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Technical Trails and you
April 11, 2013
Technical Trails and you
Riding mountain bikes consumes me. From the time my feet hit the floor to the time my head hits the pillow, that’s what I think about. And sometime between those two events my dreams usually have a bike in there somewhere.
Yes it is the physical nature of the sport that draws me in. To keep in shape and to realize what my body can do and what pain I can endure to achieve the pleasure. It is the ability to test yourself, to push yourself. And that just doesn’t come from suffering through climbs or hours in the saddle on the trail. It also comes from doing something that you are not sure you can do or that scares or intimidates you. To overcome that fear is the rush that I seek. I love to climb. But it is the descent that I live for. I love riding technical trails. To me, that’s what mountain biking is. This may not be the same for you or for every rider, well……………… That’s what some may think but it’s not reality. A technical trail for you may not be a technical trail for me, but that is what makes us all mountain bikers and not road riders. Every trail is technical compared to riding on pavement. That first time riding down singletrack , the first foray into the woods was a technical challenge. If you have been riding a mountain bike for a while you take a lot of it for granted. Braking, shifting, not looking at the rock, avoiding the tree, rolling down the first hill on that flat trail. These are all technical challenges for the new rider. I’ve been there, we’ve all been there. As you spend more time riding your bike you seek out new challenges. Maybe it’s making it up a climb, or just not puking trying to keep up with your friends. Or maybe it’s riding over that log, or down those rocks, or that first jump or drop. To me this is heroin. This is what I must have, what I cannot live without. I love to push my limits and expand what I can do on my bike. I think that is one commonality that all mountain bikes have. So of course it’s natural to want to try something that you have not done before. To look at a line and think, ‘I can do that’. That is how you become a better rider.
There are some unwritten rules in mountain biking that if you’ve been riding for a long time they are just ingrained in you. You don’t have to think about it you just know. Uphill rider has the right of way, ride don’t slide, be nice to other riders and say ‘hello’, be nice to hikers even if they are not. But this is about technical trails and there is something that is happening WAY TOO MUCH! If you didn’t build the trail then don’t change the trail! If you happen upon something that you can’t ride over, don’t move it or make a new line around it! If you can’t ride it, walk it!! On far too many trails here in our valley there are too many logs or rocks or whatever that have been cut or moved to make it easier for someone. Or there are new lines being cut in because riders can’t, or don’t want to ride the established line. This is unacceptable!
A classic example of this is on the original Three Blind Mice Trail, at the top of the figure eight where for at least 10 years there were logs with chain ring bites on them, from people riding over them, that were cut out of the trail because it was too hard for one particular person or group. There have been countless rocks moved and lines smoothed on long established trails to make it easier for someone. This is wrong and if you don’t agree then you are wrong. There are now ‘alternate’ lines in multiple places starting to form on ‘Jake the Snake’ which was created to be a technically challenging trail. Once again, this is unacceptable.
As our sport becomes more popular and attracts more riders, perhaps it is then time to start to talk about this and other mountain bike ‘rules’ with more riders.
Keep singletrack single. If you didn’t build it, don’t change it. If you can’t ride it, walk it. Talk with your riding partners about how they clear a section and try it. Help other riders expand their skills and try something new.
Pushing yourself and doing something a little out of your comfort zone is what this sport is all about. If you’re comfortable with how and what you ride then that’s great. Just don’t mess it up for the rest of us.
TOPSOG.
Technical Trails and you
Riding mountain bikes consumes me. From the time my feet hit the floor to the time my head hits the pillow, that’s what I think about. And sometime between those two events my dreams usually have a bike in there somewhere.
Yes it is the physical nature of the sport that draws me in. To keep in shape and to realize what my body can do and what pain I can endure to achieve the pleasure. It is the ability to test yourself, to push yourself. And that just doesn’t come from suffering through climbs or hours in the saddle on the trail. It also comes from doing something that you are not sure you can do or that scares or intimidates you. To overcome that fear is the rush that I seek. I love to climb. But it is the descent that I live for. I love riding technical trails. To me, that’s what mountain biking is. This may not be the same for you or for every rider, well……………… That’s what some may think but it’s not reality. A technical trail for you may not be a technical trail for me, but that is what makes us all mountain bikers and not road riders. Every trail is technical compared to riding on pavement. That first time riding down singletrack , the first foray into the woods was a technical challenge. If you have been riding a mountain bike for a while you take a lot of it for granted. Braking, shifting, not looking at the rock, avoiding the tree, rolling down the first hill on that flat trail. These are all technical challenges for the new rider. I’ve been there, we’ve all been there. As you spend more time riding your bike you seek out new challenges. Maybe it’s making it up a climb, or just not puking trying to keep up with your friends. Or maybe it’s riding over that log, or down those rocks, or that first jump or drop. To me this is heroin. This is what I must have, what I cannot live without. I love to push my limits and expand what I can do on my bike. I think that is one commonality that all mountain bikes have. So of course it’s natural to want to try something that you have not done before. To look at a line and think, ‘I can do that’. That is how you become a better rider.
There are some unwritten rules in mountain biking that if you’ve been riding for a long time they are just ingrained in you. You don’t have to think about it you just know. Uphill rider has the right of way, ride don’t slide, be nice to other riders and say ‘hello’, be nice to hikers even if they are not. But this is about technical trails and there is something that is happening WAY TOO MUCH! If you didn’t build the trail then don’t change the trail! If you happen upon something that you can’t ride over, don’t move it or make a new line around it! If you can’t ride it, walk it!! On far too many trails here in our valley there are too many logs or rocks or whatever that have been cut or moved to make it easier for someone. Or there are new lines being cut in because riders can’t, or don’t want to ride the established line. This is unacceptable!
A classic example of this is on the original Three Blind Mice Trail, at the top of the figure eight where for at least 10 years there were logs with chain ring bites on them, from people riding over them, that were cut out of the trail because it was too hard for one particular person or group. There have been countless rocks moved and lines smoothed on long established trails to make it easier for someone. This is wrong and if you don’t agree then you are wrong. There are now ‘alternate’ lines in multiple places starting to form on ‘Jake the Snake’ which was created to be a technically challenging trail. Once again, this is unacceptable.
As our sport becomes more popular and attracts more riders, perhaps it is then time to start to talk about this and other mountain bike ‘rules’ with more riders.
Keep singletrack single. If you didn’t build it, don’t change it. If you can’t ride it, walk it. Talk with your riding partners about how they clear a section and try it. Help other riders expand their skills and try something new.
Pushing yourself and doing something a little out of your comfort zone is what this sport is all about. If you’re comfortable with how and what you ride then that’s great. Just don’t mess it up for the rest of us.
TOPSOG.
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Member since Mar 1, 2006
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