better skills. roadie or MTB?

[lupine128]

well, i almost got into a fistfight with this roadie today when i mentioned that although pro roadies probably took the prize for best fitness among bike riders, downhill/4X had the better skills.
what do you think.

 

[mute]

i agree with what you said

how can you have more skill if you're just riding in a bloody straight line

i'd like to see a roadie hit some nice big jumps

 

[nathan]

no need for a fist fight just take him dhilling next time you go.

 

[lupine128]

hah, given my mad skilz at ippy, he'd be better off following someone else

 

[MrPlow]

I would say most mountain bikers have better skills. However at an elite level I would think that the roadies must also have excellent skill (coordination skill I assume we are talking about). To desend at speed down a mountain in a pack takes a lot of balls!!! I have done the range @ 85 kph on my cannondale and its scary. You are a lot higher from the ground on a roadie, brakes aren't as great (no discs) 120 psi in tyres means dodging potholes and pebbles. And bitumin=sandpaper: grind you to bits.

So mtbing = skill on a coordination level, + guts to defeat your mind "I can gap that?"

Roadies = unbelievable fitness, and a ridiculous amount of tactics, + some skill when desending and cornering.
Racing either gets my "respekt", neither is a no brainer :wink:

 

[Turley]

skill on a bike in most situation the mtber will have more control imho. About the only exception is I reckon that track riders (individual persuits etc) have awesome bike control, very much like that of a mtber.

I think Mr plow hit the jackpot though with his comment about mtb being coordination+mind powers where road is fitness+tactics both mixed in with respective diciplinary skills.

But there certainly is a difference between going down a road at 85kph compared to goign down a mountain at very similar speeds (refering to pro).

 

[Techno Destructo]

well, i almost got into a fistfight with this roadie today when i mentioned that although pro roadies probably took the prize for best fitness among bike riders, downhill/4X had the better skills.

Again... Mr. Plow hit it right on... but to me, if you got a negative reaction like that from the roadie, chances are... he probably didn't have the skills.
A really good cyclist (or anybody who excels at something) should be able to laugh off criticism like that.

 

[notb4dinner]

I have an huge amount of respect for what roadies do, but the skill question is easily answered by watching road pack try to corner at speed --> its almost laughable.

On another note, if anyone thinks that DHers are somehow more hardcore than roadies they should read this http://www.bike.com/template.asp?date=7/10/2003+2:24:38+PM&lsectionnumber=1 . Bloke broke his collarbone in two places on the first stage and is planning to continue racing for the next three weeks and that involves climbing some pretty bloody big hills.

 

[Simo]

^
see mr. plows post

 

[Techno Destructo]

I have an huge amount of respect for what roadies do, but the skill question is easily answered by watching road pack try to corner at speed --> its almost laughable.

Hmmmm... I guess if we put you in the middle of a big pack hitting a corner at 70+ km/h (on any bike you'd like to use), where you've got an inch of room on any side, with your skills from mountain biking (any disciplines you choose), you'd kick their asses?



Which is laughable? :roll:

 

[MrPlow]

As I have mentioned previously I have done a bit of roading. Pack riding requires quick reactions! get a group of 100 ppl and race down your local mtn range highway. Have a close look at dudes in tour de france scuffling an elbowing each other, it is like a tactical bitch fight! It is scary nuf pack riding in a straight line let alone cornering. It is a different kind of scary though I reckon, because you cannot control the pack, if some dude falls you all do!!! I can relate it to being a pillion on yer mates insanely quick road motor bike, you have to trust the dickhead infront of you. Or like a big mosh pit, you have to move with da crowd or you get stomped.
DH is just pure adrenaline :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: I just came back from the suspension(less) bridge trail, So much fun :!: :!: :!: Get of your puta and on yer bikes
"SHUT UP AND RIDE" (for all you old skool mtbers).

 

[wombat]

Geez people, would you get over the anti-roadie stuff? Sure there's bound to be some assholes, but there's assholes who ride mtb's too.

All this elitist stuff is bullshit.

 

[Guest]

my dad rides roadies and XC and the skills of both are transferable

 

[S.]

Road and MTB are two completely different things... how often do roadies have to gap a rock garden, hook into a berm then clear a 20ft double? Then how often do mtbers have to jostle in packs of 100, being wary of anyone who might bring down the entire peleton?

 

[MrPlow]

Geez people, would you get over the anti-roadie stuff? Sure there's bound to be some assholes, but there's assholes who ride mtb's too.

All this elitist stuff is bullshit.

I agree!!! It is all fun, I road for a bit of fitness and they just feel fast, anybody who hasn't tried a "real" road bike should, power transfer is unreal, and rolling resistance is zero. You also get good constant heart rate and can spin a good 90rpm, great for getting fit. :wink: (doesn't mean I am though )

Whenever I am on my mtb riding to a trail (in armour, seat down, cargos on etc) I always say hello to the roadies, and they return "hello", but with a WTF? look on there face.... Then I go out, same person, just decked in lycra with shoes that make you walk like a duck and occasionally get "ROADIE!!!" yelled at me by some dickhead Mtbers. It don't make you cool guys, all you do is give MTBing a bad rep, so quit it!
I must say that on the majority mountain bikers are a more approachable, friendly bunch. But thats just the nature of the sport. I will also say that MTBing (in my opinion) kicks arse all over road (for me). You never finish a road ride feeling pumped! Talking about how you railed that berm or gapped that drop, or came so close to bailing! And you never walk to the top chatting with your mates,comparing 'lines' and stuff. For me this is why MTB is the best, casual yet insane :wink: :!:

 

[Simo]

we should only compare apples to apples. you can compare an apple to a pear and call them similar because they groy on trees and have a stalk.

oh no, im babbiling again

 

[Guest]

riding is riding

 

[LTR]

ive actually seen a road bike doing a bit of northshore just for a bit of a laugh! Kinky!

 

[grovesy]

Getting away from the roadie vs mtb thing a little bit, I went on a trail ride with some bmx dudes today.All up we put in around 30km of differing terrain and not once did these guys lag behind.
I gotta say it's opened my eyes a bit.Maybe there's something to this single speed thing.
Might just convert one of my rides.
As for the skill level comparison,I think most pro cyclists crosstrain now days.

 

[cools]

I agree with wombat. Mtb requires different skills completely and they are all specialists at their own thing, its like comparing cricket with soccer because they both us a ball.