wolfchild

I don't need a coach to tech me how to commute , how to ride my mountain bike on singletrack or how to go on a recreational ride. Experience is the best teacher and I learned a lot in the past 12 years just by going out and riding...I don't do any "roadie group rides" because I've witnessed some horrible riding practises done by club riders and I don't want to associate myself with those groups of people.

wolfchild

Cycling is a lot more than just racing. I an under no obligation to race anybody every time I ride my bike and not every bike ride has be some competitive imaginary race.

jackb

The OP was not talking about pro level cycling or even amateur racing. I believe he is simply sharing his views regarding the kind of cycling most of us do, that is, recreational cycling. His thoughts appear to me to be innocuous and fairly accurate. I don't think anyone will deny that riding as a pro or as a serious amateur racer requires skill and considerable fitness. And I think that recreational riders have the necessary skills to pursue their interest in cycling in a safe and competent manner, skills that they probably acquired simply by riding. So, I retract any language that I might have used in previous posts that might be considered dismissive of other people's views. Cycling is fun, and most of us can do it as proficiently as we need to.

asgelle

And I disagree. I’ve seen too many examples where a very bad outcome was averted not by one rider’s skill, but rather the expertise of those around him. In most cases, the person never realized the damage they could have done. So that person rides happily along thinking they’re doing just fine in the group oblivious to the danger they are to themself and others.

Spoonrobot 

@asgelle - in case you missed my earlier post:

asgelle

I saw it. I didn’t feel it needed a response. Res ipsa loquitur.

Spoonrobot 

Although I've been working at it, I also tend to not respond to an argument I'm losing or lost. So I understand, good luck out there.

Happy Feet

I know I said it before but to re iterate in the midst of all this group ride skills talk: you can be an avid cyclist and not ride in groups. I live in an area with two very popular road circuits and see many serious cyclists going solo or in pairs. It's far more prevalent than larger pace lines. In fact, a few weeks ago, guy in his 70's kept time with me for a while (or was it I with him) as we chatted - turned out he was quite active in the regional randoneering club and had done PBP - no small feat. All that was needed to ride with him for as long as I wanted (or was able) was endurance.

Miele Man

That's why some groups won't allow a new person to ride with them until that person has been checked out by a member of the group on an easy ride with just one or a couple of other members.

Cheers

Spinay70

1000s of hours of videos on Youtube of people, from kids to elderly adults doing all of this with ease. Like the OP said, takes just a little effort to get up to speed.

Spinay70

Kapusta

Guess it depends on what you mean by “good at it”, but if you mean proficient enough to not keep screwing up and actually enjoy the sport with others, I tend to agree with the OP.

I know many people who do “B” road rides and even some “A” riders who don’t have very good handling skills. But they seem to pick ip what they need to know to ride in a group pretty easily. And as had been said, you can be an avid cyclist and not ride in groups.

Now, if we are talking about competitive riding... that is a different story. As is mountain biking.

Another difference is that cycling does not need to be competitive. Unless you are in a race, there are no losers. You can be the slowest rider in your group all the time, and never really feel like you suck at it

wolfchild

The mountain bike groups that I rode with before had no problem with allowing newbies to come along and ride with them over some "extremely technical and challenging trails". If somebody didn't feel confident they just got of the bike and walked over some sections. We were never in the rush to get anywhere. we were out there to have fun and didn't care about any speed.

Kapusta

This is part of what I love about mtb culture. Most groups I’ve come accross are very encouraging to people less experienced. Waiting at the top of climbs and at the bottom of descents is just part of the deal, in my experience.

So while it does take longer to “get good” at mountain biking, you don’t have to be as good to feel welcome.

Rstyle

Wow! Amazed that CooganBluff thread caused such a discussion!!! He was making a simple statement that I
agree completely with at my 66 yrs of age. I would never be able to learn to play tennis , rugby, football or play basketball at my age and get to enjoy or be any good particularly with some early arthritis in one knee and not the best lower back.. But I started riding at age 60 and ride 50-75miles a week now and totally enjoy doing it by myself or with the company of good friends in my cycle group. There are riders in our club in their 70’s and early 80’s. He was indirectly making a very valuable statement for the aging population....if you are feeling and living the expected and unavoidable physical decline of aging...........you can take up cycling as a way to stay fit into your “later” years. Excellent advice.

KColeman32

Like golf. But if you took up golf at 50, while golf allows you to play with much better golfers (and compete with them pretty equally on an agreed to handicapping system), You'd still be horrible at 56. Especially if you weren't a ball sport athlete growing up. Hand/eye coordination deteriorates, and you can't really get that back, like getting stronger. Of course practice/riding time and many other variables would matter. But back to the point, playing golf alone on a beautiful course can be very enjoyable and rewarding.

myisland

Next ... tennis vs stationary bikes. Who else is tired of seeing those Peloton advertisements?

marcoguzm

Yep...anyone can ride a bicycle on an empty street... but riding with cars, potholes, glass debris, street lights, a group ride, a flat tire, a derailleur not working, etc. etc. require skills, there is no doubt. Perhaps we can learn those skills with out a trainer, unlike in tennis or golf, but we still need many skills...and if you go into competition...then things get more complicated.

joel1952

Silly, trolling, click-bait question, on multiple levels.

OBoile

Uh, I don't think the OP asked a question but I will: how is complementing cycling "trolling"?

asgelle

I really like XXX’s posts. They’re so simple-minded and obvious that even our youngest readers can understand them.

Cyclist753

'If I had started tennis in my 50s, it would be a long time before good tennis players would enjoy being on the court with me.'

I might not enjoy riding with you depending on your skills, lol. The operative word here in your semi-quote is 'good'! Some people learn faster than others. Some don't learn much at all no matter how hard they try. Some riders are 'good' in their circle of bike riding friends but terrible when riding with others who have higher a skill set. It's a relative thing. When I was younger and a lot faster we would go on training rides and sometimes we'd get silly, pulling each others jerseys, flicking their shift levers, hooking, leaning, head butting, striking, slinging and other 'tactical' play. You weren't supposed to do these things in races but sometimes you'd get away with it... until the end of a race! I was guilty of some of these things but not all!

Spoonrobot 

Back on-topic: I did a 60 mile mountain bike event over the weekend. Ended up riding a significant amount of the time with a newer rider who'd be riding only since the late spring. He was trouncing me on the single-track but I'd catch him on the descents and we ended up riding most of the climbs together and chatting. It was interesting hearing his background, he started riding MTB after seeing the NICA team on the local singletrack and had learned most of his skills riding with others. I've been seriously mountain biking since 2015 and have learned most of my skills from youtube and watching other riders - about equally. I think it was nice for the both of us, with vastly different levels of experience and skills to be able to ride together and talk, I took away some pointers and I think he did too. Made me think of this thread.

mr335

You must just ride the river trail ? With the ladies the 80’s and the slows

spelger

i would hate to ride with myselfs, we would probably crash!

marcoguzm

For some people it's so natural to do some activities on a bike like wheelies, jumping on lugs, and many others. For some of us, it is harder to acquire those skills if we ever get them.