The Conundrum: More Shocks or More Shovels?
"Conundrum Corner"
I’m alone in the woods with a shovel, and I don’t know what to do. I’ve been putting in work to clean up the first rideable trail of the season. I’ve removed the fallen trees and branches, I’ve repaired the drainage, and I’ve raked away the layer of wet leaves glued to the trail. I even shoveled snow from one fifty foot shaded stretch (after such a long U.P. winter I need to ride!). I’ve worked my way down the trail to one of my favorite corners, and I’m frozen with indecision. The harsh weather has eroded (some might say evolved) it into a completely new animal. Near vertical roots now line the inside of this berm like the jaw of some wheel-eating, fork-exploding, iron-toothed monster. I can tell that to ride this turn properly (fast) I need a new bike with more suspension, or I need to smooth out the berm.
This little trail isn’t anything crazy, but as I play last year’s laps in my head, I know that it can be so exhilarating. If I managed to string together all the earlier corners just right I’d arrive at this corner in a rush of wind and speed. Just as the trail drops down this tiny foot-tall catch berm carves to the right. Leaning into it my bike goes light. The little knobules of my front Assegai tire do their best to claw for some grip, but there’s just no gravity left to give them the downforce they need.
The resulting two-wheel drift across the trail is one of my favorite out-of-control yet in-control feelings. If I float over this berm, it is a guaranteed catastrophic Moto GP ragdoll crash but thankfully… WHAM! The catch berm does its catching, the g-forces stack up, and I’m slingshotted out the other side. I’m flooded with enough adrenaline that the climb back up is completed with a grin. This little berm can take all the speed you bring it. Or at least it used to be that way.
"We search out more and more challenging terrain and then buy bikes with more suspension and technology to make that same terrain easier to ride."
If I want this toothy and blown out berm to be as fun as last year I can only see two options: More suspension or a smoother trail. This is the conundrum I don’t fully understand about mountain biking. We search out more and more challenging terrain and then buy bikes with more suspension and technology to make that same terrain easier to ride. I don’t know what the rules are for balancing this puzzle. Do I leave this trail to erode and deteriorate until I need a DH rig to ride it? Or do I make it BMX track smooth? Or is there an accepted middle ground? And if I do make it smoother where do I stop? Should I smooth out the corner before it? The whole trail? And maybe the next trail? Should I just pave the whole place?
I asked master trail builder Ted Tempany for some words of wisdom and he returned, “My favorite trails have been built and maintained by a small group of like-minded people; the trail has a consistent feel, sheds water, and feels alive.” That makes sense to me, but then he also off-handedly said, “It is hard to please everyone, don’t bother! Build something for yourself. It’s your free time after all.”
Is there a right answer to the question “more shocks or more shovels?” I drew up some t-shirt designs that I hope can solve the problem. They’ll act as a kind of mountain biker’s psychological test. I’ll run the votes through Outside’s AI supercomputer and see what I should do with my corner.
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Member since Aug 3, 2018
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There are several reasons why it is so offensive, besides just being a bad trail.
First, its in the best terrain Utah has to offer, and now no real trail can be built there. I used to daydream of a trail starting at the top of Guardsmans that went all the way down to Midway. Thats a potential vertical change of 3700 feet, all of it through amazing terrain. Now no other trail will be permitted there because this mistake exists already.
Second is all the normal reasons why these flow trails suck. Its almost a double track with more switchbacks than any other trail in existence. It never varies in gradient. On strava the elevation profile is a straight line down at a gentle, constant 3%. The trail is machine-forced onto the mountainside, somehow always hugging south faces, despite the abundance of north northeast faces. It ignores the local terrain and rapes its way down the mountain. Etc.
Third- you can't make the excuse "its a beginner trail" because its high, remote, and takes forever to ride. A least 2 hours for beginners, if not more. You never get up to speed because of the gentle grade and switchbacks, so you're constantly pedalling DOWN A TRAIL WITH 2300 FEET OF VERTICAL DROP.
I could go on and on and on. Years after I rode it for the first and only time I'm still hurt deeply by its existence.
I would much rather have natural intimate trail over flow trails.
I agree that it's a shame but honestly it's the type of trail that appeals to a broad group of lower skill users and that's where the money tends to go. And scraping and starting over ain't gonna happen.
-W
I have a good mix at the riding area closest to my house. It’s amazing. Some raw, technical, brain-scrambling trails; some nice flowy trails (some with jump lines and some more tame); and some in between that offer a little of both. Oh, and some nice flat stuff with nothing exciting for the XC folks.
My point really was that there's no good intermediate blue/black stuff. It's either Jenni's level sidewalk riding or it's falling down a steep rut for 4 minutes so you can spend 60 minutes pedaling back up. The whole mountain is basically wasted this way, and WOW is a symptom of this type of trail building as well.
Its kinda sad the the only exception kinda close also happens to be the best trail kinda close- Mill D. Since it was naturally formed by like sheepherders or whatever, its so freaking fun. All natural, no features (even tho I love good, raw features), high speed, flowy, etc. I'm sad they took out the steep part for the switchbacks in the middle.
(the newish trails starting at Guardsmans that drop toward Brighton are actually better, but we dont' talk about those)
We probably have the most bleeding heart environmental doomsday preachers out of any other state but god forbid any of the people crying about global warming cut down on their consumption or pollution.
you sound fragile af being afraid of a little horsie doo-doo lol.
Take that speed and turn it along the bench cut for little while, or let it flow back uphill, use it for a jump or feature.
Anything other than a straight downhill section good for nothing but hard braking.
Tiger Mountain is a lot of anti-flow, in my experience. Seems like it’s built that way since it gets so much bike traffic… Hell, I find that Predator is the flowiest offering in that system.
Well what the f*ck is this person telling me for?!
No trails will stay a secret ever and you are naive for thinking they will. There was a "secret" spot near me years ago, ohhhh big secret, don't say anything... how about the 15+ f*cking trucks parked within view of a god damn hwy every single day? Getting mad about it is a huge waste of your time. If you have ever told a single soul about any potentially secret trail, regardless of how trustworthy the person was that you told you are just as guilty.
Companies are profiting from using the trails for product testing, promotional videos, etc. All see value in it, but some contribute, some don’t. Some have even set up shop at the base of these trails, causing a spike in traffic as evidenced by a huge increase in trail wear.
Just would be nice to have support since it sounds like everyone deserves to be there. Go build a trail then report back with your feelings.
Even when a system is well designed, some people complain that a trail got "dumbed down". If it's an advanced trail, that may be a fair statement, but if a blue trail was restored to grade, that's how it should ride. Even an advanced trail may need drainage issues addressed-and tough noogies if that means you lost your favorite 3 ratchets through a rock garden.
A lot of trails are machine/contractor built. The folks who build these trails usually get paid by the linear foot, so they have a very strong incentive to churn out trail pretty quickly. The result is the MTB equivalent of Olive Garden-high quantity, but without the spark of creativity and effort needed to build a really great trail. Arkansas is Exhibit A of a massive trailbuilding project undertaken almost exclusively by commercial builders.
Handbuilt trails done right are the best, lines like Captain Ahab are both durably built, challenging and handle erosional issues well. The problem with handbuilding trail is that it's extremely time consuming. Also, a good local builder will choose the BEST line to build, not the fastest, time be damned!! Where a commercial builder might put in a 7-8 mile line in one summer, it might take that long to put in a mile of really sick handbuilt singletrack.
So-if possible, volunteer to do trail work. Learn how to address existing trail issues, then how to lay out and build trails. If you show up at every chance, if you offer your time sometimes you juuuuust might get to build a trail the way you want it. It's absolutely possible to build trails at all difficulty levels that are fun to ride. It's possible to build lines that highlight and celebrate local geology and landscapes rather than just a line cut in with a mini-ex. But it takes communities of dedicated riders willing to burn some time they could spend riding McTrails digging to get there.
It's not your bike's fault if you're boring.
I’m an older rider who has seen all these changes and it’s sad. I see it happening everywhere I go. It’s going to be the end of technical riding soon. But we will still ride our 180 mm bikes and buy short travel bikes and put cascade components links on them to make them more DH competent…ok…gotta end the ranting!
Sounds like my local trail chapter. I really don't understand the whole "sustainable" trails argument. Please tell me how using gas powered machinery to level and widen the trail by 4', clearing more trees/roots/rocks/brush in the process more sustainable that a natural fall line trail?
So, it's always a trail by trail basis and ultimately has much more to do with skill (aka, intended rider) than bike type. We all know beginners who will go ass over head on a 180mm e-bike on a flow trail just because they don't know how to corner... While certain local legends will ride a hardtail 27.5 down a trail I'm white knuckling on a mid travel 29er.
You can't please everybody. You don't wanna please nobody. So you do your best to maintain variety on a trail while making sure it's not sending heli visits to the area and causing concern among parents/local residents.
My take? I don’t need to have butter smooth flow trails - though they have their place and are heaps of fun - I just want the equipment to work for *all possible conditions*. Call me over-biked, if you will. And always grinnin’ as a result.
But I agree, the topic is a really interesting one. I'd suspect that the answer might be somewhere in the "how much maintenance does it take to keep the trail in its ideal form" sort of area. Because while a super smooth amazing berm might be great... if that only lasts a short time that might not be a great trail design. By the same token, without maintenance, most trails erode away and become either much more difficult, and different experience than intended, or even potentially unrideable/dangerous if left long enough
And before I get any accusations, all I worked on was the turnpike and clearing drains - both of which definitely needed to be done. Unless you like riding through small lakes, I guess
Regarding gatekeeping and listening to folks. All our maintenence days are available to the public and promoted on social media and various websites. The problem is the number of folks that show up is vastly outnumbered by those who complain online. I don't hide and am really easy to get hold off. Folks do reach out and usually come away with a change in opinion. Of course they are the ones that are interested in a discussion and have a somewhat open mind.
There's so many factors that effect a build. Land managers, available resources, dirt conditions, underlying bedrock, there's a lot of variables and usually it's a combination of factors.
I get that people live busy lives but so do many of those that build and maintain trails. It's a matter of priorities, if you can't attend one dig day a year then you really don't care that much. Those that have attended rarely are the ones complaining as they have an understanding of the complexities and if they do they are listened to because you know they are talking from a position of understanding.
There is a reason bulders used rock in the past, if you do basic drainage and some work with "gold", you can keep your work going year after year. I rode 7th Secret in early April, the gold was completely gone (trail was gold buffed and smoothed over the summer, as they try to do with Expresso every season), the rock work was coming apart, because they tried to just bury it all in "gold" instead of properly anchoring the rocks into the trail.
I have used the same method, it is time cheap and easy, but it only works on trails with little or no traffic.
For me (as a trail maintainer), the goal has always been to keep the trail running consistently, with the least amount of maintenance/time per trail.
Berms are for machine built bike parks, they will not work in mass use pedal accessed trails, without a shit ton of labour every season (see Upper Dales). I have friends who have spent a whole season building a 10 second section of flow/berms, the maintenance is not worth the build, it is 20 hours every year to keep 10 seconds of trail going. I am now trying to keep this 10 seconds going, but I will be time cheap and easy, because it doesn't make any difference.
Meanwhile old trails that have got too blown out, or never really worked in the first place, are returning to nature, probably just for a few years until someone rediscovers them and builds them into something new and different.
So, if you are lucky enough to have this kind of situation, fix that berm enough that it works how it used to, then turn your attention to something new.
After spending years of fighting the war for trail access, and arguably winning; are we now at war with the trail organizations?
We wanted more trails, but now we just have more trail police...
HAHA
I only complain when the trails become too wide and full of braids (Lower Oilcan right now), the ditches have become the main line, because they are the lowest/easiest lines.
That's my ideal trail - have some steep gnar sections broken up with berms and fat groomer lips and transitions on the same trail. We do trails a disservice by segregating flow/berms/jumps and gnar/tech/rocks/roots into separate trails.
I ride a flow trail at least once a week so I can hang out with my Dad and help him progress as a rider. A couple years later and he's feeling confident enough to tackle some proper trails. We are doing a trip to Brevard in a few weeks - made possible by the steady progression he was able to make on machine built trails!
But if it was a rooted mess before the winter, and is a bigger rooted mess now, a mess it should remain.
I like those perfect trails in the Alps you could go as fast as you can,but in general ridding natural trails is more skill demanding.
That, and no matter how light your touch, someone will scream that you're an awful person for sanitizing their favorite rock.
Myself along with a few other local riders who live within a quarter mile of the trail head have suggested that the horseback riders have their own trails and we have ours since they come from the complete other side of the park to ride on these trails. If I could post pictures of the damage they have done, I would.
Short of hauling in a sub base, something I can do as there is a disused gravel quarry on the site, what are the best approaches to having the trails drain well? I’ve put in culverts in a couple of spots to allow the natural flow of water to be concentrated through and they’ve seemed to help. I’ve built gaps over creeks and channels too. Should I be concentrating on water flow first, and then fitting the trail around that water flow? Is there any advice in general for dealing with drainage? The ground is a mixture of granite (slabs, rocks, gravel), rich loam, pea gravel, and a little bit of sand in parts where rivers and creeks used to flow. There isn’t much clay, so the ground does drain. There’s just lots of places where there isn’t much between the top soil and bedrock, so the water seems to pool effectively.
1) Work on your skills not my trail
2) I need to cut every root out of your trail
is around me, man made forest, hill tracks, animal paths, street urban sprawl etc
Most of the time its a hard tail with loads of bounce up front, just adapt to the way it is,
I'm appy : )
Maybe some days you want to ride one or the other? I like rowdy, but some days I just want to ride a trail that doesn’t want to kill me. Maybe I need to drink more Ultra Beast Mode :/
Glad to see you working on Pinkbike, Taj!
Who's this "we"? I buy more suspension and technology so my bike can handle me trying, and maybe failing at, new stuff without disintegrating, not to make things easier.
I've been riding some local trails for over two decades, starting on late-90s hardtails, through to 120mm short-and-steep early trail bikes, now on modern 150/160mm long-and-slack AM/enduro bikes, and this shit ain't getting any easier. I just keep trying new ways up, down, and across the trails, and the bikes keep lasting longer.
If your trails are boring, maybe you're boring.
Writing this, I see I'm becoming an old fart.
Seems like 70 % of rider ride the only seen path , i love to create those french lines and incorporate them. A rider once followed me and remarked , that should be illegal to ride like that . i asked him why ? , he answered cause , it s the best run he ever had !!.
What is no good is a locale that only has a single type of trail.
I want my trails a with as little building as possible, just a narrow path cleared of debris, maybe a small catch-berm here and there on the steepest turns, and the odd log to support a narrow hand-cut bench on a traverse. The rest is down to the rider, the bike and the challenge of riding whatever nature has put in the way.
"I brought two helmets for a reason"
ALSO, the "I wonder if the trail could have suspension built into it" is criminally under voted right now.
I always wonder why people don't like it when riders get on trail right after a rain. Sure, I understand "respect the trail," and I know the builder put a lot of work into it. I just feel like part of the reason to build skills is to be able to ride rougher sections. Let the bumps come!
Round 6: That is not an OR but an AND!
B) Trails
OFF-CAMBER CAN BE RIDDEN
All trails should be prognarcore! Send out a mass text to all the bro-brah’s and core-ha’s and powershred the gnargnar. So rad. Your so rad! It’s bichin and Sickbird and being stuck at home with Covid is NOT!!!!