So how many of you are dirt roadies?

[Orbit]

I ride too many trails and not enough roads. If a race has long stretches of open road my legs just can't handle it.

[rouxtjie]

Dirt-roadie here...

[jcza]

Dirt roadie zero skillzzz here

[rouxtjie]

Dirt roadie zero skillzzz here

mmmmm disagree oom

 

Being a dirt-roadie take way more skill and dedication.

[deanbean]

You have some awesome trails up your side Im sure, you have the mountains at least!

Come and join us, I'm taking a group of farmers, fit and not so fit, on a ride around Döhne Peak on 29 Nov. Few diff distances and some hike-a-bike, but around 40km.

[KarlvN]

I generally ride single tracks and big hills on the weekends and during the week after work I will klap a road up the west coast from my house to koeberg's gates. It is a 35 odd kilometer ride which is pretty flat, but I try to keep my cadence high throughout the ride, This gives me a good balance of endurance, and then on the weekends I ONLY have fun. And all this is done on my trusted MTB 29er hardtail.

[Wyatt Earp]

Its not really about giving a toss, its more just me wanting to understand what most people ride the most.

Dont get me wrong, Im happy with anything as long as Im on my bike. I just prefer doing distances on road and the fun stuff offroad.

I feel the same, as along as I am on my bike I am happy.

The reason I said the guys back then didn't give a toss is because nobody actually did care.

The guys spoke with their legs on race day.

 

Here comes my "flame post" of the day/week/month/year.

With this electronic connection we have in this modern era, it has become all about one thing.

Attention whoring.

Because of this attention whoring we are no longer just cyclists, but individuals who ride bicycles and we all get thrown in to a little box of who we "should be"

 

You get them, those Strava fans who ride endless miles, rack up the big ones and enter every Strava challenge they possibly can, and in the end of the day they are still middle of the pack riders, can't break sub 7's on MTB Ultra's or sub 2:30's on a 94.7 and that is even with the help of a bunch.

 

They thrive on being called "legends", and "tough guys" or "hardcore demons" and whatever else their circle of friends feel fit to call them, it's all become about the ego stroking and the validation they so heavily seek.

 

So we end up with all this finger pointing, and suddenly every type of rider is not good enough or even worse, if they don't bow down to your "strava awesomeness" they are perceived as arrogant or just plain @-holes.

 

What it has really boiled down to, in Jozi as an example we have guys who get their kicks by dirt jumping and they have built numerous jumps and tracks on the Spruit to satisfy that need.

We have guys who train for Epic and they end up doing long 5-6 hour rides and often these rides call for sections of dirt roads, it's just par for the course.

We have some serious road riders and then guys who just love riding road bikes.

Critical Mass gets huge attendance.

Guys who specialise in XCO (that is hardcore stuff) and people who are your typical weekend warrior.

 

In the end of the day, do what pleases you and ride what makes you happy.

Cycling should always be about the reason we really started cycling, it makes us feel good and it gives a sense of freedom.

Whether it's along the beach on a cruiser or all the way to Durban on a road bike ,it's the pleasure aspect that should always stay alive.

[Rocket-Boy]

To OP.

Can you please add a poll to this

Will do... soon as I figure out how

[Rocket-Boy]

I feel the same, as along as I am on my bike I am happy.

The reason I said the guys back then didn't give a toss is because nobody actually did care.

The guys spoke with their legs on race day.

 

Here comes my "flame post" of the day/week/month/year.

With this electronic connection we have in this modern era, it has become all about one thing.

Attention whoring.

Because of this attention whoring we are no longer just cyclists, but individuals who ride bicycles and we all get thrown in to a little box of who we "should be"

 

You get them, those Strava fans who ride endless miles, rack up the big ones and enter every Strava challenge they possibly can, and in the end of the day they are still middle of the pack riders, can't break sub 7's on MTB Ultra's or sub 2:30's on a 94.7 and that is even with the help of a bunch.

 

They thrive on being called "legends", and "tough guys" or "hardcore demons" and whatever else their circle of friends feel fit to call them, it's all become about the ego stroking and the validation they so heavily seek.

 

So we end up with all this finger pointing, and suddenly every type of rider is not good enough or even worse, if they don't bow down to your "strava awesomeness" they are perceived as arrogant or just plain @-holes.

 

What it has really boiled down to, in Jozi as an example we have guys who get their kicks by dirt jumping and they have built numerous jumps and tracks on the Spruit to satisfy that need.

We have guys who train for Epic and they end up doing long 5-6 hour rides and often these rides call for sections of dirt roads, it's just par for the course.

We have some serious road riders and then guys who just love riding road bikes.

Critical Mass gets huge attendance.

Guys who specialise in XCO (that is hardcore stuff) and people who are your typical weekend warrior.

 

In the end of the day, do what pleases you and ride what makes you happy.

Cycling should always be about the reason we really started cycling, it makes us feel good and it gives a sense of freedom.

Whether it's along the beach on a cruiser or all the way to Durban on a road bike ,it's the pleasure aspect that should always stay alive.

Im not looking for attention by starting the topic, but I dont think you were referring to me.

It might just be that the people I was riding with are in a different place to me, its possible that they are looking at stage races and upping their fitness and endurance.

MTB has taken off nicely in my area and we have way more well maintained trails than we used to which I think is great. 

I love pulling long distance training rides on my road bike, the speed and the way the bike kicks when I lay down power is awesome. Im also loving mtb, there are few things more fun to me than flying down a single track and hitting berms and drop offs.

[Wyatt Earp]

Im not looking for attention by starting the topic, but I dont think you were referring to me.

It might just be that the people I was riding with are in a different place to me, its possible that they are looking at stage races and upping their fitness and endurance.

MTB has taken off nicely in my area and we have way more well maintained trails than we used to which I think is great. 

I love pulling long distance training rides on my road bike, the speed and the way the bike kicks when I lay down power is awesome. Im also loving mtb, there are few things more fun to me than flying down a single track and hitting berms and drop offs.

Exactly, nothing was aimed at you , or anyone in particular.

[fanievb]

Problem is that around EL we don't really have that much single track and "real MTB tracks".

 

thats why we head out on dirt roadie gravel travels which lasts for hours.

 

I have a road bike, but only use it on the trainer and during races as its not safe to use for training.

[rouxtjie]

For me mtb is something like the nissan trailseeker hakahana matathon,van gaalens or the monster. I am by no means a good rider, but it kinda iterates me if someone tells me that they CAN ride a mtb but they did races like the down&dirty or the curro trailseeker. Dont get me wrong, those are really great races and not to be under estimated. I still fall my ass off and guys just look at me like whats wrong with you, cant you ride a bike?

Funny story though, the dirt roadies will always klap the guys with more skills even in technical races...so if the measure is who is the fastest(which in races it is) they CAN ride a mtb.

[nigelhicks]

Well said Wyatt .... this is also not aimed at anyone - just an observation from being involved with KZNMTB for 4 years! .....

 

What we need to remember is that with MTB becoming as mass-participation as it is, the event organisers alter most of the events to compensate for numbers.

This means introducing more road-style sections to alleviate backlogs (think of that JHB ride a couple of weeks back - cool and tech so i heard - but backlogs of note - which SUCK!)

 

So for most events that cater for 1000 or more riders (you think now that if you get less than 1000 riders its probably not cost effective to host the event) you will find that the trails will be finely edited to remove all potential portage sections for all levels of rider .... thereby enhancing and promoting the "dirt-roadie" mindset.

 

I have had it in our regional events where riders complain that the trails are  too technical and have too much singletrack ... all they want to do is ride up hill on a gravel road. ... But then you get the other side of the coin where a different handful want to ride more technical stuff and complain that the trails are too easy.

 

So you can never win really ... so thats why you need to do exactly what Wyatt said ... Ride because you love it. ... if you enter a race and know it will be too easy for you ... take it as that ... dont moan! .... If its got sections that scare the pants off you - look at it as something to learn to up your skills.  Be courteous and let faster people past (Even the ladies - as some of the chicks are proper fast these days both uphill and on the downs) ...

 

Basically just have fun on your bike and enjoy being outdoors!

[Mojoman]

I suppose it also depends where you are and what you can see on a ride. I quite enjoy doing a long dirt road ride in my area a few times a month, you can see how the countryside changes with the seasons, how the local farming is going, maybe find some new track to ride in the future and have a cold drink or beer somewhere along the way and enjoy a morning or afternoon out on the bike.


 

[nigelhicks]

Funny story though, the dirt roadies will always klap the guys with more skills even in technical races...so if the measure is who is the fastest(which in races it is) they CAN ride a mtb.

 

Define technical though! ... Our Enduro events are being won by a mix of DH and XCO racers ... not marathon boys ....

 

BUT - if you go to Karkloof Classic for e.g. .... a large % of riders will think of this as a "technical" ride .... BUT - if you break it down ... more than 70% of the 60km Classic is gravel road ... with no singletrack climbs to speak of really and only singletrack descents 

 

So in this instance - the "tech riders" who are not as strong as the "dirt roadies" are already at a disadvantage as they only have 30% of the race to make up time ... which also doesnt happen as most passing cant be done in the singletrack and is mainly done on the district roads ... fine you can pass in the singeltrack but its often not so straightforward.

 

So again it comes down to the style of event that defines the rider, and the majority rider skill level (target market) that defines the event.

[James Mulholland]

It doesn't really matter does it? There's no God of mountain biking who decides who gains entrance to trail heaven depending on what they rode in their lifetime. I think people also make a lot of presumptions about WHY other people ride the way they do. 95% of the time people ride the kind of bike and trail they choose because that's what fills a spot in their life and rewards their sensibilities. And that's awesome. It's about getting your kicks without caring if anyone thinks your endurance events are boring, your half marathons aren't demanding enough, your Enduro riding is for show offs or your downhill is for wannabes. And dress the way you want. The guy that thinks you're kitted out the way you are because you want to look wealthy, more skilled than you really are or simply draw attention to yourself is dealing with their own issues not yours. We're all caricatures to some degree. If you're getting what you want out of it and not hurting anyone in the process then there's not a damn thing anyone else should have to say about it.