Marin supremo Paul Lasenby to advise on

Yesterday afternoon I,along with my wife and a couple of friends, went along to GA Cycles in Southampton to look at the new Marin range and probably have a chat with Paul Lazenby. The article posted a few weeks ago said to book test rides and beware because it's likely to be busy. Maybe it's a sad indication of the recent "hardcore" trends in Mountain Biking that we went along spent the whole time we were there chatting with Paul and had a test ride, all without booking and pretty much being the ony people in the shop for about 2 hours. Is XC just not cool enough for the teenagers anymore, after all that's all there used to be !! Paul was a really nice guy and was very keen to discuss the new range and mountain biking in general. Long live XC !!
Posted: 01/12/2000 13:10

Well Halfords are pushing jump bikes in their tv ads for xmas so if that doesn't kill off the street credibility (not the real enthusiasts) I don't know what will. XC is never going to be cool (was it ever?) it's too much like hard work to be trendy. I wouldn't worry about it, people will find it if its their thing.
Posted: 01/12/2000 13:38

Lets be honest XC is the most purest form of mountain biking there is. Whether your racing or leisure riding. There is no better test of all round ability. Yeah we can all spend our time digging a jump in the woods but why? coz we can spend the time cresting the impossible hill and enjoy the natural buzz on the way down.
Posted: 01/12/2000 13:46

XC is the purest form of mountain biking? Really? Riding for a short period of time round a semi-groomed track is pure? Did you type that with your a*re? Or were you just not referring to racing? But with the Paul Lazenby title I thought you'd automatically mean XC Racing.
Posted: 01/12/2000 15:50

I do downhil + jumping, but I wouldn't trust somrthing from Halfords to save my life? Did u notice that they were all doing jumps on GT's in the adverts anyway?
Posted: 01/12/2000 16:36

My friend works for Halfords, and he has told me what they can order in: So you wouldn't trust your life with: Hope? Middleburn? GT? Schwinn? Magura?
Posted: 01/12/2000 16:41

I think the problem with Halfords is not what they sell, but who they have selling it... Go in and ask for a set of Magura HS33s and the reply you get is something like "Magooras, what are they? Dime Bar" Terrible generalisation I know, but I have yet to find a person selling bikes in Halfords who knows what they are talking about.
Posted: 01/12/2000 16:44

Come to my one, he is head of cycling department. He is getting rid of most of the A'poo'los and they are going to stock more high end GT's and Schwinns. Ask for a set of HS33's in there and he will give you the lowdown on them.
Posted: 01/12/2000 17:02

Glad to hear it Tony, they do need to get their act together. Is that really what you look like ??
Posted: 01/12/2000 17:08

yeah, they sure know how to keep their customers do Magicallia the words "bite" "hand" and "feeds" spring to mind.
Posted: 01/12/2000 17:18

Fact: the average Halfords will not offer good service or advice. The one near me sells some decent kit, but the staff all seem to be kids with little in-depth knowledge. By the way it's not their age I object to, its their lack of knowledge (and coustomer service skills...). I certainly woundn't trust their advice (and I have gone in with an open mind when they reopened as 'Bikehut'). I know there must be exceptions but I've yet to see one myself. LBS is so much better all round.
Posted: 01/12/2000 19:41

Gary, I think that was a bit harsh. The guy was referring to xc in general and not just racing. No need to jump down his throat.
Posted: 01/12/2000 20:33

paul, try the halfords in Grangetown,Sunderland. great advice and knowledgable. BETTER than the LBS.
Posted: 01/12/2000 21:09

Aye, perhaps a bit harsh. That bit about climbing an f big hill and "enjoying the natural buzz on the way down" is probably quite close, but competitive XC racing is purely about being faster than the next man. Pitting yourself against the challenges the trail has to offer, is something completely different.
Posted: 02/12/2000 17:30

Gary Ewing can you read. I said that XC was the purest form of MTBing whether your RACING OR LEISURE RIDING. Thats R-A-C-I-N-G or L-E-I-S-U-R-E R-I-D-I-N-G! I was implying that XC involves VIRTUALLY everything that can test a mountain bike, mountain bike rider and their skills and fitness e.t.c. You know climbing, descending, singletrack, fireroad, riding in a group, riding against each other. So next time your gonna be a tosser take your hand away from your own pecker first mate!
Posted: 02/12/2000 19:07

Don't go up to Sunderland very often Tony, so I'll have to take your word for it.
Posted: 02/12/2000 20:37

i'm a part time halfords mechanic, and like to surprise the people who come in askng questions talking down to us. haha. The happiest customers are always the ones i send down the LBS,or persuade them that they don't really need the part they came in for. must stop doing that or my boss will bust me. by the way, we can get tomacs, turners, etc.
Posted: 03/12/2000 21:55

Hey this is great - I haven't seen a thread get remotely vicious for ages now. Kevin - how about your thoughts on things? Pure sport - which one? Strictly speaking hardnuts/jump bikes aren't mountain bikes, since most of 'em wouldn't go up a mountain. Their sport is J-U-M-P-I-N-G, getting air etc. The higher they go, the purer the air. The trials bikes et al are designed for travelling across the most difficult terrain imaginable. And Marin/Specialized etc FSR jobbies are designed for travelling across (undulating) country at high speed (not especially for climbing big mountains - that's what cable cars are for). There's an amazing diversity in so called 'Mountain biking'. I've said it before, the truest, purest mountain bikers on the planet are the guys from the Tour de France who actually go UP the mountains at the sort of speeds most of us struggle to reach on the flat with our squidgey tyres and obese frames. I really enjoy riding off road, but not for elitism - just fun.
Posted: 04/12/2000 22:32

p.s. I'd have loved to have met Paul, sounds like a really decent guy that enjoys his riding too.
Posted: 04/12/2000 22:34

Ok the first thing is that the 'first' mountain bikes went primarily downhill, at least off-road anyway. Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher Yada Yada.... called their bikes "Mountain Bikes" to distinguish them from their normal bikes (road bikes) as these were the bikes they used on the mountin (Mt Tam). Any form of true Mountain Biking would be up for debate but I would say it is any activity which is true to the spirit of the original concept that was apparently started by a bunch of people on a mountain. Mountain Biking as we have come to know it today is a sport open, and can appeal to, all people of all generations. This is good for the growth of the sport but we also need to keep the sport approachable to newcomers if it is to grow instead of pidgeon-holing and quarreling about stuff. Sure moan at obnoxious juvenilles on jump bikes but for being obnoxious, not for being on jump bikes or whatever.
Posted: 04/12/2000 23:48

Yes, I did notice that you had written "racing or leisure riding", and that you had implied that both are the best test of overall riding ability. I agree that general leisure riding is a very enjoyable form of mountain biking, but the idea that one discipline requires more skill than another is arrogant and elitist. If you want to test your off road climbing skills, XC racing might well be the best way to do it. If you want to test your downhill skills, you're not going to find any satisfaction in an XC race, and you sure as hell won't push the limits as hard on a recreational ride as you would in a proper DH race. If you want to test your slow speed handling a trials competition is a good way to compare your skills against other riders. The very thought of pushing yourself 110% on a recreational ride is complete tosh, mate. You ride very hard and fast all the time in an XC race, but don't take big risks on the downhill sections, because finishing is more important than gaining 1 second. On recreational rides you're not going to push yourself 110% on the DH's 'cos you've still got to drive home afterwards, you won't be wearing full body armour, and you won't have practiced the course so you can't tell exactly how fast you can go, and there's no red tape keeping walkers off the track either. Read the REAL mountain biking thread. The sole reason there are so many different disciplines within mtbing is that each one tests the rider in different ways. And what's with the 'big cock' attitude? Feeling insecure?
Posted: 05/12/2000 11:27

Don't you all think that this is getting a little out of hand? Suffice to say that some people prefer to go down hills, some prefer to go up and down, and some like to hop on and off cars etc.. Bitching at each other just leads to resentment and bad attitudes. And I can see a couple here getting rather puffy.. So, kiss and make up and go do what you like best and leave the others to do "their thing", beit the best ( in your opinion ) or, the worst form of the sport.
Posted: 05/12/2000 13:55

Awww, please sir, I was looking forward to a good fight with hair pulling and name callin' an' everyfink. The "REAL mountain biking" thread covered this ground fairly thickly, but how about a show of hands? Who wants to see a heated argument?
Posted: 05/12/2000 14:22

Oh go on, I'm enjoying following this as it heats up. We've not had a good rant on here for _ages_. :)
Posted: 05/12/2000 14:29

Heated argument eh? Thats what you want? Oh well, go on then if i have to. Well my vote is this... I ride XC, Cyclo Cross, Road Racing, Time Trials and i am partial to a visit to a local jump spot.However i do prefer riding off road to being a roadie. As well as racing in these disciplines i ride on the road both on my own, in groups and on organised club runs. Off road i am a visitor to my local national parks(Dales, N.Yorks Moors + Lake District). I also work in a local bike shop.You could say and most people i know including my girlfriend and family who are always complaining about this, that bikes are my life. Im not claiming to be Mr. Know-All here but i feel that i am in a good position to rate XC as the best all round test of a mountain bikers ability. Probably similar to my view that more dedicated road riders may feel that a road race is the true all round test of a roadies skill. In a road race you can demonstrate skills of climbing, sprinting, drafting, working through in a group, e.t.c e.t.c e.t.c. However some people will probably feel that a time trial is as some people call it -'the race of truth'. My point today ladies and gentlemen is that everyone has their own interests and types of riding.
Posted: 05/12/2000 19:47

That's more like it, Mr. slack. I'm not quite as well equipped as you to judge, but as far as I can see there is only one 'pure' cycle sport, since all the others are bastardised from a variety of different disciplines. It involves singlespeed bikes with backward pointing frame ends, doesn't bother with sissy things like brakes and requires serious amounts of both strength and skill - anyone fancy track riding? Actually track riding IS fun, and for my money is just about the 'purest' form of riding. XC, whether racing or leisure still requires a mix of DH, trials and (more or less) road racing skills. Pure? -it's parents met once or twice in passing. Fun? - usually lots.
Posted: 06/12/2000 00:00

Just to point out that the first type of MTBing wasn't really downhilling. The 'clunkers' didn't get called 'mountain bikes' until after they'd been fitted with gears allowing them to ride back up to the top of the hill again. So a lot of that early repack DH stuff was done before the mountain bike was invented - i.e. they were barely modified beach cruisers which were carried up the hill in a pick up. The term mountain bike came about around the time of the first cross country forays into the wilds. Joe Breeze made some of the first MTB frames and these were dead skinny road tubing affairs, as he was an ex-road racer.
Posted: 06/12/2000 14:07

Keith Bontrager once said that our interest in jump biking is because we have no where interesting to ride. A bit unfair I might add, but compare to the US, probably fairly true. Just going out a riding mountain bikes is the way it started certainly in the UK, and is still as popular as ever. Perhaps XC racing is in a big decline, but that's understandable don't you think - ref:Polaris & trailquest - much more riding for less money.
Posted: 06/12/2000 14:10

I thought we'd put this one to bed a while back with Kevin's (I think) Real Mountain Biking thread. With our lack of mountains on these shores, off-roading would be a more accurate description. What happened to the All Terrain Bike (ATB) tag? The problem with XC racing is the expense, the fact that most aren't able to commit themselves to the regime such a discipline commands and the fact that it's not exactly absorbing to watch. It was nice to see the foundations of a good, abusive exchange start but disappointing that it fizzled out like a Brocks firework on a wet November 5th. I could start another one - Should any colour, other than black, be used in the manufacture of cycling shorts? I went to the Karrimor Endurance event at Trentham Gardens earlier this year. Should sponsors and riders wish to encourage a larger audience for these events, then they should exclude any rider wearing red/blue/ stars and stripes etc. cycling shorts. Not big, not clever and definately not alluring.
Posted: 06/12/2000 14:47

The ATB tag wasn't trendy enough.
Posted: 06/12/2000 15:49

"My point today ladies and gentlemen is that everyone has their own interests and types of riding." Mr Slack, you might have hit upon a fundamental truth there. And I never noticed until you pointed it out either. Shame you couldn't write any sense first time up. These people have different styles, interests, so saying one discipline is better than the rest in any capacity was a bit naive, no? XC probably is a very good all-round test of ability, because you sometimes need a bit of everything - skill wise to get through some sections. XC RACING however, involves getting off the bike and running where it is fastest to do so, so doesn't include much in the way of slow speed trials type skills. In fact, general XC riding is what you make it. Not what some thread defines it as. Each persons definition of XC riding, Freeriding, etc, will be different, because they will each perceive it, and its merits, differently. XC riding to you might entail riding hard and taking big risks, using your Jedi-like powers to guide the bike along any section of trail, no matter how precipitous. XC riding to me might mean doing long day rides, drinking tea, enjoying the view and taking photos and chatting to people along the way. Smile, and the world smiles with you. Talk shite, and the world talks shite back at you. Probably.
Posted: 06/12/2000 17:51

Gary im sick of your whinging and whining. Your messages read like one of my university essays. Just how much research did you put into that? Quotes as well.Splendid.A lot of time and effort went into that. Well done, congratulations.
Posted: 06/12/2000 19:48

More effort than I put into my university essays...
Posted: 07/12/2000 10:54