What you did isn't not DH riding, if you ride the same S-Works HT for a century road ride, you'd probably find road riding not your style neither.... :lol3

Using proper equipment make riding that much more enjoyable, seasoned rider such as yourself should know that.

Back when I rode that mountain, there was no such thing as a DH bike really. Ya run whatcha brung. DS bikes were so new that not too many people had em. The AMP bikes were about the hottest things going... ...and you know how much suspension travel they had!

Its still not my gig regardless of equipment. No matter how much I dislike climbing I like to earn my downhills.

M

Pfft. Showing up on a HT at a downhill[1] race and still beating somebody is a lot more fun.

And then doing a century[2] the day after.


[1]OK, Super-D. But that's the price you pay for not having real mountains nearby. I was still the only hardtail.

[2]OK, Metric. But hungover with 2.35" knobbies and warped rotors counts for something, right? :D (shink-shink-shink-shink all the way home....)

Might as well ride a fixed gear for a hilly century without a seat or pedals.

IMO if you can't enjoy the ride because you're not using the proper equipment, don't blame the ride not being your style.

x2 :deal

It wasn't the equipment, its the whole idea of the thing. DH isn't my bag regardless of how much suspension travel the bikes have.

If you enjoy it, go for it. You won't see me on a chairlift any time real soon. :nah You may see me pedaling up the hill tho!

M

By the same token, I don't think it'd be your style to pedal a 50 lb. DH bike w/gobs of suspension travel up the ski slopes..

I could be wrong but seem to me you're contradicting yourself from your earlier comment:

Right tool for the right job... if you want to enjoy your activity.

I agree. I'm not a DHer. :nono Not my thing.

By the same token, I'd rather XC ski/snowshoe than downhill too. Just something about the whole theory of lifts, etc. that gets me.

M

I'd say that if you'd never tried it with the right tool, you don't know about DH riding to make a fair call.. If you'd never participated XC riding or snowshoe with proper equipment, you'd probably say they are not your style, not your thing, too. :lol3

Part of the enjoyment of bicycling is getting there. If its handed to you, it don't appeal. S'why riding off-road is fun: the getting there. Not everybody can do it, so not everybody does.

ANYbody can buy a 6" travel bike and point it downhill. :nod

Now do ya get it?

M

Indeed. while I can appreciate the skills involved in things like bicycle freestyle and trials, and downhill racing, myself would much rather just RIDE. I much prefer the process of getting there to doing extreme show-off or neck-risking shit.

Who's to say that "getting there" has to be uphill or downhill? As long as you got on a bike, travelled a distance and get off the bike, that's a RIDE.
Whether you are able to enjoy the ride is somewhat dependent of using the right bike.. If you've never used the right bike for the ride, you're less likely to enjoy the ride, simple as that.

the point is, you don't need a 1100 horsepower chairlift to get your ass up the hill. you did so on your own.

Neither do you need a car to haul your bike to a group ride. Why not just do every single ride from your front door?

My point is: if you've not used the right bike for the type of riding, you're not likely to enjoy it, don't blame the ride not being your style.

I don't consider falling down a hill bike riding. I'm not even sure why they put pedals on those heavy DH things.