velomaniac
MacRetro Rider
As I sat poised to launch myself down 'Spooky Wood', the upper section of the Red Route of Glentress Mountain Bike Centre near Peebles in SE Scotland, someone said something to me that left me feeling surprised.
Most of the mtb'rs at the top grinned and pointed at me and my steed with the' 'he's quite mad !' look I've got used to. My bike is a rigid Raleigh Massif, a very low tech hi-tensile steel machine shod with lots of Shimano Exage stuff and a far cry from the Orange, Santacruz, Specialized, Yeti etc kit that predominates these days.
What was said was, "you must be a really skilled rider", this flumoxed me in that I had never considered myself anything better than barely competent. When I asked them to qualify this statement they said "Your riding that down there thus you've got to be really good !"
Thus my question for the Forum:
Has mountain biking become less skilled due to the higher levels of technology compensating for rider input or has the modern rider just gone soft ?
Personally I think riders are as good as they've ever been but that technology has allowed them to push themselves further than my rigid riding skills allow. I think modern full sussers are amazing but as I like to tinker and I'm not mechanically brilliant then simple bikes suit me better. I do not think I'm an expert rider, the skills I've gathered since 1994 allow me to ride a rigid bike at speeds I find exciting over rough ground without to many crashes. My riding style would have to change to ride a modern full susser well.
What do you lot out there think, I look forward to the discussion if any !
Cheers
Most of the mtb'rs at the top grinned and pointed at me and my steed with the' 'he's quite mad !' look I've got used to. My bike is a rigid Raleigh Massif, a very low tech hi-tensile steel machine shod with lots of Shimano Exage stuff and a far cry from the Orange, Santacruz, Specialized, Yeti etc kit that predominates these days.
What was said was, "you must be a really skilled rider", this flumoxed me in that I had never considered myself anything better than barely competent. When I asked them to qualify this statement they said "Your riding that down there thus you've got to be really good !"
Thus my question for the Forum:
Has mountain biking become less skilled due to the higher levels of technology compensating for rider input or has the modern rider just gone soft ?
Personally I think riders are as good as they've ever been but that technology has allowed them to push themselves further than my rigid riding skills allow. I think modern full sussers are amazing but as I like to tinker and I'm not mechanically brilliant then simple bikes suit me better. I do not think I'm an expert rider, the skills I've gathered since 1994 allow me to ride a rigid bike at speeds I find exciting over rough ground without to many crashes. My riding style would have to change to ride a modern full susser well.
What do you lot out there think, I look forward to the discussion if any !
Cheers