OT: Mountain bikers stay off the trails. Please

Jonpnw · Since 22 Jul 2010 1327 Posts Pacific Northwest XTreme Poster

Stay off the mountain bike trails. Your ruining a lot of hard work. Freeze/ thaw cycles, rain, please stay off. Mud is not cool.

quenyaistar · Since 21 Oct 2011 416 Posts Cougar, WA Obsessed

You want folks in the PNW to not mt bike in the mud on a sunny day??? good luck with that.

Justsmile · Since 20 Jul 2009 1530 Posts Not Portland XTreme Poster

registered · Since 12 Jul 2005 1319 Posts tsunami Sandbagger

Oregon mtn biking gets muddy........ its natural.

Gorgegezzer · Since 14 Jan 2007 67 Posts

I see the same thing happen on the desert southwest roads and northwest orv routes on a different scale. People have a right ? need? to ride/drive when it is wet. It does ruin the nice smooth path/road. The best you can hope for is a bunch of people will ride the routes on the critical days when it is just drying out and flatten out the ridges. That is just the way it is.

user124 · Since 02 Aug 2012 391 Posts Portland Obsessed

airon^ · Since 07 Aug 2013 290 Posts Durango Obsessed

Screw this, I'm headed to Rooster.

But seriously, Jon has a point, and I can't believe these yahoos commenting who don't know shit about mtbiking.

It IS irresponsible to bike in those conditions. Unless you are a part of every volunteer trail crew AND there is absolutely no other trail you could ride and no wind to fly on.

lol

quenyaistar · Since 21 Oct 2011 416 Posts Cougar, WA Obsessed

I have been mt. biking since 1982 dip shit yahoo. I know how it works. Dont mess up my pretty trail just look dont touch 1800 wahhhhhhhhh

pollywog · Since 07 Aug 2009 291 Posts Obsessed

Oh for gods sake! We live in the PNW. It rains! Soils can handle it. Trails can handle it when built correctly.

People ride year around. If there is a specific trail that isn't complete and thus ready for riding, say where it is. That's your best chance of stopping traffic.

Being a reactionary-I-am-unhappy-how-others-live -their-life's will get you ZERO.

user124 · Since 02 Aug 2012 391 Posts Portland Obsessed

I'm not trying to be reactionary or question your mtn biking skills. Just asking for a little common sense. We all share these trails, and most of them get too much traffic to handle riding when the look like the picture Jon posted.

Powell Butte in SE Portland is a great example. The area has a lot of potential to be a nice place to ride. But they now close it to mtn bikes completely in the winter because too many people can't resist a ride in the mud and the trails get destroyed.

If you need advice about which trails are in good shape, read Temira's forecast. From yesterday's forecast:

"Whoopdee is a mess. Post is a mess. Syncline is a mess. It’s all a mess. I was very sad to see all the trail damage in Post yesterday when I was out jogging. Maybe you have a road bike or some jogging shoes you could use instead? Maybe you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Hood River Area Trail Stewards?"

She did say today that Sandy Ridge looks good though. Maybe I'll see you all there tomorrow, or at rooster. Very Happy

Jonpnw · Wed Nov 27, 13 11:53 am **Private Land**

A lot of the trails in the Gorge are on private land and the owners have graciously allowed access as long as the land is not destroyed.

We are not talking about fire roads, these are some of the finest trails in the Northwest.

If you enjoy the "brown pow" "rolling hills" perfect tack dirt when the conditions are epic , it is not to much to ask to refrain from these trails when it is to muddy.

A lot of hard volunteer labor goes into building and maintaining these trails.

registered · Since 12 Jul 2005 1319 Posts tsunami Sandbagger

Funny, the trail in my back yard used to be great . Then the trail volunteers came and FIXED it . Now its good for everyone who really do not use it and not great for real technical mtn biking.

To each there own.... maybe some people only ride the trail in those conditions when the punt team is at home.... ever thought about that.

And the peeps who loved the area before the trail was bikable ???

Twisted Evil

Can't we all just get along...

ShiverMeTimbers · Since 26 Feb 2013 381 Posts Gig Harbor Obsessed

registered · Since 12 Jul 2005 1319 Posts tsunami Sandbagger

Shiver me timbers..

Happy Thanksgiving

The trail out of my backyard is graveled now , hopefully the continued maintenance does not resort to that for your trail.

ShiverMeTimbers · Since 26 Feb 2013 381 Posts Gig Harbor Obsessed

@Registered:L you're right, I don't know you or your situation and I shouldn't judge. It just seemed like your post was trolling, sorry if I jumped the gun. I changed the pic.

I've been volunteering for trailwork and it sucks to see the work of so many volunteers getting messed up so quickly. Whoopdee was in great condition a few weeks ago.

Riding in the mud seems selfish and short-sighted. If the mud riders were showing up for trail work I can guarantee they wouldn't be riding when its muddy.

royce · Since 16 Apr 2013 49 Posts

i know a group of people in olympia who ride and maintain the trails in capital state forest. they ride twice a week all year round without exception. they put in a day each month to do maintenance and upkeep on trails. ive been riding off and on with them for twenty years and i dont notice any problems with the trails. its not very often that i get to bike on dry trails. mud, water and even snow are the norm around here. im curious how we are ruining our trails. is it possible that your concern is for people hiking on biking trails? or hiking on horse trails? ive been on trails that are marked hike, bike or horse and have had to walk for miles due to horses making the trail impassable but ive never hiked a biking trail and had a concern with too much mud. educate me!

Jonpnw · Since 22 Jul 2010 1327 Posts Pacific Northwest XTreme Poster

#As winter weather settles in for the next several months, representatives of local mountain biking groups are asking riders to be mindful of trail conditions and respect the hard work volunteers have put into making Gorge-area trails the world-class singletrack that they have become.

#This time of year, it means not riding in heavy rain and staying off trails prone to the freeze-thaw cycle. That may seem like common sense, but the number of torn-up trails and muddy bikes seen on the back of vehicles the past couple weeks indicates otherwise.

#“Some people may not understand that our trails around here are built and maintained by volunteers,” said Temira Lital, Hood River Area Trail Stewards board member. “They are easily damaged and take a lot of energy to fix; and the more time we spend repairing trails, the less time we can spend building new ones.”

#Along with the obvious rain and mud, an even worse condition for riding is during a freeze-thaw cycle, when frost penetrates deep into the soil, then thaws as the sun hits it. The popular eastside Whoopdee trail was closed earlier this week due to that condition and the fact that riders continued to use the trail.

#“It was getting damaged but people kept riding it anyway, so it was closed,” Lital said. “Winter riding can be great here, you just have to watch the conditions and choose where to go. If the ground is frozen, the trails are smooth and tacky and super-fun. The problem is when the sun hits trails and thaws them out.”

#Another rule to follow is, if you insist on riding in poor conditions, ride through puddles and muddy sections, not around them; it causes less damage.

#n Check out what Hood River Area Trail Stewards are up to at hrats.org or on Facebook.