this thread is just way too long to see if my views are already posted…so here it goes:
why are trails like ned's beat to sh*t?
because they're beginer trails; a very rare breed of trail in this area. Everybody who's new to the shore, or who hasn't been riding long will hit up neds, because it's the standard 'test of metal' for the shore. It's kinda like testing the waters to see just what this "shore" thing is all about. With the huge amount of traffic going down neds, and the subsequent erosion, it's gotten to the point where it's pretty similar to the black diamond trails as far as difficulty goes(though it's still labeled intermediate), and because of this difficulty, most people don't progress beyond ned's, the so called 'beginner' trail, because it's hard enough as it is!
Trail maintenance with our current selection of beginner trails is nothing more than a band-aid. It masks the problem but doesn't get to the root of it. you can't expect to keep up with the traffic and buff the trail at the same time, because the buffer you make the trail, the more traffic you will get! it's a vicious circle and it requires far to many man hours to keep in check.
My proposal is to promote the use of, and build, alternate routes on some of the black diamond trails to allow for an easier line (while still providing the opportunity for a more difficult run if you chose). this will, in effect, increase the number of 'beginer' trails by making them dual rated trails… you can ride them one way which is challenging, or another which is less so.
To a degree, this is already taking place (mainly by people riding over their head and stomping their way around stunts that are too big for them), but I advocate that we take a hint from this 'problem' and use it to our advantage, namely, distributing traffic from the handfull of beginer trails across the entire mountain by creating more 'beginner' trails. this will cut down on the massive trail erosion that comes from over-use by opening new options for people, and thereby spreading the usage across a large number of trails. Reducing traffic on specific trails by diverting it to new ones will allow for a more sustainable trail network, which requires less frequent maintenace, aswell as less man-hours maintenance per trail.
It really should be obvious that beginer trails will have the most usage, (and why we should dual-rate trails to combat erosion).
if you look at mountainbiking in levels of skill, it plots a pyramid.
you have the beginners at the bottom, making up most of the sport, then you have a smaller percentage of intermediates, and even smaller percentage of experts, and at the top you have a handfull of pros. Is it any wonder these beginner trails are shot to f*ck? there's maybe 4-5 real beginer trails on the shore, and they have to keep up with the largest segment of users, while the ratio of black diamond and double blacks to expert riders is much higher… the smallest group, the top of the pyramid, has the most trails to choose from.
I'm sure some of my views will be scoffed at by the diehards who think you have to "earn" the right to ride these trails… to a degree, I agree with them, but when dealing with the problem of over-use, I think some concessions need to be made.
oh BTW: putty
great work on pangor, i rode it this morning and it's starting to look really nice( way better than the last time I rode it… gawd that trail was in rough shape!)… definitely well on it's way to being a fun, and very usable trail in the near future.
I'm looking for a bolt-on crown for a '99 bomber z1 qr20
know where I can find one? [email protected]
