Living Car Free - Thank you guys. And gals.

Today I bought a second used bike as my wintertime/reserve beater. By dinnertime I had installed racks, panniers, fenders, and lighting. As I took it out for a shakedown cruise this evening (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=465020), I got pretty excited. All the things I've learned from you guys on BikeForums made the whole process really easy and fun.

I knew where to look for a good deal, how to identify a decent bike and its purchase value, how to repair it to working condition, how to kit it for commuting and utility use, and finally how to ride it safely in traffic. All thanks to some hardcore lurking here and soaking up a lot of info from you all.

With tonight's successful ride, I'm now able to go really-car-lite (retaining it only for visiting my parents 300 miles away) and I'm pretty excited about it. Thanks for all that you guys contribute and inspire here. :thumb: Once I build a trailer I will be completely unstoppable.

Congratulations on the bike... sounds like you are ready for an interesting adventure.

What's a "recreation ecologist"?

I study the effects and impacts of outdoor recreation on the environments in which we recreate. So that's stuff like soil erosion on hiking trails and singletrack, wildlife disturbance by recreationists (scaring nesting birds off their eggs, feeding, etc.). I mostly work with national parks and forests. It is a good gig.

I study the effects and impacts of outdoor recreation on the environments in which we recreate. So that's stuff like soil erosion on hiking trails and singletrack, wildlife disturbance by recreationists (scaring nesting birds off their eggs, feeding, etc.). I mostly work with national parks and forests. It is a good gig.

That's interesting. It's something I worry about when i go mountain biking. Any suggestions on making MTBing less destructive?

Actually, among all forms of trail-based recreation, mountain biking is among the least destructive with respect to soil and vegetation disturbance. There's a bit of professional squabbling about it (as there should be; scientists are in the business of healthy skepticism) but by and large mountain bikers are roughly equivalent to or slightly better than hikers in terms of environmental pressure.

One big reason for that is that IMBA has really, really got their act together on their trail construction guidelines. I might suggest it is the single most cogent handbook on sustainable trail design. I'm basing that evaluation on field research by my and other research groups. I should disclaim that though I have no personal involvement with IMBA at all, one of the people in my research group has written a chapter on recreation ecology issues in an upcoming IMBA publication.

Another factor is that far fewer MTB riders exist than hikers.

At the other end of the scale, there are relatively few horse-based recreationists, but the biomechanical action of the hoof "scoops" soil with every step, loosening it and making it much more susceptible to erosion.

ATV users are among the most impactful of all, for reasons of vehicle type and to an extent cultural practices.

So to actually get around to your question, :),

Concentrate your use onto already-established trails
Regularly maintain your trails with rolling grade reversals, knicks, and other water management features to prevent highly erosive muddy spots
Be gentle on those roots that are holding your trail in place
Ride softly near bird habitat during nesting seasons, particularly if you are aware of rare, threatened, or endangered species nearby
When you stop for a snack, check around you for crumbs or micro-trash (wrappers, bottlecaps, etc)
Never ever feed wildlife along the way
On longer rides in sensitive environments, learn to dispose of human waste in locally-appropriate ways. It is different for desert/montane/riparian/etc. areas.
etc.


There're books worth of advice when it comes to singletrack design.

There're further volumes on the social impacts of recreation (e.g., crowding, noise, competitive access to trails, use type conflicts, etc.).

IMBA actually has a decent start on a collection of sustainable riding and trail design (http://www.imba.com/cgi-bin/search/search.cgi?Terms=sustainable) articles.

This probably merits a fresh thread if you or others would like to continue this discussion. :thumb:

IMBA actually has a decent start on a collection of sustainable riding and trail design (http://www.imba.com/cgi-bin/search/search.cgi?Terms=sustainable) articles.

This probably merits a fresh thread if you or others would like to continue this discussion. :thumb:

The trail design book ("Trail solutions") looks interesting. It seems to share the same notions as good urban road design, ie, control speed by inserting obstacles ("chokes"), keep the roadway somewhat "technical"... that sort of thing.

Thanks for the very useful information, HopliteGrad. :)

I imagine another difference is that hikers usually want an "easy" trail, which might require many modifications of the environment. MTBers, on the other hand, usually want a tough trail with technical difficulties left intact.

I imagine another difference is that hikers usually want an "easy" trail, which might require many modifications of the environment. MTBers, on the other hand, usually want a tough trail with technical difficulties left intact.

Interesting. Speaking only for myself, when I hike I enjoy trails that are near-impassable for a mountain bike, because it's boring if its something that really amounts to an unpaved road with no cars on. And when I bike I prefer trails that are pretty tame because of the bicycle's inherent challenges in going over and around obstacles, plus the fact that I'm not good at technical MTBing.

I imagine another difference is that hikers usually want an "easy" trail, which might require many modifications of the environment. MTBers, on the other hand, usually want a tough trail with technical difficulties left intact.

Not me! One of the weird effects of my joint problems is that stairs and steep climbs aren't as hard on me. If I can maintain a nice safe 3 points of contact, I can move very quickly over rough ground, and at the end of the day I don't hurt much. If I try to do the same amount of effort on flat walking, odds are I'm hurting by the end of the day.

I can do simple stuff on a bike like potholes and tree roots, but I'm not very skilled over rough ground. So if I see a very rough trail, I'd rather walk it than try to bike it.