Would you rather?

PB Forum :: United Kingdom
Would you rather?
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flag duncanp
Posted: Jul 31, 2009 at 12:22 Quote
Mountain biking in the UK be more popular, mainstream and better funded. Or have it as it is, maybe less in the public's eye.

I've always wondered which of the above i would prefer. If it became considerably more popular there may be a greater amount of venues across the UK, greater TV coverage (Fort bill featured on eurosport but it wasn't exactly great) and maybe a reduction in the cost of components and gear. However trails we've built may be ruined by those with no idea of etiquette. That nice bit of singletrack you ride often overused and worn down etc etc idk.

What are your thoughts, summer weather's been poor so far and as i'm not doing anything right now i've begun to think blah blah. Discuss.
flag crazygeorge
Posted: Aug 1, 2009 at 3:02 Quote
Mainstream would be better. Its not like we'll suddenly run out of places to ride - theres enough countryside to go around! Trails would be better maintained and there would be more of them. Might also stop some of the wierd looks I get when I burst out of the woods covered in mud!

Something that really demonstrates this was last year when Gee was winning rounds of the World cup it wasnt even mentioned on the news. With some recognition and more people buying stuff, prices might fall too!
flag duncanp
Posted: Aug 1, 2009 at 13:39 Quote
crazygeorge wrote:
Mainstream would be better. Its not like we'll suddenly run out of places to ride - theres enough countryside to go around! Trails would be better maintained and there would be more of them. Might also stop some of the wierd looks I get when I burst out of the woods covered in mud!

Something that really demonstrates this was last year when Gee was winning rounds of the World cup it wasnt even mentioned on the news. With some recognition and more people buying stuff, prices might fall too!

well you would have thought that 3x World Champs would also get a mention, especially as they're from the same family.
flag xcrisx
Posted: Aug 1, 2009 at 15:28 Quote
the guardian, I think, did a 5 page feature on them. thats plenty I feel.

I dont see how mtb could ever become mainstream in the way football and even tennis have. you need special equipment and terrain and its not a very good spectator sport.

i want to see more people riding and the sport becoming more popular, but until mags like mbuk stop reviewing 'budget bikes' that cost £2000 thats not going to happen.
flag bikebreaker
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 0:07 Quote
Keep it underground for sure.

Ever since its gone more mainstream, trails have suffered.
Yes, places like Chick, The Track, Woburn etc have appeared, but local trails have suffered massivly. Years back, you'd find trails all over the place, shrouded by no secrecy.
Since its gone mainstream, the average age of riders has gone from mid 20's, to mid teens leaving no respect for trails. They get in-undated with kids who don't know the trail ethos and get trashed.

I'd give anything to ride some of the trails I did 10 years back....they were 10 times anything thats about now!

Stuff has come down massivly in price all-ready....and corners cut to do this.
Brands like Marzocchi are almost laughable now. I'd rather pay decent prices for decent kit. Not some half price shit that needs re-building after a few rides.
flag rob-k
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 1:09 Quote
i think that it doesn't need to be mainstream. sure it'd be nice if peaty or the athertons got more news but they do get some. the athertons had a 30min video of there 3way win on channel 4 sometime back. but i don't want the trails too busy, trails in the peak district have already become 4times wider than when i first went about 2 yrs ago.
flag duncanp
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 1:17 Quote
I have to agree about the peak district. My local woods are awful too, but mainly due to the abundance of horse riders, but that is a different issue altogether.
flag rob-k
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 1:22 Quote
nice, do you ride around/near to lady bower resevoir?
flag duncanp
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 1:48 Quote
rob-k wrote:
nice, do you ride around/near to lady bower resevoir?

Yea, we often rent a cottage in castleton and do a mam tor ladybower / derwent loop
flag whitetux
O+
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 1:53 Quote
xcrisx wrote:
the guardian, I think, did a 5 page feature on them. thats plenty I feel.

I dont see how mtb could ever become mainstream in the way football and even tennis have. you need special equipment and terrain and its not a very good spectator sport.

i want to see more people riding and the sport becoming more popular, but until mags like mbuk stop reviewing 'budget bikes' that cost £2000 thats not going to happen.

you say that, but what about F1, its pretty poor for spectating and no one unless they are a millionare could afford to do it, but yet it gets mega TV coverage
flag duncanp
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 1:56 Quote
whitetux wrote:
xcrisx wrote:
the guardian, I think, did a 5 page feature on them. thats plenty I feel.

I dont see how mtb could ever become mainstream in the way football and even tennis have. you need special equipment and terrain and its not a very good spectator sport.

i want to see more people riding and the sport becoming more popular, but until mags like mbuk stop reviewing 'budget bikes' that cost £2000 thats not going to happen.

you say that, but what about F1, its pretty poor for spectating and no one unless they are a millionare could afford to do it, but yet it gets mega TV coverage

But with that i think it is the large amounts of money that attract people to the sport, even if it is just for association.
flag rob-k
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 2:05 Quote
tbh i think that it is starting to get more mainstream. i'v been watching tv this morning and already seen 2 adverts with bikes in. One was about closing traffic into cities which had all types of bikes in it including danny macaskill, and the 2nd one was a video camera with a 7yr old wheelieing and doing footjam tailwhips proving that people are now seeing it as a more exciting sport.
flag whitetux
O+
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 2:10 Quote
rob-k wrote:
tbh i think that it is starting to get more mainstream. i'v been watching tv this morning and already seen 2 adverts with bikes in. One was about closing traffic into cities which had all types of bikes in it including danny macaskill, and the 2nd one was a video camera with a 7yr old wheelieing and doing footjam tailwhips proving that people are now seeing it as a more exciting sport.

to be honest thats not that more mainstream for mountain bike, because its only showcasing the discipline that danny macaskill does which is all very well but you know as well as i do that anyone over 50 is gonna say that he should be in a home or something because its dangerous. and with an ageing population thats a lot of people to hate the sport.

^^kinda random rant that doesnt support my view lol
flag suicidedh711
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 2:15 Quote
definitely keep it underground
the local trails are already getting ruined by riders that don't have a clue what they're doing.
flag crazygeorge
Posted: Aug 3, 2009 at 6:58 Quote
xcrisx wrote:
its not a very good spectator sport.
What would you class as a very good spectator sport then? Watching guys wizz past on super techie trails must mean its well up there. I know its hard to get tv coverage but freecaster seems to do it on a shoestring to some sucess....
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