

My local route plus google maps works fine for me. Or you could go really old skool and buy a cycle computer.

I do have a computer but what I mean is if I set targets and know how many miles from A to B I push it more.
What was funny today was a downhill bike on a red grade XC trail. There was a lot of walking uphill!

RevellRider

pugaltitude wrote:

I do have a computer but what I mean is if I set targets and know how many miles from A to B I push it more.

I know how many miles my local loop is, I know how quick a fast lap in summer is and I know how fast a quick lap is in winter. I don't need to go to a trail centre to push myself.

I ride my bike, I have 2 mountain bikes, both are used to do the same sort of thing. Natural trails, woodland blasts, trail centres, 4x and bmx tracks. Uphill, downhill, singletrack and fireroads. All of it gets done on my bikes

Northwind

pugaltitude wrote:

trail centres are good if you are trying to get fit.
You know how many miles you have to do so you can push it each time you go round to beat your time.

See if you take out the space and "centre" that makes sense.

Anonymous

Don't need trail centres to get fit. They're nice self contained places, but I get more fitness out of slogging up and down the Surrey Hills each week. Nearest thing to a trail centre for me is Swinley and though it has some interest it's mostly flat, smooth and at times dull. To get fit there you have to push it going at speed all the time. Surrey Hills is crammed full of hundreds of natural trails and you can just go anywhere you want, and the hill climbs are mandatory which builds fitness without you needing to push it.

BOYDIE

I ride cross country mostly,lets face it most riding is just cross country,i.e just getting out riding any where,everywhere trail centres, local loops etc.
The mag's and the industry like to use definitive terms e.g Trail riding, extreme XC and so on.
Lets face it riding's just riding, I find that people are to worried what scene they fit in to, rather than enjoying their sport / hobby.I still ride in lycra bib shorts to the amusement of my riding buddys, I get ribbed yes, but its what I like.I have had some cracking looks from guys at Glentress in the summer, bib shorts no jersey and half finger gloves :shock:

Diversity is what makes this sport great.

cee

I have 2 bikes.

One likes to go up, along and down...or along, down and up...sometimes....it goes up, down, along, up, along then down....

The other bike only likes to go down. Its a heavy beasty, so pushing it up a hill grows old fast...however, when coupled with a gondola or a cattle truck....its great.

Anonymous

BOYDIE wrote:

Lets face it riding's just riding

Very true.