What is a Mountain Biker?

[Red Light]

In winter we would use touring skis instead of bikes.

Bikes are fun in the snow too



Coming from a mountaineering background like you though I am always disappointed/shocked at the complete absence of mountain craft in the mountain biking magazines. You'll see nothing in them about carrying a survival bag and whistle & torch, compass and map reading skills, clothing etc that you would in the mountaineering magazine. Most mountain bikers set off woefully unprepared IMO.

 

[Red Light]

Once again I say never say impossible as somebody will try - That does not mean they will succeed.

There are too many vertical scramble down sections with no landing zone to be ridable on Swirrel and Striding Edges even for Danny Macaskill.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

There are too many vertical scramble down sections with no landing zone to be ridable on Swirrel and Striding Edges even for Danny Macaskill.

Which part of try do you not get?????

 

[Cardiac]

This thread brings back memories. It's not me in the pic, BTW - I didn't have a camera in 1974 when I took my basic teenager's bike over Walna (it was the shortcut back to our holiday cottage in Dunnerdale having gone over Wrynose in the morning). As far as I am aware there weren't dedicated MTBs in those days. Just as much fun though.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

IMHO - A person becomes a MTBr when they ride a bike on anything more technically challenging the forestry fire roads.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Mountain bikers are car occupants with a bike on the roof.

I know what you mean. Huge 'animal' branded 4WD badly driven to a trail centre or local forest seems to be the order of the day.

But in defence of us mtb-ers I've been mtb'ing since the early 90's and none of my bikes have ever been on a roof rack. I used to turn heads at xc races when I turned up in my single seat 2CV! I'd go faster uphill on the bike.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

IMHO - A person becomes a MTBr when they ride a bike on anything more technically challenging the forestry fire roads.

if the fire road is up down or across a real mountain, then even then they are a mountain biker.

But you ain't a real mountain biker if you ride down what you haven't ridden/pushed/carried up first. So there!

 

[Angelfishsolo]

if the fire road is up down or across a real mountain, then even then they are a mountain biker.

But you ain't a real mountain biker if you ride down what you haven't ridden/pushed/carried up first. So there!

OK Access to forestry roads

You missed out an important bit as well. You must have had one really bad fall

 

[GrumpyGregry]

OK Access to forestry roads

You missed out an important bit as well. You must have had one really bad fall

You must have had one really bad fall that was entirely avoidable and happened because you

a) were going far too fast to make that bend
b) were far too lacking in talent to ever make that drop off
c) were overtaken by your own pride a millisecond or two before you lost it
d) were unaccountably unable to see that the tree had moved



Actually I'd say the real 'coming of age' is when you carry your helmet home in two or more pieces.....

 

[Angelfishsolo]

You must have had one really bad fall that was entirely avoidable and happened because you

a) were going far too fast to make that bend
b) were far to lacking in talent to ever make that drop off
c) were overtaken by your own pride a millisecond or two before you lost it
d) were unaccountable unable to see that the tree had moved



Actually I'd say the real 'coming of age' is when you carry your helmet home in two or more pieces.....

I am the real deal then

 

[Cardiac]

But you ain't a real mountain biker if you ride down what you haven't ridden/pushed/carried up first. So there!

Like it!

 

[Norm]

c) were overtaken by your own pride a millisecond or two before you lost it

I just spat custard out!

d) were unaccountable unable to see that the tree had moved

Wow, I never thought I'd make it as an MTBer but I can tick this one just cycling along the Thames.

The first bit is easy, I was unable to see because of the amount of rain. Had I thought about it, I would have realised that the rain would make the branches heavier so the stuff that I rode under the day before would be perfectly at helmet level.

 

[Globalti]

Bikes are fun in the snow too

Coming from a mountaineering background like you though I am always disappointed/shocked at the complete absence of mountain craft in the mountain biking magazines. You'll see nothing in them about carrying a survival bag and whistle & torch, compass and map reading skills, clothing etc that you would in the mountaineering magazine. Most mountain bikers set off woefully unprepared IMO.

Maps? I really don't think maps are part of the scene any more. You either load the route onto a GPS or you follow arrows around a trail centre.

That said, I have noticed an increasing amount of discussion on Singletrack about Scotland - there is more interest in getting out into the wild and riding some quite long remote routes. My guess is that these are people who have been to the Alps and seen the potential of the MTB as a means of covering long distances in the mountains. I would hope that most of them do carry maps and compasses and know how to use them.

Many years ago we gave away an old greenhouse and the first people to respond to our newspaper ad were a family who turned out to be survivalists. They came to collect the greenhouse and we got chatting. The teenage son was absolutely amazed to discover that maps existed and when I showed him his own farmhouse on the 1:25,000 map he was thrilled. His parents didn't seem so enthusiastic; I think they were unhappy that the son had given me the whereabouts of their place and they were even less happy when we said we would drive up in our Landy and check that they had actually re-erected the greenhouse! Some weeks later we did go up; we found a huge earth berm about 15 feet high around the farm, the top of the roof just about visible from a distance. At the end of the track was a black steel gate about 15' high and a notice that said: "Visitors, please sound your horn and wait. If nobody comes, please leave." The place is just above Todmorden, if anybody fancies paying them a visit!

 

[Alembicbassman]

Todmorden - They have a society that looks out for aliens there.


http://www.skytrackers.com/tag/todmorden/

 

[Globalti]

They still point at aircraft in Burnley.