Where Do You Draw the Line Between All-Mountain and Freeride?

[rigidhack]

Title says it all really. All these categories are driving me mad!
What is it that an all-mountain bike can do that a freeride bike can't? (Pedal well?)
What can a freeride bike do that an all mountain bike can't? (Big drops?)
When you get a bike like the VP-Free, or the new Nomad, or something like the IH 7.7, or the Transition Preston, Yeti ASX, Cannondale Prophet... are these things freeride bikes or all mountain bikes? Does it even make a difference?

Anyway, just curious as to what you have to say.

[Zark]

I'll give you a hint: rootbeer + huck to flat

[Transcend]

I think freeride is now pretty much the monster T huck to flat group, or the 13 feet in the air skinny riding group.

[rigidhack]

So if I buy a 75 lb bike with a bigfoot front fork, I should be ok?

I mean so long as it comes in rootbeer.

And assuming I huck to flat whenever possible, especially off of 13 ft high skinnies.

[biggins]

it seems to me that an all mountain bike is a little more efficiant, has a single crown fork and a lil less travel.

also the geometry seems to be different and the ability to run a front derailleur.

but thats just my thoughts on it.

[peter6061]

OK. I guess my bike is not freeride or XC, but in between.

Can we have an all mountain forum? ;)

[Ciaran]

All these catagories are insane. So if I ride uphill first it's XC... if I have a double crown fork on the bike now I am freeriding? What if I am on a bike with a single crown fork and I rode uphill but then I dropped 10 pinkbike feet to flat? Am I freeriding again? Or am I just XC riding with style. What if I rode uphill but I didn't enjoy it? And what if I only ride the same trail over and over again? Aside from being incredibly bored, am I all mountin riding or XC, or FR? Can you "all mountin" ride if you didn't ride every trail on the mountain?

Too many classifications. Reminds me of high school.

From now on when people ask what kind of riding I do I am going to say, "BIKE RIDING"!

[OGRipper]

I don't think you need to draw the line or assign a label. I've always built my bikes for the kind of riding I want use them for, not someone else's idea of some category.

I'm kind of bummed someone thinks we need a separate Freeride forum. I think the haters over in the DH forum should STFU or move to a DH RACING forum and leave the DH thread the way it was: a place for DH, freeride, gravity, black diamond or whatever you want to call it. Yeah maybe it was originally a race forum but it evolved into something different. I don't do much racing but I do a lot of gravity riding and stuff people call freeriding (I guess). Although sometimes it gets acrimonious, there's been good point and counterpoint debate by having it in one place.

[biggins]

i am down with the freeride forum.

how ever it seems that the original question here was not about how you ride it was the classification of the bikes.

[punkassean]

Title says it all really. All these categories are driving me mad!
What is it that an all-mountain bike can do that a freeride bike can't? (Pedal well?)
What can a freeride bike do that an all mountain bike can't? (Big drops?)
When you get a bike like the VP-Free, or the new Nomad, or something like the IH 7.7, or the Transition Preston, Yeti ASX, Cannondale Prophet... are these things freeride bikes or all mountain bikes? Does it even make a difference?

Anyway, just curious as to what you have to say.

IMO an All-MTN bike does EVERYTHING well and NOTHING great, in other words it's a jack of all trades, ace of none.

A Freeride bike is very similar but with even more focus on strength (typically heavier) and therefore is still climbable but less so than an ALL-MTN bike.

I know it's hokey but look at Marzocchi's fork rating chart, it is the most accurate dissection of modern MTB categories in theory.

But in reality it mostly comes down to the rider. I've seen guys pull things on an XC bike that I thought impossible on ANY bike so then the classes go out the window.

[OGRipper]

Do yu propose we change the "DH Forum" to DH race, then have a DH forum? -stone

Actually I don't think we need a change at all. I think "Downhill" covers a lot more than just DH racing. Plus if you ask me the Downhill forum is the most interesting and dynamic forum here, so I wouldn't mess with it too much. If racers are upset that non-racers are spending time in the DH forum, then I would create a new "DH Racing" forum and leave the current one as is. Or maybe create an all-encompassing racing forum that includes XC and other disciplines, since lots of the issues overlap. And of course there will always be trolls and flamers needing moderation no matter what you call it. Just my $.02, I don't really feel that strongly about it one way or the other.

EDIT: I meant, uh, use the EXISTING racing forum for DH race issues. :o:

[extreme2]

Just get out and ride.... :eek:

Actually, I own three bikes. One (hardtail) for some xc trails whenever the mood strikes me. One (FS)for urban assaulting/freeride or what ever you want to call it, and another FS lightweight xc bike for those days I don't want my ass to hurt riding xc for three hours.

I live in AZ, so I'm not going say I like climbing up the trails, but I sure like coming down the backside of them as fast as gravity will take me.

[downhillzeypher]

What if I am on a bike with a single crown fork and I rode uphill but then I dropped 10 pinkbike feet to flat? Am I freeriding again?


You just descibed going up and down your driveway then off a curb. That is urban.

[pedalphile]

Freeriding is simply riding with no underwear, it's just biking while freeballing. As opposed to XC riding, where the spandex holds those boys tightly in place. This style of riding necessarilly causes the bike to be configured differently, like a lower seat, so things don't get slapped around. As opposed to an XC bike where the seat has your ass up in the air like a poodle.

[eastcoastzigzag]

IMO freeride has always been when ur not racing.

[crono35]

I always thought of all mountain as heavy duty XC, whilst freeriding can take place most anywhere (mountain, street, school campus etc).

[mindlessfr]

Too many classifications. Reminds me of high school.

From now on when people ask what kind of riding I do I am going to say, "BIKE RIDING"!

thats exactly what i was thinkin u just beat me to it!! :)

[hooples3]

i dont like putting labels on things.. so even though i ride a skinny-tired.. single speed freeride downhill bike.. im going to post in here...cause i can ollie off a curb... can u ollie off the curb wayne?

:cool:

[DROP]

ok whats the ****ing difference bettween dh and freeride!!?!?!? is A-line freeriding or downhilling???

[RhinofromWA]

The answer is 42

[Frankenschwinn]

The answer is 42
Yes but what is the question...

[RhinofromWA]

Yes but what is the question...Why do you need to know the question if you already know the answer.....

which is always 42.

:)

[DROP]

WTF?? that was the most pointless post i have ever read

[MikeD]

WTF?? that was the most pointless post i have ever read

Hmmm, spend some more time reading your own posts and you'll feel better about that one.

[Transcend]

WTF?? that was the most pointless post i have ever read

wow, talk about calling the kettle black.

[oly]

Why do you need to know the question if you already know the answer.....

which is always 42.

:)

Wrong! The answer is always 52. I was shown the reasoning one drunken night, but ive since forgotten where the miget fits into the equation.

[sleepinggiant]

IMO freeride has always been when ur not racing.
I've always thought along the same lines. Racing is racing and it's its own thing. But if your doing similar stuff, just for the fun, thats freeriding.

[sleepinggiant]

You just descibed going up and down your driveway then off a curb. That is urban.
HAHAHAHAHAHA, awsome!

[Hucknificent]

I think it's pretty simple. All moutain= climb to the top w/out killing yourself too bad. And the ability to decend at a moderatly fast pace and the ability to do jumps, good sized hucks, and stunts. Freeride= I want the biggest steepest decent you have, with the biggest drop, most huge stunt, and if I have a choice someone take my @$$ to the top. Hehe!

[Pat...]

THats what I think.