Sportisim (Bikeism)

[Techno Destructo]

Although I think most of the animosity from skaters is simply elitism, there's valid reasons as to why they might not want MTBs at their park.

1. Bikes are bigger and would probably cause more damage if you got smoked by one (with or without a rider on it...)
2. Bikes don't have the limits that skateboards do, in terms of available places to do it (skaters need smooth paved surfaces and skaters are also perpetually hassled by the man). If you did a sport that had VERY few locations where you wouldn't get fined, and your gear worked it's best, wouldn't you get annoyed with somebody who could do his/her thing ANYWHERE, but chose your tiny, limited area?

I don't skate (well, I can ollie, but that's about it), and I hate the elitist nature of the sport, but ya gotta respect the good skaters. That, with surfing, is a true "investment" sport.

Now, getting dissed by BMXers... that's just pure elitism!!!

 

[dick]

hey skaters kinda do have priority, as gay as it is.
it is a skatepark and we have dirt jumps, well not really but u know what i mean.
stress less..... hehe
as for the bmxer, fuck em cause its their problem that they dont have brakes.

u can ride at parks when there not crowded and u shouldnt get kicked out.

 

[wombat]

Mate if you can ollie you're half way there....well not really but it's one of the hardest things to get your head around.

I've also had a similar debate before about bikes in parks, and while some of it is elitism (you get them everywhere) a lot of it is just about proving your worth. While many skaters hate bmx's being in the parks because they have similar problems to our big bikes but I'll get to that, bmx's have been there for long enough to prove they belong. Once a good rider pulls a big line in a park nobody will hassle them (unless they're those shitty little kids).

As for the problems with bikes, the collision thing is a good argument. I can say I've been on both sides, the bike and the skater, and while both impacts where just park accidents, when they're busy you get that, I was much happier on the bike, trust me you're much better off.
As for damaging the park, if you bail and let your bike fly through the air it's quite easy for a pedal to take a chip out of the concrete. While a little ship might not bother you, Murphy's law says it will be in the middle of a runup to a rail and will be just big enough to catch a skateboard wheel and throw the skater to the ground.

I spose the only solution is to persevere. Be polite to people that deserve it, but by the same token, don't take too much lip from those little brats. Also, use the park the way it is meant to be used: grind jump manual etc. If you're just there to wheelie drop off a block or something don't bother, go find a loading dock or something and don't take up the room in the park. Things will get better as we earn respect. It's happened with the DJs, so now we've just gotta start over in the new arena.

 

[curtisrider]

just tell em straight out
'too bad you cant afford a bike like this, oh sorry you cant even afford brakes"
i don't really mind em though i know a coupla BMX's at the local skatepark so i generally have no problems.

 

[S.]

just tell em straight out
'too bad you cant afford a bike like this, oh sorry you cant even afford brakes"
i don't really mind em though i know a coupla BMX's at the local skatepark so i generally have no problems.

That is SUCH a dumb thing to say... come on Mark, you know better than that.

 

[Techno Destructo]

Also, use the park the way it is meant to be used: grind jump manual etc. If you're just there to wheelie drop off a block or something don't bother, go find a loading dock or something and don't take up the room in the park.

Well said. If you can do your "thing" (whatever it is you're working on at the time...) anywhere, then leave the park for people who need it more than you. Only use the park if you can't get what you need anywhere else... like grinding, or a particular kind of hip/ramp/feature/etc... (and even then, try looking around first - we're not on little skateboard wheels, y'know...).




"too bad you cant afford a bike like this, oh sorry you cant even afford brakes"?

So does that line get you respect at the park? :roll:

 

[curtisrider]

haha me and james said it face to face to some hard-ass BMX's at daimo skatepark and got chased for ages until thier westy-smokedout lungs couldn't keep up anymore. :lol:

 

[S.]

That is elitism at its height... seriously dumb thing to say.

 

[curtisrider]

whatd'ya mean eliteism they were saying that because mtb's are shit we had to pay $2 to get into the skatepark so we gave em some of thier own back to em.

 

[Techno Destructo]

No dude. That ranks up there with the worst/dumbest/least thought out line anybody could say.

Not only do you look like a wanker (will you be saying the same thing about your luxury SUV later in life?), but you do the MTB community NO favours with crap like that.

I don't know how old you are, but I sure hope your parents didn't buy you your bike...

 

[S.]

No dude. That ranks up there with the worst/dumbest/least thought out line anybody could say.

Not only do you look like a wanker (will you be saying the same thing about your luxury SUV later in life?), but you do the MTB community NO favours with crap like that.

I don't know how old you are, but I sure hope your parents didn't buy you your bike...

I agree...

 

[Ryan]

I ride 2 or 3 times a week at a skatepark down the road from me and never catch any lip from anyone.
I think the "we can ride anywhere while skaters need skateparks" argument works both ways. Nothing pisses me off more than a skater sitting in the middle of a flat area of the park trying to kickflip or whatever, that sort of crap can be practiced anywhere too and doesn't need to take up space in a skatepark.
My only etiquette rule is to keep my eyes open and not cut anyone off mid-line.
At a park, show respect and give props to someone who's good at their chosen sport, don't be a dick to people. If a skater nails a tough line they've been working on for ages, clap your bloody hands and make a bit of noise for em, nothings worse than inter-sport elitism.
I learnt to ride fakie off a BMXer at the park in exchange for showing him how to pan over a hip, so obviously not all of them are dicks, give them some respect and they're likely to show some back.

 

[oz-freerider]

i agree with that.

at the parks thats what i make sure of to not get in some ones way mid line only time i had a prob was when a skater fell and his skate board went flying under my front wheel.. so i went flying now if this had been done to some ppl they would of gotten up and abused the skate firstly i got asked if i was ok and then i asked if he was then got my bike and rode off theres no need to abuse them cause the fall and stuff like that thats what gives us a bad names so try being nice if they arnt nice to u then ignore them.

 

[S.]

; : . the ing . , . , , . ' . ,


You missed those ^ josh.

 

[oz-freerider]

have a cry
*hands socket a tissue*

 

[wombat]

i agree with that.

at the parks thats what i make sure of to not get in some ones way mid line only time i had a prob was when a skater fell and his skate board went flying under my front wheel.. so i went flying now if this had been done to some ppl they would of gotten up and abused the skate firstly i got asked if i was ok and then i asked if he was then got my bike and rode off theres no need to abuse them cause the fall and stuff like that thats what gives us a bad names so try being nice if they arnt nice to u then ignore them.

Exactly. That sort of stuff happens, no need to blow up over it.

 

[Simo]

it's pretty pbvious that there will always be dispute between people that play any sport.
Just gotta live with it and move on.

 

[curtisrider]

No dude. That ranks up there with the worst/dumbest/least thought out line anybody could say.

Not only do you look like a wanker (will you be saying the same thing about your luxury SUV later in life?), but you do the MTB community NO favours with crap like that.

I don't know how old you are, but I sure hope your parents didn't buy you your bike...

I agree...

Nup, bought em both myself.

 

[bazza]

yerr most of em dont have front brakes cause if you put them on or accidently slam the or anything your pretty much rooted. plus it also works as a hesitation thing. i rode a tech track sooo nice when my front brakes where slipping. damnnn fork oil.

 

[duncan^kona]

whats all this no brakes on bmx's crap, i meen i dont rid ebmx, never have and never will coz i an 6'5" and growing and also it stupid a little thing that tiny but neway, have u ppl not heard of giro????????????? last time i checked most bmxers did have brakes.........i know thats gonna stir a bit of shit but hey, truth hurts..