Trail etiquette

Jenks66

Was out in the Forest of Dean today and right at the very begining of the day I was riding up behind some down hillers who at the first indication of a slight incline got off and pushed, now they all heard me behind and looked round at me several times but did they move out of the way so I on a real bike that goes up hills could ride pass.
NO DID THEY HELL
They actualy managed to bring me to a stop on the most technical bit of the climb so I had to push my bike up the next 10 feet or so. Once I had stoped they moved out of the way but there is no way they did not know I was there.

Does it hurt to be polite and considerate to other trail users? I always try and get out of the way of faster riders if going up hill or down, am I doing the wrong thing should I be trying to get in everyones way too as it seem increasingly the thing to do?

Jenks66

Forgot to say they were pusing up a red cross country trail when they have loads of specific DH trails to ride.
Also met several DH riders riding the wrong way on the trail!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Briggo

"Excuse me"

Will Snow

you mean to tell there were some slightly rude and/or inconsiderate people in the world? My God!

cat_with_no_tail

Briggo wrote:

"Excuse me"

I thought this same thing too.

Anonymous

Works both ways. It's not always the case that slower riders should get out of the way for faster riders who attempt to go blasting past without announcing their presence or have no consideration for the slower rider (or person pushing) to find a safe place to stop.

Uphill it's easier to make way for someone doing a gruelling climb, but still only if it's a good place for them to do so and only if they're aware of your presence. Often I find going up hills I only hear people behind when they're right behind me.

Personally I think if you get a kick out of climbing then surely it's just an extra challenge for you anyway :P

Good etiquette is to make your presence known and look out for the person in front, who generally has priority. Yes they shouldn't be dicks and block the trail indefinitely if they know you are there, but give them a chance and always be aware that others may not be as fast or as skilled as you.

TuckerUK

Maybe it hadn't occurred to them that the uphill was actually RIDEABLE?

I've never objected to a loud 'COMING THROUGH' when I'm too wrapped up in my own sheet to notice the rest of the world.

MountainMonster

If I know someone is behind me, and i'm going slow, but they say nothing, I never move over. I have no idea that they want past otherwise. A nice excuse me or passing on the left normally lets me know they want to.

jndb72

If I know there's people behind me and they're going faster than me I'll automatically pull over and let them past. Seems common sense if you ask me.

Howver, a thank you when they pass makes all the difference.

Cheers

mossmotorsport

I'm often slower than other riders on the trails, and always move over if people are coming up behind, whether they ask or not. Problem is I rarely get a thank-you, so I don't know why I bother...

WisePranker

I always just pull over and let other riders pass as I'm without a doubt the slowest rider on the trail at any given time :shock:
Hopefully when I'm going fast enough to pass other riders, they'll do the same for me

One advantage I've found with letting faster riders pass is that I can follow them for a while and see their technique and lines to use myself!

thekickingmule

TuckerUK wrote:

I've never objected to a loud 'COMING THROUGH' when I'm too wrapped up in my own sheet to notice the rest of the world.

This.

mea00csf

I don't think faster riders should be expect to be let through unless they let slower riders ahead aware that they want to get past. I don't object to getting out of the way, i'm just not going to do it until there's a reasonable space to pull into and i know someone definetly wants to get past, otherwise i'm just ruining my own ride for nothing. Uphills particularly can be a bit awkward, i'm so slow i'm in such a low gear it'd be impossible to get going again if i stop halfway

On the other hand, when you do let people past, i usually get a thankyou, so maybe if you pull over quickly without being asked, they don't realise you're doing it for them, maybe they think you're having a rest/waiting for a mate etc

coolboarder

I really do question if these guys pushing their bikes did hear you. Give them the benfit of the doubt. Ive never had a bad experience with fellow cyclists. Only Saturday whilst on the Cannock trail, there were these 2 guys pushing :roll: :roll: their bikes up marquis drive just after the return to the dog and i approached thinking they would move over. In the end i was right behind them so i said "can i come through lads" and they immediately moved over. They simply hadnt heard me!

It happens....

Rob

Anonymous

Jenks66 wrote:

but did they move out of the way so I on a real bike that goes up hills could ride pass.
NO DID THEY HELL

You sound like a nutsack. Don't let it annoy you.

welshkev

on a more positive note, when i was riding cwmcarn yesterday i caught a guy up on the final descent. when we got to the wooden gate at the bottom he said "sorry if i held you up on that bit mate"

i did have to slow down a little but what a polite guy

if you were riding a green spicy 216 yesterday at cwmcarn finishing at about 10am, no worries mate, you didn't slow me down that much

projectsome

MountainMonster wrote:

If I know someone is behind me, and i'm going slow, but they say nothing, I never move over. I have no idea that they want past otherwise. A nice excuse me or passing on the left normally lets me know they want to.

this.

If I'm behind someone, I'll ask to pass if I want to. Most times I'm quite happy to sit back and let them get ahead.

sandy hill

Jenks66 wrote:

Was out in the Forest of Dean today and right at the very begining of the day I was riding up behind some down hillers who at the first indication of a slight incline got off and pushed, now they all heard me behind and looked round at me several times but did they move out of the way so I on a real bike that goes up hills could ride pass.
NO DID THEY HELL
They actualy managed to bring me to a stop on the most technical bit of the climb so I had to push my bike up the next 10 feet or so. Once I had stoped they moved out of the way but there is no way they did not know I was there.

Does it hurt to be polite and considerate to other trail users? I always try and get out of the way of faster riders if going up hill or down, am I doing the wrong thing should I be trying to get in everyones way too as it seem increasingly the thing to do?

Why didn't you just ring your bell? I'm sure your proper bike came with one.

slowslowslow

I actually got an apology of a guy on Cannock on Sat on the run up to the wolf drop. I had clocked him a bit behind me a way back but he was well fast and the next thing I heard was slamming of brakes behind me. I pulled over and politely told him if he had given me a shout I would have pulled over-he apologised which was appreciated.

I do wonder if some people do get so engrosed in their riding that they do fail to clock people in front or behind....Does that make them bad riders?

As others have said, I am always happy to move over, but get annoyed when you get no thanks for it.

welshkev

on another note, i did once see a guy at afan whilst riding penhydd. do you remember the bit where you have to cross the stream quite near the end? well, a guy had fallen off in the stream stopping people from crossing. a couple of guys were waiting to get across when a guy shouts to get out of the way, he comes hurtelling (sp?) down the trail and smacks pretty badly into a guy standing still. the guy looked pretty badly hurt and the one who rode into him started to go mad saying he shouldn't have been standing in the trail etc, even though he could see he was stopped there from quite far away!!

what was the guy thinking? they couldn't go anywhere!! i think there was gonna be a fight so i left them to it :shock:

slowslowslow

I know where you mean. There is a good run up to the crossing, no excuse for not seeing someone, or not stopping.
Sometimes common sense seems to be out of the window.

Is the white van man of mountain biking?????

T1berious

Trail monsters!

I often find an "EXCUSE ME" works wonders when either passing a slower rider or ambling group, but I generally wait for a point in the trail when you can pass safely.

Saying that if I hear someone hurtling up the trail behind me I'll pull over and let them pass (I don't pretend to be able to keep pace with the Lycra brigade )

Someone hurtling into someone who's stationary is just plain stupid, if it kicked off and "Mr Coming Through!" got a pasting, I'm sure he'll have discovered the importance of looking ahead on the trail and adjusting his speed accordingly.

You wouldn't drive like that so why ride like that? mutter , grumble.....

welshkev

slowslowslow wrote:

I know where you mean. There is a good run up to the crossing, no excuse for not seeing someone, or not stopping.
Sometimes common sense seems to be out of the window.

Is the white van man of mountain biking?????

i know!!

i'd just like to point out that i was over the other side of the stream changing a puncture and i didn't know the guy who got tw@tted. just in case you thought i was leaving my mates to a fight

Mental Mickey

Trail Centres.

Everyone has a right to ride it no matter how good or bad, fast or slow. There's no written rules for so called 'Etiquette' either.

When you visit one, you should have it in your mind that this comes with the territory, if you can't handle or bear the thought of other people in your way, or even passing you and you're in their way, then perhaps T/C's ain't for you, ride natural quieter areas instead.

Thewaylander

i try to move for faster people on the climbs, and i kinda expect the same on the downs when its reasonable to do so.

I mean i have had some close call on the last 2 downs at Cwm before, catching people up round those turns and being so much faster that i almost couldn't stop as it seemed they were almost stationary.

But my pet hate recently is the brigade of people who stop in the trail, or at the end of a peice of single track to fire, They don't move to the side but sit in the way. At cwm these are normal after some short blast up bits, so you have to dab, and since they don't seem to want to move or be polite you kinda have to push through :S This is happenign alot at Cwm at the moment

I mean I have just stopped to adjust my post before for DH, and had people go by that I'd over taken on the climbs and they can see I'm literally just taking my post down. then proceed to go very slow. In these cases i can be a bit of a white van bike rider :S

.blitz

On the rare occasions when I actually catch up with somebody on the trails, I find 'excuse me' is a bit too pushy. I much prefer 'allo mate' which kindof alerts the other person to the fact that I am, like, right behind them and, if possible, would like to come past when it's convenient.

On the other hand, last week I caught up with someone who was going so slow I think they must've just restarted. I wasn't expecting them to be there and so I had to brake a bit sharpish like and startled by the sound of scrabbling pebbles and an impending collision behind them, the unfortunate rider promptly overbalanced and fell off the trail sideways...

Soz mate...cheers

Thewaylander

nearly did that to some por blonde lass on the trail a few weeks back she was lightly built lady, and it came as such a shock the works "argh F~@k Sh~@ argh" came out, but i stopped in time.

Apologised at the end and she said it was ok i seemed more frightened than her, Which is probably true as she had no idea the momentum i was about to carry into her rear

meesterbond

Thewaylander wrote:

she had no idea the momentum i was about to carry into her rear

:shock:

cooldad

Thewaylander wrote:

iI mean I have just stopped to adjust my post before for DH, and had people go by that I'd over taken on the climbs and they can see I'm literally just taking my post down. then proceed to go very slow. In these cases i can be a bit of a white van bike rider :S

Yup just like a white van driver - overtake then slow down to turn off. So now people have to wait while you adjust your bike - all the while using their ESP to decide if you are going to have a quick bite to eat and siesta as well?

MountainMonster

meesterbond wrote:

Thewaylander wrote:

she had no idea the momentum i was about to carry into her rear

:shock:

+potato. I thought that as well. Kinyness at its finest

slowslowslow

Apologised at the end and she said it was ok i seemed more frightened than her, Which is probably true as she had no idea the momentum i was about to carry into her rear

Why do the words Donkey and Punch just leap into my mind............................