Did Downhilling Ruin the Sport? Discuss...

[ridevintagemtb]

This topic has been touched upon many times, but I havent seen a thread devoted to its discussion. So here it is.

I've made my thoughts on the matter well known...the words freeride and all-mountain ring through my ears like nails on a chalkboard. But I'd like everyone's opinion. I'm posting here because although this is retrobike, my sense is there are enough members who enjoy all spectrums of the sport to develope a well-rounded debate.

My theory in a nutshell- The sport took off in the late eighties and early nineties drawing the money and interest from the baby boomers looking to get their families outdoors. The bikes were purpose-built, but not very comfortable. As time progressed and technology advanced, bikes became easier to ride, which meant people started going doing more with them (going faster). It wasn't long before people realized riding downhill was more fun than riding back up, so companies begain building bikes to suit the demand. This was just around the time televised mountain biking began promoting the "extreme" aspect of the sport with the Roostmaster series and the ESPN Extreme Games in 1995.

So back to the people who bought mountain bikes in 1990. Those bikes werent very fun to ride. Sure they had a few rides, maybe a race or two, but lets face it - your basic steel rigid bike beat the f'n crap out of you, so they hung from the rafters for a few years. Now those people who would think to upgrade are watching TV with people roosting DH bikes at Mammoth are polarized. Mountain biking, and mountain bikes were no longer the same quiet, gentile vehicles to the great outdoors that they were three or four years ago. Now you needed suspension, full face helmets, and protective gear to enjoy a mountain bike ride. No thanks, I'll save my money.

Enter 1998. Bobby Julich gets third in the Tour. Interest in road riding grows. Lance wins the tour in 1999 and the fitness craze begins. All of the sudden, road bikes are the craze... Its easier than mountain biking and you dont need pads or suspension to do it.

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Please, I invite all types of criticism. Tell me I'm crazy or whatever, but I'd everyone's thoughts. I'll admit my perspective is strictly from a US vantage point. So tell me what I need to know. Did downhilling and "downhillers" ruin the sport?

 

[jonnyboy666]

i'm of the opinion that all people on bikes is good, and all types of bikes are good (except the really cheap stuff!). i do hate the tags people give it all though. certain things used to be niche, now it seems there are niches within the niche, people who come in my shop will refer to their type of riding as freeriding sometimes but what they mean is going out for a ride with their mates, why is that any different to cross country? there's no big hills here and suposedly freeriding was originally extreme downhill, so it's xc to me.

then when i go to the alps each summer i ride a 5-6inch full suss, and others refer to it as a freeride light bike, all i do outhere is long rides using some skilifts, not the dh courses, so again to me thats xc-ish just using a bike that is more suited to the terrain.

but did dh ruin the sport? i don't think so, the way i would look at it is formula 1 racing developes technology that eventually could end up in the cars of the future. so, it's like the dh stuff is our f1. it's also the place that promotes the sport more, yes we have the tour de france on tv here but very rarely xc, more often it's dh/freeride/jumping etc regardless of the tv channel.

 

[ridevintagemtb]

i'm of the opinion that all people on bikes is good, and all types of bikes are good

I'd be real easy to end it there, but since this is a pretty niche website, I'd like to elaborate.

I'll admit this may not be the best place for this argument. I suppose II could say that I've seen downhilling ruin mountain bike racing , but the general participation in riding has improved. But XC mountain bike racing is a thing of the past here.

 

[orange71]

there's an argument that downhilling started it all - ask Charlie Kelly.

How has downhilling ruined everything though? Has it stopped you doing anything you would have done in an ideal world? Are there not top notch XC bikes for sale still if you look for them? Is there not good XC competition any more? I'm not making a statement there, I genuinely don't know the answers.

Just curious really...

 

[jonnyboy666]

i don't think xc is a thing of the past! but i suppose it depends on where you are, you're in durango in the US iirc, and your terrain is way more extreme than ours here so xc is still popular, lets face it, if your in a flat place there's not gonna be much downhill racing!

we have several local race series down here in the south of england,aswell as the national stuff, the gorrick series, salisbury plain area mountain bike stuff (spambiking.co.uk) and they're doing more 12 or 24 hour stuff, the smaller stuff gets used as training races for the bigger 24hr races such as mountain mayhem and sleepless in the saddle.

so xc is still strong down here.

 

[tintin40]

My 2p worth is no. Its just anther part of the sport. Like in skiing. So the same with cycling. I'm no fan of the DH or BMX but each to their own. Just leave me to my XC rigid and I'm happy.

 

[longun]

i dont think its necesserally spoiled it but its goes through fazes like all other sports i think.its a personal thing like cars and trends

ive never been a freerider,just been freestyling for the last 20 years

 

[Vitorzip]

Well , there are some aspects where i do agree with you, in fact, All-Mountain or black diamond bikes, (as you call 6" freeride over there), to mee, it´s more like a comercial way to keep selling bikes, a fashion, something that we call here in Portugal " it´s neither meat nor fish".
For me, that ride mountainbikes since early 90´s, when XC and DH were the only offroad events (ok, CC too), it´s hard to let go a good hardtail xc bike or a plush long travel DH rig, to go out with a 140mm full sus trying to convince myself it´s a great climber or a perfect downhiller.

Anyway, i don´t think this is DH´s fault.

I recall top downhillers using the same hardtail bike for both xc and dh, and as soon as DH specific bikes apeared, these 2 kinds of bikes took a completly different path, but being always in straigth connection, at the same time. I believe some of the best things we have in XC mountainbike started to be developed for DH and today´s knowledge comes directly from that development.

It´s true that Charles Curnutt´s platform valve is one of the responsables for simple design XC bikes,with great performance, due to this new gen of forks and shocks, but it´s also one of the reasons we have these all-mountain bike fashion, that are neither meat nor fish...

It was inevitable that XC bikes got suspended, it was also inevitable that in some point of MTB history DH would appear. I never thought about it but maybe this all-mountain thing would also appear sooner or later. For me it´s kinda strange, i´ve started riding in another era. For today´s guys, all-mountain is pretty normal, to their knowledge it´s part of MTB. Maybe some other thing appears and they will also find hard to accept.

Anyway, it´s not DH´s fault. Downhillers will keep going down, with full face helmets and protections, XC fans will keep making lot´s of miles in lycra shorts, on they´re lightweight hardtails, having lot´s of fun racing against each other uphill, and Enduro/All-mountain fans will keep riding with their identity crisis, thinking if they should leave home with or without full face helmet...

Important thing is to have fun riding your bike, doesn´t matter if its rigid, all-mountain or DH...
Just my 2 cents...

 

[FSR-Si]

Ive never been one to be suckered into the whole Downhill, Freeride, Slalom, Xc thing. For me personally mountain biking was just about getting on my bike and going for a pootle about, away from the everyday hassles and crap, Once out on my bike with the old walkman on i'd just drift away for a few hours peace.
I like a good bike with good parts but ain't fussed about the bling and what not. but that's a whole different kettle of fish.

One thing i was curious about was what's 4X ?

 

[jonnyboy666]

4x is short course dh but with 4 guys on 1 track with loads of big jumps. ideal spectator fodder for the tv masses