[Closed] Define "serious MTB'er"

Critizises other people's cheaper kit and choices, but only rides a badly maintanied but expensively purchased bike once a month?

That's pretty much it surely?As opposed to somebidy who will ride anybike,anywhere just for the sheer F88koffedness of it

Someone who talks about how much they enjoy riding, not what kind of bike they own.

Someone with too much money who constantly buys the latest gear in the hope it'll make them a riding god...

A suprising amount lurk on here..

Makes for some decent kit in the classifieds.

Oh, and anyone who sessions the Surrey Hills...

Hang on, are they the same people.....?

I'd class myself as a comical mtb er

someone that puts the hours in.

Similar to a Friday night. It's not what you ride but how much you enjoy it 😉

Someone who frowns a lot whilst riding a MTB, and hardly ever smiles. Obviously not U31, who clearly thinks it's just a big laugh.

I'd agree with earnie. Surely a "serious" mountain biker, is by definition serious, ie somber, humorless, or as we would say in scotland "dour".

Hope I'm never a "serious" mountain biker, sounds dull.

Yeah, i'm too busy smiling or shouting and screaming when my wheels leave the ground to be "a serious MTBer".

Anyone who can pull a gnar fuelled attack face like matey from MBUK means serious bizznizz.

Hours is good, but doesn't work. I know people who ride bikes for transport for hours every week, but couldn't give two hoots about bikes.

I think riding a decent bike is actually a better measure, or at least taking an interest in what they ride.

Not owning a car. Thats the true mark of a serious cyclist.
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😉

It could be the sign of a serious bus passenger TJ 💡

On a more serious note 🙂

. I couldn't give a monkeys about the bikes - I can't identify any without reading the name on it and don't care what folk ride. I do enjoy having a decent bike tho

However I do ride a bike almost every day, ride real offroad half a dozen times each month and consciously practice to get better.

So for me - its definitely about the hours riding but not only that - you also need to be riding for pleasure as well as utility.

Someone who drives to a trail centre a couple of times a month and never touches a bike the rest of the time don't cut it - no matter how bling their bike collection

Some one who has realised that it's just a hobby and not get too wound up about putting a label on it?

Some one who has realised that it's just a hobby and not get too wound up about putting a label on it?

Absolutely. Problem with my current club is that it's become a little too concerned about racing and road bikes. Nothing wrong with those per se, but it's a level of seriousness I could do without. I ride to de-stress (and because I enjoy it) rather than to be thought of as a serious rider.

To me a "serious MTBer" is someone that you can ring /email/ text out of the blue and they'll be up for a ride there and then.

Someone who, when asked "Are you a mountain biker?" replies "Yes."

someone who rides regularly with even the smallest intent at improving their skill level..

EDIT: someone who is willing to make occasional sacrifices to ride regularly with even the smallest intent at improving their skill level....

To me a "serious MTBer" is someone that you can ring /email/ text out of the blue and they'll be up for a ride there and then.

That's pretty much my definition, also, someone who loves bikes in all shapes and forms (me 🙂 ).

Re. my original post, you'll not I put 'serious' in inverted comma's, I wasn't meaning serious in a hardcore racer sense, or an anorak obsessive sense, more in a 'just loves riding' sense...

owns a SS can spot a niche bike at 100 metres knows what tyres for every type of terrain and has ridden with Hora

Personally I would say rides at least 3 times a week for fun rather than commuting etc.

Someone who races.

+1 SinglespeedStu and Yunki.

If offered the ultimatum it's me or the bikes..... what do you choose?

singlespeedstu - Member
To me a "serious MTBer" is someone that you can ring /email/ text out of the blue and they'll be up for a ride there and then.

That's me and anyone else with a family out then!

finbar - Member
Someone who races.

Exactly what I was going to say but I would add often to the criteria. Surely to the layman a serious sportsman/woman in any sport is one that competes. For example I would consider a serious football player someone who plays in a competetive league or a serious skiier as someone who races often.

The ring/email/text out of the blue and turn up for a ride wouldn't define a serious mtb'er in my mind as if you rang up Steve Peat he probably wouldn't be able to pop out for a ride at any given time due to training/sponsership commitments.

Iain

DezB.... Commitments may prevent you... but would you be up for it?

someone who can pull a rad wheelie an aint afraid of a 15ft drop off! has a rad bike an can ride a bike anywhere without fear!! thats a serious rider! amen. 8)

Mountain biking isn't a sport its a pastime with a sporting offshoot, I would rather spend 2 weeks biking through Norway than 30 mins racing, doesn't make me any less a mountain biker.

I ride too much, I spend too much on bikes and kit and holidays, I read books about it, I watch dvd's about it, I go on websites and discuss it, all in all I am a little obsessed with my hobby but it makes me happy so I don't give a sh..

Surely to the layman a serious sportsman/woman in any sport is one that competes

not too sure about that applying to MTB personally... I know that MTB can be legitamately called a sport but I wouldn't say that sport is it's only function.. I am the least sporty person I know and won't even compete in a bragging competetition but I'm still pretty serious about MTB..

MTB is much more than a sport maaaaan.. (cue surferesque poetic romanticisms)

yeah, I reckon "no fear" has to be in there ...

(well, probably a healthy dollop of fear, but the skill/nerve to harness it ...)

[i]DezB.... Commitments may prevent you... but would you be up for it?[/i]

I'd probably already be out with the trailhound 🙂

Hang on, was that an offer? 😉

*races home to get suede jacket*

Hang on, was that an offer?

Meet you in the woods up the road in half an hour.

Oh and bring that hound. I love riding with dogs. 😆

😆 now, this is serious.

Audi/ VAG car driver with Thule aero bars.

Someone who enthuses about trails more than bikes!

When I went to Llandegla and found myself stood outside in the rain with my bike, desperate to get riding again while the rest of the group sat inside eating burgers and cake and looking round the bike shop, I realised I was a serious mountain biker.

Someone who rides when it's cold, wet and dark and perhaps owns some tyres for utterly shite weather. I'm basing this on the comment once made to me "you're going out riding in this, you must take it seriously".

Anyone with Deore level components and above on their bike!

🙂

someone who's still riding offroad regularly in 6months time.

Dark, wet, cold winters sort out the riders from the pie eating bike collectors 🙂

MSP - Member
Mountain biking isn't a sport its a pastime with a sporting offshoot, I would rather spend 2 weeks biking through Norway than 30 mins racing, doesn't make me any less a mountain biker.

I ride too much, I spend too much on bikes and kit and holidays, I read books about it, I watch dvd's about it, I go on websites and discuss it, all in all I am a little obsessed with my hobby but it makes me happy so I don't give a sh..

yunki - Member

Surely to the layman a serious sportsman/woman in any sport is one that competes

not too sure about that applying to MTB personally... I know that MTB can be legitamately called a sport but I wouldn't say that sport is it's only function.. I am the least sporty person I know and won't even compete in a bragging competetition but I'm still pretty serious about MTB..

MTB is much more than a sport maaaaan.. (cue surferesque poetic romanticisms)

I agree with the points that mtb is a mostly a pastime centered around the riders enjoyment but in this scenario the word serious in the original question isn't the best choice for defining someone who isn't a "casual" mtb'er. I take serious to be the antihesis of fun, to be doing something seriously would be to do it not for the persuit of enjoyment hence racing in my mind summing it up. However the original question posed is using serious to describe a person heavily involved with their pastime or a "proper" mtb'er which in my mind would be that last paragraph in your post MSP.

Iain

Hmmm. I think this thread demonstrates that it's very hard to define "seriousness" when what you're looking at is basically a hobby.

I can compete on spending loads/being throughly sad/riding loads/doing little else with my free time etc, but having been passed at least twice at Hit The North by someone who was capable of doing 40% further than me in the same time without really having the decency to look knackered afterwards I'm plainly "a bit toss". Realistically, anyone who is rubbish at something after 10 years trying probably isn't [i]really[/i] serious. 🙂

my ex, ex became a bike widow.. and left me..
what does that make me?

Perhaps Cycling as their main pastime.

But even then, unless you're competing against others or yourself, it's not "serious".

I'm definitely not a serious cyclist. For me it's an entertaining and therapeutic leisure activity.

It's definitely about going out regularly throughout the seasons and in all types of weather.

That counts me out as I've just cried off from a ride tonight as it's raining up here!

I say riding in winter.

Weather based criteria.

Ride in bad weather and all year round.

We had a great ride at Gisburn Forest last Sunday in the pouring rain. According to folks in the car park we were "serious mountain bikers"/nutters!

someone who chooses their location/ job/ general lifestyle so they can ride more

mountain biking in shorts all year round!!

Someone who, when asked "Are you a mountain biker?" replies "Yes."

This is the best answer, to me. If a person considers mountain biking to be a significant part of their life or their definition of self then I'd say they're a serious mountain biker. That encompasses racers, people obsessed with kit, people who scour OS maps looking for interesting trails, people who want to ride a lot but can't and all the other forms of obsession that can strike those who are mountain bikers.

Someone who's obsessed by biking enough to keep trawling damn mountain bike forums when not on the bike.

Tis the curse I tell ye

someone who would rather be out on a bike riding, touring, racing, playing in the woods, whatever, than doing anything else

maybe someone with deore level components or less, who find they have to wait for people with deore level components or higher, often.

one word ....

ELBRY

...nuff said

Someone who's more interested in their own bike than comparing it to others 🙄

some 1 who uses GT85 as a deodorant

I lol'd at this comment

only rides a badly maintanied but expensively purchased bike once a month?

I have a full susser only brought out these days for 'special occassions' Last weekend was my stag in which I convinced 7 other chaps to come along. 4 complete novices to offroad. One loop of cwmcarn later, guess whose bike was the only one which had mechanicals. Yes mine. 2 punctures and a snapped chain. Still let the guys catch their breathe!

I reckon a good sign of a serious mountain biker is someone who rides in all seasons, and most likely will have more than one type of bike (cheap or expensive depending on wallet size)

Hey Johni, I was at Gisburn Forest too, weather was horrible but it was still great fun! Serious MTBers are commited enough to make time for mountain biking and not just fit it in anywhere. Also if you go on riding holidays.

When all your passwords are "reynolds853"

I went to hospital yesterday (Monday) for some tests as it's looking like I've got Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
The doctor was asking me about my specific symptoms and I mentioned it was particularly bad that day as I had just done a 24 hour mountain bike race.
She then asked me if I had got another job or if I was a professional mountain bike racer. 😆
As she entered my details on the screen, alongside "Bus Mechanic" she wrote "Serious mountain biker".

I am now officially a "Serious mountain biker", it's on my medical notes and everything. 😀
How cool is that. 8)

Did she let you bone her?

StumpyBlurRider - Member

some 1 who uses GT85 as a deodorant

Swoon....! 😉

People who've done the Megavalanche. 😉 🙄

someone who feels ashamed when stood next to me!

....not you mum, come on mum, move out of the photo mum! MUM PLEASE!

I ride my mtb every day but only once a week properly off road - the rest is on roads or easy bridleways. Probably getting a road bike for the week then just use the mtb at weekends if I can be bothered to drive to trail centres or whatever. What does this make me?!