Three Cheers for Damp, Dark, and Deep
Rocks, roots, and moss. Oh my.
I love riding bikes in..."variable"...conditions. I especially love the sensory overload that comes with it. I love how simultaneously clean and dirty everything smells during a rain shower. I love the sound of the soil, the rocks, and the trees quenching their thirsts as newborn streams trickle over and around them. I love the visual saturation the comes with inclement weather in the woods. It's a natural phenomena that's particularly lovely to experience while on a bicycle. Splashing through shallow puddles, trying to see how far you're willing to push the edge of traction, testing the grip of rock features, and seeing just how much trust you have in how to theoretically handle those greasy root gardens. They're not easy conditions for the general public, or camera gear, or cycling gear for that matter. Admittedly, I get a bit tired of people banging the "stay off of the trails when they're wet!" drum, but certainly some trails simply don't handle water as well as others, which can be the case even within a given trail network. However, when you do find yourself on a trail that does handle wet weather well, and you're the only one on it; well that's just a little piece of heaven on Earth.
Enter Gene's Trail in Big Bear Lake Camplands, West Virginia. Loam is a term that is often used and abused throughout our parlance as mountain bikers, but I cannot overstate how lovely it is when you find yourself in its presence. The soil composition on Gene's Trail, and the Flow Killa option about 2/3 of the way down it, is a big reason why it works so well even when it's pouring. Additionally, the heavy dose of roots and rocks helps with water absorption, and quite frankly doesn't leave a whole lot of room for clay to set up shop as a trail surface.
This trail is nature's playground at its finest. There are slow and funky rock drops that make you work hard to keep your momentum, and are often begging to be sessioned. You'll occasionally get sendy off of a massive huck-to-flat, or huck-to-off-camber grease trap. There's not a lot of support in the turns, so be ready to put that foot out, or just use this trail to get better at flat corners. Speedy sections come and go throughout the ride, but the smile will likely never fade. These woods are lovely, dark, and deep; and at the end of the day, riding trails like this, whether dry or drenched, is just good, clean fun.
There's not a whole lot of purpose built anything in these here parts, and that's a big part of its allure.
Next time it rains, go find yourself a trail to play on. You're a damn mountain biker, leave the whining for the roadies.
MENTIONS: @briceshirbach / @trailforks
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Looking at this vid the dude is following the general sheep track anyway so wouldnt cause any issues. Ride whatever the weather, whether the weather is fine or otherwise. You read this?
*Taken from Dirt Digglers MTB group*
Out riding early on Sunday – it is pissing rain. I’ve just got a load more tattoo work done so off riding somewhere a bit safe so I won’t stack it. With the rain it was all a bit shit. But I could hear laughing up in the woods, it wasn’t long past 8am!! So further up, there is a couple, looked young thirties, both on Bright Voodoo’s – Muddy Fox and Halfords beginner clothes and you can guess my thoughts.
Her bike was upside down, the chain had fallen between the chainstay and the cassette, they were soaked, mud on them from where they had been down and still laughing.
I helped and fixed their bike and said this place is ok, in bad weather it is a nightmare because the chalk makes it slippy, you should come back and you’ll have more fun.
“I probably won’t have time, this is my last year.” She said.
Last year – you emigrating or something?
“No, I have bone cancer. This is my last year and I don’t know how much of it I will be able to do stuff like this.” They smiled at each other and then she said, “Do you have kids?”
Yeah. I said.
“Then you need to tell them there is no such thing as BAD weather, just weather.”
This has had me bent out of shape all weekend. I was kinda in bits on the ride back.
I know this is heavy and I apologise for that, but you have to remember that for every breath you take someone is taking their last.
Shit bike, old bike, wheel size, north, south, brand, none of it matters. Just ride and be happy.
-Jonny Gibbings"
Think that should go for most things in life. Be happy - ride / dont ride. Just let others be happy too :-)
youtu.be/DenzJiBJWx0
I can think of a handful of trails in central cali that can handle wet riding, mostly sandy well draining stuff and some steeps but 99% just get wrecked (or become no-fun rivers) in the rain
But here in DC, it doesn't matter. It rains 3 times a week and the trails are almost never fully dry anyhow. And, I have to side with Brice - it can be pretty fun to ride in the rain.
I digress... There are trails in socal that do well in the wet. Unfortunately people can be idiots or some might be just from out of town and don't know. It's always tough when it's not your local to know what the deal is. Trailforks should add a ride able in wet conditions checkbox.
Then I dig... in the wet, dry, medium, rare, well done, whatever.
Digging is so much fun and adds a whole new spectrum to mountain biking. If you don't do it, I can see why people might get annoyed at you, so go out and try it! You'll help sustain/create local trails and have fun in the process
Best comment I've read in a long time
Agreed, some of my finest moments on earth. @burnskiez
But tomorrow, don't ride wet trails you naughty naughty children.
Is it the weather that is destroying the trails, or the industrialisation of the sport, the race for numbers and competition against other sporting options and market share and sales volume?
Is there a threshold of the sport for it to be considered sustainable, has it been exceeded?
Yes, I'm single.
I'm not surprised the trail in the video holds up well when wet, it looks like it's mostly rock underneath the surface layer of organics. Gloppy organics aren't my favorite thing to get sprayed by, for sure. But as long as the trail surface itself isn't getting damaged, go for it.
So love this.^ I have a road bike. Did STP one year even. But it is boring as f*ck. Ride on roads, with cars, the same places you drive your car to. Meh. My road bike is in the basement with a thick layer of dust on it. And I like it that way.
Our local trail system is a mixed bag of rideable and not rideable wet trails. Some of them turn into absolute mud pits in the Fall/Spring (for whatever reason we get less rain in the Winter). Others are just wet versions of their Summer selves.So we avoid the slop and ride the damp. And yes, the traction is incredible. It has been really dry here the last two Summers and portions of the trail have turned to slippy loose sand. Not something I'm used to!
But I've also lived places where the trails are even better when really wet and rainy. It just depends on where you live IMO. Judge based on your geography.
Looks wicked. And damned good job getting through that rock garden on the flat. That isn't easy!