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Re: Off road history.

Posted: 7 Dec 2018, 12:04pm
by reohn2
I've been riding offroad since I was about 9 years old and have ridden anything from Audax machines to touring bikes through to MTB's
My current 'stable's is:-
Salsa Vaya
Genesis Vagabond
Genesis Longitude

I've never ridden a suspension bike of any kind but the Longitude has a Crane Creek LT Thudbuster fitted.

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 11 Dec 2018, 10:18am
by amediasatex
reohn2 wrote:I've never ridden a suspension bike of any kind


I'm curious, is that an active decision based on your requirements or a case of just not having had the opportunity to try one? (I mean properly, beyond a car-park style test).

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 11 Dec 2018, 10:44am
by reohn2
amediasatex wrote:
reohn2 wrote:I've never ridden a suspension bike of any kind


I'm curious, is that an active decision based on your requirements or a case of just not having had the opportunity to try one? (I mean properly, beyond a car-park style test).

It's a bit of both really,I've never found a need for suspension as I'm not particularly an adrenalin junkie,as I ride off road to get out into nature and reason that suspension adds weight,involves more maintenance and there's little provision for a decent mudguarding.
That's not to say I've anything against suspension but as I'm getting older keep taking a sideways glance that way at perhaps a hardtail MTB.
I was recently climbing a particularly rough double track on my Vagabond(drops & 2in Conti RaceKings)when a chap on a full sus MTB passed me and commented that I would "find it hard up here without suspension" and shot off,he was half my age(I'm 65).Little did he know I've been riding that that hill for 40 years without suspension and in times past on much a smaller tyre than 2inch too :) .

I enjoy the total concentration needed to pick path though really rough tracks rather than blasting over them letting the suspension smooth out the route.I have 700 x 2.4inch on my Longitude which I really enjoy riding at really low TP's,to each his own :) .

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 11 Dec 2018, 11:37am
by amediasatex
Thanks reohn2, I was just curious! As you might have noted from my earlier post I have quite a lot of experience on various suspension bikes, but I also have and enjoy some fully rigid machines.

I totally understand your thoughts about concetration, I've done several 12 and 24hr events on fully rigid single speeds precisely because it removes other distractions and annoyances that can be make-or-break factors when you're sleep deprived and fatigued, it helps you focus on the task at hand, although that swings both ways, sometimes a little extra talent bolted to the front and back of your bike can work wonders when you're too far gone to pick your lines properly...

I'm a big advocate of 'appropriate use' but also of 'deliberately inappropriate use' ;-). I have noticed an increasing trend with a lot of new riders finding the entire concept of a rigid bike alien, having started riding on full-sus and never having even ridden a hardtail off-road. I think many of them have missed out on vital skills as a result and continue to do so, even if you are into going fast nothing* makes you go faster on a suspension bike than knowing how to go fast on a rigid one!

*there are additional skills and techniques required to get the best out of bouncy bikes too but I still think you should learn on a rigid bike, and often for a lot of riding an appropriately tyre'd rigid bike is the best tool for the job.

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 11 Dec 2018, 4:54pm
by peetee
reohn2 wrote: i enjoy the total concentration needed to pick path though really rough tracks rather than blasting over them letting the suspension smooth out the route.


Absolutely 100% agree. As I have previously stated I still ride my 1990 custom MTB which is rigid front and back. I dabbled with suspension post and stem but took them off because I lost the feedback I enjoyed and i felt like I was going soft and cheating. Riding rigid hasn't stopped me from enjoying every second of my rides and the joy a properly thought out custom bike can bring. That includes a mad downhill from the summit of Helvellyn, hitting 43mph in Queen Elizabeth Park at Butser Hill, riding the North Cornwall coast path (years ago when you were 'allowed'). One of my most satifying achievements though was riding the full length of Carn Brea in Redruth without putting a foot down. It took so many failed attempts (I am not naturally gifted in the bike handling skills department) that I had a huge grin on my face when I did it. Riddled with granite steps it would have been so much easier on a full-suss, but where's the challenge in easy?

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 21 Dec 2018, 1:12pm
by Tao
:? :? :?

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 22 Dec 2018, 9:40am
by Lance Dopestrong
Been riding off road since the early 70s on a Chopper, and then a home made tracker bike.My steeds change frequently, but the 2 that never change are my 1996 Alpinestars CroMo rigid, which I love, and my 2011 Giant Trance X, which has had the shock and forks modified by RockShox to suit my weight (I'm a large, heavy gent). Carves, Lappieres, Speshes, BMCs have all come and gone since.

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 22 Dec 2018, 10:22am
by Vorpal
I rode off road alot when I was a kid. My friends and I built trails and jumps and used them for 'BMX' racing. I cracked the frame of a cheap toy shop bike doing that.

I didn't do much for years, but in '93, my brother and a friend and I toured Scotland, including the Great Glen, which was partly off road.

After that, I kept some slightly knobbly tyres for my hybrid, and rode occasionally off road over some years. After having kids, I rode pretty much exclusively on road, except for the few Sustrans facilities that tandem + trailer could get onto.

More recently, I acquired a mountain bike and have again done occasional off road riding, including a couple of forest routes between me and work.

Also, I've ridden Rallervegen between Haugestøl and Flåm, Norway several times. That's not exactly off road, as it's the navvy road for the Oslo - Bergen line, but it's rougher surfaces in places than some 'off road' riding I've done.

I don't really consider myself a mountain biker, and I don't do any race circuits, or downhilling, or anything. 99% of the stuff I use my mountain bike for, I could do on a tourer or hybrid. The mountain bike is just a bit more comfortable and easier with suspension forks and fat, treaded (small knobbles) tyres.

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 31 Dec 2018, 7:29pm
by Bmblbzzz
Tao wrote:
amediasatex wrote:
colin54 wrote:What a fantastic selection of photo's, well done the archivist(s).


Agreed, excellent and I'm thankful they've taken the time to digitise and present them, there are thousands and thousands of pictures sitting in desk drawers and boxes in the loft that will liekly never see the light of day yet give us an amazing glimpse into the past, I can only hope more will surface as time goes on.


Even better news is that they're going to be published in book form by Isola Press. A Kickstarter is being launched in early January.

Might look out for that book! One of the things I like about those photos is their diversity in terms of what is "roughstuff". To take the first three photos (simply because there are three per line):
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsDjCrqlwqe ... _copy_link
Image
Looks very rough and pretty much unrideable. As in fact, they are pushing!

Whereas the next one
https://www.instagram.com/p/Br-JJDiF5fe ... _copy_link
Image
is a proper road. A rough road but a road!

And the last one on the line:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Brw42P5Fl4w ... hare_sheet
is somewhere inbetween. Rideable with effort and care!

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 31 Dec 2018, 7:32pm
by Bmblbzzz
Not sure how to link images from Instagram, sorry.

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 3 Jan 2019, 1:40pm
by Scunnered
peetee wrote:How long have you been riding off-road and what have you been doing it on?


I started in the early '80s on a 10-speed Dawes Fox.
I didn't have a car then and my bike was my only independent means to get to the hills for hiking.
I clearly remember cycling over Jock's Road for example.
I subsequently owned a "moutain" bike, but never really go into that scene.
Now I have a "gravel" bike which I use for the same purpose as the original Dawes, back to 10 speed but in 1x10 format!

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 3 Jan 2019, 10:58pm
by zenitb
amediasatex wrote:
colin54 wrote:
rualexander wrote:Roughstuff Fellowship have some great old photos on their instagram account
https://www.instagram.com/rsfarchive/

What a fantastic selection of photo's, well done the archivist(s).


Agreed, excellent and I'm thankful they've taken the time to digitise and present them, there are thousands and thousands of pictures sitting in desk drawers and boxes in the loft that will liekly never see the light of day yet give us an amazing glimpse into the past, I can only hope more will surface as time goes on.


Fantastic photos, some taken before I was born!! Looking through them I cant help thinking I missed cycling's golden age. I particularly love all the tandems in the photos ..

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 10 Jan 2019, 9:19pm
by Tao
:twisted: :twisted:

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 10 Jan 2019, 9:40pm
by Richard Fairhurst
Just backed it after seeing it mentioned on Jack Thurston's Twitter feed. Looks terrific (I'm a fan of the Alps book).

Re: Off road history.

Posted: 11 Jan 2019, 8:48am
by amediasatex
Same here, looking forward to the book!