Video: XC Rider Rab Wardell Hits the Skatepark in Episode 3 of 'Old Enough to Know Better'

 While i agree with the sentiment, what you're talking about with those guys is trying to improve their riding for the sake of their own enjoyment, there's nothing wrong with that. Besides, skating/bmx due to their nature are generally about doing the same thing 5000 times until you can do it perfectly. Also, also, its not so bad now, but a few years ago you'd get beaten up for turning the wrong way out of fakie, bus drivering a bar spin, etc!

 Yes. I hate doing group rides these days. Everyone just wants to cut corners and race everything. Noone is doing sessions anymore.

 lmaoooo i enjoy bmxing quite a lot but you're delusional if you think anything nyquist or crankworx slope embodies == racing, it's always impressive how pb commenters find ways to further gatekeep an already gatekept sport

 @pbuser2299: but is not bmx just an imaginary freestyle competition? I mean nobody competes but everyone learns tricks by doing them over and over.

 @englertracing: it's the difference of competeing with yourself for personal progression over competeing against others for bragging rights

 @pbuser2299: what do you mean a few years ago? Indian givers will never be accepted!

 @Royal28: I’m confused by the gate keeping comments, could you explain what you mean? What I was trying to say to a going to the park or something similar also gives you the skills to be really good at mountain biking and was just using Nyquist as an example.

 @englertracing: not at all. You just ride for fun and complete against yourself. Nobody’s going to the skatepark and putting together a 1 min comp run and practicing for a competition that’s never going to happen.

 Hate to break this to you but that's actually how the rich people's world works. Just take a look at the supercar market, like 95% of the supercars are purchased by the super rich dudes who don't even know how to shift correctly let alone going around a track fast, and they all brag about how fast they can drive the multi million fast car they just bought. While MTB was not that horribly rich people oriented as supercars but the market/industry seems to be consistently stepping towards that direction for at least the past 10 or so years. I actually don't really hate what the industry is heading towards as it's the way to make easy money and who doesn't like money anyways, car people still get budget used civics and golfs that they can tune and have a hell of a fun or even breaking records on track while everything in the MTB world is just consistently getting more and more high tech and expensive and not backward compatible to a point I believe it's actually turning off a lot of "I'm just here trying to have a good time" people, while BMX and skateboarding doesn't change that much since forever no matter tech wise or price wise so they will be a lot more attractive to those people.


In short, we're at the moment where MTBing is turning from a hang-out-and-have-a-good-time sport into a rich people's brag game, and there's no sign of stopping so far.

 Absolutely nobody races? Everyone I ride with races. I race mainly XC, but many of us also race enduro and therefore ride with enduro racers (and some of them have a crack at XC).

This is a great video. Loved it. Today's a rest day for me and this video made me very keen to get back on the bike tomorrow.

 @iamamodel: if you race then I’m guessing a lot of the people you ride with also race and you know them from the races, so I’m not surprised you know a load of racers but I’m guessing 99.9% of the mountain biker population don’t race.

 I recognize the sarcasm at the end, but this IS legitimately inspirational. Enjoying life, doing something active, progressing toward small personal goals while having fun outdoors. What could be better than that?

 I also grew up as a BMX kid and then started racing xc in my early 20's. I recognize I have a competitive side and after leaving college and not having organized sports, it was my way to have something to focus on to try and train to be the fastest around. I did that for probably 8 years or so and then hit a wall like you. I bought a longer travel bike and took a few years off racing to just go out and ride. Last year I started racing xc again and while it is fun to be competitive, I certainly don't put as much pressure on myself as I used to, so I am enjoying it more. I still have my bmx and I want to get a DJ bike so when I have the urge, I can go jump around and pretend I'm 16 again

 I turned 40 this year and am riding trails (as in dirt jumps) which are bigger and better than any point in my life. Thats with a kid, a "real person" job, a wife and a mortgage. I feel angry at the younger version of myself who was clearly a pussy-hole

 That is very well done. I got the first five in a season but my skinny tyres went for good decades ago.

 Ten miles north of Loch Lomond and probably Scotlands best riding destination.