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Something I’ve been wondering about. Is mountain biking growing? I’ve briefly looked on the internet for studies or surveys on this, but I must have looked in the wrong places. There are more choices than ever for equipment and better and better stuff every year. Bike and accessory choices keep evolving, so the manufacturers must see a market for this stuff. Are we as mountain bikers a growing group, or are they just making more expensive stuff to sell to an aging (assuming more affluence with age) group?
Just curious about this. Just wondering what you guys think on this or if you have seen any studies. Locally, I see more bikes every year but I think most are greenway oriented. I see a few younger riders out in the woods, but the majority are 30’s and 40’s. Thoughts?
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I do not know if it is growing or more people are riding there bikes on a regular basis.
With the economy as it is I think it is the later as less people have the money to spend on other toys like boats, atv’s, snowmobiles, etc. and are riding when they would in the pass do the other.
I do know that when I moved to the Augusta,GA area 5 years ago I had the trails mostly to myself, besides FATS. Now there are at least signs of other riders on the other trails and at least half the times I see other riders. There is an additional 9 miles of singletrack at Bartram and FATS has two additional loops and more parking.
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I think mountain bikes are growing in number as are the people out riding them. Mountain bikes are more user friendly than the average road bike. People in their 30-40s as wellas us 50 year olds have gone to bike for good cardio and no impacts(except the ground) like running. Mountain bikers are more friendly as are the bikes are more user friendly. Heavy traffic is also a factor of many riders coming off the road. Many parents are riding with their kids off road because little Suzie might have trouble in traffic. Mountain bikes are increasing IMHO. 😎 Later,
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According to the Outdoor Foundation, between 2008 and 2009, US mountain biking participation fell 5.9% from roughly 7.6 million to 7.1 million riders.
http://www.outdoorfoundation.org/pdf/Re … opline.pdfCompare that to 2007-2008 when mountain biking participation grew 10%. In terms of demographics, the biggest gains during that period came from riders 45+ years old (22%) while among young adults (18-24), participation declined 24%.
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Google also says it’s declining in popularity:
http://www.google.com/trends?q=mountain … all&sort=0 -
Locally, the scene seems to be growing, thanks to the popularity of FATS. Local bike shops have said they sold more mtn bikes the last few years than ever before.
Nationally….I have no idea. Can’t see that far 😃
As far as demographics – there aren’t that many young people that ride. It’s just too expensive I think. There seems to be VERY few young people doing the big mile rides. The guys I ride with most frequently, especially the long rides, are nearly twice my age. (I’m 25, almost 26) One of them has a daughter that is my age.
A few guys I went to college with are into mtn biking now, and a ‘big ride’ for them is like 20 miles. 😏
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"dgaddis" wrote
Locally, the scene seems to be growing, thanks to the popularity of FATS. Local bike shops have said they sold more mtn bikes the last few years than ever before.
Nationally….I have no idea. Can’t see that far 😃
As far as demographics – there aren’t that many young people that ride. It’s just too expensive I think. There seems to be VERY few young people doing the big mile rides. The guys I ride with most frequently, especially the long rides, are nearly twice my age. (I’m 25, almost 26) One of them has a daughter that is my age.
A few guys I went to college with are into mtn biking now, and a ‘big ride’ for them is like 20 miles. 😏
I’m not sure if mt biking is growing, but I think that the major gains in the sports nowadays are on the grassroots level and not the professional level.
As for the comment on miles, sometimes simple finding that much time all at once to ride is difficult. Also, it depends on where you live. Down in Augusta I can knock out 20 miles in 2 hours because it’s so flat and smooth, but around here it’d be more like 3 hrs but I might have climbed over a vertical mile in that time.
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"Goo" wrote
As for the comment on miles, sometimes simple finding that much time all at once to ride is difficult. Also, it depends on where you live. Down in Augusta I can knock out 20 miles in 2 hours because it’s so flat and smooth, but around here it’d be more like 3 hrs but I might have climbed over a vertical mile in that time.
Agreed, but these guys ride places like blankets and chicopee and yargo. Not Pisgah.
Even in NGA, you’ll need a more than 20 miles to gain 5,200+ feet! That’d be 260ft per mile. 😮 The Fool’s Gold course only has ~140ft/mile.
EDIT: "only" 140ft/mile…that’s still a lot to me 😃 Our ‘hilly’ trails are usually only about 100ft per mile. But we don’t get those long downhills to recover either, it’s constantly up and down, up and down, up and down…
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"dgaddis" wrote
[quote="Goo":128nwbkz]As for the comment on miles, sometimes simple finding that much time all at once to ride is difficult. Also, it depends on where you live. Down in Augusta I can knock out 20 miles in 2 hours because it’s so flat and smooth, but around here it’d be more like 3 hrs but I might have climbed over a vertical mile in that time.
Agreed, but these guys ride places like blankets and chicopee and yargo. Not Pisgah.
Even in NGA, you’ll need a more than 20 miles to gain 5,200+ feet! That’d be 260ft per mile. 😮 The Fool’s Gold course only has ~140ft/mile.
EDIT: "only" 140ft/mile…that’s still a lot to me 😃 Our ‘hilly’ trails are usually only about 100ft per mile. But we don’t get those long downhills to recover either, it’s constantly up and down, up and down, up and down…[/quote:128nwbkz]
Did a 23 mile ride the other day and gained almost 6,200 feet.
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"Goo" wrote
Did a 23 mile ride the other day and gained almost 6,200 feet.
Where at? I’m not trying to argue, just curious. 😃 I haven’t heard of anything that extreme anywhere close to here.
Some that I am familiar with:
The Snake Creek Gap (34 mile) = 144ft/mile
Cohutta/Big Frog 65 = 169ft/mile
And Fools Gold = 140ft/mileSwank 65 = 260ft/mile – that’s the craziest I’ve heard of, but it’s in Pisgah.
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"dgaddis" wrote
[quote="Goo":28xtjbdp]Did a 23 mile ride the other day and gained almost 6,200 feet.
Where at? I’m not trying to argue, just curious. 😃 I haven’t heard of anything that extreme anywhere close to here.
Some that I am familiar with:
The Snake Creek Gap (34 mile) = 144ft/mile
Cohutta/Big Frog 65 = 169ft/mile
And Fools Gold = 140ft/mileSwank 65 = 260ft/mile – that’s the craziest I’ve heard of, but it’s in Pisgah.[/quote:28xtjbdp]
Winding Stairs.We were doing a gravel road grind since all of the singletrack is so soggy. Just checked the GPS file: 23.10 miles, 6,119 feet of elevation gain. 264.89 ft/mile.
GPS file available here for download
PS sorry didn’t mean to derail the topic! 😃 😃
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Man I did that ride years back. Pedal, pedal, pedal, Puke, pedal, pedal, Puke, repeat as necessary. Don’t know if the trails are still the same but it was brutal. There are some easier good rides around Nimblewill that are not as savage. When I get in better shape I’ll head that way again. Have you ever ridden and checked out the neuclear site in Dawsonville? 😎 Later,
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"Goo" wrote
Winding Stairs.We were doing a gravel road grind since all of the singletrack is so soggy. Just checked the GPS file: 23.10 miles, 6,119 feet of elevation gain. 264.89 ft/mile.
GPS file available here for download
PS sorry didn’t mean to derail the topic!
Dude, I downloaded your GPX file and looked at it at TrimbleOutdoors.com
You climbed 3,217 ft and descended 3,221 ft.
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Winding Stairs
"Description: A forest road loop with gnarly climbs and incredible views."
From the description and the pics, you guys have a different concept of black diamond than we do. 😆 -
Ah! Some of that is part of the Fools Gold course – it starts at the 4H camp and goes mostly up for like 12 miles or something…last time I rode it was in the pouring down rain, which makes it even more fun lol!
Now back on topic..
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"maddslacker" wrote
[quote="Goo":2ryz570e]
Winding Stairs.We were doing a gravel road grind since all of the singletrack is so soggy. Just checked the GPS file: 23.10 miles, 6,119 feet of elevation gain. 264.89 ft/mile.
GPS file available here for download
PS sorry didn’t mean to derail the topic!
Dude, I downloaded your GPX file and looked at it at TrimbleOutdoors.com
You climbed 3,217 ft and descended 3,221 ft.[/quote:2ryz570e]
Really? My GPS unit and TopoFusion were both saying 6119. Maybe I just don’t know how to work this stuff yet… 😕
As far as a black diamond rating, I don’t think I gave it that.
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As far as riding styles go, in Texas where I live its almost ALL xc riding. I have noticed that there’s ALOT of XC riders here. I mean these guys and gals are crazy fast. Now over in palo doro canyon there’s some sweet DH/FR but for the most part its XC. My legs are baggin strong after all the riding out here lol. I do wish there was more DH stuff here. I crave the stupid fast DH 😼
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Thought that was the case, the 6100′ is total CHANGE, aka descent + ascent.
260ft/mile is unheard of in north georgia, but if it did exist it would take you longer than 3 hours to ride 20 miles of it!
I have suspicions that even swank isn’t really 260ft/mile…
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Thanks for all the responses. Looks like MTB is shrinking slightly as a national trend. Maybe Wii can come up with an App that will build more interest, anybody for virtual mountain biking? Just thinking that the popularity of high tech games may be at least partially responsible for a decline as its easier to turn on an electric box than to climb on the bike. End of rant
On the other hand 7 million + of us. That’s a big number, no wonder they are always building us new toys. I was drooling over a new 29er yesterday in my LBS.
Even though nationally the numbers are down, it looks like there are regions where it flourishes. Places that have good trails, or in ChiliPepper’s case – good Free Riding. Good riding would be a pre-requisite for any place that I would relocate to.
Side Note – Some of you were discussing rides with big climbs. Any of you in the East ever done the XC race loop at Douthat State Park? That one always whips my arse , 21 miles and about 5000 feet of climbing.
http://www.mountainbikevirginia.com/3D% … %20map.htm
The present course is slighty different than this map, essentially it is the outer loop of all the park trails. -
GPS elevation gain is kinda wacky at times.
But a good rule of thumb for Pisgah is 150 feet of gain per mile ridden. This is for a normal, XC style ride of going up and down.
When I see rides averaging 200+ per mile for pretty long rides….I am suspect of those numbers.
ORAMM is 9500 feet and SM100 is 12,250. Both are advertised as more. But I’ve ridden those routes with high end GPS units more than once and get these figures. ORAMM is 63 miles and SM 100 is 100 miles. So the 150 feet per mile fits both of these fairly well.
Do I think the thing around NGA gains over 250 per mile….no.
To be accurate, the elevation data has to be gathered using a barametric pressure altimeter. Many of the lower end garmin bike/gps units are notorious for doubling or even tripling the elevation gain. I’ve seen FATS stated as over 5000 feet and it is about 2600 for all 6 loops.
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"CraigCreekRider" wrote
Maybe Wii can come up with an App that will build more interest, anybody for virtual mountain biking?
Wii Sports Resort already has a cycling game, and it’s strangely addictive. (the bikes in the game are mountain bikes)
And there’s also this thing:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/10/ … ller-ever/ -
"maddslacker" wrote
[quote="CraigCreekRider":2skoacrd]Maybe Wii can come up with an App that will build more interest, anybody for virtual mountain biking?
Wii Sports Resort already has a cycling game, and it’s strangely addictive. (the bikes in the game are mountain bikes)
And there’s also this thing:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/10/ … ller-ever/[/quote:2skoacrd]HaHa – should have known.
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however your legs will not get tired……
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"seenvic" wrote
GPS elevation gain is kinda wacky at times.
But a good rule of thumb for Pisgah is 150 feet of gain per mile ridden. This is for a normal, XC style ride of going up and down.
When I see rides averaging 200+ per mile for pretty long rides….I am suspect of those numbers.
ORAMM is 9500 feet and SM100 is 12,250. Both are advertised as more. But I’ve ridden those routes with high end GPS units more than once and get these figures. ORAMM is 63 miles and SM 100 is 100 miles. So the 150 feet per mile fits both of these fairly well.
Do I think the thing around NGA gains over 250 per mile….no.
To be accurate, the elevation data has to be gathered using a barametric pressure altimeter. Many of the lower end garmin bike/gps units are notorious for doubling or even tripling the elevation gain. I’ve seen FATS stated as over 5000 feet and it is about 2600 for all 6 loops.
Thanks for the info seenvic. I’m new to all this GPS stuff so I still obviously have more learning to do. It’s frustrating though that I can’t trust my unit even though I feel like I should be able to….
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I am 15 and I ride XC. It seems to me that people my age are getting lazy and whenever I tell them I ride, they are like’ "COOL!" But whenever I try to get people to ride, they do nothing but complain from the pain. Our society is become wussy with the ability to take an advil and have all the pain go away. So when pain does happen, people aren’t used to it.
Everyone I ride with are in their 30’s. I am the "young whipper snapper" 😆 I might not be the fastest (yet). I do get faster with every ride I do.
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Yessiree. 15 years old and turning 16 in February! Can’t wait until I get my license. 😼
I assemble and repair bikes in the back.
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"dozzerboy" wrote
Can’t wait until I get my liscence.
They don’t let you have it until you can spell it. 😼
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"maddslacker" wrote
[quote="dozzerboy":36tpowrc]Can’t wait until I get my liscence.
They don’t let you have it until you can spell it. 😼[/quote:36tpowrc]
😆 😆 😆 😆
My students refuse to walk down the block. When i mention that I rode 20-30 miles they just say i am crazy. Keep it up. -
Brian,
You missed it, right after he said that, I got him back. It was pretty funny. Then we fixed it. 😆
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"brianW" wrote
My students refuse to walk down the block. When i mention that I rode 20-30 miles they just say i am crazy. Keep it up.
Hehe…uphill both ways…
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"maddslacker" wrote
[quote="brianW":omtd4sgd]My students refuse to walk down the block. When i mention that I rode 20-30 miles they just say i am crazy. Keep it up.
Hehe…uphill both ways…[/quote:omtd4sgd]
In the snow… 😆 -
and bare foot.
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Just read a release today about the "Fastest Growing and Shrinking Outdoor Sports." The info comes via the Outdoor Foundation and the good news is MTB isn’t one of the fastest shrinking sports. 😀
From 2008 to 2012, participation grew the most in:Triathlon (Non-Traditional/Off-Road), up 40 percent to 1.44 million
Adventure Racing, up 35 percent to 2.17 million
Triathlon (Traditional/Road), up 30 percent to 2.18 millon
Telemarking, up 23 percent to 2.77 million;
Skiing (Freestyle), up 22 percent to 5.36 million
Boardsaling/Windsurfing, up 18 percent to 1.59 million
Hunting (Handgun), up 17 percent to 3.55 million
Kayaking (Whitewater), up 13 percent to 1.88 million
Bicycling (BMX), up 12 percent to 2.18 million
Kayaking (Sea Touring), up 12 percent to 2.45 millionParticipation diminished the most in:
Skiing (Alpine/Downhill), down 8 percent to 8.24 million
Skiing (Cross-Country), down 7 percent to 3.31 million
Rafting, down 5 percent to 3.69 million
Snorkeling, down 5 percent to 8.01 million
Camping (RV), down 4 percent to 15.1 millionThe report authors speculate skiing and rafting were down due to weather (lack of snow/drought conditions). I imagine snorkeling and RV camping were down due to the economy but who knows.
Cool to see off road triathlon and adventure racing at the top of the list since mountain biking is a component of both. Adventure Racing had been hit hard before 2008 which to me says these things are cyclical as sports fall in and out of fashion.
Can anyone explain to me what handgun hunting is all about? Hopefully they aren’t hunting people. 😀
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Can anyone explain to me what handgun hunting is all about? Hopefully they aren’t hunting people.
You can hunt deer (and other animals) with a hand gun. The season and permitting varies from state to state. For deer, you have to use a high-caliber pistol, and as you might imagine, it’s a lot tougher than hunting with a rifle!
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"jeff" wrote
I imagine snorkeling and RV camping were down due to the economy but who knows.
I will speak to the RVing. I have a beautiful camper that I haven’t had out for about a year because of the economy. When I was laid off last year, we were even thinking of living in it for a while, if we had to, but I wouldn’t consider that their form of RVing!
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"mtbgreg1" wroteCan anyone explain to me what handgun hunting is all about? Hopefully they aren’t hunting people.
You can hunt deer (and other animals) with a hand gun. The season and permitting varies from state to state. For deer, you have to use a high-caliber pistol, and as you might imagine, it’s a lot tougher than hunting with a rifle!
With things like this [url:3gpyamls]http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_764947_-1_757771_757767_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y[/url:3gpyamls] 😼
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