Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

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Ru88ell
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Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by Ru88ell »

As I cycle far and wide I keep noticing the same thing; why are there groups of fully kitted up MTB'ers riding on the pavements?

I'm not referring to the odd work commuter on his £99.99 Y frame full susser, I'm talking about groups of blokes from their 20's to 40's, from three to eight or nine of them, all kitted out with helmet lights and cams, cammo baggies, Camelbaks, clipped in, etc, on the latest multi thousand pound full sussers and 29'ers - riding in a gang on the pavement as I whistle past them on the road on my trusty hybrid.

Can anyone throw any light on this phenomenon? Surely they're a bit old for their moms to be worried about them being on the road.
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Claireysmurf
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by Claireysmurf »

Road skills and technical MTB skills are very different I guess?
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cycleruk
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by cycleruk »

Ru88ell wrote:As I cycle far and wide I keep noticing the same thing; why are there groups of fully kitted up MTB'ers riding on the pavements?
Can anyone throw any light on this phenomenon? Surely they're a bit old for their moms to be worried about them being on the road.


Because they are riding "off-road" bikes. :mrgreen:
You'll never know if you don't try it.
Bikefayre
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by Bikefayre »

Seriously, a mountain bike cyclist, without the gear likes to hear the same tyre whine noise as an old army Land Rover as get asked for whiney or we say girny tyres just purely for the road! He hates slicks for the cycle paths as they are too quiet! So maybe as modern tyres are getting quiter they ride on a smooth surface to enjoy the noise, the very same noise Roadies hate!
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Si
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by Si »

I notice people in full on DH gear on the pavements around here too.

I'm guessing that, as CS said, they don't have the confidence for road riding - perhaps that's why they took up MTBing in the first place?

thing about MTBing too, is that if you've just done a sketchy DH and seen your life flash before your eyes, you might well be tempted to go back and redo it several times until you nail it. If you've just had a close pass by WVM on the road you probably won't want to go back and redo it until you work out how to beat it! Both have their dangers/perceived dangers but the approach to each invokes a different mind set.
Gearoidmuar
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by Gearoidmuar »

"Having the confidence for road riding..."

Well, I do both. I cycle on main roads as little as possible, cycle on minor roads a lot and go on really rough roads, unsurfaced stuff etc (mostly in Spain)...

Confidence in road riding is just a little bit of an illusion...

I'm cycling all my life (I'm nearly 65) and I'm getting less confident as the standard of driving is getting worse, a lot of drivers are on their phones and there isn't a policeman to be seen...
yakdiver
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by yakdiver »

Their mum told them not to ride on the road as it is dangerous
saundy67
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by saundy67 »

I ride both disciplines.

I ride on the road when doing MTB on my own but when leading a group ride I go up empty pavement sections whenever possible. MTB riders are generally used to riding in single file on group rides unlike roadie groups who quite often seem to double up to take up the space of a car (no objection it's safer).

There's also (generally) a greater speed differential between MTB's and cars compared to roadies and cars. Plus quite often road parts of MTB routes tend to be on more remote twisty country lanes. These mean cars are often very close far more quickly than they thought they would be, and through no actions of the riders. This can lead to some scary moments.

Another reason is that, rightly or wrongly, it can be frustrating for cars to have to wait behind a single row of 6 or 7 much slower moving vehicles so being on the pavement avoids that which can lead to conflict.

Don't forget aswell, on an MTB ride the roads are really just a an annoying distraction from the real fun. They serve 3 purposes: getting to the trails; connecting the trails; and getting home from the trails. There's no technical challenge riding along a road on an MTB (unless you count potholes!) Road sections are usually a chance to take a breather, have a catch up, rehydrate, etc.

It's totally different for me on the roadie I feel much more visible to other road users & part of the traffic flow, which is a lot more comfortable.
maxcherry
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by maxcherry »

MTBers that I have met at Cannock Chase never ride road out of fear and stick to driving there even though the place is on there doorstep!
Weekends I often see riders Walk and Cycle on the narrowest bit of pavement ever created :lol: I cycle to Birmingham town centre catch a train up then Cycle to the Chase. The roads are country narrow type roads and drivers think it's race track! Even the ones with bikes on top of the cars!
Honestly chaps, I'm a female!
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Cunobelin
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by Cunobelin »

Because many of these are the same ones who will expect you to cycle on the pavement when they are in their cars.

There is a significant minority who expect this to be that case, and when they get on a bike carry it out
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Si
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by Si »

I ride up to the chase - nice pleasant ride on scenic roads, even a few bits of secret singletrack on the way to have a warm up on :D . Down side is though, it wears your expensive tyres out a bit quicker.

I'm unconvinced about the argument re-riding on the pavements on these twisty country roads, very few country roads have pavements around here. Likewise the argument that MTBers are slower than road riders...maybe true if you believe that the only kind of road rider in existence is the full-on roadie-lyrca-sportsbike type.
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Sum
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by Sum »

Ru88ell wrote:As I cycle far and wide I keep noticing the same thing; why are there groups of fully kitted up MTB'ers riding on the pavements?

Are you saying there is a disproportionate number of MTB'ers riding on the pavement in your area, much more than compared to the other categories of cyclists? I haven't seen the same in my area. I see the odd kitted-out MTB'er cycling on the pavement but then I see plenty of other cyclists riding on the pavement as well. I can't say I've spotted a trend.
Cunobelin wrote:Because many of these are the same ones who will expect you to cycle on the pavement when they are in their cars.

Really? Most cyclists I know, MTB'ers or otherwise, expect to ride on the road.
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Cunobelin
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by Cunobelin »

Sum wrote:[
Really? Most cyclists I know, MTB'ers or otherwise, expect to ride on the road.



Absolutely, I can think of several people I know who have taken up cycling as a way of "getting fit"Have got good quality bikes through the various tax schemes, but would not dream of riding on a fast road, or dual carriageway
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Sum
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by Sum »

Well no, it's not absolutely at all. Just because a few people you know don't like riding on fast roads and dual carriage roads doesn't mean that "many of these" MTB'ers expect other cyclist to get off the road.
landsurfer
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Re: Burly blokes on the pavement - why?

Post by landsurfer »

As a "burly" chap myself it's not just mtb's on the pavement that i notice around South Yorks, its the sheer amount of kit they seem to need.
They seem to be dressed for an ascent of Everest while riding around the cycle paths in the local area.
Camelbak's, rucksacks full of stuff, body armour.
Their cycling the same canal tow paths and surfaced ex train lines as i am.
Me, middle aged MAMIL on a self built hybrid with a couple of bananas and a flapjack in my back pocket and some juice in my drink bottle.
I'm on nodding terms with two 30 something MTB riders on my estate that drive their bikes to Kiverton Park, cycle the canal towpath to Worksop and back then drive home. It's my regular saturday trip, without the driving.
It's only 6 miles of quiet back roads to Kiverton but when i suggested they cycle there and back the response was scary.
"Too dangerous to ride on the roads around here, my missus wouldn't let me out" .
However at least their cycling.......
“Quiet, calm deliberation disentangles every knot.”
Be more Mike.
The road goes on forever.
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