survey

Her's an interesting note?quote from Mountain Bike Action;

"The Mountain Bike Action rider survey says that 70% of you ride cross country. Most are on hardtails,with an eye out for a full-suspension replacement."

Interesting. Comments?

[knucklebuste]

What I don't understand is this. What constitutes cross country? I don't like to consider myself an XC rider, as I don't fit the bill so to speak with the spandex pants, clipless pedals and typical XC helmet. But I don't really freeride or downhill. I ride a 37lb bike. I do small hucks. Does that put me out of the XC class? What else is there? Agressive all mountain rider?
Funny thing is that after riding with some guys on here like IF and AA, I realize how much I suck, and those guys are XC riders I guess right? So maybee I ought to be one ha? LOL

Knuck

[MTBME]

I don't find a big problem with the 70% xcountry statistic. Sounds accurate. As far as the hardtail quote, are they saying that most of the xcountry riders mentioned above are riding a hardtail? Sounds low unless they are including all those Fred's riding paved bicycle paths.

[BrianK]

I guess I'm one of those 70%. I'm kinda like Knuck, I definately ride cross country but prefer a slower pace and a more technical terrain. Agressive XC sounds like a good way to put it.

I *do* ride a hardtail and I *do* have my eyes on a full sus bike for maybe next season. Question is, keep the hardtail and get a more burly full sus bike or get something like a VPP bike that I can use to do everything? I won't know until I go demo some bikes.

-BrianK

[knucklebuste]

Brian. If your after a VPP bike, I'd suggest staying away from Intense. You don't need to spend that much money on a VPP.

<spam> Insert Iron Horse Hollowpoing Spam here </spam>

Seriously though, you should check one out. They are a cheap bike as far as money goes with top notch quality and customer service. I had to wait 3 months for my 5th element coil for my MTX Hollowpoint. They finally got me the shock and let me keep the 5th element air shock that came with the bike. So that's 1 MTX frame with seatpost (thompson elite), seat post collar, E-13 reducer cups, FSA ZS headset, 1 5th element air shock, 1 5th element coil shock for around $1350 :o :o :o :o :o

I do like the Intense 5.5 though, it's sharp, but $2200 for just the frame. Plus I've read a bunch about bearing problems, but that was over at mtbr.com so ::)

I'll gladly let you take my rig for a spin sometime and perhaps bring my wifes hollowpoint as well (base model) if you want to check it out.
Knuck

[BrianK]

Yeah, that'd be great knuck. We'll have to meet for a ride at LSF or around the Woo sometime.

[Slider]

CC definitely, and already have the fully to back up the Ti hardtail. And dreaming of a third, longer travel, but still CC-oriented rig. SPV, five inches, and not aluminum.

Slider

[AA]

I consider myself a xc rider. Unfortunately that is becoming a bad word in mountain biking. Similar to calling someone a "roadie". When I ride I like to do jumps, small drops etc. But I also like to cover some ground and I dont like to stop much. What people wear (helmets shorts etc. does not define how they ride).

To me "freeriders" are folks that head out to the woods and have "sessions" on various sections. They will ride the same sections over and over dialing in the line. They stop a lot. Talk about aproaches, lines and landings. They dont cover a lot of ground and dont care to. They will often push their bikes up hill.

I have hear the tem "cross-stuntry" but it is so goofy I cannot use it. Just get out and ride and have fun. I say we call it mountain biking.

[Jisch]

I'm with you AA. Although, if I fail to make a certain technical section, I will often go back and try it again. Honestly its pretty hard to be a true CC rider here in NE isn't it? I mean there aren't a lot of trails around that aren't technical, or maybe I just don't know about them.

John

[iceman]

where does riding daily for the enjoyment of the sport fall?

Knucklebusta, my favorite riding buddy and I both have Iron horse bikes and we love them of course he is 6 (my son, smart allics)and just loves to ride, but I have nothing but good things to say about their services. one example is, I had a problem with my freewheel hub and when my LBS called it in they just sent me a whole new wheel "WTB" no less nice up grade. :o

[Quo Fan]

What we are, above all else, are bicyclists, regardless of what you ride or what type of riding you do. Why must we always pidgeon-hole everything? I am a bicyclist, I like riding in the woods, I wear baggy clothes, I wear spandes, I ride a heavy bike, I ride a lighter bike, I ride fast, I ride slow, I climb up things, I jump off things, I stop a lot, I don't stop. What classification do I fall in?

[PutAwayWet]

70% XC... My guess that people who classify themselves as XC (like me) say that becasue they don't do stuff that they see on "extreme" mtb videos and stuff. They figure if they ride on a trail without doing gnarly drops and stunts, that makes them the rider that "Crosses country" while riding.

I'd also say XC is different depending on where in the world you are. XC in new england means lots of technical skills, and not necessarily road-style riding on smooth hard pack trails or fire roads. An XC rider in New Hampshire will cover less ground than an XC rider in Minnesota (right, Sushi?) in a given time increment.

As for hardtail stuff - that explains why you practically have to special order a top end hardtail nowadays. I ride hardtail, and for ANOTHER hardtail to make me a schweet SS. I'll ride full boing when my body tells me I have to, or when I hit the powerball and want to ride to store 24 for beef jerkey.

[BrianK]

What we are, above all else, are bicyclists, regardless of what you ride or what type of riding you do. Why must we always pidgeon-hole everything? I am a bicyclist, I like riding in the woods, I wear baggy clothes, I wear spandes, I ride a heavy bike, I ride a lighter bike, I ride fast, I ride slow, I climb up things, I jump off things, I stop a lot, I don't stop. What classification do I fall in?


Because when off the bike, we can't help but have silly discussions about biking because we love it so much! ;D

Good point though. Most of us are really just "mountain bikers". I fall into many categories.

-BrianK

[If_Rider]

"The Mountain Bike Action rider survey says that 70% of you ride cross country.


Probably more like 70% of MBA readers ride XC. It's all good.

Today I rode my unicycle with full body armor and I stopped to ride the same section over and over but I was wearing spandex?? Sure was fun though.

[vinnycactus]

i like to ride without stopping and climbing and i ride a hardtail. the problem lies in the fact that the hardtail is 40lbs and has a dual crown on it.......