Snobbery?!?!

jamie 'jammy dodger'

Riding on my own these last few months on my Bantu hardtail has been amazing,nothing to tech tried but tackled some (in my view) decent descents

My little concern holding me back is showing up at trails on my budget bike whereas all i'm seeing is fullsus bikes all singing/dancing...fish outta of water or carry on reguardless?

supersonic

Some people have the money, some don't - ride what you have and enjoy it!

chez_m356

supersonic wrote:

Some people have the money, some don't - ride what you have and enjoy it!

this exactly, besides the bantu's a good bike, better than the ones the so called big names are turning out at that price

angry_bird

Pah, just turn up and ride and enjoy it, people won't care what you ride. You might get people eyeing up your bike but that's more down to the fact they're interested in bikes, not that they're judging it or you.

mcnultycop

I've been riding round trail centres and natural stuff on my "budget" hardtail for three years or so, and have never really had anyone say anything. I look at other's bikes, but just because I'm interested. I'm now lucky enough to be able to afford a more expensive bike and have had one "nice bike, mate" comment from a fellow MTBer. I just get on with it, and let others get on with it.

YeehaaMcgee

supersonic wrote:

Some people have the money, some don't - ride what you have and enjoy it!

Sonic's bang on the money. It's about enjoying yourself, not showing off your bank balance.
Some of us can afford to spend more money on our toys, some of us can't, but we're all still enjoying the same thing.

jamie 'jammy dodger'

Cheers for replies....shall worry more about the line than vanity!! :oops:

supersonic

I'm currently riding a 16 year old bike with 63mm forks and V brakes! But I love it.

YeehaaMcgee

supersonic wrote:

I'm currently riding a 16 year old bike with 63mm forks and V brakes! But I love it.

An I'm riding a 14 year old bike with an assortment of period parts, and some modern stuff, and loving it also.
It is insanely twitchy compared to the newer bike though, it's like trying to ride an easily distracted small yappy dog

cooldad

Yeah sheep are so much more placid.

YeehaaMcgee

That's weak for you, CD.
I give it a 2/10.

cooldad

Duly noted, as is the lack of any denial.

paul.skibum

I used to ride with a club in the UK, mate of mine came out with us in Swinley one day. His bike had been nicked so he'd borrowed his wifes Dawes Tamarack complete with v brakes, 80mm forks and a pannier rack.

He dived into one of the trails after a warning of big step downs, steep, slippery ahead of other club members on their full sus, ti, gold plated, fancy shmancy rides - the other guys peered over the edge and acknowledged that more often than not "its not about the bike".

Snobbery in mountain bike circles is likely to get you your arse handed to you by a better rider in the long run. Best avoided.

ElliesDad

Its a bit like cars really, some people can afford to ride around in expensive cars, others in old bangers. Its all down to money really but doesn't mean what you've got cannot do the job!

YeehaaMcgee

ElliesDad wrote:

Its all down to money really

That and priorities.

RandG

paul.skibum wrote:

Snobbery in mountain bike circles is likely to get you your ars* handed to you by a better rider in the long run. Best avoided.

In my experience the snobbery in mountain biking is unrivalled.

Have you logged on to stw ?

YeehaaMcgee

You must ride in very different circles then. I'm aware that there is snobbery, and I've met one or two bike snobs, but they're very few and far between.
I've come across lots of tongue-in-cheek snobbery though, but that's all in good humour, and usually mentioned whilst laughing.

RandG

I ride on my own, but have read enough of it via stw to know.

YeehaaMcgee

I'm a forum snob, so I've never been to STW

chez_m356

RandG wrote:

I ride on my own, but have read enough of it via stw to know.

obviously if its been written it must be true, believe everything you read do you ?

supersonic

You get snobs in all walks of life - in MTB circles they are most likely to be seen sat outside trail centre cafes with very clean bikes that have been around the blue trail in the driest weather they could get out in.

louthepoo

i haven't noticed much snobbery when i've been over cannock chase or the local trails, which is good as im selling my beautiful carbon hardtail and getting a £650 merida 29er!

frankspencer1979

chez_m356 wrote:

RandG wrote:

I ride on my own, but have read enough of it via stw to know.

obviously if its been written it must be true, believe everything you read do you ?

Haha, I remember that front page. My grandma accidentally bought the sport not knowing what it was and genuinely believed that story! :roll:

S-M

Currently riding a freshly built 1999 Specialized FSR Elite (max backbone)

Its great!

But this is how it was described in the writeup for our local MTB club after i built it up and took it for its first proper offroad session.

Micky had finished the rebuild of his recently acquired Specialized Y-frame Stumpy relic, a real ugly beast that looks like a current Motorists Discount Shop forty quid job, but I'm biased and he loves it! Good to have him out again regardless.

I found this hilarious, i/it beat most of them up the hills when climbing, and a large number of them when coming back down the 30mph rocky descent, annoyingly not all of them though, but i tend to take things a lot easier now after multiple hospital visits :P

Majski

Bike snobs are hilarious. They're *almost* always crap riders. Having just got back from Morzine that place gets worse and worse for trail heroes every year. Guys on 'all mountain' bikes skidding down chavannes and refusing to get out of the way of anyone quicker.

It's the quiet ones on the knackered old bikes to watch out for, they're always the fastest.

Myster101

My local trail centre is Whinlatter which I go to quite often on my GT Avalanche 1.0. Pulling up in the car park I see all sorts of expensive bikes and kit ready to hit the blue run as I struggle up to the top of the red north (blowing out my ar*e) to hurtle back down again. Get some strange looks as the back end of my bike bounces around in what only can be described as an uncontrolled seat of the pants stylee but I love it it's all about the enjoyment you get from it and not about how good you and your kit look.

miss notax

Majski wrote:

Bike snobs are hilarious. They're *almost* always crap riders. Having just got back from Morzine that place gets worse and worse for trail heroes every year. Guys on 'all mountain' bikes skidding down chavannes and refusing to get out of the way of anyone quicker.

Probably me :oops:

Majski

Girls are excluded

cooldad

Majski wrote:

Girls are excluded

Feeble pick up line, doubt she's going to dump you for Notax.

Majski

Riiiiiiiiight

Reno5gtt

In my opinion it doesn't matter what you ride as long as you turn up and give it ago. I've had a few downhill bikes worth 1000's and now ride a few £100 xc bike. We used to love people showing up who were keen with budget bikes to give it ago, at least they were turning up and doing it rather than snobs who said they would turn up then were a no show lol I am going buying another bike in the 1000's in a couple of weeks and I'd be more than happy to cycle along with someone on a budget bike.

Don't worry about it mate just keep turning up, i'm pretty sure you will meet some decent people who are not snobs and have an expesive bikes , anyway it's not what you ride it's how you ride it

Good luck