Who needs FS?

Have to agree with this '' some riders might need the DH bike on some courses because they simply haven't got the skills to ride it on the hardtail''
 
A good number of those growerging around on huge travel bikes have the ability and cojones to use them to their potential. Not a case of needing them to cover up a lack of skills.

The idea that, because some choose to ride hardtails down routes more suited to pumped up flying machines, they are somehow proving those extreme full sussers are vestigial to the pure body of mountain biking is fallacious.

Like I say I am back to hardtails myself.

Even pottering around on a single speed.

"It is all good", as Gandhi did posit.
 
I've sold plenty of bikes over ther years to people who thought they needed more travel than they did for their needs, most of the time i'd catch them red faced and panting on a pis* easy track with all the gear, full face helmet etc body amour..........I call it the ' action man ' syndrome.

But hell if you have the money to burn and pose, why not. Sometimes the pleasure is in ownership and dreams.

Remember a guy buying a Whyte full sus and asking for a side stand to be put on it ?!?

Top of the range spesh to walk the dog with......holding the lead with one hand !

...and all the obsessed ones who insisted we serviced thier bikes even though their bikes had been ridden twice a year ...

.......or the spoilt teenagers getting their folks to buy the latest brakes/frames each time a magazine review came out...........a lot of people buy with their eyes not their brains.

We always tried to suit the bike/componants to their needs, when they listened they were very happy with our help.

Going off on a tangent, my fav customers of all time where the people who phoned up and said (in the accent of the queen) we would like a 'stork' for our bike please ?????? they meant a stem..........when they came in, mum dad and daughter were all in hunting tweeds and hats... :D
 
greenstiles":3lsabem2 said:
I've sold plenty of bikes over ther years to people who thought they needed more travel than they did for their needs, most of the time i'd catch them red faced and panting on a pis* easy track with all the gear, full face helmet etc body amour..........I call it the ' action man ' syndrome.

But hell if you have the money to burn and pose, why not. Sometimes the pleasure is in ownership and dreams.

Remember a guy buying a Whyte full sus and asking for a side stand to be put on it ?!?

Top of the range spesh to walk the dog with......holding the lead with one hand !

...and all the obsessed ones who insisted we serviced thier bikes even though their bikes had been ridden twice a year ...

.......or the spoilt teenagers getting their folks to buy the latest brakes/frames each time a magazine review came out...........a lot of people buy with their eyes not their brains.

We always tried to suit the bike/componants to their needs, when they listened they were very happy with our help.

Going off on a tangent, my fav customers of all time where the people who phoned up and said (in the accent of the queen) we would like a 'stork' for our bike please ?????? they meant a stem..........when they came in, mum dad and daughter were all in hunting tweeds and hats... :D

nowt wrong with that atall fella, for every 10 weekend warriers, youll get 1 or 2 that really appreciate our sport fully and "get it". same with cars imho. who'd you work for?
 
I used to work in Greenstiles cycles (RIP) Machynlleth, then ran their Dolgellau branch for 3 years....i briefly re-opened the Dolgellau branch as 'Dolgellau cycles' before moving on.
 
cool, really wish id spent more time trying to get into the industry when i was younger. sampled the tuning/motorsport and i loved it part alas, construction brought me back to earth lol


by the way, hardtails rule ;) lol
 
I ride only hardtails and short travel FS for no other reason than I'm too old to do anything else justice. I ride singlespeeds because I'm a stupid old sod who, I'm told, rides them well.

If I could ride like Fabien Barel then make no mistake about it, I'd be ragging round on a Mondraker Foxy too -however, as I can't turn the clock back thirty years........ ;)
 
kaiser.......he certainly has a lick of speed in some of those shots ! looking at the hanging moss on tree's tells me those roots will be slippery most of the time and the rocks...plus loose soil, a bit like where i used to live in places.....some of wales is classed as rain forest believe it or not, because of rain and moisture.......ah the rain and damp :cool:
 
I asked Jaroslav Kulhavy if he raced his Epic FS by choice or because specialized tell him to , I mentioned the debate that is taking place on Retrobike, he told me "Stumpjumper is so powerfull on fast courses with less technical sections, but Epic is only about 1kg heavier and the rear suspension is a good benefit in technical sections and in the second part of races when you're getting tired"

I also know that now that Paul Hinton is no longer sponsored he has bought himself a short travel FS for racing and pleasure but it's a 29er which opens a whole new can of worms. lol
 
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