[Closed] Do I need a skill compensator..?

EVERYONE needs a skill comensator! 😉 I'm on my second and it's fabulous....

It's surely all about which bike you will have the most fun on. I think you have already answered your own question really.

Hmmm... good point Grumm.

When riding on my own, I don't feel obliged to plunge myself down that gut-wrenchingly steep, full of jagged lose rocks descent, because that sorta thing just don't float my inner jey. But there are lots of trails out here in Tassie that are just like that. Because I simply avoid them, or can't ride them as a result, I end up missing out on a lot of potential trail.

Then, when out riding with a group of experienced locals, I have little choice but to simply follow where they go. And I don't exactly enjoy the experience as a result.

The bike I have most fun on is probably more related to the type of trail I have most fun on - i.e. swoopy, rollercoastery, speeder-bike singletrack, with little 1-2ft drops I can fly over and land satisfyingly somewhere on the downslope side. For this, my Klein still fits the bill perfectly.

The thing is, would I be having [i]more[/i] fun with something more 'hardcore' and modern that allowed me to ride the hard stuff? Or shall I just keep mincing along on 'gentler' trails, the way I've always done? 😉

Buy a bike to suit whatever terrain you plan on riding.

That's why i have "a few" bikes. 🙂

Used to think the same until I became both sensible(ish) and old/stiff/achey.I bought an Orange Sub5 and progressed through their newer models to an 08 version I have now.I still ride my Pace occasionally, and still try to pick similar lines, keep it smooth etc when on the 5, but it's more comfortable, faster and easily as much fun when you get used to it. Sounds like you're in a similar position, see if you can borrow one, most people who try it don't go back.

I've had a similar thing recently, albeit slightly more 'meeting in the middle' in terms of bikes. Obviously being who I am I'm a huge hardtail fan, but moving to the Peak and getting in with a seriously good riding group has it's effects. I recently upped my Hemlock to it's 150mm travel setting for the first time since I finished it's development (I'd always been a short travel man for the 'feel') which was the culmination of a series of embiggerisations to keep up with the local fast lads on big bikes. Totally LOVING the speed/skill compensation! But, when I ride on my own or with other people, I still tend towards my beloved Soul, because when keeping up isn't a top priority, I prefer it. So there you go, essay reply to essay, IMO you need a bigger bike, to go with your other bike.

Keep mincing, infact its probably time to sell the mtb and buy a nice road bike 😆

Depends if you're more concerned about what other people think (of the bike you ride) or you're more concerned about just enjoying yourself on whatever you ride.

You could go uber niche to fit in with the stw masses. So some steel, rigid SS or gears with thumbshifters.

Not a million miles from where I was!

Until Wednesday, I was on a 1996 Spesh Stumpy M2 FS Comp with 100mm travel RC38's, V's, 2.1" WTB Velociraptors, 130mm stem and 590mm flat bars. It's still a great XC machine, but I admit to shortening the stem and putting some riser bars for a more friendly stance.

However, what I've done is to supplement the collection with a 2009 Trek Remedy 7 - awesome bike - 6+ inches travel front and rear, upright stance, 690mm bars and 2.35" tyres! Took it out for my usual XC ride last night and nearly died.

Horses for courses, I think. Will definitely be keeping the Spesh for XC stuff, but will use the Trek when I know there's gonna be some gnarl!

Seriously have you thought about a skills day first, it's made a vast difference to my jey mincing, it's an awful lot less money, I'm pretty confident that a day with Ed O of Great Rock has probably gained me another year at least of finding the limits of a fully rigid bike. I'm planning to keep going back as it seems a far cheaper way of upping my game long term than splurging on new kit almost continously.

Do motocross riders think their bikes are 'skill compensators'?

You rode on a super rocky trail, with guys who have bikes that can go fast over super rocky trails. The game has moved on!

I wouldnt' buy one but there again I don't mind being rattled down the odd rocky descent. I don't do it every day and when I do I can keep up a good pace so have never felt the urge. My mate on the other hand loves his Spesh Stumpy fsr which he bought last year as a first FS. I'd suggest trying out a few short travel full sussers to see what you think of them if most of your riding is now over rocks and stuff.

Kev

Well I have to say I've had just about every type of bike but a DH monster and I know that different bikes suit different rides very well. I've ridden a rigid, a 5.5" full sus and a 3" XC full sus in the alps, same trails and know that it was a HELL of a lot more fun on the downs with the 5.5", but the ups and alongs were more fun on the 3". On my local trails the techy downs are limited, so I prefer to keep the short travel full sus for here, but I recently built up a rigid singlespeed for playing and by god was it a lot harder to cope with the technical downs, stuff that can just be flown over or relied on for grip becomes a threat to stability at best or even an over-the-bars risk. Having ridden it several times I concluded that it really improved my riding skills again for when I got back on the full sus. But none were more fun for local trails, just different, and if anything the rigid promoted better skills that could be put to use on the bike that was more capable in rocky situations.

You should try a DH Monster - they're crazy! You just plow through things.

I have no doubt riding rigid bikes etc. will increase your skills overall, but suspension does work. Now does the OP want to spend the cash, so he can go faster and stay with his new riding buddies? I think he would enjoy the faster speed, perhaps not enjoy the faster crashes 🙂 But it sounds like where he lives now could exploit one more than most of us in the UK, so go for it!

Get a 4" travel bike with discs "all the bike you'll ever need" T.M

They're not skill compensators. You bring the skills you have... There's absolutely no doubt that a longer travel FS bike is way more fun in the mountains than a XC hardtail. It's what they're designed for.

Even in Swinley forest my Orange 5 is way more fun to ride and way faster than my Kona Heihei XC machine - that's as much down to geometry as anything else. And at Cwmcarn (trail centre *gasp*) the 7" Patriot is just brilliant, way more fun than the other two. If you are in rocky mountains I'd definitely go for something 5-6" both ends, no trouble.

Do motocross riders think their bikes are 'skill compensators'?

No but they also know that bigger isn't better.

Unlike some folks on here.

A bigger bike won't make up for lack of balls. All it will do is let you ride stuff you're happy on, faster, crash faster, and get you into trouble [u]if you don't want to do the scary stuff in the first place[/u]

From your initial post, you come across as someone who is quite happy to be "limited by their bike". There's no reason you can't ride rocky, slabby descents on your current bike (we all used to do it when Kleins, long stems and short forks were derigeur). You'll be slower, it might be a bit hairy, you might crash more, but it's still doable.

Personally I'm a big fan of chunky hardtails - they can be hilarous fun in the right circumstances (hell my XC bike runs 120mm forks, a 70mm stem and 2.3 tyres), but I'm naturally inclined to steep, gnadgery, tech stuff. Skill compensator - not really. Skill enhancer - definitely.

Can you modify your current setup a bit? Fit a shorter stem and risers for more control? Bigger, stickier front tyre? Will the frame cope with 100mm forks? What about sticking a disc on the front? All those should make your descending more confident, without really affecting your climbing abilities (you might even find it enhances them on tech stuff), or costing a fortune. Oh and consider some armour - makes the thought of crashing less scary when you know you can stick a knee or elbow down without it hurting too much!

Most of all, stick with it, and don't let your "inner mincing jey" get in the way of *you* riding to the best of your abilities.

Skills compensator? far from it, I would say the modern day crop of 5 and 6-inch trail bikes are great skill enablers. Calling any bike with a decent amount of travel a "skills compensator" and banging on about how "you don't need any more than $whatever_I_currently_ride" is the domain of the sphincter-lipped, sneering lycra brigade.

You know the ones; they make a point of passing you uphill, like it's some kind of race, then teeter their way down the descents like an octagenarian with brittle bones. And they won't let you pass if you happen to be faster than them on a descent (god forbid!) because they have too much impotent rage and it would affect their self-esteem. In the car park they'll invariably pass comment on all of the overbuilt bikes and that no-one really needs knee pads or body armour. See also: Any recent Mint Sauce strip.

The fact is that the game has moved on - trails (trail centres waaaah not even real mountain biking, waaaah) are becoming more difficult and demanding as mountain biking continues to mature, and the bikes are becoming more capable, which in turn leads to the development of more difficult and demanding trails, etc etc.

The people who buy 5 or 6-inch bikes haven't been tricked into it by some clever marketing ploy, they have made the decision based on the type of riding they would like to do - and I would wager almost everyone with one of these bikes is happy to have it.

Get yourself a trail bike,you'll find it great fun.

sphincter-lipped

all of the overbuilt bikes and that no-one really needs knee pads or body armour.

The thing is though for your average trail center that's very true. 😉

you don't need a skills compensator, you need some skills.

also you seem right on the extreme of bikes (very jey),something with a 120mm fork some widish bars and some proper sized tyres would set you right up. I'm thinking 456, soul, PA sorta bike.

what are the locals riding?

The issue for the purists is, if you did own a 'skill compensator' you'd no longer have an excuse for not doing the gap/jump/steep bit etc. Bikes are great whatever flavour. An fs bike might just improve your riding...

You find very steep, very rocky downhills difficult on an RC36 and v-brake-equiped Klein. What a surprise! "Modern" bikes with a bit more suspension, better geometry and more effective brakes aren't skills compensators, they are simply more suitable for the job.

Your set up is approaching a decade old - you need to get with the times man!

😉