Difference between an XC and Trail bike?

cooldad

I'll miss you.

Deepunder

Come on everyone, kiss and make up, cry or what ever.

Whether you're a limp wristed XC racer or a manly, heat packin' trail ripper; all categories of rider are welcome and equal. there's not much difference really.

cooldad

I have it on good internet authority that the lines are somewhat blurred.

Anonymous

Deepunder wrote:

Come on everyone, kiss and make up, cry or what ever.

Whether you're a limp wristed XC racer or a manly, heat packin' trail ripper; all categories of rider are welcome and equal. there's not much difference really.

Quite right.
I don't think agg25 is welcome though since it appears his job (or indeed his very sense of self) is related to creating new categories to stuff bikes into.

Deepunder

... all these sub genres are just part of the mega money making marketing machine of this hobby and if you classify yourself as one or other you're part of the game. Ok the difference between a full on XC bike and DH bouncer is clear but the stuff in the middle is guff. Anyway, what the hell is a trail? Trail of breadcrumbs, Inca trail, slimy trail? Sounds like an Americanism to me. I think I'll call myself a track rider today and be done with it. Enough already !!

Mental Mickey

Interesting thread, I like to call this hobby I do 'off road cycling', because it's not on tarmac road, I've yet to actually ride my bicycle up and down a mountain (one that is worthy of being called a mountain I might add and YES size definitely matters) so I don't think I even like the term 'mountain biking' and I suspect a high percentage of other riders have never been within 2 mile of an actual mountain on their mountain bike either.

All this niche stuff seems to be all about different angles and amounts of travel, just a big hype machine money maker, the magazines are in on fooling the public into thinking they need this or that to cope with riding something.

I have to agree that the majority of properly made bikes for the purpose of off road riding are usually tough enough to deal with most of what's in front of you, I/we are only limited by out lack of skill and cojones.

stubs

Mountain bikes were originally called ATBs (all terrain bikes) Mountain Bikes was a brand name. So you dont need to go up a mountain whatever definition of mountain you use. I live in a pretty flat part of the world so most of my mid week riding I am lucky to get higher than 50 feet above sea level but its still mountain biking.

Highest I have ever been on a bike was 7,000 feet and I could barely pedal by the time I got to the top how people climb Everest without oxygen is beyond me.

agg25

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Deepunder wrote:

Come on everyone, kiss and make up, cry or what ever.

Whether you're a limp wristed XC racer or a manly, heat packin' trail ripper; all categories of rider are welcome and equal. there's not much difference really.

Quite right.
I don't think agg25 is welcome though since it appears his job (or indeed his very sense of self) is related to creating new categories to stuff bikes into.

Is it now? Why then would I take my 100mm to the Alps or to Fort William DH, or ride it on the road and everything in between? Because I was helpful and answered a question without ridiculing the original poster with a high and mighty attitude such as your own? Not just on this thread either, pretty much all yours are the same that I've seen you've been a bit of a tosser. If you read my post you'd have seen that I agree most bikes can be ridden most places, but like it or not, there is sub genres of mountain bikes and the poster was asking for an explanation, not a "I was riding off cliffs on my tricycle back in the 70s" novella.

Anonymous

agg25, I llike you, you're funny

However, I haven't decided if it's in a "I wouldn't drink that milk if I was you, it's gone a bit funny", or in a "oh man that comedian fella is well funny" way.

agg25

Aw thanks mate, don't worry in real life I'm a cnut as well ;-)

Tutterz

Deepunder wrote:

... all these sub genres are just part of the mega money making marketing machine of this hobby and if you classify yourself as one or other you're part of the game. Ok the difference between a full on XC bike and DH bouncer is clear but the stuff in the middle is guff. Anyway, what the hell is a trail? Trail of breadcrumbs, Inca trail, slimy trail? Sounds like an Americanism to me. I think I'll call myself a track rider today and be done with it. Enough already !!

Completely true, the people in this thread arguing and ranting because some people like to class their riding styles under certain category's is laughable though you must admit,
As long as suppliers are pumping out these XC style or All mountain, Freeride, DH, Slopestyle bikes etc etc consumers will continue to buy them as they see someone doing that 'genre' of riding and think oh that's cool i need that bike to do that when in reality you don't, but whats the harm really? The consumers are happy, the manufacturers are happy, the only people who aren't happy is the people who have nothing else better to do than flick through their thesaurus's, argue on forums and refuse to let people have a different opinion to their own

for what its worth I used to ride an 05 Specialized p.1 singlespeed up and down hills, through woods, over moorland, down 'dh' tracks, up singletrack, off 5ft drops, over dirt jumps and in skateparks. I took that bike everywhere and it never held me back on anything. As said, its a marketing ploy by companies, more bikes to sell, more money to be made.