Mountain Biking - Rain, made a new trail out of an old one.

I whent out this morning for some dh only runs. First time after the rains we had. My favorit dh trail was totally changed. There used to be a few 2' and 3' drops that were relativly easy. Now those same drops have become 4' to 5' with 2' to 3' drops between them. The hill seemed to be much steeper and every rock that used to be covered is now exposed. I could not get into a grove because each switch back was totally different.
There was one section that had 3 vertical drops within 30' of eachother on a near vertical part of the hill and a very sharp turn about 4' after the last drop (had to start turning in the air to make the turn).
It was so frustrating because what usually takes me 4 min to get down took 10 min. because I had to ride slower and yes, even had to walk one section that was compleatly washed out.
I now have to relearn the trail which will be fun and now it will push my limits that much farther.
All in all the rain was a good thing, it just made my favorit trail seem unfamiliar.
The learning most start all over. I guess thats what it is all about though.

Slainte:beer:

We finally got some rain down here in the south bay and it helped out a lot! We ride pretty technical XC singletrack and it was getting pretty dusty. At one point in the trail the powdered dust was approaching 6" deep. You couldn't ride closer than 50 yards behind the guy in front if you didn't want to suck dust. Now we can ride tightly packed and the fluffy dust is gone and rocks and ruts are exposed. And the traction is GREAT!

For me the season is almost done. I went out yesterday, first time in three weeks due to my shifts and the fact it is dark at 3:30pm, and 80% of the singletrack has been closed leaving me with fireroads or groomed roads.

Originally posted by dirtbikedude
I whent out this morning for some dh only runs. First time after the rains we had. My favorit dh trail was totally changed. There used to be a few 2' and 3' drops that were relativly easy. Now those same drops have become 4' to 5' with 2' to 3' drops between them. The hill seemed to be much steeper and every rock that used to be covered is now exposed. I could not get into a grove because each switch back was totally different.
There was one section that had 3 vertical drops within 30' of eachother on a near vertical part of the hill and a very sharp turn about 4' after the last drop (had to start turning in the air to make the turn).
It was so frustrating because what usually takes me 4 min to get down took 10 min. because I had to ride slower and yes, even had to walk one section that was compleatly washed out.
I now have to relearn the trail which will be fun and now it will push my limits that much farther.
All in all the rain was a good thing, it just made my favorit trail seem unfamiliar.
The learning most start all over. I guess thats what it is all about though.

Slainte:beer: One of the great things about mountain biking, whether it's DH, XC, etc. is the ever changing environment that allows things to stay fresh and challanging. It does sound like you need to do some trail maintenance though. That much soil moving from some recent rain isn't good for the long-term viability of the trail. Waterbars and such can keep the challenges in the trail and keep the thing from being either unrideable and/or shut down in the future.

Raiyn, made a new trail out of an old one. I did no such thing. ....not my week for trail maintenance.

Near my home the hills are mainly flint rock, that stuff is very porous and hard, and drains quick. The only thing that's different after a rain is that it is wet, and only for a short time. I am getting ready to add to some trails on some land I have in the Ozarks, but it is mostly sandstone and dirt there. When it rains it stays wet and muddy for days. I'm gonna have to be careful when I build a DH track on it to keep it all from washing away...

It does sound like you need to do some trail maintenance though. That much soil moving from some recent rain isn't good for the long-term viability of the trail.

Actually the trail is all slick rock now and even more fun and difficult. Also, the trail is known as a dh trail and the hickers tend to stay off it since it is not easy to walk down or climb. Alot of it is almost vertical and there are not many trail users that like to venture on to it except for the skilled riders.
Also, it wont be closed since there is an agreement with the local land mgr that alows us to build any type of trail we desire in a specified area.


I am getting ready to add to some trails on some land I have in the Ozarks,

When you finish let us know and we could all meet there and have a huge dh/freeride bash:D .

Slainte:beer:

Originally posted by dirtbikedude
When you finish let us know and we could all meet there and have a huge dh/freeride bash:D .


I was planning on that. I'm going down tomorrow for a couple days and I plan to work on trails and do a little XC with my son. He is 13 and wants to ride the arkansas XC race series next year. There is quite a large offroad club club in AR, very active in racing and building trails. Lots of National Forest that's still relatively openly managed. I plan to have a big bash as soon as I get a little more work done. I'll snap some pics while I'm there this weekend and post them. Lots of big cliffs and drops but still needs lots of work...