Interested in the Road world?

buildyourown · Dec 20, 2004

I train on a road bike and follow the Tour. I used to work at a roadie shop so I had to know enough to gain some credibility with the customers.
As a framebuilder, there is a much better market for custom road bikes than custom DH bikes. Even though I don't really like riding them, I've made a lot of them.

Echo · Dec 20, 2004

I think the best way to introduce roadies to the freeride/DH scene would be to have someone do a road gap over the peloton at the Tour! They would love us for sure if we did that!

Jeremy R · Dec 20, 2004

I follow pretty much all aspects of riding a bike.
Even combined, we are all still a small sport,
but divided we are just little turd clusters.
Constantly hating on other cycling groups is silly.
And competing in any of them is crazy hard.
But I agree with the first post. I appreciate how
tough road racing is, but I wonder if those velosnooze
readers know how hard DH racing can be.

DHCorky · Dec 20, 2004

I have to admit I pay some attention to the road world. I work at a roadie shop aswell so it is hard not to since I am surounded by it every day. I also bought a road bike this fall for training. The craziest thing I have done so far is I entered a cross race a few weeks ago.

I have found that roadies have almost no clue about the DH world. They also have a hard time understanding it when you do talk to them about it.

Morryjg · Dec 20, 2004

I follow the Tour. That's about it for road racing. I would probably follow other big races as well, but have not paid that much attention. I grew up a road and have only started mt biking since I moved to Colorado. All my friends ride mountain so that's what I end up doing the most of.

bikenweed · Dec 20, 2004

One thing is for sure: road is focking gnarly. I've had way harsher crashes on my road bike than my DH bike. Not to say that one is better than the other, but the risks of going fast on a road bike, for me at least, are waaaaaay higher than on a dh bike. Oh, and those pesky cars. I'll ride DH every day, and will still always give fast roadies respect. Slow roadies are weak. Unless they're old, or hot chicks.

DHCorky · Dec 21, 2004

I have to admit I was the most scared on a bike when I was going 40mph down a hill on my road bike. The front of my bike just started shaking violently :eek:

. If I was on my DH bike I would of grabed a handfull of brakes then ditched. I just had to ride it out on the road bike. I start getting nervous once my speeds start aproaching 35mph now. Road bikes are so different and tempermental.

I have nothing but respect for the fast road riders. Now it is those Tri-athletes I am perplexed by.

TheMontashu · Dec 21, 2004

I try and ride road like 2 days a week and i have allm of the tour stages on tape, how much rodies know about DH is another story

Tully · Dec 21, 2004

I don't really follow road racing--I honestly don't care that much.

CreeP · Dec 21, 2004

Yeah, i don't follow the races, but like a few of you i worked at a roadie oriented shop and sort of came to enjoy rocketing around on a bike that hardly touches the ground.
My aunt used to ride and then work at the Velodrome in montreal, the one used during the Olympics when they were here. They've since turned the place into a biodome.

hell i don't follow racing, period.

CreeP · Dec 21, 2004

oh, if you get the chance, go watch, or better yet ride in, a Madison, on the track, that **** is insane.

sanjuro · Dec 21, 2004

Zutroy said:
This is in response to something said on Velonews in the letters that I'm looking into. How many people on here follow roadie scene at all? It could be racing here in the US or the Tour or what ever. I'm willing to bet that DH'ers know more about what happens in the tour and such than roadies know about what's happening in the DH world. or even the XC world for that matter

Some of it is how much time do you have to read everything racing. It is easy to watch the Tour or to go to a single DH race. But to follow, much less compete, in more than one discipline is extremely difficult, especially when they are so different.

I rode and raced road for many years before mountain biking. I used to crash hard because in a panic I used to squeeze my front brake until I locked out. This is what you should do because handling is not as dramatically affected with the front brake as it is off-road.

Overall fitness and power workouts are critical, along with long endurance rides. DH requires sprint workouts as well as extensive skill practices. You also do not see roadies tossing beers back after races, much less burn. Then again, you don't hear roadies complaining about shaved legs.

I like all things bike, so I follow both. But I was reading 7 or 8 magazines a month too.

TheMontashu · Dec 21, 2004

I read 7 or 8 shooting magazines a month

DHS · Dec 21, 2004

i wish i road my road bike more then i do. but all my dh buddies don't really like the whole super hero gear thing. so i only really go with a bunch of older folk saturday mornings before work.
yes just did one last saturday...

SuspectDevice · Dec 21, 2004

I'm a recovering cat 2 with a closet full of skinsuits. I also race bmx, XC, 'cross and track. It's silly to classify bike riders, and be divisive when we all do essentially the same thing.

OGRipper · Dec 21, 2004

SuspectDevice said:
It's silly to classify bike riders, and be divisive when we all do essentially the same thing.

I completely agree. I'm an equal opportunity rider, I'm down for road, xc, dh, freeride, fixed gear, dirt jump, whatever. I have some friends that also do it all, but more that stick with pretty much one discipline. It never ceases to amaze me when I hear a dh brah complain about roadie scum or a roadie complain about mountain bikers. We're all on two wheels people, and there are a lot of people out there who are not. I'm not saying we all need to love each other but it's pointless to be divisive when different facets of cycling are losing ground, in part becuase once we split into all these tiny groups we don't have the numbers to get anything accomplished. Imagine our ability to get new trails (or at least preserve existing ones), bike lanes, etc., if we could only come together.

If there's a battle at all it should be "people who ride bikes vs. people who don't," not "people who ride some bikes vs. people who ride other bikes." It's just stupid but sadly typical.

ricebowls · Dec 21, 2004

I'm 33, I started riding (and racing) 3 years ago with my first downhill bike. Since then I've gotten into trail and xc riding along with cyclocross (which is a very close second to DH racing as far as how fun it is). I even might start racing crits this spring. And I check out the Velonews website every day at work just to keep an eye on what's happening thoughout the cycling world. I'm guessing that this thread started in response to the VN emailer who saying that if VN drop it's DH coverage nobody would care along with other post which were anti DH/Freeride. I find it depressing when I hear other cyclists who are happy to see riders loose there riding spots or have trails closed down. I've never actually met a DH'er who was stoked to hear about anyone loosing their riding spot no matter what kind of riding it is.

JRogers · Dec 21, 2004

I only race DH and 4x but I have an XC bike and a CX bike that ride on trails and road. I am really interested in any form of cycling. I keep up with road news for the most part, paying attention to team news, the major tours and the classics. I do not have the desire or fitness to race road, but I like to watch, read and ride on my own.

I do think it's lame when a DHer or roadie disrespects another section of the sport or dismisses it as "lame," "stupid," or "gay" (whatever that means...) I do have to admit, though, that DH riding is really different from most other forms of cycling. For me, it's a very different experience than regular trails or road. I can't tell you how many times I have had to explain to someone what DH riding really is, cyclists and non-cyclists alike. I'm sure all of you have had the same conversation. "Wait, you don't ride up the hill?" etc. DH is really the hardest segment of the sport to understand the concept and the physics of it. Most people seem to think it's two things: insane and stupid. I try and equate it with downhill skiing. That seems to help people grasp it. Way different than XC, still requires fitness and such, just a different kind.

OGRipper · Dec 21, 2004

Zutroy said:
Yeah, that's what brought this to mind. I was thinking and talking to some of my friends about it. One thing popped into my head, of all the groups of cyclists i know DH'ers seem to be the ones most interested in all forms of cycling. Most guys a race with own several bikes including a road bike. I don't have a Roadie friend that has a DH bike or even a serious trail bike.

I also check velonews and cyclingnews pretty much everyday, along with NSMB and (sometimes) pinkbike and a few others. I saw that letter to velonews and responded to them by saying they should continue to cover all disciplines. There are lots of people who like to read about different aspects of competitive cycling, even if they don't race in all or any of them, and the mag does us all a service by exposing otherwise closed-minded pigeon-holed riders to other forms of riding.

And I agree that it's more common for people who ride DH to have other bikes than it is for roadies...I think it's partly because you need shuttles or lifts for many gravity machines, so dh riders often get a lighter second bike and go on from there...but maybe it's because (other than fitness) road skills don't transfer that well...as a part-time roadie I feel qualified to say that...I know there are few things as gnarly as banging elbows in a hot crit with sketchy tired racers inches away, or doing 55 mph on 20c tires wearing little more than underwear, but there are not many roadies who can jump on a dh bike and rock it out down some steep chute or launch a big gap. A DH rider who jumps on a road bike might be off the back but at least they can stay upright!

SuspectDevice · Dec 21, 2004

OGRipper said:
as a part-time roadie I feel qualified to say that...I know there are few things as gnarly as banging elbows in a hot crit with sketchy tired racers inches away, or doing 55 mph on 20c tires wearing little more than underwear, but there are not many roadies who can jump on a dh bike and rock it out down some steep chute or launch a big gap. A DH rider who jumps on a road bike might be off the back but at least they can stay upright!

I can attest to the fact that road skills helped me win a moto at the bmx track on saturday night. Nothing teaches you more about throwing elbows, avoiding crashes and head-butting than the last 2 kilometers of a road race.

OGRipper · Dec 21, 2004

That's cool and I wasn't saying road riding takes no skill, hope that's not how you read my posts - I ride on the road a lot, gave props to crit riders, etc. But all the elbow banging in the world will not give you the skills to clear a nasty gap or clean some super gnarly tech section. Of course some of it goes the other way, like fitness, making moves in a tight bunch, etc., but you would not have won that bmx race with peloton skills alone. I mean come on I know roadies that have to get off their bikes just to go over a curb. Just my $.02.

Acadian · Dec 21, 2004

ricebowls said:
I'm 33, I started riding (and racing) 3 years ago with my first downhill bike. Since then I've gotten into trail and xc riding along with cyclocross (which is a very close second to DH racing as far as how fun it is). I even might start racing crits this spring. And I check out the Velonews website every day at work just to keep an eye on what's happening thoughout the cycling world. I'm guessing that this thread started in response to the VN emailer who saying that if VN drop it's DH coverage nobody would care along with other post which were anti DH/Freeride. I find it depressing when I hear other cyclists who are happy to see riders loose there riding spots or have trails closed down. I've never actually met a DH'er who was stoked to hear about anyone loosing their riding spot no matter what kind of riding it is.

CX racing close second to DH? you need a to drink more beers my friend!

I did ONE CX race...hardest 40mins I have EVER spent on a bike...was okay, but nothing compared to DH. dunno...just not my cup-o-tea

McT · Dec 21, 2004

I have already stated that I will NOT EVER enter a road race. Waaay too damn dangerous. I'd feel safer launching over a double, or racing BMX.

buildyourown · Dec 21, 2004

Acadian said:
CX racing close second to DH? you need a to drink more beers my friend!

I did ONE CX race...hardest 40mins I have EVER spent on a bike...was okay, but nothing compared to DH. dunno...just not my cup-o-tea

40min???
Every CX race I've ever been to was an hour. You race until the 1 hour bell rings, one more lap and your done.

Acadian · Dec 21, 2004

buildyourown said:
40min???
Every CX race I've ever been to was an hour. You race until the 1 hour bell rings, one more lap and your done.

that's before I quit....

maybe it was an hour....all I know is that it was damn hard and every minute of it sucked... As a matter of fact, that is the day I quit racing XC all togheather and went to the dark side (DH)

UNHrider · Dec 21, 2004

I agree road skills dont really translate as well as mountain bike skills. however the fitness of roadies translates very well to mountain biking. you can usually tell whos a roadie and whos a mtn biker at most xc races.

and nothing is more sketchy then bombing down a windy hill around 50 mph where it would only take the smallest of unseen road debris to cause one hell of a crash.

matt

OGRipper · Dec 21, 2004

Acadian said:
that's before I quit....

maybe it was an hour....all I know is that it was damn hard and every minute of it sucked... As a matter of fact, that is the day I quit racing XC all togheather and went to the dark side (DH)

Come on you noob (105 posts :rolleyes:

), what part of it sucked?

I sounds like what you meant to say is "Pedaling up hills is hard! Especially with all those other guys trying to get in front of me!!"

I've only ridden cross a couple of times but it was fun jumping all the barriers while everyone else had to dismount...didn't actually race though, I'm with ya, that shi-ite is brutal.

Acadian · Dec 21, 2004

OGRipper said:
I sounds like what you meant to say is "Pedaling up hills is hard! Especially with all those other guys trying to get in front of me!!"

Actually I did good...and finished in top 5. Don't assume I don't like to ride UPHILL, cause I love riding XC and I'm not too shabby when it comes to climbing. I just hate betting off my bike and having to carry it I rather RIDE my bike than carry it..

OGRipper · Dec 21, 2004

Hey scrooge I was only joking...yeah it was kinda lame joking but still, all you really said was "it sucked" and I've heard lots of dh riders say the same thing about road riding...or xc for that matter, and basically the only reason they could give was that the climbing was really hard.

Love, OG

Rik · Dec 22, 2004

I used to race road and track before I discovered the fun of MTBing. My father and younger brother still race, the brother having spent 7 months in France, racing, and is likely to be on a local pro team for next year. I probably follow more road racing than I do MTB racing, via osmosis, but I am not fond of competitive events at all.

Interested in the Road world?

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