MTB Poll Results

OK. So I’m making another post.

I just got this in and had a request to put it up as soon as possible. Thank you to Miriam and Ivar!

The Pro women, and even Pro Men’s data is a little skewed since there were so few of them who took the poll. Click pics for larger versions.

Initial Results:

424 Respondents

1. What type of mountain bike racing do you participate
Cross Country – 84.4% (358) responses
Short Track – 60.8% (258)
Downhill – 7.3% (31)
Ultra Endurance – 12.7% (54)

2. How many OBRA mountain bike races did you do in 2008?
1 race – 28.3% (120)
2 races – 13.0% (55)
3 races – 14.6% (62)
4 races – 7.3% (31)
5 races – 8.7% (37)
6+ races – 28.1% (119)

3. What is your mountain bike category?
Beginner Male – 13% (55)
Beginner Female – 5.4% (23)
Sport Male – 39.9% (169)
Sport Female – 6.1% (26)
Expert Male – 24.8% (105)
Expert Female – 1.9% (8)
Semi-Pro – 5.4% (23)
Pro Male – 2.6% (11)
Pro Female – 0.9% (4)

4. What types of conditions deter your participation in mountain bike races?
Rain – 25.5% (108)
Snow – 38.0% (161)
Hail – 27.1% (115)
Mud – 21.2% (90)
Dust – 8.0% (34)
Heat (>85F) – 15.6% (66)
Cold (<50F) – 12.3%, (52)
Other – 36.6%, (155)
(these varied widely, but many were none of the above and referencing distance of driving)

5. What is the significance of the following in your participation in mountain bike racing? 1=low, 5=high

1 2 3 4 5
Raffles 58.5% (242) 16.4% (68) 15.5% (64) 4.6% (19) 5.1% (21)
Series Points 45.0% (187) 17.1% (71) 17.3% (72) 12.0% (50) 8.7% (36)
Distance of race 12.5% (52) 14.0% (58) 32.5% (135) 28.4% (118) 12.5% (52)
Distance from home 3.3% (14) 3.8% (16) 14.4% (61) 29.2% (124) 49.3% (209)
Family Obligations 20.1% (84) 12.7% (53) 17.9% (75) 17.7% (74) 31.6% (132)

6. What months of the year would you most like to race mountain bikes?
January – 4.0% (17) insane people
February – 5.5% (23) weird people
March – 15.9% (67)
April – 38.9% (164)
May – 73.9% (312)
June – 89.1% (376)
July – 83.9% (350)
August – 72.7% (307)
September – 55% (232)
October – 25.1% (106)
November – 6.6% (28)
December – 3.3% (14) also insane

7. How Frequently would you prefer to race mountain bikes per month?
1 – 21.5% (90)
2 – 53.0% (222)
3 – 12.6% (53)
4 – 9.8% (41)
5+ - 3.1% (13)

8. Other than mountain biking, in which other cycling activities do you participate?
Road Racing – 63.2% (268)
Commuting – 69.1% (293)
Track – 13.2% (56)
Fitness – 56.6% (240)
Triathlons – 10.8% (46)
Cyclocross – 74.8% (317)
Zoo Bombing – 2.6% (11)

9. Average Age
Under 18 – 4.0% (17)
18-24 – 5.4%(23)
25-29 – 12.0% (51)
30-34 – 17.2% (73)
35-39 – 24.8% (105)
40-44 – 19.3% (82)
45-49 – 9.4% (40)
50-54 – 5.2% (22)
55-59 – 1.9% (8)
60+ - 0.7% (3)
(Note this is pretty close to perfect bell curve)