Mountain Biking - What is your favorite trail obstacle?

At the park where I ride, there is a stream, thats about 15 ft wide, and 1 ft deep, The trail dips down to it, then on the other side dips back up. I fly throught it at about 20 mph, get soaked and keep on going. cleans my bike off too. Only problem is their is a lot of mudd after it.

I love mudd to, and jumps, and logs. But I love that stream the most.

Whats your favorite trail obstacle??

Switchbacks. I have so much trouble with them, but i can do any of them if i stay there for long enough. Uphill and downhill.

I like rock gardens and downhill rock features. My favorite part of my local trail is a section aptly labeled as "Expert only", and consists of mostly rock strewn singletrack that travels along the wall of a valley. I also like ladder bridges and things like that.

The trail you're describing sounds like a local one, where is it?

Small ledges. Up or down doesn't matter. Pedal kick onto them or hop off. They usually don't mess up my flow but I still feel challenged.

jumps and north shore

The part of trails that I find hard and fun is when its almost as narrow as singletrack and its all rock and dips and small drops. My front tire constantly gets caught in dips and I go over the handlebars, fun!

Crazy guy doing the trail on a clanging, rusty, ladies 3-speed, lots of riders who had crashed from laughing at him all standing ON the trail, causing yet more crashes. He had loaned the rest of his bikes out, then blew his bottom bracket right before the race started, with only one bike still left in the garage. It was years ago when mountain bikes were all hardtails. A small blue ribbon still hangs from those rusty handlebars, won more by spectacle than speed. Favorite obstacle on a trail? He is me.

Small ledges. Up or down doesn't matter. Pedal kick onto them or hop off. They usually don't mess up my flow but I still feel challenged.

+1

Attractive members of the opposite sex. Can slow me way down even after I clear them if I have my rear-view mirror on.

Long, smooth, narrow ribbons of twisty, flowy singletrack.

i like to ride down super steep hills

animal corpses. seriously.

last ride had to go around or over two squirrels, a possom, an armadillo, some unidentified bird, and a deer.

other than that, sand and gravel at speed.

Varries, I doubt there is an obstacle I hate...what I dislike are long dull trails. A trail without obstacles is a fireroad or normal road...they don't belong in my path

Long, smooth, narrow ribbons of twisty, flowy singletrack.
:beer: the descending 55 mph kind:)

Steep and rooty downhills. Long flowing fast tricky corners. Berms into drop offs. Everything really:)

Long, smooth, narrow ribbons of twisty, flowy singletrack.

Theres a nine mile bike trial ive been on, very simple but theres a nice long smooth gravel track which is all twisty, down hill too, its hard on a bmx, i cant wait until i get my mountain bike to do it!

I like drops and I really like gapping rooty sections. I was on one of my favorith trails that I ride a lot today. I stopped at a section that has 2 small drops with mnasty roots in between. I found a new line and now I gap the roots so its super smooth. Rocks and roots are always changing so you can find new challenges on trails you ride alot.

I like rock gardens and downhill rock features. My favorite part of my local trail is a section aptly labeled as "Expert only", and consists of mostly rock strewn singletrack that travels along the wall of a valley. You'd like the trails around my home ( www.bootlegcanyon.org ) . Lately I've been my own worst enemy , crashing on everything I ride .

I would have to say the ground is may favorite trail obstacle.

I would have to say the ground is my favorite trail obstacle.

animal corpses. seriously.

last ride had to go around or over two squirrels, a possom, an armadillo, some unidentified bird, and a deer.

other than that, sand and gravel at speed.


Sandy gravel at speed isn't an obstacle, necessarily. It just takes some of those mid size tires with a super flexible casing. Unfortunately, mid size tires are slower on pavement than either larger or smaller for some frustrating reason I can't seem to get a grip on. Yeah, that's it. Too much grip. ;) Anyway, gravel is an obstacle if the tire's casing is too hard (in an attempt to make it bombproof).

I don't know of a specialty designed for traction upon carcases. Can't help there.

A deer!! That is an obstacle! lol! ;)

fast, flowing singletracks, not an obstacle but still fun. obstacle? drops around 3 ft with a long run up are nice.

It's all good.

Here is one of my least favorite obstacles, a tree that is too high above the trail to hop or climb over.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f392/mcoine/IM000542.jpg

I believe my favorite is long technical climbs. I always get a lot of satisfaction when I clear one that I had trouble with before.

I love going over those stacks of logs... those are the best! :D

I believe my favorite is long technical climbs. I always get a lot of satisfaction when I clear one that I had trouble with before.

technical climbs are my favorite by far. i am not saying i am great at climbing or i dont like downhills. but i love trying those really technical climbs a bunch of times, and then when you finally get to the top.

It's all good.

+1

fast, smooth/bumpy singletrack, rocks, roots, logs, drops (of the threeish foot variety), technical/long grind climbs, technical descents, fast ones, rollers (to catch some air). If it's a trail that a bike can go up or down it's great in my book. You can keep the sand; though deep sand does make for some interesting steep descents!

Modest-size drops to nice trannies (like Whistler's GLC drops), well-built tabletop jumps and gnarly rock gardens.

Modest-size drops to nice trannies (like Whistler's GLC drops), well-built tabletop jumps and gnarly rock gardens.

Haha, sounds like you like whistler. Have you had a chance to play on D1?

There is a section of hiking trail that we use that accesses Jay camp, one of the campground areas in Big Basin state park. We cross this section of the campgrounds to avoid the rangers that patrol the nearby section of Skyline to the sea trail.
This section of narrow down hill single track is swift, smooth and very densely grown with manzanita, but just as it approaches the campground there is a large Sequoia dead in the path. The trail makes a tight jog around it. At speed the rider in front just seems to disappear into the trees. But what you find as you carve around the 12 foot diameter obstacle is another slightly smaller redwood right behind it. The trail makes a tight root covered S-bend between them with 25” of handlebar clearance and then a very short but steep climb. You need the momentum from the trail to allow you to make the climb but if you have too much speed you can’t clear the transition between the trees and their are the roots that you must negotiate at the same time you are clearing your bars. Needless to say no one cleans this section the first time. It was at least 5 or 6 crashes for me before I got the hang of it and figured out the exact pedal position and timing of the chain drop for the climb.

That I think is my favorite trail obstacle.

Haha, sounds like you like whistler. Have you had a chance to play on D1?
I love Whistler! Last time I was there was over a year ago. I'm not familiar with D1. Is it off the Garbanzo? Only Garbanzo we got to do was Original Sin, beacuse everything else was too mudded out :(

Did do: A-Line; Dirt Merchant, Joyride; Lower DH; Crabapple Hits. GLCs kinda spooked me the first time I went off (I'm not a big-time dropper - - hence you'll notice I said 'moderate-size') I stayed waaay to the left against the trees. After a time or two I got braver and edged over to the right some more. Whhheeeeeee!

And I love A-Line's tabletops. They are sooooo forgiving! I'm getting better at modest gaps (under 16'), but I still like to see earth under me. The lips and smooth, well-shaped trannies on A-Line will make anybody a better jumper.

Your all so lucky, where i live in Royston, Hertfordshire, England, theres no where to ride, theres a woods, but nothing decent really, i have also been to a place called Gratham Waters, i've only been once and can't wait to go again, i don't remember nothing too good, but it is a nice long 9 mile trial aimed for beginners... I think its more of a exercise thing, i see lots of people with young kids going round slowly, then theres me zooming past them completing the trial twice before they've finished it once... There is one nice bit i remember, about 400 meters smooth, gravel floor, all downhill and all curvy with fierce corners and twists.

Knackers you out big time on a BMX though, but as you all probably know already, the bikes finishing on eBay tomorrow, and i just ordered a new Barracuda Jacana with twin disc brakes and front suspension...

I love Whistler! Last time I was there was over a year ago. I'm not familiar with D1. Is it off the Garbanzo? Only Garbanzo we got to do was Original Sin, beacuse everything else was too mudded out :(

Did do: A-Line; Dirt Merchant, Joyride; Lower DH; Crabapple Hits. GLCs kinda spooked me the first time I went off (I'm not a big-time dropper - - hence you'll notice I said 'moderate-size') I stayed waaay to the left against the trees. After a time or two I got braver and edged over to the right some more. Whhheeeeeee!

And I love A-Line's tabletops. They are sooooo forgiving! I'm getting better at modest gaps (under 16'), but I still like to see earth under me. The lips and smooth, well-shaped trannies on A-Line will make anybody a better jumper.

Hahaha D1 is a new flow trail on garb. I am not a jumper but I hear people love them. The drops here are made so even if you really screw up you can survive it. Garb is definately a mud fest.

I LOVE Lower whistler dh, crab apple hits I ride but I don't jump it very well. A-line is ok, DM is definately my favorite jumping trail. Different lines and you don't get the man line coming down your butt. I like non kicker style jumps. Kickers still bug me..:D

You coming out this year?

As far as man-made stuff goes, I like skinny bridges - mostly because they increase the pucker factor by ten :D

For natural stuff, I like really gnarly climbs requiring power, balance and a bit of luck. That and smallish drops to transition.

I LOVE Lower whistler dh, crab apple hits I ride but I don't jump it very well. A-line is ok, DM is definately my favorite jumping trail. Different lines and you don't get the man line coming down your butt. I like non kicker style jumps. Kickers still bug me..:D

You coming out this year?

I'm not that great of jumper myself, but I've been puckering up and launching things that a year and a half ago I would have rolled or gone around. I don't get silly, though. At my age, my internal flight 'gyroscope' isn't what it used to be . . . get cattywompus mid-air sometimes and come down that way :eek:

Definitely going to get up this year. Son's gonna stay working in B'ham for the summer again and I'm going to get over there at least once so we can hit it.

Any chance the snow will receed enough for a Memorial Day opening this year?

I like short, extremely steep, rooty climbs that you have to give everything you got, power and concentration wise, to get up. And 30 seconds later, I'm one exhausted, happy dude :)

Bushwacking is a lot of fun too. Leaves provide a lot of hidden obstacles and slidage.

too much to list!

I love going over those stacks of logs... those are the best! :D
Its all good like Kona quoted. But if i was forced to choose then probably the stack of logs just like these i see all the time on the trails i ride on... :D

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/bass_station/P3190006.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a56/bass_station/P3190009.jpg

fallen down trees lying parallel to the trail that i can jump up on, ride for as long as the tree trunk is, and then jump off. log piles over big trees blocking the trail

Here is one of my least favorite obstacles, a tree that is too high above the trail to hop or climb over.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f392/mcoine/IM000542.jpg

Well for you or me it is, but trials guys will put the front wheel on top of the log and then hop their back wheel onto it, than off they go. I wish I was one of those guys ;-(

Well for you or me it is, but trials guys will put the front wheel on top of the log and then hop their back wheel onto it, than off they go. I wish I was one of those guys ;-(

Yeah, I have done that on some that are on the ground, but when they are that high, I don't even try anymore. That tree in the pic was near the top on a long uphill, and I was too beat to try anything fancy. If someone piled some more logs in front that would be cool.

I'm not that great of jumper myself, but I've been puckering up and launching things that a year and a half ago I would have rolled or gone around. I don't get silly, though. At my age, my internal flight 'gyroscope' isn't what it used to be . . . get cattywompus mid-air sometimes and come down that way :eek:

Definitely going to get up this year. Son's gonna stay working in B'ham for the summer again and I'm going to get over there at least once so we can hit it.

Any chance the snow will receed enough for a Memorial Day opening this year?

Ummm...when is memorial day for you guys?...I am canadian ;)...

My buds live in bham they are up almost every weekend riding :)

Ummm...when is memorial day for you guys?...I am canadian ;)...

Oops! Sorry. As much as I deal with folks in Calgary and Edmonton, you'd think I'd have Eh-as-a-second-language down, wouldn't you? Gonna be May 29th this year - should be open by then shouldn't it?

Should be open. Even with all the snow they are preparing for a late may opening. Likely not garb though so you will be left to the lower mountain. The dirt is ready they will just move the snow over. I would be surprised if they let the season start late...

COME ON DIRT!!

Sandy gravel at speed isn't an obstacle, necessarily. It just takes some of those mid size tires with a super flexible casing. Unfortunately, mid size tires are slower on pavement than either larger or smaller for some frustrating reason I can't seem to get a grip on. Yeah, that's it. Too much grip. ;) Anyway, gravel is an obstacle if the tire's casing is too hard (in an attempt to make it bombproof).

I don't know of a specialty designed for traction upon carcases. Can't help there.

A deer!! That is an obstacle! lol! ;)

the bike i usually use on that trail is running 700x32c Conti Twisters - very skinny. gravel is o.k., but soft sand can get a bit squirrely.

explanation of the dead animals:

there are sections of the trail that run along and near a somewhat busy railroad track; deer in particular are stupid, train comes along, pow! deer corpse in mid-trail. often a very flat deer corpse.

usually it's more of an olfactory hazard than a physical one, but the 'dillos can be a real obstacle...