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Simple question really. Do you have a favaourite thing about mountain biking?
Mine would have to be the exeperince of being out in the fresh air and enjoying the scenary.
Fire away.
shiney things
oh, and riding up hills.
Fast enough to get somewhere yet slow enough to take in what the journey has to offer.
Mainly, I like being outside.
Skinny downhill singletrack can make me laugh out loud even when I'm on my own 😛
the beer afterwards
Jumps, especially step downs.
Night rides with mates that end at a pub! That's what's on the menu tonight! 🙂
Fav things about mtb.......
Being outdoors.
Singletrack.
Solitude (sometimes).
Fast enough to get somewhere yet slow enough to take in what the journey has to offer.
This is what I love about road bikes. Best way to see your surroundings
MTB is a bit different has some of that. Also love the feeling of hooning down some singletrack and carving through corners and berms and the feeling of achievement getting down some bit you didn't before.
feeling like a kid again, playing in the woods with friends. the sense of achievement sitting at the top of a hill knowing you rode there and you're enjoying something that those stuck in front of their tv's at home probably don't know exists. rolling down things sticking your legs out to the side, riding no handed, its exercise but somehow enjoyable.
no matter how crap i feel, i always feel better after a ride... even when i've damaged myself in the process 😀
Being outdoors.
The endorphins and feeling of calm you get from riding.
The solitude.
And the sense of achievement. I woke up with my then gf a while ago and the first thing I said was: "I rode a section I never rode before yesterday." I was so proud. 😉
Personal freedom. That and the comfort feeling when you get home, scrub up and sit down to relax...
Fresh air.
Quietening of the mind.
Shiny things.
When I'm on the bike, the only thing I think about is being on the bike - not falling off, not crashing and riding well takes all my concentration. Clears my head, makes me happy. It's like meditation and fun all in one.
It is the only time when my head empties of normal life stuff.
Plus, it helps shake off the beer tummy and you get to act like a 12 yr old with your mates.
Riding in the woods at the witching hour... and everything listed here:
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/the-simple-pleasures-of-mountain-biking
Since nobody's said it yet, "What, people on here ride bikes"? Ah, hilarious.
I don't know if I have a favourite really, too much good stuff. It's probably the feeling of getting away with it- biting off more than I can chew and making it work anyway. That's good on a few different levels.
There's a lot of reasons why I love mountain biking:
Solitude - I can escape into my own thoughts without having to make excuses or explainations
Technology - I think my bikes all look ace
Fitness - I love the physical challenge of clearing just one more climb...
The sense of fullfilment - The first time I got both wheels off the ground, my first wheelie and of course the time I felt like a riding God at a Welsh trail centre on my new bike. In reality I wasn't one, but I exceeded my own expectations.
the forums are a good laugh
b**tards i realy wanna go ride now and cant !! 👿
All of it! Yes, I even like grinding up a hill into a headwind in torrential rain, I'm weird like that. 🙂
The only bits I don't really like are the occasional bits on busy roads, and that's only because of the odd idiot driver really.
Long, twisting, jumpy descents!!!
Just about all of the above.
The sense of danger and peril from doing fast singletrack and jumps without a helmet 😀
No one thing for me, but, keeping fit in the great outdoors. Playing on your bike with your mates in the woods (I'm the wrong side of 50 now. ). Escaping to the garage to fettle shiny stuff. Nights in the pub or round a barbeque on weekends away with the bikes and mates.
The moment...
When a deer runs out on a misty dawn ride.
When you catch a jump just right.
The quiet of a hill top when the only thing you can hear is your breathing.
The rush of a near miss.
Pushing yourself as hard as you want.
Lights in the woods when you are out with your mates.
Catching a couple shagging down what they thought was a quiet country lane.
The rip of your tires at full speed over loose ground.
Bouncing your forks in a car park before a big ride.
New kit arriving in the post at work.
Falling off and getting away with it.
10 seconds before the start of a race.
The first post ride pint.
Riding steps without looking like you are falling down them.
and so on and so on...
Clear head
Outdoors
The company, sometimes
The lack of company, sometimes
CAKE and making room for it.
this (having a laugh with mates
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5183/5670695824_95e6fd1eec_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketdog/5670695824/ ]the 5 go down to the woods ride[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/rocketdog/ ]rOcKeTdOgUk[/url], on Flickr
and rides when you get to see this sort of thing
[url= http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6106/6220633817_30efdfc5f0_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketdog/6220633817/ ]the cheeky Waseley ride[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/rocketdog/ ]rOcKeTdOgUk[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2697/4429054323_9c6539c446_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/rocketdog/4429054323/ ]Andy[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/rocketdog/ ]rOcKeTdOgUk[/url], on Flickr
and today, the crackle of frosty mud under your tyres
Freedom.
Repeatedly saying stuff like "That was ^&*%ing wicked!"
Any time spent on my bike, but the moment when u get everything just right (mainly downhill)
Racing your mates down singletrack then shouting (in your best Rob Warner voice) "he's only gone and done him!" as you squeeze past braking waaaaay to late into a corner. Or that "you lucky bas**rd" as you land badly but successfully.
Peace of mind. Can sit at home worrying about life, work, even falling off the bike and a break meaning maybe no income for a month or 2 and how bad that'd be. But out on the bike all that goes, hit a decent, challenging descent and nothing else matters and then after that I find my mind is completely clear!
Oh, and the sense of achievement when you ride something out of your comfort zone or clear a climb or just ride x miles!
Liberation..
and nadgery rocky technical descents.. and flowy singletrack.. and remote tors.. and sore legs.. and piss taking
8)
Solitude
Being with mates
The rush
The pain
and
The bullshit
Corners
Doggers 🙂
Solitude/escapism
Exploration
The sound of giant tyres on roots
Loam/hero dirt/brown pow 8)
Healthy competition
Etc
There's too many things really, it's just......perfect!
it makes me feel the same way it did when i was a kid. love it