Trail muppets (slight rant)

Iain C

Is it me, or as MTBing becomes more and more popular, and the trails ever more crowded, are people becoming more and more stupid when it comes to riding? Let's face it, when faced with a decent downhill section, probably 95% of us would prefer a bit of space, to ride at our own pace, and let rip as we see fit. Before taking off down a section, you'll have a look at the guy/girl in front, and see how they ride the first 100 yds to give you a pretty good idea of how fast they will be and how much gap to leave. If I do happen to catch someone up before a decent section of trail and they look just a bit slower than me, I'll often stop and give them a very good gap so I can reach the bottom without catching them again. Or, if they are at the top on a reflectored-up Shockwave in jeans and trainers, I'll politley ask if I can go first at the top. Likewise, if I glance back and see some lycra clad whippet behind me who is trying to beat a PB for a route, I'll happily let them through.

What does annoy the feck out of me are the muppets who do really dumbass things. Beginning of August, Spooky Wood, Glentress, I let all the "big bikes" go and started off soon after...they were soon gone! I'm not the absolute fastest rider, but quick enough, and it was a helmet cam run so I was trying hard. However, halfway down, the skidding from behind told me there was someone there (who needed to learn to brake) so I said "would you like to come through" mainly because I did not want them to hit me. So I back off, get off the line and out the groove, thorugh he comes, with NO HELMET, and then promptly goes another 150 yards and stops for a rest. Muppet.

Ditto Cannock last weekend...on the steepest of the three litle rock steps on the Monkey, going a bit sideways as it's wet, and someone behind decides to go over the edge at the same time when I'm still on the section. FFS...it's 15 foot long...can't you just wait another 2 seconds for me to clear that section? You fall off, and I get hurt as your bike hits me. I fall off, and you cant stop and you'lll hit me. Muppet.

And 20 mins later, on another section at Cannock, another muppet annoyingly close to my back wheel, so I let him through...so he rides about another 20 yards before stopping to change his seat height.

What is wrong with people? To be a decent rider you always need to be looking and planning ahead...can people seriously not think to themselves "before I overtake this guy, do I need to stop 10 seconds later for a rest/twiddle with my bike"? You probably think I'm slow...I'm not, I'm one of the faster people in the group I normally ride with, fairly reasonable for mid 30s, but I just won't push it to the point of needing a helicopter ride (been there, done that) OK so we get annoyed with families stopping for a picnic on the outside of our favourite berm, but that's just genuine ignorance...I'll point out why that is a bad place to stop and suggest they move somewhere better. But what do you say to the muppet who simply MUST overtake you?

Probably the same people who drive at 60 then 90 then 60 then 90 before getting back into that nice middle lane for the motorway trip home.

Grrrrrr.

Anonymous

Iain C wrote:

To be a decent rider you always need to be looking and planning ahead

Or you know, just tear-arsing it along and having fun.

Have you got a chip on your shoulder about people being quicker than you or something?

Briggo

Someone overtook you but then stopped to adjust something on their bike?

Amagads call the trail police.

P-Jay

Trail Manners still seem very high in South Wales Trail Centres.

Couple of weeks ago there was a massive group of lads on White's on a stag do on a mad collection of bikes ranging from medium spec FS down to rusty old BSO's. Polite enough but had a terrible habit of stopping in the middle of the fast sections (usually mid blind corner) to pose for photos. Wasn't major thing, but made for a few hairy moments.

Have to say though, it might have been an unusual day, but I've never seen such a collection of arseholes and idiots as we met did at Cannock a few months back. It was a pretty hot day but still quite a few fools who decided to forego lids in favor of wooly beanie hats which make no sense on any level. Riders why out of their depth dragging locked wheels everywhere and really aggressive riders riding a meter off your bake wheel locking and huffing - jeez give me a second to find a place to stop and let you by.

Herbie The Dog

I see your point about letting someone through and stopping 20 yards later. However are they stopping in the middle of the trail or off it?

If off it I can't see the issue...if on it, slow and as you pass give a polite bit of advice about the dangers of stopping in the middle of the trail. Or call them a cockjockey. Your choice.

But trail etiquette is being eroded as the sport becomes more popular.

Anonymous

john74 wrote:

why is it when someone posts something quite sensible on this forum you have to jump in with some sarcy comment trying to start an arguement? the only person on here with a chip on their shoulder i think may be you.

Give it a rest, this guy mentions several times when people came up behind him ad he had to let them pass, then goes on to claim he's not a slow rider.
Sounds like a bit of a tommy tanker.

Iain C

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Iain C wrote:

To be a decent rider you always need to be looking and planning ahead

Or you know, just tear-arsing it along and having fun.

Have you got a chip on your shoulder about people being quicker than you or something?

Not in the slightest. Plenty people will be quicker than me. But why overtake then stop for a rest 5 seconds later? "Do you want to some through mate?" "No, you're OK, keep going, no need to brake, get out of your flow, slow right down and pull over on my account, I'm actually about to stop for a rest, and perhaps contemplate why I'm riding Spooky with no lid on" would work well in that situation

Anonymous

You do realise wearing a lid or not is their decision, not yours, right?
And besides, maybe they just think you're pulling over anyway, riders do that. It's quite hard to hear someone if you're riding and breathing heavily.

Thewaylander

To be honest i think peoples idea of trail manners are different to be honest.

The other day on the last little climb of Cwm me and some freinds cruised past some huffing lads and we proceeded to the top of the final decents. Here we stoppped to lower our saddles having not asked the people in front of us to move. Next thing they push past us for the decent going slow, it was very obvious from the sections previous we were going to go alot faster but they still pushed by. So in annoyance me and one of the other lads decided to follow them down skidding,

Strangely they didn't pull over on the down as they looked like they were really struggling, until the end of the section.

This to me was awful trail manners, they didn't bother checking at the top of the climb what we were doing and it was just a quick saddle drop,.

But from there point of veiw we could have been the person in your post.

Iain C

yeehaamcgee wrote:

john74 wrote:

why is it when someone posts something quite sensible on this forum you have to jump in with some sarcy comment trying to start an arguement? the only person on here with a chip on their shoulder i think may be you.

Give it a rest, this guy mentions several times when people came up behind him ad he had to let them pass, then goes on to claim he's not a slow rider.
Sounds like a bit of a tommy tanker.

Very constructive comment, well done. That's right, I cannot stand being overtaken, that's why I raise it and admit to it on a public forum. I'm a "tommy tanker" because I mentioned "several" (er, three) times that I got overtaken, so therefore I must be slowing the pace of the country's trail centres down to a crawl. I'm guessing you never do, I bet you're really fast. Me, I'm Tommy Tanker material, definitley, getting overtaken is a far worse crime than riding a trail with no lid and letting everyone else hose your brains off the berms of the temporarily closed trail.

I guess you've just proven my point, with an attitude and maturity like that on an internet fourm what hope is there for a bit of etiquette on the trail?

Just forget I mentioned it, eh?

P-Jay

yeehaamcgee wrote:

You do realise wearing a lid or not is their decision, not yours, right?

I know that wasn't directed at me, but I think given what the rest of the world is like in regards to H&S and "where there's blame" etc we get away with murder in the MTB world, especially Trail Centers.

You can rock up, ride whatever you like even if it's a plastic coated death trap on two wheels, you're not required to have any skill or experience whatsoever, until VERY recently there wasn't even a warning to say how difficult the trail is.

And that's great as far as I'm concerned. Power to the people, personal choice / freedom etc.

But as soon as some fashionista fool opens his skull and pours his brains all over the trail the powers that be are going to 'have the drains up' on all this lark and we'll be knee deep in waivers to sign, H&S approved trails which will end up looking like putting greens and rules on everyone wearing full-facers, spine protectors, gloves and knee pads to ride a family trail. We’ll need an army of hi-vis bods to enforce it all and you’ll soon need to part real money to ride or they’ll close the whole lot of them.
My 2p, but their choice to wear a lid, but it’ll only take one big court case to ruin it for everyone.

slowslowslow

Is this tit for tat stuff really what mountain biking and trail riding is about these days.

Go out, have fun, be safe and be considerate.

t0pc4t

i hate bieng overtaken personally, but I'm slow and I@m not about to ruin anyone's buzz because of that, so I have to pull over

incidentally if anyone's doing the Octoberfest at AC this year, I'll be the one pulled over on the Anthem X4, say hi!

Thewaylander

i think it's just that most of the aboves persons comments are very much circumstantial and could be down to him just being plain slow by the way he has worded.

Simply my veiw of trail ettecate is this every one do as you please but get outta my way hehe

Anonymous

Iain C wrote:

I must be slowing the pace of the country's trail centres down to a crawl. I'm guessing you never do, I bet you're really fast.

I never claimed to be, but I am also not complaining about people on the trails being too slow, or too fast, or whatever.
I do take issue with newcomers with a definite lack of skill jumping straight for the black trails, but that's a different matter.

The fact you got so easily offended by my comment shows what kind of a prick you are, frankly.

Iain C

Blimey, I start a discussion that most people contibute to in a constructive manner and someone I never met calls me a Tommy Tanker and a prick on a forum and I take slight offence. Shocker, eh?

Please read posts properly before unleashing the insults. I never complained about people being too fast, or slow. I complained about people being thoughtless or inconsiderate.

bennett_346

Iain C wrote:

Blimey, I start a discussion that most people contibute to in a constructive manner and someone I never met calls me a Tommy Tanker and a prick on a forum and I take slight offence. Shocker, eh?

Please read posts properly before unleashing the insults. I never complained about people being too fast, or slow. I complained about people being thoughtless or inconsiderate.

Don't listen to yeehaa, the mans an @sshole and clearly has no friends. He's like this all the time, cranky bugger.

Anonymous

bennett_346 wrote:

He's like this all the time, cranky bugger.

I just don't tolreate fools gladly. And I don't follow the "let's all play nice" mentality, if the guy's a prick, I'll call him a prick.

bennett_346

yeehaamcgee wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

He's like this all the time, cranky bugger.

I just don't tolreate fools gladly. And I don't follow the "let's all play nice" mentality, if the guy's a prick, I'll call him a prick.

That's a very childish mentality to be honest. Grow up.

Anonymous

Oh go cry to your mother you little twerp :roll:

bennett_346

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Oh go cry to your mother you little twerp :roll:

You're $hit crack mate, face it.

Iain C

Herbie The Dog

Christ...is this a MTB forum or a primary school playground?

Paul 8v

Gotta love the internet, maybe you guys should all meet up one day and have a scrap...

mkf

the worst case of this i have ever come across was last winter on a wet day riding northface trial some gonk stopped on the wood section taking a leak speachless

Anonymous

Paul 8v wrote:

Gotta love the internet, maybe you guys should all meet up one day and have a scrap...

Sounds like fun. I particularly like how you're threatening by proxy.

Wallace1492

Back to the OP point. I am afraid it is something you need to put up with.
That is life....

I have probably been in both sides.... being passed, then held up be person. And I probably have passed someone and stopped soon after, maybe to have a drink, wait for a mate or whatever.

As long as they give you room then no real harm done.

Herbie The Dog

mkf wrote:

the worst case of this i have ever come across was last winter on a wet day riding northface trial some gonk stopped on the wood section taking a leak speachless

Worst I've seen is a family walking UP the Mojo at Cwmcarn.

When we stopped and pointed out the dangers the dad got very defensive and snappily and rudely asked for suggestions on how he could teach his child how to ride DH.

One of our group responded 'well you can f&£%ing start by teaching him correct trail ettiquette'.

Swearing aside I think he got the point.

But back to the sparring...play nicely peeps...it is Friday after all!

cooldad

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Paul 8v wrote:

Gotta love the internet, maybe you guys should all meet up one day and have a scrap...

Sounds like fun. I particularly like how you're threatening by proxy.

I'll threaten your proxy if you're not careful

cooldad

Sorry didn't see this was a serious forum.

jairaj

Paul 8v wrote:

Gotta love the internet, maybe you guys should all meet up one day and have a cuddle...

fixed it for you