why is this freeride section such a problem?

[biggins]

i am just curious why people feel the need top rag on this new aspect of ridemonkey. i personally think it is a great addition and much needed. i like most people on RM love to ride my bike regardless of the terrain i am on but i am partial to the type of riding that seems to fall into the "freeride" genre.

i just wanted to post a thread saying thanks to RM for providing this and to ask everyone to please change the mindset of bashing every thread started in here to constructive or fun/cool topics.

either way thats my 2 cents worth.

[MikeD]

Shut up and sit down...

ed: Ok, ok... :D just so no one with a sarcasm-impairment gets his panties in a bunch

[Lennox]

:stupid: (biggins)haha

no worries dudes, this site will not become pinkbike just cuz there is a freeride section... all you racer fan bois should lay off a bit... just cuz ur a gnar racer doesnt mean ur all leet and better than someone who likes to just have fun on their bike... ride it however you like...

[jdschall]

I don't race downhill and I'm too fat for XC. I just ride. For going on 15 years I've been "just riding". Now that some one has come along and given what I do the name "free-ride" I finally feel included in the biking world - finally! There are others like me that aren't all *nose up their own ass* into it for the competion aspect.

From that point of view, this forum is a great addition to the monkey. I welcome it. I think it could be a lot of fun. Look at the "Post your pictures" thread. It already has a lot of cool stuff in it. Its all about what you add as a poster. So stop asking / joking about "rootbeer" and 3.0 Gazzis and be productive. Post some cool pictures and stories and remember its about having fun.

[I Are Baboon]

:stupid:

I like freeriding and I am pretty sure I am not your stereotypical "Pinkbiker." :think:

[manhattanprjkt83]

I am most likely the biggest perceived culprit of bashing this thread because of starting my "I love the monkey...but thread". I just want to say that I understand that we are all friends in here, and not everyone is boy racer. My point was that I don’t want to start looking at the nonsense posts that other boards are populated with. The :monkey: rocks and is basically the only board I bother with. From my first glances it seemed that he freeride forum was looking a bit eh...

Not trying to offend anyone or make "sides" just commenting.


-Bill

[huckerAJ]

Why does it all have to get split up into 10 different riding styles. Why wouldnt everyone ride everything...except recumbents they pretty much such a$$

[kinghami3]

Why wouldnt everyone ride everything...
Because they don't have bikes that can ride everything. Honestly I don't know why some people race downhill, whether it's because they love it or if it's for the money, but freeriders do it for the love of the sport and of riding a bike. Personally I'm tired of the whole debate over freeriding. Everyone knows the definition if they've done it, it's its own genre, and people love to do it. If you don't like to do it, that's fine, just don't bash it. I don't particularly like dirt jumping, but I don't bash it and I don't see any reason to.

[jackalope]

^^
Btw, I can assure you no one races DH for the "money"...Hell, I bet you can make more "money" as a freerider at red bullish type competitions and videos :)

[oly]

Why does it all have to get split up into 10 different riding styles. Why wouldnt everyone ride everything...except recumbents they pretty much such a$$

Well said AJ!

I just consider myself a rider, not a DH'er, or FR'er, DJ'er or XC'er, or trail rider, or road rider...... ect... i just like to ride my bike and do what ever presents itself.

[extreme2]

My perception of freeride is doing any kind of riding you want. I love downhill, I love urban assaulting, I even enjoy riding my heavy a$$ Haro around XC trails, I even like going to the bmx parks. I'll support ANY kind of bike riding, even road bikes. I'm 47 years old and have been riding bikes since I was 6. In the old days we would take our Schwinn "applecrates" and launch over trash cans. A group of us would ride our bikes twenty miles on saturdays stopping off at Radio Shacks, Woolworths, whatever just to get away from the house.

Riding a bike is in my blood whether I am bombing down the backside of Broken Arrow in Sedona, or XC riding the trails at the White Tank Mountains.

It's all about getting out of the damn house and riding...............

[seismic]

I second that 100%

[BigMike]

My perception of freeride is doing any kind of riding you want. I love downhill, I love urban assaulting, I even enjoy riding my heavy a$$ Haro around XC trails, I even like going to the bmx parks. I'll support ANY kind of bike riding, even road bikes. I'm 47 years old and have been riding bikes since I was 6. In the old days we would take our Schwinn "applecrates" and launch over trash cans. A group of us would ride our bikes twenty miles on saturdays stopping off at Radio Shacks, Woolworths, whatever just to get away from the house.

Riding a bike is in my blood whether I am bombing down the backside of Broken Arrow in Sedona, or XC riding the trails at the White Tank Mountains.

It's all about getting out of the damn house and riding...............

Yep, Old man got it right



:D

[OGRipper]

I don't race downhill and I'm too fat for XC. I just ride. For going on 15 years I've been "just riding". Now that some one has come along and given what I do the name "free-ride" I finally feel included in the biking world - finally!

Hmm, interesting perspective. Like you I just ride, and have been for longer than 15 years. I've only done a few races. But I never really wanted to be "included" in the way you seem to covet. Now that there is a "freeride" label, many people who "just ride" but do so aggressively are lumped in with the gnar-core jibtastic huck-fest crowd. Those kind of associations, assumptions and pre-judgments make me want to stay further UNDER the radar.

Extreme2, you nailed it. But damn, I guess I need a new screen name - I'm only 35. :D

[extreme2]

Don't get me wrong, if I was 30 years younger and enjoyed mountain biking as much as I do now, I'd huck myself of a 20'- 30" drop, ( gotta love the adrenaline) but at my age bones don't heal as quick. I have a 6" plate and seven screws in my ankle from breaking it 3 years ago. I do ride aggressive and don't hesitate to catch some air so to speak, but 8-10' drops is my limit. I have to make a living you know!

Anyway, we have a three day weekend this week. Everybody ride safe, have a great memorial day.

[THRILLSEEKA]

I did flatland freestyle when I was 8 until about 16, then found girls and 4x4s. Didn't even THINK about a bike for about 10 years, then mountain biking started slowly popping up and I tinkered around with them a little. It was nice being on two wheels again. Did the whole singletrack thing, had bar ends and a water bottle and even a seat bag...but it just didn't feel like "my thing." Kinda faded in and out of the scene waiting for something to happen, but in South Dakota, it would be a long time coming. Finally, I saw a TV show about stoopid stuff and saw a guy do some HUGE step up to a roof top(failed and fell 30', anyone remember that?) and got stoked! I had never even seen a dual crown fork before and loved it! Bought the Kranked 5 DVD and was introduced into a whole new world that I didn't even know existed!
NOW:
I'm 32, my 10 year wedding anni is in 3 weeks and I have 2 kids. I've done enough big stuff to consider myself "in" with the big dogs, if even just skimming the bottom of the "clique." And I am happy! Yeah, it does take a bit longer to heal up and I bruise/bleed like a girl, but it's all worth it. Busted my 2 pinky fingers on a 30' canyon jump 2 weeks ago, shattered my elbow less than a year ago, 5 ribs somewhere in between there, and I've yet to have gone more than 1 week without riding. It's only pain, right?!
I don't think "Freeriding" is a riding style, blah, blah, blah, I think it's an attitude and a lifestyle. And as far as the "gnar racers" go, well, I've met 5 times as many freeriders who can race as I have racers who can freeride, so that tells me that our genre is very broad. and as far as nailing it down to a type of bike even??? That's BS. We've got a guy in our crew who rides a BMX frame with a 20" rear and 24" front and refuses to call himself a BMXer. He considers himself 100% "just a biker." He sums it up like this: "I ride bikes. I can ride urban, jump canyons, run ladders, do drops, blast single track and ride to the store all in the same day. Why do I need a title?"
And sadly enough, the riders I run into who apparently ride the least are, in fact, racers. It's like they don't want to get hurt riding their bike so they can ride their bike???? WTF? That's up there with "I just got new tires so I don't want to ride for awhile..." Yes, I've actually heard that. He doesn't ride with us anymore.
Christ, who cares what is what, we all ride bikes. I figured the damn racers would greatly appreciate this new forum as they don't have to have sick people who just ride for fun in their forum anymore!

"Sorry, can't ride today. I have to get on my bike and train today." I'm in training everytime I smile....

[yonton228]

wow! that was great. ( im not being sarcastic either )

[BigMike]

Damn Thrillseeka, you nailed it!

[coiler7]

I AM JUST ANOTHER BIKE RIDER & been riding, falling off & breaking bones 4 decades now. i only have 4 very different bikes presently but for my location & styles could not have a more perfect quiver. always looking for new worlds to explore & new skill-sets to achieve. live to ride - ride to live!

also,
EAT GOOD BEEF weekly
SHOOT GUNS NOT PEOPLE, once in awhile
BUY ONLY GAS REFINED FROM DOMESTICALLY-PRODUCED CRUDE OIL always
DRIVE FAST SPORTS CAR CLOSE TO SNOBBY BICYCLE COMMUTERS
like I do & like THEY do to me ...

see ya on the trails

[THRILLSEEKA]

WHAT IN THE F*CK was that? Coiler...? Are you, by any chance, drunk and eating a whole box of fortune cookies????

[yonton228]

mmmm fortune cookies Homer is hungry