Mountain biking becoming almost entirely for older men?
Discussion
Observations.
I went to Coed Y Brenin recently. It was noticeable that almost everybody that we encountered out riding and, most noticeably, at the cafe was 40plus, often 50plus and they were almost entirely male. Many were on E-bikes. I have noticed similar elsewhere recently too.
There were a handful of families (parents in their 30s) with small children and a small number of dads with a teenage son.
The car park was full of new, shiny and/or customised Kombi and camper vans, rather than the battered estates, hatchbacks or little vans that my friends and I drove to places like that in the past.
There were appeared to be few (zero?) people in their early-mid 20s, unlike 20 years ago when my friends and I (male and female) would go to trail centres and out onto the moors and fells and we would meet others similar to us.
Is mountain biking becoming an older person's pursuit or maybe CYB is just no longer that popular with "the youth".
NB. I'm in my mid 40s and male too.
I went to Coed Y Brenin recently. It was noticeable that almost everybody that we encountered out riding and, most noticeably, at the cafe was 40plus, often 50plus and they were almost entirely male. Many were on E-bikes. I have noticed similar elsewhere recently too.
There were a handful of families (parents in their 30s) with small children and a small number of dads with a teenage son.
The car park was full of new, shiny and/or customised Kombi and camper vans, rather than the battered estates, hatchbacks or little vans that my friends and I drove to places like that in the past.
There were appeared to be few (zero?) people in their early-mid 20s, unlike 20 years ago when my friends and I (male and female) would go to trail centres and out onto the moors and fells and we would meet others similar to us.
Is mountain biking becoming an older person's pursuit or maybe CYB is just no longer that popular with "the youth".
NB. I'm in my mid 40s and male too.
It's the same crowd by and large, everyone just got 20 years older.
It's also now a very expensive hobby for a teenager to get into.
When I was a teenager my bikes were around £500 and that got you a decent mid range bike, even inflation adjusted that doesn't get you much these days.
It's also now a very expensive hobby for a teenager to get into.
When I was a teenager my bikes were around £500 and that got you a decent mid range bike, even inflation adjusted that doesn't get you much these days.
In the pre-Strava days when I was in my 20s we often used to go to Wales mountain biking - it was the nearest place to South East that we knew had good trails
In the past 10 years everyone now knows about unofficial trails (eg Surrey Hills) and so I think fewer people head to Wales as they can find decent riding more locally
I think the price of bikes has reduced the popularity as well
In the past 10 years everyone now knows about unofficial trails (eg Surrey Hills) and so I think fewer people head to Wales as they can find decent riding more locally
I think the price of bikes has reduced the popularity as well
I haven't been to CYB since lockdown so I cannot comment specifically, I've been to Llandegla a few times and it's been a varied age group to be honest.
I think as MTB has become more popular and top end e-Bikes are 10K it's pricing a lot of people out of the market, obviously you can get a cheaper e-Bike. I'm no spring chicken and don't have an e-Bike but a friend does, he was never the fittest, but now he's the first up the climbs!!
Probably a lot of surplus income from furlough and not being able to go abroad has meant a lot of people have gone and bought that VW transporter and a bling MTB.
I think as MTB has become more popular and top end e-Bikes are 10K it's pricing a lot of people out of the market, obviously you can get a cheaper e-Bike. I'm no spring chicken and don't have an e-Bike but a friend does, he was never the fittest, but now he's the first up the climbs!!
Probably a lot of surplus income from furlough and not being able to go abroad has meant a lot of people have gone and bought that VW transporter and a bling MTB.
paulwf said:
I think the price of bikes has reduced the popularity as well
Some bikes are very expensive, but, for example, an On-One trail hardtail for under a grand is a lot of bike compared with twenty years ago.I used to see teenagers doing dirt jumping locally, but the jumps spots are now abandoned.
Delamere Forest had a big group of teenage/20s lads who built a big jump/DH/skills area in the forest, but the earthworks are now quite worn out, oher than the 4x track, and there are not many people on it when I visit.
Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 11th October 13:45
MC Bodge said:
Some bikes are very expensive, but, for example, an On-One trail hardtail for under a grand is a lot of bike compared with twenty years ago.
I used to see teenagers doing dirt jumping locally, but the jumps spots are now abandoned.
A grand is still a fair chunk of cash to a teen / kid in their early 20's to blow on a hobby. Cycling in general is an expensive sport to get into. I used to see teenagers doing dirt jumping locally, but the jumps spots are now abandoned.
Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 11th October 13:41
JayRidesBikes said:
MC Bodge said:
Some bikes are very expensive, but, for example, an On-One trail hardtail for under a grand is a lot of bike compared with twenty years ago.
I used to see teenagers doing dirt jumping locally, but the jumps spots are now abandoned.
A grand is still a fair chunk of cash to a teen / kid in their early 20's to blow on a hobby. Cycling in general is an expensive sport to get into. I used to see teenagers doing dirt jumping locally, but the jumps spots are now abandoned.
Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 11th October 13:41
biking need not be as expensive as all that.
Halfords do some very good bikes for a lot less than that. I recently bought my daughter a reasonably good (not stolen) 5 year old second hand 27.5" trail hardtail with Shimano brakes and an OK fork for £150.
I was riding a 14 year old faux-bar Kona at Coed Y Brenin which is still a reasonable ride and can be punted up and down the trails quite effectively (ok, 26er, but has hydraulic brakes, Rockshox and Fox shock) and probably worth pennies now. I overtake people on far newer and nicer machines...
rustyuk said:
From what I have seen the young ones stay local
This. Trail centres have generally health and safetied MTB to death - Dalby being an excelkent example of this. Granted there are exceptions like inners. Hence younger more bouncy and heal able riders tend to ride the harder off-piste stuff.
take-good-care-of-the-forest-dewey said:
This. Trail centres have generally health and safetied MTB to death - Dalby being an excelkent example of this. Granted there are exceptions like inners.
Hence younger more bouncy and heal able riders tend to ride the harder off-piste stuff.
That could be true. Some of the trail centres are a bit tame/dull. Hence younger more bouncy and heal able riders tend to ride the harder off-piste stuff.
Coed Y Brenin is still quite good in places, though (even if it is not a rocky as it was in the olden days)
rustyuk said:
From what I have seen the young ones stay local
This. My 13 year old comes with me to BPW and Llandegla, but only because I take him, there's no way he could attend without my love of MTB'ing. The kids who are really into it without parents able to drive hundreds of miles for them, build there own parks. I know of at least 2 secret bike parks local to me where the average age will be 17 years. These are amazing places, completely hidden in woodland where trees have been felled and berms and jumps built and perfected over many years to create the most amazing facilities. It's where my son goes without me. You won't find any 40 year olds on e-bikes at these places.
Price as mentioned probably a lot to do with it. If your parents aren't into biking then they might bork at spending 1k on a bike. I know mind would.
Surrey Hills as an example...
Usually the younger lot (people not old enough to drive) are going to be nearly always in the cool youtube spots sessioning stuff. So jump lines or any trail with remotely interesting features. Swinleys Baby Maker for example. Or Northen Monkey in Surrey Hills, sessioning the drops on Supernova and then walking back up the trail the wrong way while dropping litter (the modern teen seems absolutely feckless and has no respect or manners what's with that??). Sessioning the Darkness step up down Lovely Legs while playing music and pissing the people that live near off.
Never seem to see them around any of the other trails.
Surrey Hills as an example...
Usually the younger lot (people not old enough to drive) are going to be nearly always in the cool youtube spots sessioning stuff. So jump lines or any trail with remotely interesting features. Swinleys Baby Maker for example. Or Northen Monkey in Surrey Hills, sessioning the drops on Supernova and then walking back up the trail the wrong way while dropping litter (the modern teen seems absolutely feckless and has no respect or manners what's with that??). Sessioning the Darkness step up down Lovely Legs while playing music and pissing the people that live near off.
Never seem to see them around any of the other trails.
paulwf said:
In the pre-Strava days when I was in my 20s we often used to go to Wales mountain biking - it was the nearest place to South East that we knew had good trails
In the past 10 years everyone now knows about unofficial trails (eg Surrey Hills) and so I think fewer people head to Wales as they can find decent riding more locally
I knew about the Surrey Hills in the pre-Strava days and I live far nearer to Wales....In the past 10 years everyone now knows about unofficial trails (eg Surrey Hills) and so I think fewer people head to Wales as they can find decent riding more locally
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