I've been riding for close to 16 years (since I was 11) now. While road as always been there along with mountain biking, my dirt passion has taken on many forms:
Stated as run of the mill trail riding
Then to DH/Free ride
Then to SS rigid XC
then to SS rigid XXC
The to geared rigid XXC/XC
Then to geared HT XXC/XC
The to FS XC
Back to Geared HT
Then back to geared rigid
Then to 29 (geared and SS, rigid)
Now cross (SS and geared)
As of late, almost exclusively since last spring, its been on a cross bike one way or another. And now, I'm even more addicted to XXC on fire roads and gravel. I love a cross bike on singletrack. Fast, techy, anything. As I get older (ripe age of 27) I am less and less interested in riding big drops and big jumps. I am actually selling my FS frame, and thinking of building up a light weight 26" hardtail (maybe with a suspension fork, maybe rigid.)
There is just something about riding fast and flowy, picking the smoothest line and going. the cross bikes just begs for this. The main ride lately has been a Surly Cross Check for the past few months since I built it, but has seen many many incarnations and builds. But before that I started taking my other cross bike, or even my steel roadie with skinny knobbies out on the trails and fire roads. To me a mountain bike is a bike that is ridden off road on trails and any non paved surface. Not a bike that is technically marketed as one.
Also, I have lately found a big dislike for man made features, like log piles, skinnys, ladders, all that. I used to love riding this stuff, and found myself building and hitting them when ever possible. But to me now, it sorta takes away from the riding experience. Takes the nature out of it in a way, never mind, I make no sense.
And gravel roads.... Some of the best scenery and less traffic can be found on gravel and logging roads. Not as boring as road riding (not to say I don't love a good long road ride on the roadie) but it can get kinda blah at times, and the gravel roads can give a little bit of more challenge and texture to the ride.
So in short, how has your passion changed of the years. And what's your current discipline of love and pain.
I am starting to fell the bikepacking itch, and again, a cross bike, or cross bike type (monstercorss?) screams compatibility.
Stated as run of the mill trail riding
Then to DH/Free ride
Then to SS rigid XC
then to SS rigid XXC
The to geared rigid XXC/XC
Then to geared HT XXC/XC
The to FS XC
Back to Geared HT
Then back to geared rigid
Then to 29 (geared and SS, rigid)
Now cross (SS and geared)
As of late, almost exclusively since last spring, its been on a cross bike one way or another. And now, I'm even more addicted to XXC on fire roads and gravel. I love a cross bike on singletrack. Fast, techy, anything. As I get older (ripe age of 27) I am less and less interested in riding big drops and big jumps. I am actually selling my FS frame, and thinking of building up a light weight 26" hardtail (maybe with a suspension fork, maybe rigid.)
There is just something about riding fast and flowy, picking the smoothest line and going. the cross bikes just begs for this. The main ride lately has been a Surly Cross Check for the past few months since I built it, but has seen many many incarnations and builds. But before that I started taking my other cross bike, or even my steel roadie with skinny knobbies out on the trails and fire roads. To me a mountain bike is a bike that is ridden off road on trails and any non paved surface. Not a bike that is technically marketed as one.
Also, I have lately found a big dislike for man made features, like log piles, skinnys, ladders, all that. I used to love riding this stuff, and found myself building and hitting them when ever possible. But to me now, it sorta takes away from the riding experience. Takes the nature out of it in a way, never mind, I make no sense.
And gravel roads.... Some of the best scenery and less traffic can be found on gravel and logging roads. Not as boring as road riding (not to say I don't love a good long road ride on the roadie) but it can get kinda blah at times, and the gravel roads can give a little bit of more challenge and texture to the ride.
So in short, how has your passion changed of the years. And what's your current discipline of love and pain.
I am starting to fell the bikepacking itch, and again, a cross bike, or cross bike type (monstercorss?) screams compatibility.
