The mountain biker or cyclist
Last week I did a mountainbike trail for the first time. At least that is how I described it to friends "for the first time". And it was the "first" time that I had purposefully travelled to a place where there was a maintained mountainbike route to cycle said route (and I'm not even sure I should say 'cycle' here or 'bike'). There seem to be differences in the types of cyclists, the jargon and the culture.
I do not have a (fancy) mountainbike, I do not have mountainbike clothes, I did not travel by car to the route but cycled from Amersfoort station, and since I was not very organized that weekend I had my normal tires instead of off-road tires on my bike and this seemed to generate surprise last Sunday. In fact, during my ride, when my friends and I stopped for a moment for a drink and a catchup, some guys started talking to me, and we bantered pleasantly for a moment. Then I got mildly irritated when one of the guys started commenting that my bike wasn't really a mountainbike, that my tires would not give me a lot of grip, and didn't my rackpack bother me. Since I was rather high on adrenaline at that moment, I was able to reply rather snippily to his comments (not my usual talent) and left them saying I could do anything on my bike... and I wondered what it was like to have suspension like them...that must be nice and comfortable... booyah! They looked a bit sheepish then because one of their technical mountain bikes had broken down...
But on a serious note I am deliriously happy with my sturdy bike that I can trust to take me anywhere... anytime... any weather. I know my bike inside and out, and because I have no suspension I know what we can and cannot do together; it makes for active cycling and I get immediate feedback on all my mistakes. So I can improve. And what I realized then is that I have actually cycled extensively off-road while touring and while living abroad, of which significant parts were or could have counted as mountainbike routes, some were even walking paths. So maybe I am already a mountain biker although I would probably still rather call myself a cyclist, a travelling cyclist, a touring cyclist or a world cyclist...
I found this funny quote which I really liked in a cycling blog... and although I do not want to portray myself as against suspension per se (I can see the advantages), I do not have need of it at the moment. "Cycling works best when you are exploring the contours of a terrain, not trying to isolate yourself from it, and riding a bike with too many moving parts can be like caressing your lover with oven mitts." (source blog)
I do not have a (fancy) mountainbike, I do not have mountainbike clothes, I did not travel by car to the route but cycled from Amersfoort station, and since I was not very organized that weekend I had my normal tires instead of off-road tires on my bike and this seemed to generate surprise last Sunday. In fact, during my ride, when my friends and I stopped for a moment for a drink and a catchup, some guys started talking to me, and we bantered pleasantly for a moment. Then I got mildly irritated when one of the guys started commenting that my bike wasn't really a mountainbike, that my tires would not give me a lot of grip, and didn't my rackpack bother me. Since I was rather high on adrenaline at that moment, I was able to reply rather snippily to his comments (not my usual talent) and left them saying I could do anything on my bike... and I wondered what it was like to have suspension like them...that must be nice and comfortable... booyah! They looked a bit sheepish then because one of their technical mountain bikes had broken down...
But on a serious note I am deliriously happy with my sturdy bike that I can trust to take me anywhere... anytime... any weather. I know my bike inside and out, and because I have no suspension I know what we can and cannot do together; it makes for active cycling and I get immediate feedback on all my mistakes. So I can improve. And what I realized then is that I have actually cycled extensively off-road while touring and while living abroad, of which significant parts were or could have counted as mountainbike routes, some were even walking paths. So maybe I am already a mountain biker although I would probably still rather call myself a cyclist, a travelling cyclist, a touring cyclist or a world cyclist...
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| NZ 2018: Yes actually this was mountain biking as well... on real mountains...with some hurdles such as this tree |
I found this funny quote which I really liked in a cycling blog... and although I do not want to portray myself as against suspension per se (I can see the advantages), I do not have need of it at the moment. "Cycling works best when you are exploring the contours of a terrain, not trying to isolate yourself from it, and riding a bike with too many moving parts can be like caressing your lover with oven mitts." (source blog)
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| Mountainbike route Amerongen |
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