[Closed] What Type Of Rider Are You?

Occasional fair-weather Fat bimbler.

Some people feel they need new bikes to maintain their interest, just like some always need new/different guitars...

Whatever gets you out there riding is all that matters. If you self-diagnose this trait its revealing.

I do agree that people appear to have far more travel (and bike) than they need (or in fact, many people do just fine with a HT!)

Yes, a similar story. Since getting into off-road riding about five years ago, I've owned 8 different bikes. I'm currently down to one (a fatbike of all things). I'm looking to add another more conventional bike, but really struggle to pin down what I want. Very much a first world problem of course, but frustrating none the less.

Stop reading magazines and forums, stop visiting bike shops, and you may never need a new bike again!

Fatter & unfitter than ive ever been, summer dry weather pushup/uplift bomb down type rider. Pedalling xc, road, cx gravel etc etc all seem utterly dull & pointless to me.

I do seem to enjoy buying new expensive bits more than riding though it seems.

I buy far more bikes and change them far more often than I "need" to. But hey, life is short, I like bikes, and I want to ride as many different ones as I can before I`m too old to do so.

Carry on.

Fitter than I have been in years, managed one 18km ride since about the 2nd week in November. Tbf, this is the first time in 15 years of riding that I've had a spell off, mojo lost a bit, so I'm not that bothered really, I'm pretty sure it'll come back, if it doesn't hey ho.

Been into bikes since i was 12. Rode with a group of friends for a few years trying to learn to bunnyhop and wheelie. They kept switching between mtb's and BMX but I never got into BMX. Found a local club at about 15 and did a lot of XC races which was great fun. Had a part time job in different bike shops and ended up with 5 bikes.

Stopped riding at 19 due to Uni and work commitments and sold them all one by one. Got back into it at about 25 and regretted ever stopping. First climb felt like my lungs were made of asbestos and legs felt like lead.

I ended up buying one of my old bikes back off a mate who never got round to using it. a 2000 Jamis Durango hardtail that was stolen from me when i was 16, then recovered so has a lot of sentimental value. Now its my single speed stripped of all its paint. Its hard work to ride but still love riding it.

Now own a Whyte T130, Bird Zero, and an old road bike too.

Now i try to make time to ride during weekends and holidays and set myself a goal to get fitter over winter to do a few events this year. I often feel guilty spending money on bikes but I don't want kids and while my health is good i might as well treat myself. Mostly prefer local trail riding and just playing around, but also like to push myself on longer XC and road stuff.

I'm 34 and already planning when and how I can stop/cut down on work to fill my time with more fun stuff.

I've definitely done the "buying new things to keep my interest" with other hobbies (Guitars, RC cars, PC gaming).

Biking is the only one that I've gone through that and now I'm at a point of selling off excess stuff that I don't need anymore.

@oldtalent - If this is what you currently enjoy, then it's all good. The one thing I wouldn't want is to come across as all judgmental.

@trailwagger - That's what I think I was telling myself for a while, but I'm always thinking that the money I've wasted on bikes I don't like could have gone to something I did like. On the other hand, I'd have never known I didn't like things if I didn't try them.

I suppose it's the same thing with e-bikes. I think they are ace, but I can't think of a valid argument as to why I wouldn't own one (I'd rent one).

I can see me transitioning to one of these newer short travel full sus XC type of bike. Something that I can ride fast on flatter stuff, but can still get down rocky/steep descents with a bit of dignity!

Did a lot of MotoX and Enduro (proper Enduro not the pushbike stuff 😉 ) racing in my yoof, but then had to sell the bikes when I moved to a big city.
Had a go at this new ATB thing and found I was ok at it, so I did a few races, got hooked.I have ridden and raced lots of different bikes since then, but like a stick of rock,cut me in half and it will read XC.
I tell people I don't race anymore, but put someone in front of me on a single track and I just can't help myself 😉

Been riding about 15 years now, still love it, occasionally it seems a bit of a chore - but rarely. Winter never gets any easier, but it's never as bad as I fear it will be.

First few years were a total arms race between mates - we all started with the defacto entry level GT HT, then is was FS and then more and more travel (that was the way the industry was evolving at the time - now it's head angle, then it was travel). It got a bit 'daft' for a while, DH bikes when there was very few places to use them, racing (which I've always hated) and trying to emulate the latest Super Gnar Vids from BC on a drizzly morning in April at Afan.

I think there's a point most people reach when you stop being excited by the latest innovation of niche and become more cynical, but that's perhaps not a bad thing. Freed from trying to fit into a specific box you can just 'go for a ride'.

I've been riding forever. As a consequence, I've a lot of bikes but across a lot of disciplines. I would say I buy about 1 new bike a year.

This year it'll kind of be 2 as I built up an old MTB SS, and I think my commuter frame might have a crack in it 🙁

Things move on, but not that fast, I have 7 bikes in total and the oldest is from 2000 (although it doesn't get used for its original purpose so much). My riding has evolved for MTBing, I ride a range of things and back when I started there was no such thing as XC, trail, enduro and DH bikes, people used 1 mountain bike for everything. If they rode hard they got through a lot of rims. I guess my point is that I've never worried too much about the precise type of bike I ride, by accident of second hand availability I've probably ended up with bikes with a little less travel than I might choose, but as I keep saying to the ladies, how much difference does an inch or two really make if you know what you're doing?

Whatever you get these days will be more capable than something from the turn of the century, sometimes a lot more capable and things like dropper posts are a massive help.

My trail bike has far more travel than early DH bikes (I remember servicing 63mm travel Judy DHO in the late 90s) and rides up hills no bother. I enjoy a bit of racing, it's more about having an adventure and exploring and getting out with my mates though really, as it always has been and always will be 🙂

I would say that I am primarily a roadie. I have a summer and winter road bike, a CX bike that I also use for my daily commute, and a 650B+ for off-road.

I am moderately fit, but need to drop another 4 kgs for summer if I want to get back down to my best.

At this stage, though, I am very, very happy with the bikes I have. They are a perfect mix, and to be honest, I haven't enjoyed mountain biking so much as I have since getting  the 650B+. Getting out on that has renewed my appreciation for being off-road.

Oh, and I've been riding since forever: normal selection of kids bikes growing up; racing bike in my teens; switched to mountain bikes in early 1990s; returned to road two years ago, but will mix it up a bit now.

Still happiest on-road, though.

I buy far more bikes and change them far more often than I “need” to. But hey, life is short, I like bikes, and I want to ride as many different ones as I can before I`m too old to do so.

Carry on.

Words stolen right out of my mouth!

I'm a serial bike builder/swapper/breaker, cos I like bikes, I ride bikes a lot, and I like riding bikes a lot 🙂

One thing that riding and racing bikes for the last ~25 years has taught me though, is that bikes don't make you that much faster or slower, you do, and sometimes being on the 'wrong' bike is more fun than the 'right' one!

I think the reason I didn't like the enduro races is that I'm just not competitive enough. I don't care about winning or losing as long as I'm having a good ride.

I'd rather scare myself on a fast rocky descent or blow my lungs out on a techy steep climb than chasing someone in a trail centre for points. It's more about personal achievement and seeing friends tackle stuff that was previously out of their grasp.

I did get carried away with the spending and to some degree, I think that stressed me out more than it should have. I don't have kids, but have debts and a mortgage.

Can't wait for the Pre Peaks! Even considering the Dirty Reiver next year too. It's comforting to know a lot of you have been through similar things 🙂

I'm struggling to reconcile the thread title with the content tbh.

Re. the title  - I'd say slow, inept mincer.

I have a bike. There is suspension. It will be my bike until it either dies or gets stolen. Then I'll buy another one.

It's not about the bike.

Been and done the manic swapping thing.. Now though i seem to have settled on the Parkwood / T-130 combination as being the Goldilocks zone for me... I can't think of any other bikes i would want/need currently or indeed the forseeable future.

@edlong - It's not about the bike for you. From what I gather, it's different from person to person. I'm having a far better time on my current bike that most of the others I bought and didn't like.

But that's the sort of thing I was asking. I bet you're not as slow as you think 🙂 Sometimes it's hard to not feel pigeon holed into a certain "discipline".

I was just describing (ranting) about my experiences with the hobby as whole.

An old and, currently, very disillusioned one.

Yesterday, on one of the nicest days we’ve had in ages, I stole a few hours away from my chores and went out on my Liteville 301.

And rode it like shit, tbh. All the way round I was thinking “I could have been out on my nice singlespeed instead of wasting my time on this”.

I’m beginning to think that people are right when they say I ride a rigid singlespeed better than anything else - it must be the only bike that’s dumbed down to my level, I suppose.

Ridden bikes and been obsessed with bikes since I was 5 (so 45 years).  Could even strip and rebuild a bike when I was 8 (cotter pins, loose ball bottom brackets, threaded headsets and all) helped by having a garage full of tools

I have always liked simple bikes from my rear brake only 70's tracker through loads of BMX in the 80s to single speed MTBs and fixed gear road bikes.

Ride old bike to the shops. Gravel bike on road easytrails. Full Susser for some gnarr and ease the back. DH on DH courses. Hardtail mostly. This summer I'm in one DH event. Few small charity rides, don't really like events that much. Going to do bit of touring, bikepacking. Going bikepacking through Nepal for a month. Changed all bikes in past few years because I could. Don't know what that makes me but enjoy it all.

Occasional rider. Arrival of little one (now 2!!) has somewhat curtailed my opportunities to get out recently. Enjoy trail centres and more gnarly stuff in Peaks and Lakes as well. Reasonably quick but ride with a couple of guys who leave me for dust when they fancy it. Been through silly number of bikes in the 7 years since I got back into biking. Now settled on a 17 Trance 2. Best FS I have owned, no question. Also a PP Shan 29er that I have yet to build up as am enjoying it's soon to be predecessor too much (2Souls Quarterhorse). Also a steel road/audax bike for tarmac.

Love cycling for the freedom, adrenaline and fun! Need to do more as currently carrying winter weight!

A Semi-Rad Dad, I suppose.

Gave up enduro racing in 2016 when I realised I don't actually enjoy it, now I just ride where I want/where time allows. Spend about half my riding time on road bikes too.

I could teach you a thing or two about bike-swapping OP, I have been terrible for it, but I've made my peace with it now, I think.

I am an Enthusiast, which covers all sins. Obsessive, weekend warrior, keyboard warrior, magpie, shit racer (but I have been shit at world level at least). Good spannerist, pretty decent trailbuilder, pretty dependable marshall.

And junkie, definitely, I had a spell of flu then post-viral fatigue earlier this year and not being able to get out on the bike knocked me for six, it's one of the main things that keeps me afloat. I guess I'm lucky that I enjoy pretty much everything about biking- I like gnar, I like bimbling, I like bimbling on my gnar bike and enduro racing on my fatbike, I laugh as much when I crash as when I nail something, I don't mind dropping a couple of places while racing but I do like beating my mates, I like buying new stuff or fixing old stuff, and I can ride pretty much anything that I want to ride. EXCEPT the chute at McMoab, because I'm too scared of heights.

Used to be, motorbiking ticked a lot of these boxes but really no other hobby/obsession/pastime has nailed it like bikes do.

Maybe it's an age thing but like most kids who grew up in the 70's I never got 'into' bikes or 'chose' MTB'ing like say tennis, or kite surfing or whatever.  Riding bikes was 100% the norm - as kids we all rode bikes from day one - every evening and in the hols/weekends from morning till night as soon as you were old enough to venture out alone - about age 8 to10 in those days!  Bikes, playing in the woods, climbing trees.

BMX came along around '79 and that became my life for the next five years.  Slight gap then as cars took over but got my first MTB in '89 and still doing it nearly thirty years on.  Got all sorts of bikes but no full suspension and only one of the bikes has (two) gears, the Brompton.  Just a cyclist really with a preference for 'MTBing'.  Been a singlespeeder for fifteen years now.  As noted by another oldie above - I like simple bikes too - no gears, no suspension (except for my main bike - a 20 year old Chameleon), fixed wheels.  And well remember building 'trackers' too - road frames, 'cowhorn' bars, CX tyres - happy days.

Luddite bimbler.

Big days out, nowt techy, usually between cake stops.

@johnw1984

aye, i should have added that "it's not about the bike, for me"

If the comment came across as critical of those who are into the whole new bike thing, apologies, it wasn't meant.

I’m primarily a racer. I like trying to push myself and is what most of my riding s aimed at . It used to be only xc racing but that morphed into marathons as the xc racing scene round these parts has died, and more recently a lot more road racing and cyclocross has taken a lot more focus. I used to be focused only on winning or getting on the podium but now as I’m approaching fifty I have really noticed I don’t have the top end I used to and I am less inclined to follow a rigorous trading schedule. I still ride nearly every day but ride for the fun of it rather than following a planned session. A lot of my riding friends have got into the audax  scene and often do 300-600km rides/races and it is something I might look into if the racing loses its appeal.

After 20+ years of mountain biking, the last 12 months have seen me switch at least half of my riding to road. This is mostly because my young son has started racing CX and track and his heart is torn between these and his MTB, so I follow where he goes.

Am an XC rider at heart - this means I'm too much of a coward to do the big downhill stuff and jumps that I see other people do! I've got a reasonable turn of speed and decent fitness for a big chap, but I'm working to downsize over the course of this year.

Guilty admittance: after years of aiming scorn at roadies for not riding proper bikes, I'm starting to get why they do it and, even, becoming a bit of a fan. I've bought my first gravel bike and wouldn't be at all surprised if it saw more use this year than the MTB. Still run my local club's MTB section, so it won't be sat completely idle...

I'm a die-hard XC jeyboy, through and through.

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Maybe it’s an age thing but like most kids who grew up in the 70’s I never got ‘into’ bikes or ‘chose’ MTB’ing like say tennis, or kite surfing or whatever.  Riding bikes was 100% the norm – as kids we all rode bikes from day one – every evening and in the hols/weekends from morning till night as soon as you were old enough to venture out alone – about age 8 to10 in those days!  Bikes, playing in the woods, climbing trees.

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I like this, cos it's true!

I was without a bike for a few years after leaving school due to not having anywhere to keep one! Intention was to get a bike as soon as I could, then met the bloke who got me into mtbing. Kept most of my bikes for lots of years, as never bought one that didn't suit me and the riding I was doing. Have accrued a few as I don't like selling them.

Used to go out every single weekend for whole day epics in the South Downs and surrounding, but life ended up getting in the way of that. Also have a singlespeed rigid 26er as I used to take my dog out every day for short blasts in the woods. Really miss those days and the fitness that came from them, but now my son is into mtbing and gets me doing stuff I wouldn't have done before (DH parks!) so it's all good. The epic days will return!

Have 2 fab mountain bikes totally suited to my riding and no desire to change them for a while. Brilliant thing is I was reluctant to buy the latest bike cos my Yeti 575 is such a great bike I didn't want it to languish in the garage - and it doesn't, cos Jr. is thrashing it 🙂

A happy one. When I ride I can just be in the moment and forget everything else that is going on in life. Thank ****!

Ridden bikes my whole life, and an mtb for about 25 years, but the last three or four mtbing became (again) my "latest hobby".

Mainly to get fit, but I just love riding off-road, pushing myself, escapism/exploring and the social life that comes with it.

Forever the bargain hunter, and with all my spare cash swallowed up by other things (crumbling victorian house mainly...), i've endlessly built and rebuilt cheap hardtails from secondhand bargains over the last few years, ending up with a half decent steel 29er hardtail that is as much bike as I "need" and i'll hopefully keep forever.

Maybe one day i'll have a bit of spare cash, and buy a nice full-suss to give my back and knees a break...

A social rider within a small group of mates who have been riding together for at least 12 years brought together through our trail building with Kielder Trail Reavers although I have been riding mountain bikes for twenty years.

In the summer / lighter night months it's mainly day rides in places like Lakes , North Pennines , N York Moors , Cheviots , Borders ..winter time & trail centres take over Kielder / Hamsterley / Whinlatter & 7 Stanes ...and local bridleways when conditions allow ( hard frost ) ...we also have at least one trip away ..Eastern Cairngorms this year in and around Ballater for 5 days .

I have one bike ..Whyte t130rs..still do the odd trail build up at Kielder and have marshalled a lot of events at Kielder ..

The best days though are when I manage to prise away my son (15) for a day out who inherited my gen 1 Nomad  ..we even manage a conversation 😁..but he is strictly a fair weather rider!

Reasonably fit for a soon to be 61 year old ..but will probably switch to an ebike at some point in the future ( not specifically due to age ..I just find them a blast to ride ).

I will never ever ride a road or gravel bike though !

Middle aged bimbler these days..

I had a pushbike when I was at school.At sixteen I got a moped to get to work & got hooked on motorbikes.

Fast forward to my mid thirties & I was doing lots of circuit training,unfortunately I was  getting a lot of trouble with my knee.Got told to stop doing the training & take up either swimming or cycling as that way I wouldn't be impacting the dodgy knee.I borrowed my mates Spesh Rockhopper & was pretty much hooked from the first few miles.

I gave one of my mates £50 for his old steel framed canti braked rigid & went around Rivi on it a few times,then we went to CYB & the £50 wonder bike fell apart..

I then bought a new Spesh Hardrock & trained all summer to get fit enough to do the Isle of Man E2E,I reckon the £360 I paid for that bike was the best £360 I've ever spent! 18 months later I bought a Spesh Enduro as I wanted something that could handle a week in the Alps.This was my first full susser,it was great in the Alps but I realised I was overbiked for most stuff I do in the UK.After a couple of years I bought a short travel full sus Giant NRS 100mm travel,the geometry was quite nervous after the Enduro but it was ideal for the XC stuff I usually ride.I eventually wore it out & bought a Giant Anthem 3 years ago,I've got some 120mm Fox forks to fit in it at some stage.For what I ride over here that should be plenty for me.In 2011 I added a road bike to the stable & until 15 months ago I spent more time on the road bike than the MTB's. That changed when I bought a 'Gravel Bike',it's ideal for what I want out of cycling at the moment.

In 2015 I got the suspension overhauled on the old Enduro before a trip to Les Arcs.The overhaul cost more than I paid for my Hardrock & when I returned from that trip I had whiplash from a big off,I couldn't even ride the road bike for a month as I couldn't use the shifter properly.I decided then that I'm finally getting to old for this 'rad' stuff..

Last years cycling holiday was a week Fat biking in Finland,no 'rad' stuff but a excellent weeks holiday in the snow.

I still get out on the Enduro at Antur Stinniog a couple of times a year,but I only do a few runs on the blue & maybe a run on the red.

Considering I only got into MTB's as a way of keeping fit, mountain biking has had a surprising effect on my life,some great weeks & weekends away, I've met some great people through the MTB's. These days though I'm just as happy going down the quiet country lanes & bridleways to the Beach on the Gravel bike.

Started out 13 odd years ago wanting to rude freeride and DH, now really happy with a ride out into the hills with the odd fast bit of singletrack. Also gotten into track, road, countryside bimbling and commuting. It's all good! 🙂

Mince-core sunshine meanderer.

walk up hills then mince down them.  catalogue my rides on youtube

Think it's fair to say that STW covers the entire spectrum 🙂

It's been an education reading all the replies and it's nice to know that I'm not alone in my musings.

Started about 12 years ago, late to MTB (aged 32) and was a proper lycra cross country monkey!  XC races, Duathlons, anything that was a) easy / non technical to ride and b) meant you had to pedal like crazy!

Then, about 6 years ago i got some tuition from UkBikeSkills, and now, aged 44, i think i'm a "gravity" only rider, hate pedalling up anything, ride a 180mm bike everywhere (possibly why i hate riding up stuff lolz), and have finally found that sweet spot between fast and reckless (i think.....)

Ah yes, I've been to see Tony too! Best money I ever spent on bike related stuff.

I'm 33 now, so really started in my late 20's (back end of 29). I built up slowly at first as my missus comes riding with me too. She's very capable and still enjoys the racing more than she'll admit 🙂

The natural riding has made trail centres seem a bit tamer now. Not really for features, but for the "wilderness" feel when out in the lakes. I think when it comes down to it, I just like riding bikes whenever I can.

Next step for me is to get a GPS with some sort of navigation and start trying new routes as there seems to be loads within 1-2 hours drive. This has been very therapeutic to be honest 🙂

It's a great forum.

Talentless buffoon would describe me quite well. I’m firmly in the just ride anything and pray I’ll survive it camp. Absolutely love riding and looking to return to mountain biking after being away from it due to fitness issues and family / work commitments.

Riding a bike and scaring myself whilst doing so is the one thing that always puts a grin on my face. Always happy on a HT too. Tried Full Suss and it isn’t for me.

You - Reply To: What Type Of Rider Are You?

Me - awesome

I'm what I'd term an ability neutral rider. Basically shit. Up and down.

Lapsed, oh the shame

Wannabe XC whippet.

Love riding, racing & training.

My job is p/t & financially rewarding but unchallenging on the whole.

I race & ride bikes to scratch the itch my job doesn't.

I love bikes.

The only regret I have is not getting into it when I was younger. Maybe it would have helped me not be 22+ stone at 21 years old!

After reading all the replies, I keep going into the other room just to look at my Hightower. Can't wait for a lakes ride on Saturday 🙂

I'm a middle aged trail hacker.

Decent speed and power for thrutch moves and 2-3 minute bursts, but a bit heavy and unfit to sustain anything significant.

I'm a solid but not spectacular rider, tech is fun, xc is necessary to get to the interesting bits, drops up to 4/5ft are ok. Anything bigger, or with a kicker scares me. I like roots and rocks and big bikes in narrow Singletrack and finding flow, not being given it.

Getting back into more serious riding after 20yrs of health probs/rehab

I used to ride bikes everywhere and for everything (road and MTB) in lieu of owning a car (by choice)

Ideally a long distance bike-packer, all-day gravel-touring punctuated by short XC blasts.  Never ridden competitively except with self or companion/s.  But I will beat that hill.  And the next.

Of late the only semi-functional MTB I have available is a (£30!) 26er Dawes Edge singlespeed with a knackered drivetrain and V-pads worn to the nubs.  It works as long as my headphones drown out the chain-pops, bangs, whirrs and clangs.  Only two rides in, started this week, but already riding it like the 50yr-old version of 11 year-old me when I got my first bike (Raleigh Tomahawk).  Could be the beginning of a lengthy single speed affair. Whaaaat?

Also use a 3-speed Dutch cargo bike for leisurely errands, local visits, pubs and shopping runs.  Most of all I just like being outdoors and exploring by bike, taking on whatever.

Have owned upwards of 40 bikes over the years.  Favourite ride so far was probably one of the more modest of the bunch, a Cannondale F-something with Mary bars and big slicks.  A no-nonsense mango-yellow do-it-all beastie.  Sadly gone.  Currently breaking in a Genesis Vagabond but still thinking I should have maybe gone with a Longitude.  We'll see.

I'm an habitual rider, every day these days of semi retirement, prior to that at least twice a week, prior to that rode to school since I was six on a variety of bikes and some with engines, I love them, couldn't imagine life without two wheels. I still ride 26 don't see the point of 27.5 for the sort of crap I ride, all hills, mostly up and it has suspension good enough for the occasional foray to the Alps.

Am not a bad rider, better since I went on one of those Jedi courses, they are worth the time, I ride mostly accompanied by dogs, but this Friday is annual birthday bike ride where a bunch of mates and I will ride to a pub like we used to more regularly than now, get slaughtered and try and ride back in the dark.

“I’m a middle aged trail hacker.

Decent speed and power for thrutch moves and 2-3 minute bursts, but a bit heavy and unfit to sustain anything significant.

I’m a solid but not spectacular rider, tech is fun, xc is necessary to get to the interesting bits, drops up to 4/5ft are ok. Anything bigger, or with a kicker scares me. I like roots and rocks and big bikes in narrow Singletrack and finding flow, not being given it.”

I’m pretty much the same but some years younger!