Not talking pro level, but the average guy. A guy who has been riding 5 yrs for instance. 
Who make a better rider, MX or Off road guy??
- Thread starter MikeinFresno
- Start date
Loaded question! I think an enduro/hare scramble guy would get smoked on a track because clearing doubles isn't in the bag of tricks. I think an MX guy would get smoked in a Hare Scramble because crossing a stream into a 3 foot vertical bank with a slimey off camber root filled uphill afterward isn't in their bag of tricks. I would have to give the nod to the Enduro/HS guy overall. I think their endurance, stamina, and on-trail problem solving skills make them a better rider in general. You can learn a track. A track doesn't have roots, big rocks, rutted hill climbs, big water, and unexpected obstacles. You can't really learn a 10 mile course of wildly varying terrain in a HS.
A HS lasts 2-3 hours. A moto is 20 mins. The MX pits are a couple of yards off the track. The pits in a HS can be miles away. An MX guy has to be fashionable and sport the best graphics and matching anodized billet aluminum whatzits. The HS guy just needs some wrenches, zip ties, and a hose at the end or the race!
An MX guy would be looking to improve lap times. A HS guy would be found in the parking lot looking for the rest of the track after one lap!
An MX guy posts in the "Who has the best looking" threads. A HS guy posts in the "How do I get this branch outta my ass" threads.
A HS lasts 2-3 hours. A moto is 20 mins. The MX pits are a couple of yards off the track. The pits in a HS can be miles away. An MX guy has to be fashionable and sport the best graphics and matching anodized billet aluminum whatzits. The HS guy just needs some wrenches, zip ties, and a hose at the end or the race!
An MX guy would be looking to improve lap times. A HS guy would be found in the parking lot looking for the rest of the track after one lap!
An MX guy posts in the "Who has the best looking" threads. A HS guy posts in the "How do I get this branch outta my ass" threads.
Mike - here's my thoughts: Both types of riding take slightly different skill sets but I think that a good MX rider would transition a little faster to off road conditions than a good off-road rider can transition to a track. What do I know? My son and I can have a reasonably good ride together off road/trails but it isn't a fair foot race on a track - he would lap me before I would make a complete lap. Know what I'm saying? 
Ok I DID IT AGAIN!!! I wrote this big ass post and the hit the cancel button instead of the reply button
As i was saying is I've only gone to the track two times and its been in the last 2-3 weeks and the track seems to be a little more diifficult to me cuz you have to jump all the time and i am a little to scared to hit them at the right speed. They tell me at the track that i just need to get more track time cuz i have the skillz. On the other hand when i go out to the dez i am always in the top gears for the most part haulin ass of course I've ben playin in the desert for years off and on threw life.I seem to have a lot more fun trail riding but will be going to the track a lot more cuz i think it will make me a better rider.... and they have lights there too you can ride at night , its gettin a little warm in vegas right now.
To answer the question I would have to give it to the MXers cuz they have the balls to clear those jumps and then the trail riders for there versatility and preparedness.
And for those that can do both...............
As i was saying is I've only gone to the track two times and its been in the last 2-3 weeks and the track seems to be a little more diifficult to me cuz you have to jump all the time and i am a little to scared to hit them at the right speed. They tell me at the track that i just need to get more track time cuz i have the skillz. On the other hand when i go out to the dez i am always in the top gears for the most part haulin ass of course I've ben playin in the desert for years off and on threw life.I seem to have a lot more fun trail riding but will be going to the track a lot more cuz i think it will make me a better rider.... and they have lights there too you can ride at night , its gettin a little warm in vegas right now. To answer the question I would have to give it to the MXers cuz they have the balls to clear those jumps and then the trail riders for there versatility and preparedness.
And for those that can do both...............
hmm... i have to disagree. i have personally seen mx'ers come to harescramble races and quit after the 1st lap
they called us crazy and didn't even wait for the race to end so we could make fun of them for quitting 
they just told our friends that were there with us that we were nutz and loaded up and took off these guys are good on moto-x track though, just my .02MX teaches you cornering, aggressivness and now the jumping. When i was a kid racing MX there were only natural jumps. The new stuff scares me, but i could probly learn it if I decided to work thru the fear. Take an MX guy to the dez and make him go up n down the hills or thru the rock pile and they melt. Some cant do it at all and never return to ride the dez again. An off road guy can get all around an MX track, even if he is slow and cant do doubles, but he can make it around. You definitely need to do both a few times to learn the skills the other doesnt teach you. Like starting an MX and into the first corner. Nothing like it for sure. Just as nothing like a dez start when its dusty and there are 200 bikes going at the same time.
How many guys have you taken out to ride off road and they are telling you how good they are, etc, and they cant even keep up with the fast kids? Ive had it lots of times. My wife rides pretty good too. She humiliates the guys as she passes them up a gnarly trail where they have stalled or just goes over the edge of a downhill without stopping to look. Its funny to see the guys looks and then later around the camp fire the excuses. Next day they have loaded up and left for home. The wife called or somethings wrong with my bike is the story most times.
How many guys have you taken out to ride off road and they are telling you how good they are, etc, and they cant even keep up with the fast kids? Ive had it lots of times. My wife rides pretty good too. She humiliates the guys as she passes them up a gnarly trail where they have stalled or just goes over the edge of a downhill without stopping to look. Its funny to see the guys looks and then later around the camp fire the excuses. Next day they have loaded up and left for home. The wife called or somethings wrong with my bike is the story most times.
I've got the proof!
There was an article in Dirt Rider from a few years ago that addresses this subject. It was written by a guy that's raced both MX & desert. If I can find the rag when I get home I'll scan it and post it here. It's a good read-
From an off-road racers perspective I know most desert guys (me included) can't corner without getting off the bike and making a manual three-point turn. That's what I plan to work on, because that's my #1 weakness.
Most MX guys I've ridden with can handle the open desert, but they can't read the desert well enough to ride at speed and the dust freaks them out. I know one MX guy in particular who came out to a desert race and went home after watching the first line take off for the bomb run.
There was an article in Dirt Rider from a few years ago that addresses this subject. It was written by a guy that's raced both MX & desert. If I can find the rag when I get home I'll scan it and post it here. It's a good read-
From an off-road racers perspective I know most desert guys (me included) can't corner without getting off the bike and making a manual three-point turn. That's what I plan to work on, because that's my #1 weakness.
Most MX guys I've ridden with can handle the open desert, but they can't read the desert well enough to ride at speed and the dust freaks them out. I know one MX guy in particular who came out to a desert race and went home after watching the first line take off for the bomb run.
I've never riden in those conditions but I have seen some of those starts where the dust is so bad that you can't see anything. I have no idea how those guys keep their speed up. I have ridden in similar conditions with snow dust on a snowmobile and no way, no how would I continue at pace.
I'd like to read that article NS!
One thing that you dez racers don't consider that eastern riders must...trees, roots, water hazards, and weather. (yeah, I know about the wind) None of these come into play in normal off road desert riding or Socal MX.
Is your avatar a real pic of yourself or do you have Jesus locked in your kitchen?
I've never riden in those conditions but I have seen some of those starts where the dust is so bad that you can't see anything. I have no idea how those guys keep their speed up. I have ridden in similar conditions with snow dust on a snowmobile and no way, no how would I continue at pace.
The bombs the most dangerous part of the race. The adrenaline surge after the banner drops helps keep you motivated to keep it pinned, but flying blind is a sketch and a half!
I’ve never gone down on the bomb (knock on wood) but I did have a collision with a guy on a KTM when our trails merged. We must have slammed into each other going 50mph and we just bounced off in different directions – neither of us went down. How we didn’t end up in a heap is beyond me…
I'd like to read that article NS!
One thing that you dez racers don't consider that eastern riders must...trees, roots, water hazards, and weather. (yeah, I know about the wind) None of these come into play in normal off road desert riding or Socal MX.
Is your avatar a real pic of yourself or do you have Jesus locked in your kitchen?
The #1 plate holder in my class for 2009 is in my club. He’s raced his entire life and has raced GNCC. I asked him how district races differed from GNCC. He told me in order to win district races, you needed big balls; to win GNCC you needed mad skills.
I’d get eaten alive in the tight, twisty stuff, because I can’t turn worth a damn, but I can keep a pretty good pace in the desert without killing myself in a G-out or grenading a rock!
Oh yeah, that is me AND I have Jesus locked in my kitchen!
I’ve thought about it Carl! Get in good with the hippy crowd that likes to bobby trap trails and go undercover.
By the way, I found the rag – There are more articles in the MX vs. Off-Road series, but I thought this one summed it up nicely:
(EDIT: If you click the image it will open in a separate window and you can enlarge)
Thx for postin it. Two 
i cant say from experience because i dont have a lot in either... owned my first bike for 2 months now... But i feel like both complement each other in different ways. The trails complement the track in the sense of knowing that you have to look where you are going and in being able to pick a line. The track is giving me some skills in cornering..getting the wheels off the ground and in knowing where i should be positioning my body on the bike.
One advantage that goes for the track is the fact that there is USUALLY better people around that i can get advice from... almost ever person i have talked to at the track has great advice considering they are watching me from the sideline sometimes. So the knowledge one can gain at the track is HUGE compared to the trail when you go out by yourself. Remember tho this comes from someone who is just learning the ins and outs of riding a dirt bike at the track and on the trail. Also i only know PBK in real life and id say we are pretty close to skill levels so i dont have a huge sack of knowledgeable people that i have rode trails with. Trails people tend to stick to their own groups and you dont really meet new people out on a trail to get advice from.
One advantage that goes for the track is the fact that there is USUALLY better people around that i can get advice from... almost ever person i have talked to at the track has great advice considering they are watching me from the sideline sometimes. So the knowledge one can gain at the track is HUGE compared to the trail when you go out by yourself. Remember tho this comes from someone who is just learning the ins and outs of riding a dirt bike at the track and on the trail. Also i only know PBK in real life and id say we are pretty close to skill levels so i dont have a huge sack of knowledgeable people that i have rode trails with. Trails people tend to stick to their own groups and you dont really meet new people out on a trail to get advice from.
Race Desert!
no doubt the most insane racing.
ive been riding almost 6 years now. i got my 1st bike at 40 and it was a street bike. soon discovered that was dangerous. so i got a 2t 250 and rode trails for a couple years. tight gnarly single track. technical climbing....
so a buddy tricks me into riding a track. i was scared (and emotionally scarred), but the terror challenged me. so i started riding local tracks. it turned into an obsession. 1-2 x's a week for a couple years. the interesting thing was when i went back to riding offroad with enduro racers i had rode with, i went from back of the pack to harrassing the leader. my speed had improved by leaps and bounds.
i was really surprised. like someone previously posted, the track improves cornering, aggression, speed, and jumping obstacles too...