What are your bike skills like? Honestly......

peter413

Pinkbike probably...

clamps81

Pretty average I 'spose. Been riding two years as of April, but I did a skills course early on, so I think that helped. Still get freaked out by some things, hate massive jumps. Shit at riding in the wet - which given local weather and ground conditions is something of a disadvantage. If I'm feeling confident then I'll give things a go, but some days I can barely hit a tiny drop off without it feeling wrong. Did a trip to the Alps last year and rode pretty much everything the guides threw at us (with varying degrees of success/injury). Got a reputation among the people I ride with for being a bit gung-ho though I've been rather more cautious lately after busting my arm back in December at Afan - still a bit of a mystery as to what exactly went wrong there..
Shit on technical climbs, I've neither the ability or the fitness and something about those short bursts of effort plays havoc with my asthma. Not that bothered though as to me it's just a necessary evil before getting to the fun bit.

cooldad

jairaj wrote:

Where are all the Kool Kidz with their mad skillz!?? Everyone is being far too reasonable and modest :-)

They are out actually riding instead of talking about it.

pilch

Proutster wrote:

Richie63 wrote:

As fast as the young uns especially rocky descents.

50 in may ( so i want a pressie)

I'm 47 and can keep up with most people that I ride with except him ^^^ but (in my mind) that's because I have the "fear" gene. When I'm following him and I tell myself to let off the brakes then I start to catch him, but then my general wussiness comes back into play...

Had a nice OTB trying to keep up with him last night too :oops:

50 in december (I want a pressie too) and riding my luck most of the time...us Gnaaaaar old boys need to stick together ;-)

Richie63

Proutster wrote:

Richie63 wrote:

As fast as the young uns especially rocky descents.

50 in may ( so i want a pressie)

I'm 47 and can keep up with most people that I ride with except him ^^^ but (in my mind) that's because I have the "fear" gene. When I'm following him and I tell myself to let off the brakes then I start to catch him, but then my general wussiness comes back into play...

Had a nice OTB trying to keep up with him last night too :oops:

Ah, you say the nicest things

nicklouse

reading this I think we need to do a forum age poll.

Damn I remember when the average age was about 16. and there were only about 3 older than 30.

stubs

jairaj wrote:

Where are all the Kool Kidz with their mad skillz!?? Everyone is being far too reasonable and modest :-)

A few years ago I went on a forum ride and I was bricking it worrying that everyone would leave me wobbling, puffing and blowing at the back. Well I neednt have worried there were some really skillfull fit lads, some newbies and some lads like myself who had more enthusiasm than skill but strangely the biggest internet hero on the ride the one who spent most of his time online telling everyone how to ride needed stabilisers and spent most of the time wobbling like a warm jelly on anything tougher than a flat cyclepath. :roll:

cooldad

Name and shame.

ddraver

I think I'm OK, I can hold my own on most trail centres, My slow speed/trials skills are non existent and I'm scared by big jumps. I don't mind popping off stuff or the odd drops. If i have the time to think about something though, I am utterly useless! I have to get it right first time or else I won't do it at all.

When I go to a proper DH track I am utterly useless though, but then I ride an XC hardtail. Rarely get overtaken now (although obviously the times when there is someone that happens to be near you are few and fair between). I'm physiologically suited to front row rugby though not cycling so I'm awful at climbing.

Still, its all about the fun though eh!

stubs

cooldad wrote:

Name and shame.

Hell I can barely remember last year never mind 5 or 6 years ago. He was a Sweaty but lived somewhere in Manc land and the ride was at Sherwood.

SteveH28

Not as good as they used to be . . . or should be . . .for now anyways!
Terrible on uphills, not bad at the downs.

craigw99

+ potatoe for above

tudj

About average I'd say. Happy to tackle anything, never tried any big jumps or drops-offs over about 3ft but want to give them a go. Not as quick as I'd like to be, still learning how fast/hard I can push it before something bad happens, I've only been riding for about 6 months.

70\ʹspenguin

Riding skills poor

But i can make bacon!





Do i win?

njee20

No, far too fatty.

pesky_jones

I thought too fatty as well. surely most of it gets trimmed though

njee20

Should've done that before taking the photos. Bit like taking a photo of an S-Works with reflectors, a bell and the big spoke protector behind the cassette.

cooldad

Barbarians - that's where all the taste is.

pesky_jones

cooldad wrote:

Barbarians - that's where all the taste is.

I'm probally going to get slaughtered now, but when I fry bacon (rarity) I chop off the fat - I can't stand fat on any meat the texture just wigs me out, I know :shock:

70\ʹspenguin

cooldad wrote:

Barbarians - that's where all the taste is.

Precisely!

I would not recommend eating this bacon every day but it is, in fact, prepared and sold just like that. It is a shame that we have been weened off fat on meat over the past 30 years, because we have been deprived of so much flavour its untrue.

This is not the kind of bacon you would ever see in a supermarket. It is high end artisan stuff.

Taking fat off meat before cooking is a shame. It should be removed after and then you benefit from the flavour.

Everything in moderation of course.

ddraver

Yes, you will be slaughtered...

pesky_jones

It just seems so unnatural to eat, when in fact it is almost the opposite! but yeah thats where my bike skills are at

Northwind

Cut it with fat, and if anyone doesn't want it they can trim it. remove fat, and if anyone wants it, they can't.

cooldad

Then chop it off after cooking, or even better, make it crispy.

bennett_346

I am awesome at riding in every way. And i'm 20, so i'm better than everyone else (in a few days...).

stubs

cooldad wrote:

or even better, make it crispy.

This man is wise beyond his many years

cooldad

Pesky Jones wrote:

It just seems so unnatural to eat, when in fact it is almost the opposite! but yeah thats where my bike skills are at

If you really want to gross out, I used to have a Russian client who kept big chunks of raw beef fat in his fridge and ate big wedges of it. Looked like handfuls of lard.
I'll try most things but that I declined.

ddraver

Oh yeah I had that in Siberia - Served on a dark bread usually followed immediately by a shot of Vodka.

Interesting stuff, but not totally unpalatable!

Newfish

I like to think I'm quite good, but in reality, age (32) and many years out of the saddle have turn me a bit chicken. Having only riden road/canal and Cannock I don't have enough knowledge to compare red/black routes. But I can do Cannock with confidence and enjoy the fast flowy bits.
I'm a landscape gardener by trade so am all to aware that a crash for me is bad on more than just the pain level, this has given me the fear a bit, especially since I have crashed 4/5 times at Cannock. Mostly just not getting out of the spd's quick enough but they still hurt.
I can't manual but love a good jump and drop off as long as there is plenty of room and I don't have to brake hard for a corner/obstacle.

I'd consider myself average and mediocre on the fitness front.

danlightbulb

Average in every way I think. I am always mid table on Strava, on climbs, on descents, on short sections, on long sections. Always in or around the middle of the table. I need to double my average speed to reach the upper echelons, never going to happen.

At the moment I'm trying to learn how to be braver, carry more speed, jump a little. Getting there slowly. May do a course this year. I'm 32 and been riding for a year, think I was about 15 when I last rode a bike before picking it up last year.