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Mountain Biking Defined

Old 01-27-04, 07:38 PM
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mountain biking = biking in the mountains. or am i missing something here.....
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Old 01-27-04, 10:53 PM
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Originally Posted by tFUnK
mountain biking = biking in the mountains. or am i missing something here.....
Whjat about the many people in the world with no mountains
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Old 01-28-04, 12:13 AM
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Is there such a world? It would really suck to live there
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Old 01-28-04, 01:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Blue Thunder
Is there such a world? It would really suck to live there
Thats a matter of opinion. I will never leave the mountains in my lifetime. THAT would suck.
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Old 01-28-04, 06:42 AM
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Back in the 1980's/Early 1990's it would have been easy to define mountain biking. But today the lines are so blurred to the point it is not worth trying to define it. Don't worry about it and just ride.
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Old 01-30-04, 02:23 PM
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[QUOTE=MikeOK]It all depends on who is answering. I think most (emphasize most) will agree that mountain biking is purely off road.

I'm XC purely and simply, but that XC riding involves skills from other sides of the sport. I Won't do downhill on an XC bike, It's too fragile, but try and catch me down Snaphill in Friston Forest in the mud, over the flints and ruts. I am not a trials rider, but some of those skills help me on the tight and Twisty Singletrack. I am most definitely not a freerider, and don't like being more than 6" off the ground, but I do wish it was a skill I could Aquire.

I will agree though that a Mountain Bike is for off road, And if you want to stay on concrete then get a bmx or road bike and stop calling yourself a mountain biker.

Saying that I do put slicks on my mountain bike for the odd 100km organised road ride, but when I am out with the roadies, I am a cyclist, out enjoying the company of other cyclists.

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Old 01-30-04, 03:06 PM
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Originally Posted by stapfam
I will agree though that a Mountain Bike is for off road, And if you want to stay on concrete then get a bmx or road bike and stop calling yourself a mountain biker.
So let me get this straight, you want people to switch to bmx or road if they can't get to trails or the trails are not passable. Whaat you are saying is that the evolution of this sport should be held back because you don't like it. You can not control evolution. Look at the stuff people riding bmx go off of, then look at urban stuff mountain bikers go off of, the bmx'rs are not going anywhere as big with a bmx bike than a person with a mountainbike can. 26" wheelsm and a larger frame can take much more than a bmx bike can. I would be one of the individuals that will have to buy a 4th bike, and in this case a bmx bike, and cram that in my small room with 3 other bikes, I just have enough room to live with three bikes in one room. Just riding on the road, I can understand that, but when itr comes to urban riding, it is becoming a part of the sport and you have to live with it.
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Old 01-30-04, 04:20 PM
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[QUOTE=stapfam]
Originally Posted by MikeOK
It all depends on who is answering. I think most (emphasize most) will agree that mountain biking is purely off road.

I'm XC purely and simply, but that XC riding involves skills from other sides of the sport. I Won't do downhill on an XC bike, It's too fragile, but try and catch me down Snaphill in Friston Forest in the mud, over the flints and ruts. I am not a trials rider, but some of those skills help me on the tight and Twisty Singletrack. I am most definitely not a freerider, and don't like being more than 6" off the ground, but I do wish it was a skill I could Aquire.

I will agree though that a Mountain Bike is for off road, And if you want to stay on concrete then get a bmx or road bike and stop calling yourself a mountain biker.

Saying that I do put slicks on my mountain bike for the odd 100km organised road ride, but when I am out with the roadies, I am a cyclist, out enjoying the company of other cyclists.
Thats a very narrow minded point of view about street.
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Old 01-30-04, 04:33 PM
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Hey, how did I get credit for that quote?
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Old 01-30-04, 04:35 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by danka24
Just riding on the road, I can understand that, but when itr comes to urban riding, it is becoming a part of the sport and you have to live with it.

Urban is NOT mountain biking by any stretch of the imagination.
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Old 01-30-04, 04:42 PM
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Mountain biking as a sport is cycling that which is done off-road. I think of mtb as primarily biking up down and through mountainous regions. Riding a bike along a paved path does not embody the sport of mountain biking. But that's not to say there is anything wrong with riding your mountain bike on the road or along paved paths. I do it all the time, but I don't consider myself to be "mounting biking" rathar I'm riding my mountain bike. So I guess what I'm getting at is that you can ride your mountain bike without going mountain biking.
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Old 01-30-04, 05:01 PM
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Originally Posted by MikeOK
Urban is NOT mountain biking by any stretch of the imagination.
I can understand how one could stretch "Urban" into the realm of "mountain biking" when you consider how technical urban riding along skinnies such as railings, going down/up stairs, over/around obstacles like benches or "art", tight turns, big air, etc. A lot of skills employed in urban riding done by "mountain bikers" on mountain bikes are the same skills used on the trails off-road.
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Old 01-30-04, 05:26 PM
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Originally Posted by montlake_mtbkr
I can understand how one could stretch "Urban" into the realm of "mountain biking" when you consider how technical urban riding along skinnies such as railings, going down/up stairs, over/around obstacles like benches or "art", tight turns, big air, etc. A lot of skills employed in urban riding done by "mountain bikers" on mountain bikes are the same skills used on the trails off-road.
There's no doubt that urban requires skill, but it's more related to bmx than mountain biking. I've ran slicks on my mountain bike lots of times, it's a real hoot to ride gravel roads with slicks or semi's. It's good for training endurance too, but personally I log it under road miles when I do it.
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Old 01-30-04, 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by MikeOK
Urban is NOT mountain biking by any stretch of the imagination.
Then WHY is it in MTB movies then?
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Old 01-30-04, 05:50 PM
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Maybe it hasn't been defined but.....

Well, thanks for all of the attempts at defining Mountain Biking. Perhaps the best definition is......"Whatever you think it is." With that said, I own 2 mountain bikes. I don't consider myself a mountain biker. I think I am just a guy who rides his bike. Most who frequent the Mountain Biking forum seem to be doing something different than me.

I don't:

* Compete

* Huck, Tuck or any of those four letter words.

* DH, FS, XC, HIJKLMONP.

*Care if I am a Mountain Biker


The reason I was most interested in getting a def. was because of the hostility that I was getting from some who apparently are Mountain Bikers. I am just a guy that gets on his Mountain Bike and rides it every day. I ride some on pavement, some on dirt, some on gravel, mainly i ride on the ground.
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Old 01-30-04, 05:51 PM
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Actually I was arguing for the sake of arguing, I really don't care.
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Old 01-30-04, 06:37 PM
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Originally Posted by danka24
Actually I was arguing for the sake of arguing, I really don't care.
Me too

Ride what you like. Forums always get cranky this time of year, cabin fever starts setting in.

Besides, I got home this evening from a REAL mtn bike ride in the 30 degree weather, everything had just thawed so it was extra stinkin' muddy. I got home this evening and after spending yet another hour cleaning my bike I put some semi's on, I'm training in a local game reserve on Jeep roads until the trails get in a little better shape!
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Old 01-30-04, 07:08 PM
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Originally Posted by MikeOK
There's no doubt that urban requires skill, but it's more related to bmx than mountain biking. I've ran slicks on my mountain bike lots of times, it's a real hoot to ride gravel roads with slicks or semi's. It's good for training endurance too, but personally I log it under road miles when I do it.
I think you have a misunderstanding of what BMX is. BMX=bike moto cross, pure unadulterated BMX is where dirt jumping comes from. "Real" BMXers ride groomed moto cross courses with the moguls and dirt jumps just like you see traditional MX riders on motorbikes. I think you may be thinking of Trials as BMX which it is not. They don't even use the same bikes, though you CAN do trials type riding on a BMX or a MTB.
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Old 01-30-04, 08:55 PM
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Originally Posted by montlake_mtbkr
I think you have a misunderstanding of what BMX is. BMX=bike moto cross, pure unadulterated BMX is where dirt jumping comes from. "Real" BMXers ride groomed moto cross courses with the moguls and dirt jumps just like you see traditional MX riders on motorbikes. I think you may be thinking of Trials as BMX which it is not. They don't even use the same bikes, though you CAN do trials type riding on a BMX or a MTB.

Maybe we should start another thread call "BMX defined". Urban is just the same as park or vert BMX, maybe I should have been more clear.

So far in this thread we have discussed:

XC mtn biking
DH mtn biking
FR mtn biking
Road biking
Trials biking
BMX racing
BMX vert
Huck biking
Urban biking
HJKCIMHS biking hehe

The only one I haven't tried is the HJKCIMHS, but if it's on 2 wheels I bet it's cool...
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Old 01-31-04, 12:17 PM
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JEEZUS,

You guys are making this all too difficult.

The question is "What is mountain biking?" the answer is "Riding a mountain bike".

What is skateboarding? Riding a skateboard.


People make MTBs for every kind of terrain imaginable. Urban, Extreme Terrain, Downhill Only, Cross Country, Even Trials. They are all specialties of the "Mountain bike" Yes, some freaks even put kickstands on them. Why? Who knows?

Any time you ride a mountain bike....you're mountain biking
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Old 01-31-04, 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted by MikeOK
Maybe we should start another thread call "BMX defined". Urban is just the same as park or vert BMX, maybe I should have been more clear.

Dude, get a clue. You either ride MTB Street (or urband) or BMX Street. Its not the same thing, as its done on different equipment. The bike is the difference maker. Are skateboarding and BMX street the same thing, even though theyre on the same terrain? No. Of course not.
Point is, i can take my 35pound trail bike strait from tearing through a trail, and go grind it at a skatepark and Im still mountain biking because Im riding an MTB the whole time.

BMX stands for Bicycle Moto Cross, right? Tell, me, where's the motocross in street riding? There is none. Its the style of bike. Just like MTB is a style of bike...not a style of riding.
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Old 01-31-04, 12:35 PM
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Originally Posted by BurlySurly
Dude, get a clue.
Dude - Matt Hoffman has made himself rich on BMX bikes, he even has his own brand of them that he sells. I've never seen him on any X-games on the dirt, he is riding vert. On one of his own BMX bikes...
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Old 01-31-04, 12:47 PM
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Originally Posted by MikeOK
Dude - Matt Hoffman has made himself rich on BMX bikes, he even has his own brand of them that he sells. I've never seen him on any X-games on the dirt, he is riding vert. On one of his own BMX bikes...

As I said.....GET A CLUE!

He is riding BMX, even though its not technically "bicycle motocross" that he's riding. He's riding a BMX bike on different terrain, right? And we all accept it to be BMX. So if Im riding an MTB on not MTB Terrain...how is it that you dont acccept it as MTB any longer if you accept Hoffman as BMX?
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Old 01-31-04, 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted by BurlySurly
As I said.....GET A CLUE!

He is riding BMX, even though its not technically "bicycle motocross" that he's riding. He's riding a BMX bike on different terrain, right? And we all accept it to be BMX. So if Im riding an MTB on not MTB Terrain...how is it that you dont acccept it as MTB any longer if you accept Hoffman as BMX?
I make this one exception for Matt Hoffman only.

Like totally dude.
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