is it the bike or the rider?

[1duck]

So I had single speed , rigid , retrobikes , smokers , hefty full sus and the common man who works 9 hours a day covered . Those that have met me will know I was of course wearing my usual jeans and a tshirt , some old vans . Well it was just a cruise to the pub after all

If there was a like button it would be getting mashed.

 

[brocklanders023]

It's the rider. Fact.

I was going to go in to how most of the time my modern's faster although hills etc are quicker on my retro, lighter ht but then I think back to how Gil_M led BDW 2010 on a rigid, single speed retro steed and realise I wouldn't keep with him whatever I was riding!

 

[longun]

rider,then trail,then bike, then music in my ears

think we need a joint ride with these muppets dave,how does proper riding in the peaks on a wet day sound :twisted:

 

[Russell]

It's deffo the rider 100%.

Agree. Until things go wrong then it the 'F**KING BIKES FAULT'

quite

 

[suburbanreuben]

100% the rider?
100%?
Think again,... :roll:

 

[barry2017]

The bike is always better than the rider. A few years ago (when I was much fitter than I am now), I used to go out with my mate who was a courier. I was riding a nice lightweight road bike, he was riding a clapped out old Ridgeback MTB. We were doing a long climb, and a chap in lycra on an expensive Italian bike dropped me, didn't even say hello. Al said "Right!" and dropped him.

On his clapped out mountain bike.
With his hands behind his back.
Whistling.

So, if an old shonky Ridgeback was OK for my mate Alex, I might even go so far as to say there is no point in buying a better bike; if you're riding at a level where it makes that much of a difference, other people will be buying your bikes for you.

Want to go faster? Less pies, more miles. I like pies, so that's out.

 

[Tad]

is it the bike or the rider?

Who cares, I enjoy doing what I do, riding what I ride and being as crap as I am.

 

[ededwards]

The bike is always better than the rider. A few years ago (when I was much fitter than I am now), I used to go out with my mate who was a courier. I was riding a nice lightweight road bike, he was riding a clapped out old Ridgeback MTB. We were doing a long climb, and a chap in lycra on an expensive Italian bike dropped me, didn't even say hello. Al said "Right!" and dropped him.

On his clapped out mountain bike.
With his hands behind his back.
Whistling.

So, if an old shonky Ridgeback was OK for my mate Alex, I might even go so far as to say there is no point in buying a better bike; if you're riding at a level where it makes that much of a difference, other people will be buying your bikes for you.

Want to go faster? Less pies, more miles. I like pies, so that's out.

That reminds me of about 6 years ago when I went on a weeks YHA touring in Wales with a friend. We were doing about 70 miles a day at a relaxed pace, him on an old Benotto, me ss (I know, what an idiot). Anyway, heading down the coast we were passed uphill by a shirtless middle aged chap in jean shorts, eating an ice cream cone. Slightly chastened we caught up with him a few miles later. It turned out that he was local, had got up early that morning and thought "nice day, I'll go for a ride" on his 1970s cheap road bike, suicide levers, chromed rims and all. This ride, we calculated, was about 120 miles :shock: . Being local, we asked him how much further he had to go (it was also our destination) - "oooh, 20 miles, 40 miles, who knows boys". The spirit of getting out and riding your bike on a beautiful day was clearly strong - did anything else matter?

It IS about the rider more than the bike but most important is the attitude - ride in whatever way you want (consistently poorly in my case) and as long as you enjoy it then being on a bike you love/are proud of is just gravy.

 

[Grannygrinder]

.

I'd say that a good rider will benfit from a good bike but a good bike may be no advantage to an unfit unskilled rider.

I have an uber fit mate who is in the navy(stop giggling at the back ) who having never done a triathlon before was asked to do an inter forces one.
He runs, rides and swims well but time was short and the only bike we could turn up was an early 90's raleigh racer :shock: .
In the change over area were lots of lovely carbon goodies and Kevs old shed
As it turned out he gained about 1 minute on the swim then another minute on the cycle, as fortunately most of the route was uphill so his steed was of little disadvantage.
Then he ran em into the ground on the run
If you've got the ability you can do it on anything just ask Superstrong

 

[cyfa2809]

errr
yeah i guess rider
a good rider should be good on most bikes really

for instance, my local dh track. me and my mate switched bikes which is cutomary on our rides at some stage.
him on my dh8 and me on his rts
yet i was still faster than him on his rts (maybe even faster than myself!)

i tell you i was giving that bike stick, and i enjoyed it more than my bike. same track and all yet as soon as i jumped the first little mound and landed with a knee hurting wallop (less suspension see), my grin was ear to ear - instead of no grin due to concentration

rts = fun


perry, you da man