View Full Version : Since when has it all become about the skinny?
trail worker
03-19-2003, 06:50 PM
As a builder, and rider I came upon a thought to throw around the other day...i suppse the "nice work on Pangor, BUT..." thread sort of deal's with this, but i would like to know why people need to have something to ride 3 inches wide?
I try to not build anything narrower than 8 inches- a foot wide simply because there is absolutely no need to. Beginer rider's can take a foot wide section of bridge 6+ feet up slowly while more advanced rider's can take it with plenty of speed...making things a little more challenging.
what are you're thoughts on this? any idea's to be thrown in are invited!
whisky shooter
03-19-2003, 07:10 PM
skinny is where its at. When it is 8" wide it is fun but when it is 3" its even more fun. Sure its fun to go fast on a 8" wide build but I would rather go slow on a 3" wide move. I think it just puts the sport up one more level. Its just like going big, things like 10ft drops use to be big but now it is nothing. 20ft is no longer even big for some of us. I like to ride it all but I love to ride it hard.
Niggz
03-19-2003, 07:13 PM
ummmmm its not about going fast. i like skinnys that have challenging turns and stuff. it gets to a point when its just ridiculous eg the ridiculator or pretty much anything on circus. but keep the skinny skinnys near the ground and its all good.
8-balled
03-19-2003, 07:22 PM
I get more into skinnys more and more working my way up as the builds get sicker I guess you just get used to them as they come I like the feeling of cleaning something up high sick and skinny, keep the front tires on boys.
trail worker
03-19-2003, 07:51 PM
Originally posted by Niggz
ummmmm its not about going fast. i like skinnys that have challenging turns and stuff. it gets to a point when its just ridiculous eg the ridiculator or pretty much anything on circus. but keep the skinny skinnys near the ground and its all good.
that is the sort of thing that i was talking about. okay, 8 inches is a little wide, and when i used that as an example it was not entirely truthful, but you get the idea...
i also love riding skinnies, but only when close to the ground(4-5 feet)..when 3 inch wide shaved log's get higher than 12 feet, it get's a little stoopid.
i find skinnies boring. But that's because a 8" travel dh bike doesn't do well on them. Skinnies just take the flow outa the trail if there circus style I would rather see foot wide flowing ramps ona trail than 3" sky high skinnies all over the place.
FLOW is were it's at.
trail worker
03-19-2003, 08:53 PM
Originally posted by m33p
i find skinnies boring. But that's because a 8" travel dh bike doesn't do well on them. Skinnies just take the flow outa the trail if there circus style I would rather see foot wide flowing ramps ona trail than 3" sky high skinnies all over the place.
FLOW is were it's at.
thank you john.you summed it up perfectly:)
wilkez
03-19-2003, 09:51 PM
i think skinnines are a good optional thing. you can make it as crazy as you want as long as therse anothe way around. so that way the ppl that want to ride high skinnies can, and otehr cant. everybody likes a challenge i think
Hutch Trickstar
03-19-2003, 10:42 PM
I think the value in skinnys is their ability to force you to be precise with your bike control... flow is just as important on skinnys... it's just a more precise and controlled flow.
Sharon
03-20-2003, 08:47 AM
Skinny's are also a way to slow riders down.
gimped
03-20-2003, 08:56 AM
Originally posted by m33p
i find skinnies boring. But that's because a 8" travel dh bike doesn't do well on them. Skinnies just take the flow outa the trail if there circus style I would rather see foot wide flowing ramps ona trail than 3" sky high skinnies all over the place.
FLOW is were it's at.
I totally agree.
LeeLau
03-20-2003, 10:23 AM
Originally posted by m33p
i find skinnies boring. But that's because a 8" travel dh bike doesn't do well on them. Skinnies just take the flow outa the trail if there circus style I would rather see foot wide flowing ramps ona trail than 3" sky high skinnies all over the place.
FLOW is were it's at.
IMO it depends on your mindset. When I'm riding on my hardtail - which is set up more for slow trials kind of riding; I love skinnies.
When I'm on my duallie - then sometimes skinnies can be a bit of a pain.
So I guess I'm agreeing and disagreeing with M33p here
LeeLau
03-20-2003, 10:29 AM
Originally posted by trail worker
I try to not build anything narrower than 8 inches- a foot wide simply because there is absolutely no need to. Beginer rider's can take a foot wide section of bridge 6+ feet up slowly while more advanced rider's can take it with plenty of speed...making things a little more challenging.
what are you're thoughts on this? any idea's to be thrown in are invited!
BTW _ I know they're XC trails but I love the skinnies on section 103 (that's what I think its called); great way to learn to ride skinnies with seat jacked high
trail worker
03-20-2003, 11:09 AM
Originally posted by LeeLau
BTW _ I know they're XC trails but I love the skinnies on section 103 (that's what I think its called); great way to learn to ride skinnies with seat jacked high
when referring to skinnies i meant skinny skinnys,those ones are quite wide...
the great one's for learning on are cunning stunts..around 4 inches wide but only 3 feet off the ground...as a matter of a fact, that whole trail is great for learning on!
LeeLau
03-20-2003, 11:25 AM
Originally posted by trail worker
when referring to skinnies i meant skinny skinnys,those ones are quite wide...
the great one's for learning on are cunning stunts..around 4 inches wide but only 3 feet off the ground...as a matter of a fact, that whole trail is great for learning on!
Yup - those "skinnies" are more like 8 inches wide.
A really nice trail for 4 inch wide skinnies is Brew on Fromme; one of my favorites. I like the stuff on Starfish too.
ride24/7
03-20-2003, 12:27 PM
Personally I like a little of everything, I find trails that are " flowy" are usually over in a few minutes but if they have skinnies and stuff then it takes a lot longer. my 2 cents.
i like skinnys but i agree its just stupid when they are 4 inches wide 10 feet in the air
twofortythree
03-20-2003, 06:04 PM
Originally posted by 125
i like skinnys but i agree its just stupid when they are 4 inches wide 10 feet in the air
exactly how many ppl r gonna ride that
Originally posted by burke_builder2
exactly how many ppl r gonna ride that exactly 93728937492817389217310293878932643247578403468249 038360932.6856908046845 people
Originally posted by 125
exactly 93728937492817389217310293878932643247578403468249 038360932.6856908046845 people
I think he means "exactly.....how many people are gonna ride that":P
Personally i agree with Sharon about the whole slowing people down. Skinnies give trails a technical factor that we are losing in mountain biking. What used to be a slow technical section on a trail is now either "paved" out or just considerably easier due to the types of bikes we ride as apposed to 5+ years ago. A real tight skinny takes that slow, technical skill that alot of people are forgetting about that's important. I just like skinny's because they're fun, can potentially be found anywhere (compared to a downhill trail), variety. As for high skinny skinny's, i think they're good to cause everyone needs something more difficult to help them progress, at the same time, just because there's some crazy skinny, doesn't mean that EVERYONE has to do it, it's just something for everyone.
dirty-bike
03-21-2003, 10:06 AM
since about 1999...Kranked 2 I think with dangerous dan and his freaky mask...
RMFanatik
03-22-2003, 06:44 AM
MY .02cents
I think there is a trail and point in the trail for skinnies. The hieght , width and difficulty all need to be considered For example you wouldn't think of putting a 10' high 3" wide skinny in the middle of a high speed downhill run:eek:, it just doesn't fit the nature of the trail. The overall picture of the trail has to be taken into consideration. I think alot of the time the big picture is being lost. It's all about the balance (no pun intended) Too much of any one thing is no good. Anyways, that's my 2 cents.
LostBoyScout
03-22-2003, 06:21 PM
Skinny is good. When I get around to building the sections I want to, I would really like to include skinnies down to ~1" wide (which would have to be like a 2x6 on end).
What I don't understand, is the need to elevate some of these skinnies to the point they become dangerous to fall off. I think the idea of a 'skinny' is to push your balance abilities and make it a challenge to clean. Thus, the tougher ones would need to be low enough to the ground that you can push yourself (3 feet or less for me)
Originally posted by LostBoyScout
Skinny is good. When I get around to building the sections I want to, I would really like to include skinnies down to ~1" wide (which would have to be like a 2x6 on end).
Thus, the tougher ones would need to be low enough to the ground that you can push yourself (3 feet or less for me)
Where abouts are you planning these skinnies?
trail worker
03-23-2003, 12:29 PM
Originally posted by LostBoyScout
What I don't understand, is the need to elevate some of these skinnies to the point they become dangerous to fall off.
dude, you just summarized what my concern is exactly.skinny's are fun and semi-challenging when only a couple feet off the ground (for me anyways). i can understand that people need higher things, but really, is there such a need to when you can build stuff like a pivoting teeter totter 10 feet up? i think that would be far sicker than any other thingy
tazzmenn
03-29-2003, 11:02 AM
most trails I ride have skinnies over swamps. Most riders endup falling off the skinny into the swamp. This is problem, for the terrain is getting beat up, stay out of the swamp. Sensitive areas should be build up to prevent people from damaging the eco so skinnies may not be the best way to travers a swamp or other sensitive area. I love challanging skinnes the rush is intoxicating. but remember to protect sesetive areas and build it wide enough to put a foot down. be creative and find ways to challange riders. Think about the newbie who is gonna walk around or through a swamp. and design the route to keep him on the structure.
seand
03-29-2003, 01:11 PM
always have 2 routes...
make one 40 foot high skinnies if thats your thing....
but for riders like m33p, and myself, and all the othrs that dig flow and speed....make the trail for them too.
i for one dislike skinnies. the higher up i climb, the wider i want the bridge...maybe im unsure of my riding..maybe i like to have a cushion of movement....either way, im not the only rider that likes to go big, and not off a 3inch wide log....
i know there will be times where a skinny is the only way, and when i come to those, i tough it out, and endo like a champ :)
just keep hacks like me in mind when building trails :lol:
Loopie
04-04-2003, 03:53 PM
Skinnies definitely have their place.
The only problem is when falling off one is unsafe beyond what is considered a normally acceptable risk/consequence.
The thing with skinnies, is that when you lose a front tire occasionally you aren't always prepared for it, like you were trusting the tire to stay on ya know?......it goes out FAST and you go down fast and hard.
So certain skinnies just need to be in safe bail areas:)...and of course not "out of place".
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