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Post by Humph on Jun 19, 2021 11:55:15 GMT
Just by way of a random observation, it might be me, but I seem to see an increasing amount of vehicles with canoes on their roofs.
Is is this a "thing" now? Have I just not heard about it? But, on our trips to Wales to ride up and down hillsides, it feels like every tenth vehicle we see is carrying canoes.
Now, I've been in a canoe, it was ok, mildly entertaining even, but I've never felt like buying one, or woken up one morning desperate to go and paddle about in one.
I suppose some some would feel the same way about mountain bikes of course, but I'd argue that at least that can get quite exciting at times. But canoeing, y'know, unless you're getting into white water or something, well, it just seems a bit, I dunno, not quite engaging enough. Must be something I'm missing.
I expect there's a whole hierarchy about it too. You know, certain canoes that are desirable etc.
I'm going to try not to find out more, it strikes me as something that could be dangerously contagious if the number of the things I seem to be seeing all of a sudden is anything to go by.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2021 7:52:05 GMT
I have a 4-man canoe. I keep it at a landing spot on the Thames a few yards from my house, which is a shared access plot for a small number of houses in my neighbourhood - rights to use it came with this house. We've had the thing maybe three/four years, and have used it, er, three times - mainly when weve had guests with children. I do enjoy it when I've been out on it, and that's from someone who generally hates and even fears open water. I'd not like to go in the drink whatsoever at all at all. But I see the attraction of gently floating down the river on a summer's day. Perhaps to a riverside pub. Only thing is I need to be motivated to do it and have some free time and there not be a hurricane sweeping down the valley, and all those three things seldom occur simultaneously. I can't ever see me sticking it on the car to go elsewhere, however.
As you'd expect I'm not interested in any "hierarchy" or having "the right branded gear".
I suspect a lot of the people you see, as you say Humph, with canoes on the roof (or more likely kayaks, the 1-man things which cover your legses) are suffering a similar affliction to your mountain biking addiction. I expect there are quite a few locations where you can do it which are quite exciting, and plenty of people are probably heading for those. Those people are not me however, my tearing about is limited to ski slopes when I can. Funny how lots of us have got one sort of thrill activity we get focused on. I suppose white water rafting, mountain biking, skiing, we all do these things for the same reasons.
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Post by Humph on Jun 21, 2021 8:15:14 GMT
Yeah, fair enough, I get all of that. In fairness, my mountain biking habit was born out of skiing training. Growing up in Scotland, we had fairly easy weekend access to the Scottish ski resorts and indeed a very good dry slope on our doorstep in Edinburgh. Used to use that a couple of evenings a week as a child/teenager.
I started skiing at a very early age and it was a passion for a while. But, at certain times of the year obviously it wasn't possible to ski, on snow anyway. We used to mountain bike instead mainly to maintain lower body fitness. They didn't call it mountain biking then of course and our bikes were just normal bikes fitted with knobbly tyres and flat bars.
Since living in a location where skiing is even more difficult to regularly access, the biking has sort of taken over as the main activity. It's not a substitute really, but it's a good alternative. You can get quite similar thrills charging down a singletrack descent on a bike as you do on skis.
Ish.
😉
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2021 8:30:48 GMT
I get that, but where the attraction to mountain biking wanes for me is that you have to go uphill without a nice chair and a massive electric motor to propel you skywards.
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WDB
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Canoeing
Jun 21, 2021 8:39:58 GMT
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Post by WDB on Jun 21, 2021 8:39:58 GMT
I like canoes. (I really don’t like kayaks; my kneeses don’t fit and I fret about being stuck inside if the thing turns over.) But, as with many occasional pleasures, the best time was the first, on the deserted Dordogne on a warm September Wednesday. (This was 1998; no children to worry about then.) Since then, I’ve fallen out of — or off — a sit-on kayak (I think the true distinction is that a kayaker has paddles at both ends of the stick) into ten inches of water. That was a low point; there were a lot of people there to see it and, freed of our weight pinning it to a rock, the boat shot off downstream, upside-down with our wallets and keys in the dry barrel still aboard. But I’ve enjoyed the couple of expeditions we’ve done since in Canadian canoes. It depends a lot on the scenery but in the right place you do get to see a lot. Not sure I’d fancy it on the busy Thames round here, though; too many bigger, washier boats about. ...where the attraction to mountain biking wanes for me is that you have to go uphill without a nice chair and a massive electric motor to propel you skywards. There are mountain bike resorts that offer exactly that. |
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Post by Humph on Jun 21, 2021 8:54:10 GMT
Any holiday skier will know what agonies await, usually on day 3 if you haven't prepared your legs for it.
😬
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2021 8:57:52 GMT
I like canoes. (I really don’t like kayaks; my kneeses don’t fit and I fret about being stuck inside if the thing turns over.) But, as with many occasional pleasures, the best time was the first, on the deserted Dordogne on a warm September Wednesday. (This was 1998; no children to worry about then.) Since then, I’ve fallen out of — or off — a sit-on kayak (I think the true distinction is that a kayaker has paddles at both ends of the stick) into ten inches of water. That was a low point; there were a lot of people there to see it and, freed of our weight pinning it to a rock, the boat shot off downstream, upside-down with our wallets and keys in the dry barrel still aboard. But I’ve enjoyed the couple of expeditions we’ve done since in Canadian canoes. It depends a lot on the scenery but in the right place you do get to see a lot. Not sure I’d fancy it on the busy Thames round here, though; too many bigger, washier boats about. ...where the attraction to mountain biking wanes for me is that you have to go uphill without a nice chair and a massive electric motor to propel you skywards. There are mountain bike resorts that offer exactly that. Ooo. Interesting. I expect I'd be laughed off the piste on my £89 Halfords special. Not that I'd care. Might have a google for that, anything within vague striking distance of my lowland valley home? |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2021 8:59:26 GMT
Any holiday skier will know what agonies await, usually on day 3 if you haven't prepared your legs for it. 😬 I think my legs are probably one of my strongest features thinking about it. It's probably my (lack of) aerobic fitness which would let me down for mountain biking. I'm usually fine after a week's skiing and could handle more, leg-wise. |
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Post by Humph on Jun 21, 2021 9:00:22 GMT
Uplifts tend to be targeted at those with specialist downhill bikes. The geometry of those is such that they are more or less impossible to ride uphill. The sort of descents that would be allowing access to really wouldn't be a great idea on a basic bike.
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WDB
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Canoeing
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Post by WDB on Jun 21, 2021 9:03:26 GMT
Ooo. Interesting. I expect I'd be laughed off the piste on my £89 Halfords special. Not that I'd care. No. You might not be conscious to hear it. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2021 9:08:57 GMT
All very good points. I'll stay in the valley, where I belong.
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Post by Humph on Jun 21, 2021 9:26:48 GMT
If you've got good legs, (and I'm talking about their efficiency rather than appearance here 😬) I'd happily take you on a moderate trail and loan you a half decent bike to do it on.
You might be surprised at how much fun you'd have. Or possibly not of course. 😉
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2021 9:34:12 GMT
in truth I'm more thinking about hybrids and road bikes again at the moment for a bit of exercise, but then I look out of the window at the driech weather and the busy roads filled with carelessly driven white vans and SUVs.
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Post by Humph on Jun 21, 2021 9:37:57 GMT
I don't especially like riding on roads. I'll do it, to get somewhere, but not for leisure really. I'd rather take my chances pitting myself against terrain than articulated lorries.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2021 9:46:03 GMT
Yeah. It's the faff and time consumption of getting to terrains. There's a road right outside my house, linked to all the other roads. Not that I don't share your dislike of large vehicles though as I said.
Why is everything such a struggle. I think I'll watch some football on the telly.
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