What is a Mountain Biker?

I upset some guy the other day by stating that he wasn't a mountain biker; he likes to ride to places using a mix of roads and bridleways. He uses a mountain bike to get there and back. To me he's a proper cyclist; one who likes his bike as a useful mode of transport to varied locations, and who perhaps doesn't care too much what he rides so long as it does the job. Yet he took umbridge over not being labelled as a mountain biker, which I found rather odd.

To me there are three'ish distinctions; mountain biker, cyclist and then roadie. In simple terms an MTB'er wants to hack through singletrack as fast as possible; a roadie will want to do a ton every ride - or at the very least "get some miles in"; whilst a cyclist doesn't care either way, they just want to enjoy the journey. I think the roadie and MTB'er are of the same breed; adrenaline junkies except roadies like a bit more pain. The cyclist is the all-rounder and perhaps the better person.

It's a contrived argument.

Within the MTB camp there are many Sub sections.

Down Hillers

X-Country Riders

Free Riders

4x Riders

Trail Rides

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/24/bike-snobs-guide-cycling-tribes

Enjoyable read that

Does it matter - he rides a mountain bike?

What's singletrack and speed got to do with it anyway? Are you not a mountain biker if you ride the Garburn Pass or Walna Scar? If you want to be picky about labels, you are not a mountain biker unless you are riding in the mountains.

Sounds like you're one of those faux mountain bikers swooping along the man-made single track at Forestry Mountain Bike Centres

This cracks me up every time...

Can't say I've every raced a roadie. I have tried to keep pace one occasion but after a few seconds realised how futile the attempt was.

I ride with two other chaps, we cut all over the place on the Chase, we avoid the touristy trails like the plague.

About half of the guys we see out riding in all the kit, the spanking new SPD shoes, the shiney Trek full sussers with all the gubbins, the Fox float forks they dropped half a grand on...well they may as well just stick to the canal tow paths as they trundle round on the "off road stuff" like grannies (swapped that last word for something else that rhymed)

It's a tool box and the bike you see someone on does not indicate the ability or attitude they have to riding, I have been told on good authority that some cheeky so and so's even go so far as to own more than one kind of bike for road and off road riding.

Perhaps we need a grading and licensing system. Start people out on Ammanco bikes until they demonstrate their riding is worth of a better bike. Fox forks will of course be restricted to those who can ride the Dalbeattie black routes without dabbing.

So what if they have fancy forks and shoes? They're out enjoying themselves. Who cares.

I was agreeing with red light.

The OP how ever thinks you have to project a certain image and attitude and this must dictate how you ride, which leads to blokes just throwing money at the problem, the problem being that they are crap.

Bulls***. Someone should not need to be good, to be allowed to ride or purchase a better bike. If they have they money to spend (regardless of how avalible it actually is) then why can't they?


If I had the money I would spend £2k on a hardtail and ride it like 10 times a year and not give a crap what anyone said, but since I am a bit more sensible my £600 ish will do.

How can you be interested in "labels" and believe in them as you seem to do and not think it's about image?

This really is a bang your head on the table thread.

Runs deep in the forum?

Dude, you are just making this bollocks up now and this thread was designed to be about you blowing your own trumpet (or possibly something else) from word one.

Wait...hang on.

Spinners old chap!

Welcome back.

Hint: Irony, like coppery or silvery but with more iron.

What is a Mountain Biker?

At the risk of going back on topic, a few years ago there was a real Mountain Biker riding around Cumbria.

I was on foot, close to Striding Edge on Helvellyn in crap visibility, freezing temperatures and walking in a couple of inches of snow. I had ice axe and crampons at the ready in case 'the edge' and above was icy and I came across MTB tracks in the snow. FFS !! - I could hardly believe my eyes.

I never saw the bike or rider, but if you're on this forum - you have my respect

Who cares how you label 'em so long as they ride a bike.

What a waste of time, do not know why i even bothered ready this, he rides a bike, that's good enough for me, i ride both mtb and road, i don't care if some one is better or worse i enjoy what i do,
i think some one needs to get a life,