Standards of riding and fitness at trail centres

MountainMonster

Atz wrote:

MountainMonster - So if you don't enjoy it, why do you do it? Seems perverse.

Nowhere in my post did it say I don't enjoy it, I enjoy the numbers side, just stating that road cycling is much more about numbers.

Atz

So if you enjoy it, there are smiles

MountainMonster

Not like mountain biking, in the slightest. My smiles come from a high average speed and long distance, even on a 40km MTB ride I have 50 million more smiles.

Where are my stabilisers?

Some people had their bikes set up hopelessly poorly for the terrain. For some reason it appears to be fashionable to have your saddle down ridiculously low. What's all that about?

So that it doesn't bump their ass off the bike while they're having a go at the jumps and DH you're too chicken to try maybe??

Don't knock it till you've tried it... A big bouncing bike with a lowered saddle is very forgiving and gives you confidence to tackle stuff a low skill level wouldn't let you get away with on a HT.

Some people seem to think these people are "cheating", personally I just think they're having fun!

Raymondavalon

I think that the CTW scheme enabled "fair weather riders" to own decent bikes and why not? A 20% [VAT] discount and cushy payment terms is an ideal opportunity to dabble in a decent MTB.

The good weather always brings people to the trail centres, I've seen this at Cannock myself and was lucky enough to be on a spot of leave last week, thus riding on weekdays when Cannock was quiet, but on weekends it gets busy and you'll get all sorts there out for the day, mommies, daddies, kids and groups of friends wanting to make the most of the weather.

In my experience it's the inexperienced and family group type riders who clog things up at Cannock when they accidentally or purposely venture on to the red route.

To be honest I am no ball of fire, being in my 40's but I ride at my pace and sometimes pass fellow riders and more often make way for those quicker than me.
I endeavor to pedal up hills, as slow as I may be, but I refuse to push. A few years back I had to push up those hills, I just didn't have a choice due to me not having the legs and fitness to do it, but now I can and I don't judge or look down on those who resort to dismounting and pushing, I was there once upon a time..

nwmlarge

i went to thetford with some mates and we had no idea what to expect so we went well over geared

i was on my stp with a full face and some armour on
ad was on an orange patriot again full face and armour
rich was on a kona blast with a full face and armour

we had been told it has some wicked down hill and some jumps

we went on the black route which had some gentle downhill and "the beast" which was fun but was like 2 hours of riding for two 1min blasts.

classifying the routes needs to be better in my opinion.

but on the day i reckon we looked a right bunch of tools!

1mancity2

To the OP, were they all around the start of the "Hope line"?

We were sessioning that section for a good hour and a half and, I lost count how many times I had to ask riders to kindly move from the first jump so we could carry on with our session.

Alot of people are starting out and do need to rest, chat and socialise but they also need to look around and be aware of other riders who want to ride.

1mancity2

HebdenBiker wrote:

cloudynights wrote:

your not the only one who thinks this, think trail centres are fine but a tiny bit over hyped as to how good they are and what kinda bike you need to ride them

Agreed. Gisburn is great fun but not very technical - I see it as an XC course to blast round rather than some sort of technical challenge than can only be overcome with full-face helmets and long-travel bikes.

Some guys up there session the "Hope line" and the downhill sections so they will be standing around a bit.

I wouldn't try the downhill or hope line on a "cheap" hardtail, the "8" isn't techy but when your hitting tabletops at speed and drops on the off piste sections you will find long travel bikes, full face and body armour in use.

marki3boy

In my opinion, anyone who makes the effort to go out and ride their bike off road is a hero.

At my local trail centres, I try to get out early to avoid the traffic on the trails.

Thewaylander

Raymondavalon wrote:

I think that the CTW scheme enabled "fair weather riders" to own decent bikes and why not? A 20% [VAT] discount and cushy payment terms is an ideal opportunity to dabble in a decent MTB.

No Vat benefit anymore so did the maths and its better just to go out and look for a deal or asked for a percentage off, you will save more money now :S the scheme has become a poor system working out more expensive from this tax year.

But going to the title instead of the poor topic of over biked which is a rediculous topic, standards of riding and fitness. Well certainly since the main stream of trail centers has hit, ive seen a definate drop in the technical ability of riders on the whole.

Natural trails people couldn't argue that it was to hard/impossible to ride, and they just had to man up and ride it, now complaints are made and the centers are redeuced basically making the standard of riding low. there is no trail in wales to my mind that really deserves the black rating(Outside of the DH trails this is).

I'm not a rocket and rate myself as average at best technically, but the amount of people i have ridden with who have next to no technical ability iswild, all they seem to care about is the wieght and colour of there bikes

*AL*

1mancity2 wrote:

We were sessioning that section for a good hour and a half and, I lost count how many times I had to ask riders to kindly move from the first jump so we could carry on with our session.

Alot of people are starting out and do need to rest, chat and socialise but they also need to look around and be aware of other riders who want to ride.

Did you alert them of your presence with your bell ?

Thewaylander

Sod the bell, people shouldn't stand in the middle of the trail like a bunch of muppets

*AL*

Thewaylander wrote:

Sod the bell, people shouldn't stand in the middle of the trail like a bunch of muppets

Perhaps they wasn't aware the was some serious 'sessioning' going on :roll:

Thewaylander

Don't stand in the middle of the trail...

This is a bug bear of mine, i hate it. if peopl stop move to the side off the trail so people can go by with out stopping or asking to shift it.

1mancity2

*AL* wrote:

Thewaylander wrote:

Sod the bell, people shouldn't stand in the middle of the trail like a bunch of muppets

Perhaps they wasn't aware the was some serious 'sessioning' going on :roll:

No bell but the section is at the top of a nice big hill and odviously riders are knacked after getting up it, but its quite odvious there is a section start there.

We don't shout "move"" but a polite "excuse me" works evertime but it is annoying that riders don't look around at what is going on in their vicinity.

Probably dosn't help now there is a picinic table at the hill top but that is a good few metres away from the start.

timpop

Yawn. :roll:

Raymondavalon

timpop wrote:

Yawn. :roll:

Off you go then, back to the "Commuting" section where you can hold interesting debates on folding bikes, the fitment reflectors in your spokes and how your mom still makes you wear a helmet when 'commuting' to school..

Bye now kiddie...

blablablacksheep

fitness is only important when going with mates.

if your a fatboy and out with mates on a decent bike ride and constantly having to take a break you just asking for the piss take....

tbh as long as people are on their bikes and in turn means more power to the cycling community then the better right?

other than that as long as people know the rules ie not setting up a BBQ in middle of a bike path then im cool with it

phildaw

I recognise many of the points the OP makes, and I am wondering if this is a generation thing. If I was to get into mountain biking today, as a totally new rider, I would get the magazines, read reviews.. probably get a £1,500+ quid FS bike and hit a trail centre, with knee pads/elbow pads, possibly a full face helmet (have you seen some of the injuries in MBR!) and a camelback.

I got into the sport 20 years ago, so I have a hardtail (with the forks locked out), knee pads (I like the way they feel!), a water bottle and I hit the local woods.

I am not saying either is the correct way to do it, just different.

bartimaeus

Now that we are done with bikes, what about people who video everything they do on high-end cameras and then post it all as one long unedited dump on youtube? Surely you should be FRPS or something before you buy a GOPRO?

Stiff_Orange

Getting back to the OP, I don't think you can judge every situation the same.

I've got £3k+ bike and can blast around most trail centres in well under the shortest recommended guidance time that they tend to give. Some guys I ride with it will be a balls out, take no prisoners ride, where you don't stop until the end.
Other guys I ride with will do one section and then stop on, or ride slowly along, forest roads having a general chinwag.
If I'm riding with novices riders and they are struggling up climbs, I may push with them for moral support, and also because i'm usually more aware of other riders.

The things that get me though are people who stop or put their bike down in the middle of the track. For heavens sake, if you have a mechanical, want to take a picture or just need a breather, please find a safe spot and move off the trail.
Then there are the 'I'm not going to move for anything' brigade. I don't like to startle anybody so if I see a slower rider in front, I usually give a loud "Hello, rider coming down, can I get around when safe", 9 out of 10 times they'll give you room and it's pleasent "thank you" all round. However occasionally they just refuse to give way. The worst case was a guy with 2 young children (about 7-8 ) rolling slowly down Spooky wood descent at Glentress. The guy hears us, looks around and ignores us, as we roll up slowly behind them, one of his kids even said "Shall we stop Daddy" to which he replied "no carry on". Well there is no way I'm going to barge past a child on a single track, so there was nothing we could do except stop half way down the section and wait for about 10 minutes until they would have been clear. :roll:

Then of course there is the dumbing down, if I want to ride on a macadam track, there is circuit a couple of miles from me I take the road bike to, on a trail centres I want dirt, mud, rocks and roots.

Chinley Churner

Stopping on bends or leaving bikes lying on the trail are both real bug-bears or mine.. I also don't get people who, as soon as the trail tips slightly uphill, put it in the granny and twiddle up having a chat... surely you should ride the uphills as hard as you do the downs.

jayson

My FS bike is hugely more capable than i'll ever be but i still have huge laughs riding it, ive had people on cheaper bikes come past me but who cares aslong as im enjoying myself and having a laugh.

bails87

Chinley Churner wrote:

you should ride the uphills as hard as you do the downs.

Or, y'know, you could ride however you want.

Stiff_Orange

Chinley Churner wrote:

surely you should ride the uphills as hard as you do the downs.

Only If :-

a) You're in a Race
b) You're training for a race
c) You want to.

Markmjh

Chinley Churner wrote:

surely you should ride the uphills as hard as you do the downs.

I CAN'T!!!!!!!! I am in granny because if i'm not then the air ambulance will be fetching me shortly!

DodgeT

Saturday morning, I was going fairly quick down hully gully (the only way isn't it ) when just before the first drop after the main gully, I had to brake as hard as I could to stop for a child, with his mother and his father and his gran and there 2 dogs.. They were all pushing the bikes down.
They did move out the way as fast as they could which helped otherwise decision of gully or collision would have had to be thought through

Chinley Churner

Sorry... that was a blatant troll aimed at fat knacker downhillers/free-riders from a lycra clad semi-rodie... at least riders twiddling uphill in the granny aren't chucking their bike in a pick-up or getting on a chairlift

Atz

at least riders twiddling uphill in the granny aren't chucking their bike in a pick-up or getting on a chairlift

What's wrong with that?

1mancity2

DodgeT wrote:

Saturday morning, I was going fairly quick down hully gully (the only way isn't it ) when just before the first drop after the main gully, I had to brake as hard as I could to stop for a child, with his mother and his father and his gran and there 2 dogs.. They were all pushing the bikes down.
They did move out the way as fast as they could which helped otherwise decision of gully or collision would have had to be thought through

Bloody hell! Thats why it says "Black section" for "Advanced Riders"!!! Come on read the signs!

Another problem up at Gisburn is some people go the wrong way on the "Home baked" section which is not only annoying but bloody dangerous.