How to really f*ck up a reasonable singletrack.....

gtvlusso

This weekend, I took junior out mountain biking. Junior is coming up to 2 years, and as such, she sits in a little seat perched on my top tube - she has a great view from the front and I can chat to her as we ride along.

The bike itself is a singlespeed Surly MTB 1x1 frame with Thomson seatpost and stem, XT, crank with surly singlespeed parts, FSA 282 bars and Mavic Crossmax wheels + 2.4 Panaracer singletrack tyres - it is light and fast and a good terrain bike.

I have been up the Brecon Beacons on this bike, over Cwm Carn and all over the place with junior and the dog. I have deliberately avoided Leigh Woods in Bristol as it is having a new singletrack mtb park built and I figured it would take a while and would not be ready for use.

However, when I have walked the dog in Leigh Woods, while the track was being built, there were bl*ody gert big signs stating that "the track is not ready, do not ride on it" then I see several people riding on it on town bikes and overweight middle aged blokes plodding around it on very expensive full sussers, even though it is not open.....The signs were all over the place and say 'do not use; track is bedding in'...The contractors could not have made it more obvious that they did not want people on the track.

Imagine my annoyance when I go around it on Sunday with junior, to;

A, see parts of it that are already knackered and breaking up.
B, Getting stuck behind idiots on town bikes and wholly innappropriate bikes - grounding out and so on, then falling off.....While a queue of traffic builds up behind them.

I am all for people enjoying it, especially kids, as it is very gentle and has no 'real' climbs and I have no worries with getting stuck behind less fit individuals on appropriate bikes who are there for the fun of it.

But I do have a problem with people simply trashing it with innapropriate bikes as we will lose this great 'free' single track and it is unlikely that anyone will stump up again to repair it.

mrc1

We went for a ride the other day and ended up by the Olympic MTB course which is all closed off and barbwired to keep out people before the summer. Initially I thought it was a shame but in reality it makes a lot of sense as it would no doubt get trashed within a few weeks if it was left open. Don't envy the job of the council once it does turn to open access post games. Essex isn't exactly ripe with MTB spots so it is going to get hammered pretty quickly.

veronese68

Unfortunately quite a large proportion of people are selfish phucktards that don't think rules apply to them. It doesn't surprise me at all.
We constantly try to teach our children to act responsibly and be aware of other people. I wonder why we bother because as a result people try to take advantage of them. I am immensely proud of my children, but sometimes wish we'd got them to act a bit more selfishly. On balance I know we've done the right thing, I just wish other people had.

apreading

Took a group of scouts along the canal for their cycling badge a couple of months ago and had to reprimand 3 of them who were taking great delight breaking hard, skidding and tearing up the towpath. They didnt seem to get that they were ruining the surface for everyone else and if we all did that they would shut the towpath for bikes...

HebdenBiker

overweight middle aged blokes...on very expensive full sussers

Be careful - I got flamed to death on the MTB thread for referring to this demographic, and suggesting that such people would see more performance gains from a course of hill reps than from the Orange Five they somehow think they need for a slow, panting ride around the woods. :roll:

The Rookie

So you should be flamed, it is those overweight middle aged guys who provide a source of good quality cheap bikes once they well them on, the volume increase also lowers the price of all such bikes new for everyone.
(I'm middle aged - well 45, ride a hardtail and built it myself on a strict budget......so it's not self defence!)

Simon

Stevo_666

No excuse for going down something that's got clear signs not to enter, but if they really want to stop people going on it they should block the entrances until it's ready. Seems to work where I've seen it done.

That said, most mountain bikers would say that somethingthat "is very gentle and has no 'real' climbs" is not a reasonable singletrack - sounds way too easy.

roger_merriman

HebdenBiker wrote:

overweight middle aged blokes...on very expensive full sussers

Be careful - I got flamed to death on the MTB thread for referring to this demographic, and suggesting that such people would see more performance gains from a course of hill reps than from the Orange Five they somehow think they need for a slow, panting ride around the woods. :roll:

it's certianly a core demographic!

Get a lot on the Tasmin trail in Richmound park and simular, can't help feeling that it's sledgehammer to nut job.

But it's not need but want.

rjsterry

Stevo 666 wrote:

No excuse for going down something that's got clear signs not to enter, but if they really want to stop people going on it they should block the entrances until it's ready. Seems to work where I've seen it done.

That said, most mountain bikers would say that somethingthat "is very gentle and has no 'real' climbs" is not a reasonable singletrack - sounds way too easy.

Leigh Woods is a large area of open woodland, which is open to walkers as well - you'd have to close the entire site to restrict access.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Woods

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=leigh+woods&client=safari&oe=UTF-8&hq=leigh+woods&t=m&vpsrc=0&z=14&iwloc=A

Not sure how they have found a flat route as it is on the side of the Avon Gorge

Stevo_666

rjsterry wrote:

Stevo 666 wrote:

No excuse for going down something that's got clear signs not to enter, but if they really want to stop people going on it they should block the entrances until it's ready. Seems to work where I've seen it done.

That said, most mountain bikers would say that somethingthat "is very gentle and has no 'real' climbs" is not a reasonable singletrack - sounds way too easy.

Leigh Woods is a large area of open woodland, which is open to walkers as well - you'd have to close the entire site to restrict access.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Woods

I guess it depends how easily the singletrack can be accessed by bikes at various points along the route. Singletrack usually has well signed main entrances which you could block and put off the casual idiot and the probably the majority of people who shouldn't be there - but if someone really wants to get on it then they will.

wordnumb

gtvlusso wrote:

A, see parts of it that are already knackered and breaking up.

Where to?

rjsterry

wordnumb wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

A, see parts of it that are already knackered and breaking up.

Where to?

Heh, in those two words, you've given yourself away as a local

gtvlusso

wordnumb wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

A, see parts of it that are already knackered and breaking up.

Where to?

Be that bit heading down towards the lake/pond - corned has falled away. Few bits by the gorge have fallen away too - that was last Sunday.....

Also allot of 'hump's and 'jumps' have gouges where chainsets have grounded.

It is a shame, such a wonderful free activity and the actions of a few could pi$$ on it for all.....I was so glad to so so many little kids learning to ride off road on it.

Clever Pun

you can ride the course on whatever bike you have.

gtvlusso

Clever Pun wrote:

you can ride the course on whatever bike you have.

And therein we have the problem, that and a lack of sign reading whilst the track was under construction - I just think it is a shame and a bit selfish. i don't think the council will shell out to reapair it - however, I am unawhere of any private maint schemes.

Hoping that the local MTB clubs come to the rescue (I will be joining if there is a call for some digging/wheelbarrow action!)

Clever Pun

people being douches and riding it when asked not to is a very separate issue

you're coming across as elitist

gtvlusso

Clever Pun wrote:

people being douches and riding it when asked not to is a very separate issue

you're coming across as elitist

Okay - thats fair.

My intention is not to be elitest - but I am moaning about something that annoyed me at the time.....!

In public areas, resources like this are going to be used an abused - it would be nice to see people not abusing the track and maybe even fixing the damage they have done, but that is a long shot....

Seeing people using the track when it clearly stated that it should be left alone was just sheer ignorance, but it is still a public place and a percentage of the public don't give a crap or think about anyone or anything else.

It only takes a few people acting like t1ts to trash it for everyone - hopefully a few mindful people will help to maintain and keep the resource open for all.

Ben6899

roger merriman wrote:

HebdenBiker wrote:

overweight middle aged blokes...on very expensive full sussers

Be careful - I got flamed to death on the MTB thread for referring to this demographic, and suggesting that such people would see more performance gains from a course of hill reps than from the Orange Five they somehow think they need for a slow, panting ride around the woods. :roll:

it's certianly a core demographic!

Get a lot on the Tasmin trail in Richmound park and simular, can't help feeling that it's sledgehammer to nut job.

But it's not need but want.

Known in the world of road cycling as Fat Dentists. Pinarello Dogma, 2inch of spacers and 15mph. Oh and full SKY kit.

wordnumb

gtvlusso wrote:

wordnumb wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

A, see parts of it that are already knackered and breaking up.

Where to?

Be that bit heading down towards the lake/pond - corned has falled away. Few bits by the gorge have fallen away too - that was last Sunday.....

Also allot of 'hump's and 'jumps' have gouges where chainsets have grounded.

Interesting. Not sure where you mean by lake/pond, but not all the corners are meant to be bermed, some are off-camber. The rim trail along the gorge top hasn't worn at all. Jumps all looked fine to me when I rode it on Monday.

Don't mean to be argumentative, but given the amount of stone that went down it's hard to see how it could be knackered and broken up by pedal-power in such a short time.

gtvlusso

wordnumb wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

wordnumb wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

A, see parts of it that are already knackered and breaking up.

Where to?

Be that bit heading down towards the lake/pond - corned has falled away. Few bits by the gorge have fallen away too - that was last Sunday.....

Also allot of 'hump's and 'jumps' have gouges where chainsets have grounded.

Interesting. Not sure where you mean by lake/pond, but not all the corners are meant to be bermed, some are off-camber. The rim trail along the gorge top hasn't worn at all. Jumps all looked fine to me when I rode it on Monday.

Don't mean to be argumentative, but given the amount of stone that went down it's hard to see how it could be knackered and broken up by pedal-power in such a short time.

Forgotten the actual name of the descent....urmmm....something dell?!? I did 3 laps on Sunday with junior and the hound - it did not look 'terrible' but looked worse than it should do! Definitely allot of gouges on the bumps heading towards the main car park, in fact all of the rollers were quite marked. I park on Valley Road generally, so start the trail by the 'big wall!. The area that was broken up was just before the 'ascent' up to the main car park, not much of a climb to be fair, but great for kids to get some hill action.

I was also following several people who were grounding out everywhere, quite few people on town bikes and racers - it was a nice warm day - caught my eye more than anything. I lapped a few people, which is fine, but seeing something so shiny, new, innovative and useful for the community getting damaged was annoying. I am sure that the local MTB clubs will have a few days of mending - and I will definitely help out.