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With Popularity Comes...


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Problems...

It's the norm. As growth takes place, problems begin to increase. It happens with family. It happens with business. It happens with community.

And it's happening with mountain biking.

This is why there's that 'ol very legit and applicable saying... "Get out in front of it."


https://www.outsideonline.com/2407740/mountain-biker-behavior-trail-access?fbclid=IwAR0itLscDSut9tpbsFhd4DfXgotRqNTAKOKa3cWS0atS7A3ikg7C7Yr_MjQ#close
 

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Here's a recent article on the effects of mountain biking on the environment... It's actually giving a positive spin... And saying that "...mountain biking has far less of an impact than equestrian activities...". 

https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/biking/mountain-biking6.htm

Edited by RidingAgain
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Here's an article written two years ago about challenges facing the mountain biking community. It's always interesting to read what folks thought about matters and consider how these matters have been dealt with since the article was written. It can give an idea of approaches and trends, and the impact of both on the matters brought up in the article, allowing you to see what worked according to a need/situation, and what may not have worked.

Here's the article...

https://www.singletracks.com/trail-advocacy/3-biggest-challenges-facing-mountain-bike-industry-2018/

Edited by RidingAgain
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This opening paragraph is found in an article published in June of last year on The Wildlife News website.

"Mountain Biking is a significant threat to our wild lands—both in designated preserves like national parks, wilderness areas, and the like, but also Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) and roadless lands that may potentially be given Congressional protection under the 1964 Wilderness Act."

Obviously the article is not an endorsement of the activity of mountain biking being pro wildlife and land preservation.

It is a good read if you want to gain insight into what those in opposition to mountain biking on land they think should be designated for wildlife only is.

Here's the article... And I suggest reading the comments below the article. Comments always give good insight into what the more general public is thinking.

http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2019/06/18/impacts-of-mountain-biking/

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  • 2 weeks later...

cxagent created a thread about an article titled "Mountain Bike Etiquette: We Are Not Entitled"... It's good read that speaks to the problems popularity brings with it, and gives a list of 8 things we should all keep in mind as riders who make up the mtb community. It also uses the problems that happened at the Kingdom Trails in Vermont (the focus on this thread) as an example for what can happen if you don't get ahead of the matter of growing popularity.

As usual though, I took some time to look at the comments section as I always find interesting insights buried in them... And I wasn't disappointed.

Here what a hiker had to say...

"You forgot the one about wearing a bell on your bike. We don’t know you’re coming as we are running/hiking/walking the trail. Big Bear now requires it on trails."

With popularity, problems come in.

With problems, changes come in.

Edited by RidingAgain
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Quote

"You forgot the one about wearing a bell on your bike. We don’t know you’re coming as we are running/hiking/walking the trail. Big Bear now requires it on trails."

While I don't currently have a bell on my bike, I have used one, and probably will again. But as I've stated in in other discussions, I constantly announce myself around corners, and speak to nearly every person I pass. I try real hard not to surprise folks. I agree that as the faster and mechanized trail user, it is a cyclists responsibility not to negatively affect another reasonable trail user's experience. 

 

And while a quiet cyclist can always surprise someone around a blind corner, the hiker has to take some responsibility for being cognizant of their surroundings. Walking 3 abreast on a narrow paved path or head-down hiking with loud headphones on singletrack while never checking your surroundings are examples of hikers not being responsible trail users. Certainly some of those folks are showing hiker entitlement, but I think it's largely people just being oblivious. 

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35 minutes ago, Barry said:

While I don't currently have a bell on my bike, I have used one, and probably will again.

I use mine when people have headphones on, and can't hear normal conversation. If I come up behind them, and they can't hear the bell then I have to go around them. I get comments from them at times saying I should warn them...well, I TRIED!

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45 minutes ago, Barry said:

 

 

And while a quiet cyclist can always surprise someone around a blind corner, the hiker has to take some responsibility for being cognizant of their surroundings. Walking 3 abreast on a narrow paved path or head-down hiking with loud headphones on singletrack while never checking your surroundings are examples of hikers not being responsible trail users. Certainly some of those folks are showing hiker entitlement, but I think it's largely people just being oblivious. 

This^

When we lived in new mexico i used to hit a trail that was a steep fireroad climb to super long, exposed downhill singletrack. It was a great trail because you could let go of the brakes and just haul ass. As a bonus it was a lot of work to get to and remote so less traffic. HOWEVER, without fail there were hikers doing exactly as described above complete with headphones and paying zero attention to their surroundings. The worst were the moms who actually took their kids out in offroad strollers on this trail. F@cking strollers! Almost ran right into the back of one on a blind corner and had to fly into the desert to avoid her. Sucked.

I'm getting to the point where I just want to ride at bikeparks.

 

Edited by ATXZJ
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I was up at Brushy one day. Just coming to the end of Mulligan, where there are the two steep descents. Fortunately, my mind told me to stop and take a look before heading down the first one, and I'm glad I did. There were kids playing at the bottom and one kid half way up. Their moms, or who I assumed were their moms, were hanging out on the concrete pavement just having a good 'ol talk time. I rode down the second section and then went up to the mothers to talk to them — politely — about the danger the kids were in. They barely paid any attention to me, kind of brushing me off while they shouted to the kids to "...get away from there...". Then they went back to talking with themselves. Being dismissed, I just rode away.

On the other hand... Riding on Bambi in SATN (I think it's Bambi... The section between Convict Hill rd. and Slaughter... I was heading south coming up to a, for me, kind of wide sweeping "S" bend that is blind to oncoming things. Again, something told me to be careful and I kind of pulled closer to the right of the trail. I was glad I did, because right after doing so a young kid came flying, and I mean flying, around the corner. He saw me and quickly pulled to the other side and almost lost it. Thankfully he didn't and then continued again at speed down the trail. About 10 seconds later a second kid came down the trail also going at a clip, but not as fast as the first kid. Seems they might have been racing.

This is what we're faced with... All the different trail users just not considering other users.

And this is unfortunately just normal human actions... Just look at how people use roadways. Or even sidewalks.

This being the case... As a trail user, how do you keep yourself safe from the uncaring others who use the trail... And as trail developers/maintainers, how do you get out in front of the potential problems they can cause?

Edited by RidingAgain
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