Looking for some riding buddies

something for group ride leaders to keep in mind to mention to newbs…

Looking at things positively, I would think that (organized) group rides could provide a superb avenue for reinforcing trail/riding etiquette.

In addition to promoting trail responsibility and stewardship, of course.

i agree, trail etiquette does have to be taught after all.

sammyJ - granted your rant has slowed down a bit, but i do have a query about this part - just where do you expect these clnics to take place, but on public trails?

bottom line, we're all out to learn and have fun.

At a bike park I guess, in a perfect world. For example the camps at Whistler and Silverstar. Even on public trails, but not during a busy weekend or holiday, and not in the middle of the day when the trails are at their busiest. it isn't fair to the ppl in the clinic, or the other riders.

And not to derail this thread more than it is already, but does anyone agree that trail etiquette seems to have become watered down as the number of riders has increased? Fewer riders willing to observe something as basic as "yield to rider up"? Or not even aware of it?

No one ever told me about "yield to rider up" but it makes sense as I had to dismount on cardiac yesterday because there was a guy rolling down and I couldn't keep a straight line (didn't want to get in his way and yeah I was happy to stop anyways because it was cardiac). It would have been nice if he stopped instead…

Poor Heather, this thread isn't helping her find riding buddies.

Mods, can this thread be split off into a different thread? Before someone deletes it?

No one ever told me about "yield to rider up"

Yeah, it is a lot more difficult for the rider going up to regain their momentum, but no sweat at all for the rider going down. I guess this is something from the XC days, but fewer people seem to be show the same consideration these days.

At a bike park I guess, in a perfect world. For example the camps at Whistler and Silverstar. Even on public trails, but not during a busy weekend or holiday, and not in the middle of the day when the trails are at their busiest. it isn't fair to the ppl in the clinic, or the other riders.

i have to be honest with you - i can't ever see that happening, not for local riding clubs/clinics like endless, nsride, or muddbunnies (fwiw endless does do skills clinics at school gravel lots). it's just not feasible both from an economic and convenience standpoint. besides, the terrain at bike parks is nothing like what you will encounter on the shore (or any of the local mountains). and not to say that clinics provided that bike parks are bad in any way, but just that they are "different".

i'm actually kinda surprised at your narrow viewpoint and have to ask - where exactly did you learn how to ride?

i have to be honest with you - i can't ever see that happening, not for local riding clubs/clinics like endless, nsride, or muddbunnies (fwiw endless does do skills clinics at school gravel lots). it's just not feasible both from an economic and convenience standpoint. besides, the terrain at bike parks is nothing like what you will encounter on the shore (or any of the local mountains). and not to say that clinics provided that bike parks are bad in any way, but just that they are "different".

i'm actually kinda surprised at your narrow viewpoint and have to ask - where exactly did you learn how to ride?

I learned by denial and error, like most ppl I know. Believe it or not, there weren't always clinics on the shore ;-)

Seriously, the reason endless is doing clinics at school fields is to provide a controlled environment, no? They can't get that when they have tom dick and harry blasting past them on their 4th ned's lap of the day. I'm just saying…

sorry LG, but I think you are wrong. You can learn all you need as a n00b at a bike park, you don't need to be out on the trails. Skinnies - check, steep drops - check, jumps - check and so on. Sure it is good to have someone behind you to check if you are doing anything wrong but to really be able to spot what you are doing wrong one would have to film you and go frame by frame thus isolating any one particular challenge. What is a better spot than a bike park?

This may be different if you are an advanced rider trying to kick it up a notch but that is not what SammyJ is talking about so - irrelevant. N00bs can learn at bike parks everything they need to get started on easy trails.

Just my $0.05

This may be different if you are an advanced rider trying to kick it up a notch but that is not what SammyJ is talking about so - irrelevant. N00bs can learn at bike parks everything they need to get started on easy trails.

thanks for your 0.05 :P but having been a "n00b" myself i can assure you that had i started out a bike park i never would have lasted. i learned on the lower trails of sfu (ie north road) and yes, at a clinic (womensonly) as well as on the coquitlam river trails, before they became paved.

we also did skills clinics at the local schools, but at some point you have to be able to take your skills to the trails. riding with a group - whether it be at an actual clinic, or a riding club - is a truly awesome way to improve your skills as you have the added confidence of a group of like-minded people who are only interested in seeing each other progress.

fwiw, bike parks do not have the same terrain as say fromme. i have heard of (and know) some women who love riding wbp, but are terrified of the shore.

i think the biggest issue you're all missing is that the trails are for everyone, whether you're paying to take a clinic (or get one on one instruction) or just out for a group ride. the biggest thing to learn here obviously is common courtesy while on the trails.

seriously sammyJ, if your issue is running into groups of people then maybe go ride where there aren't large groups ie not the north shore. of course, if such a thing exists….

thanks for your 0.05 :P but having been a "n00b" myself i can assure you that had i started out a bike park i never would have lasted. i learned on the lower trails of sfu (ie north road) and yes, at a clinic (womensonly) as well as on the coquitlam river trails, before they became paved.

we also did skills clinics at the local schools, but at some point you have to be able to take your skills to the trails. riding with a group - whether it be at an actual clinic, or a riding club - is a truly awesome way to improve your skills as you have the added confidence of a group of like-minded people who are only interested in seeing each other progress.

fwiw, bike parks do not have the same terrain as say fromme. i have heard of (and know) some women who love riding wbp, but are terrified of the shore.

i think the biggest issue you're all missing is that the trails are for everyone, whether you're paying to take a clinic (or get one on one instruction) or just out for a group ride. the biggest thing to learn here obviously is common courtesy while on the trails.

seriously sammyJ, if your issue is running into groups of people then maybe go ride where there aren't large groups ie not the north shore. of course, if such a thing exists….

Ladyg, I said it before and I will say it again:

I have nothing against group rides, period.

My issue is the sense of entitlement that a paid clinic provides to its participants. The group that I ran into clearly felt that they had right of way because they were getting professional instruction. That should not be happening on a public trail, at least not at peak hours.

Fwiw, the night riding ban on Fromme came into effect largley due to commercial group rides exiting mtn. view park after dark. If it weren't for the commercialized aspect of this it would not be a problem.

How would you feel if a commercial dog walker came by and all the barking pooches scared your dog, causing her to run off and get lost on the mountain? Oh wait, that's allowed too. Sorry, never mind.

You are welcome :D

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree here, I will never know what it is like to learn on a group clinic on trails because I did private lessons with Endless and two of them were at Interriver Bike Park - got my confidence level WAY up there (comparatively speaking). You and I rode SFU last year when I just got my bike and you may remember how I used to ride (stop every few seconds etc.), after two lessons from Geoff, you should watch me now.

I see it differently, there are some skills that if mastered are transferable no matter where you ride. Say you ride skinnies at a park all day long - now you can pick a much better line and stick to it on the trails. You know what I mean?

SammyJ's beef is with people who act like they own the trail just because they paid for some clinic and they should behave just like anyone / everyone else OR go some place else.

I see it differently, there are some skills that if mastered are transferable no matter where you ride. Say you ride skinnies at a park all day long - now you can pick a much better line and stick to it on the trails. You know what I mean?

you're kind of missing something .. both sammyJ and i are talking about "bike parks" ie whistler and silverstar, not "skills parks" like interriver and burnaby. i guess if the clubs held their clinics at those places as well (which they probably do) then someone would complain about that as well. i have no issue with skills parks either, but at SOME POINT you have to take your skills to the trails, and what better way than in a group setting.

i agree with the self-entitlement to the trails being the wrong attitude. hopefully with educating the riders in the groups that will change.

i have to be honest with you - i can't ever see that happening, not for local riding clubs/clinics like endless, nsride, or muddbunnies (fwiw endless does do skills clinics at school gravel lots). it's just not feasible both from an economic and convenience standpoint. besides, the terrain at bike parks is nothing like what you will encounter on the shore (or any of the local mountains). and not to say that clinics provided that bike parks are bad in any way, but just that they are "different".

i'm actually kinda surprised at your narrow viewpoint and have to ask - where exactly did you learn how to ride?

narrow viewpoint? the guy just says he'd prefer not to get run off the trail by a pack of riders. i'm thinking you're taking more offense here than you should simply because me mentioned it was a group of women.

larger groups should not be taking over the trail and their leaders should be well aware of this. if not then maybe the group should be named so they don't make the same mistake again.

Poor Heather, this thread isn't helping her find riding buddies.

i'd suggest you check out the forum on www.muddbunnies.com. lots of women riders of all levels and rides happen all the time.

Heather got the best advice from Lady G already.