Mountain Biking - Trail Etiquette

Hey guys,

I finally got a mtb that is worth something, which of course means I want to use it like 50 times more than the bike I have now. So when I hit the trails on much more frequent trips, I don't want to look like the guy who has never been riding before. I have ridden quite a bit, but I don't have anyone to go with or teach me the basics...like trail etiquette. My question is obviously, can you guys give me some do's and don'ts on the trail. All input would be very much appreciated!!

Are you asking questions like what to do when there are other riders involved, people?? I guess I'm not sure what your looking for.

Pack it in, pack it out. Leave no trace (that includes skidding). Always follow the yield rules of the trail (normally bikes yield to horses and hikers). When you come to a fellow mtn biker coming the other way, it's usually downhill riders yield to uphill riders. It's generally easier to start back up again if you're going down than up.

Yeah, Ditto what Phattyre said. Remember to warn riders or hikers that your coming. Just be aware too.

http://www.imba.com/about/trail_rules.html

Pack it in, pack it out. Leave no trace (that includes skidding)... It's usually downhill riders yield to uphill riders. It's generally easier to start back up again if you're going down than up.

It's ALWAYS downhill rider yields to climber.

Pack it in, pack it out.

Don't make fun of me :rolleyes: but what does that mean?

it means don't leave anything in the woods that you brought it. It applies to everyone, but specifically overnight backpackers. Got to be a bit of a problem when people would literally leave trashbags of garbage at a campsite.

Some idiot did that here recently. Friends came across his garbage spewed around a campsite, not even in a bag. They cleaned up to haul it out and what do ya know... they found his address on some mail... so they mailed him his garbage.

that's freaking hilarious! I would love to see the look on that guys face. You would think it goes without saying to clean up your junk before you leave.

When you say "leave no trace" I agree with that and use that when camping/backpacking/riding but how in the WORLD do you except to leave no trace when skidding? Get off the bike and go back and dust over them?

The best way to cover your marks when skidding is to, ah, not skid. It tears the trail up and hasn't been cool since you were 8 years old.

True and agreed but I think we have different ideas of skidding. Are you talking about coming into a corner and making a rooster tail by slidding the backend out or are you talking about going down a very steep technical section and grabbing too much rear brake and skidding down a bit. I was talking about the latter, of course when I grab too much rear I let up and touch the front but thats just me.

I like your question. good to see some want to do the right thing. there are areas where Mt. bikers are not seen in the best light and to have your attitude will make a positive impact to our sport. IMBA(as stated above) rules are a good rule of thumb to start.when coming upon hikers/joggers keep in mind, especially if you are approaching from behind them, they will not always hear you so let them know more than once if needed that you are approaching and on which side. to yield the trail,clean up your evidence of being there,and always greet others you see will make a HUGE impact for the good where you go. I read somewhere that if you can leave the trail cleaner than when you came(if you see trash pack it out if you can) also volunteer for trail maintenence when you can.you will love it and the trails benefit from your effort

With the skidding comment I mean just don't do it on purpose. If you use a little too much brake and the wheel slides I don't expect someone to dust over their skid, myself included. If it happens, it happens, just don't make a habit out of it.

nothing other than water can tear up a trail quicker than skidding. if your not sure slow down before you get there. and dont use your front brake heavily in a curve( I cracked a rib like that, not to mention the damage I did to the trail from ignorance)

i think my biggest frustrating is when people are skidding, because it tears up the trails like crazy... when i am at home in charleston, wv; the places i ride are technical downhills... well you can tell over time that people just ride down it like there is no tomorrow, and they lock up their back tire the whole way... well all that does is make huge ruts and it makes most places impossible to ride... and then i go to school in lynchburg, VA, and the trails around here are wet alot, and people just go around turns and lock up their rear wheel and tear the heck out of the corners which just makes suck riding... i hate it when people skid... my two cents.

OK...Skidding...what should you do to recover from this? I'm a big guy and it's either rolling or skidding basically even with myself over my back wheel. There are alot of leaves everywhere that don't help anything...So what should I do?

OK...Skidding...what should you do to recover from this? I'm a big guy and it's either rolling or skidding basically even with myself over my back wheel. There are alot of leaves everywhere that don't help anything...So what should I do?
You should not worry about it.

There's a huge difference between tearing up the trail that exists and widening it or creating a new one.


I'm not advocating being reckless or destructive, but trails are meant to be ridden or walked. If you have to walk, walk it, don't cut switch backs. My concern is more with walkers than riders... most riders don't like going off trail for fear of punctures, whereas I've seen too many hikers walk on fragile plant life that's off-trail. If you have to walk off-trail, try to walk on big rocks.

Some idiot did that here recently. Friends came across his garbage spewed around a campsite, not even in a bag. They cleaned up to haul it out and what do ya know... they found his address on some mail... so they mailed him his garbage.

Same thing happened here except it was at a local trail where we always ride. Turns out a girl had a party while her parents were out of town and ditched all the garbage from the party at the bottom of the trail. Stunk SO BAD!!!! My friends found some old letters and dumped the garbage in their front yard, rang the front door and bailed. Revenge is sweet!

i think my biggest frustrating is when people are skidding, because it tears up the trails like crazy... when i am at home in charleston, wv; the places i ride are technical downhills... well you can tell over time that people just ride down it like there is no tomorrow, and they lock up their back tire the whole way... well all that does is make huge ruts and it makes most places impossible to ride... and then i go to school in lynchburg, VA, and the trails around here are wet alot, and people just go around turns and lock up their rear wheel and tear the heck out of the corners which just makes suck riding... i hate it when people skid... my two cents.

Jerm--where do you ride in Lynchburg? I'm from Charlottesville.

OK...Skidding...what should you do to recover from this? I'm a big guy and it's either rolling or skidding basically even with myself over my back wheel. There are alot of leaves everywhere that don't help anything...So what should I do?

Use the front brake more, and spin faster, try to keep the rear wheel engaged. A tire skidding is not in controll of the surface, a rolling engaged one is.

I lightly clamp my brakes and push against the resistance. Slow riding, put more power front.
As I do that i'm slowing, engaging the rear and if I find traction rear ( stick you butt out) lower the front brake force.

I'm a light guy, work on ballance a lot.
Not sure if my descripton of what I do will help.

Keep it up big guy. You inspire others.

Oh, fixing your bike?...get OFF the run.

OKay I have a question for you guys. It seems that anytime I come upon a walker or runner coming the other direction they always yield to me because they can get to the side faster. Should I also stop and allow them to proceed or just say thanks and keep going? I usually slow down and go by. If I see them again( down and back trail) I try to yield to them since they did the same for me.

OKay I have a question for you guys. It seems that anytime I come upon a walker or runner coming the other direction they always yield to me because they can get to the side faster. Should I also stop and allow them to proceed or just say thanks and keep going? I usually slow down and go by. If I see them again( down and back trail) I try to yield to them since they did the same for me.


I usually yeild to them, makes them think that mountain bikers are good guys, as most of us are.... If they've already yeild to you, just say thanks and ride past them slowly, or get off and push past them slowly, and ALWAYS get off for a horse...

...and ALWAYS get off for a horse...
is being stopped and sitting on your bike not enough?

The only time I get off is when there's not enough room on the trail for the horse to pass, then I pick up my bike and walk off trail.

If they're willing to make the first move like that I slow down and act like I'm going to pull over. Then when they signal me thru I give them a friendly "hello" and a big "thank you, have a nice *enter activity here*." From my experience you can't be overly friendly on a multiuse trail.

is being stopped and sitting on your bike not enough?

The only time I get off is when there's not enough room on the trail for the horse to pass, then I pick up my bike and walk off trail.

I would still get off, it isnt that much harder than stopping, and it gives the extra good feeling that for the rider when they think, wow, nice guys these mountain bikers, they got off for us and our horses...

It's ALWAYS downhill rider yields to climber.
Also when you are going downhill and yielding, it is much preferred if you are not stopped on the best or only line up the hill. I've several times encounted the downhill rider yielding/waiting, but stopped in the middle of the trail, so I end up needing to stop at the top of the hill when I get to them. It defeat the purpose of yielding.
Al

is being stopped and sitting on your bike not enough?

The only time I get off is when there's not enough room on the trail for the horse to pass, then I pick up my bike and walk off trail.


I find there is a difference with regard to people you meet in the summer and the winter. In the summer I yield to everyone, and that includes most other bikers until I feel certain that they are going to respect me. In the summer there are too many people that do not understand that there is a trail etiquette. I've got fed up with passing crowds of people out walking and show them respect, only for a kid or a dog to try and pretzle my front wheel. Similarly I cater for the few horse owners that demand that they have right of way over everyone else.
In the winter, we only get the seasoned people out on the trails, and they understand that they can cause as much of a problem to other people as they can cause them. This winter, I actually had a Horse owner apoligise to me, because his horse was a bit skittish as he was not used to Bright colours. "Would we mind waiting for him at the top of the hill, so he could ride his horse up to us and let it see we were not a problem"? We have seen that horse owner quite a few times and his horse is getting better, but his must be one of the friendliest greetings we get on the trail.

The best way to cover your marks when skidding is to, ah, not skid. It tears the trail up and hasn't been cool since you were 8 years old.

LOL! Sorry, this just cracked me up coming from a "camaro driver". BTW, saw a sweet '71 SS today-man, that thing was bad!

Back on topic: I skid accidentally sometimes, but I don't really worry about it that much. The horses tear up the trail far worse than I ever could. Strangely, I've never met one on the trail. I see(and feel) the hoofprints and there's always manure, but no horsies so far.... Unfortunately, there's also a ton of trash on the trail I usually ride. It's hard to tell what's CoE land and private property so I'm not even sure if it's litter or not most of the time.

I find there is a difference with regard to people you meet in the summer and the winter. In the summer I yield to everyone, and that includes most other bikers until I feel certain that they are going to respect me. In the summer there are too many people that do not understand that there is a trail etiquette. I've got fed up with passing crowds of people out walking and show them respect, only for a kid or a dog to try and pretzle my front wheel. Similarly I cater for the few horse owners that demand that they have right of way over everyone else.
In the winter, we only get the seasoned people out on the trails, and they understand that they can cause as much of a problem to other people as they can cause them. This winter, I actually had a Horse owner apoligise to me, because his horse was a bit skittish as he was not used to Bright colours. "Would we mind waiting for him at the top of the hill, so he could ride his horse up to us and let it see we were not a problem"? We have seen that horse owner quite a few times and his horse is getting better, but his must be one of the friendliest greetings we get on the trail.

I dont agree with Horses being on our trails, and neither do i like the attitude of the riders, many of them are very snobbish and stuff, some dont even say thank you, you even get some ***** that say 'bllody bikes should be on a biketrail"

Err... sorry missus, this is the bike trail, your on the wrong trail you dozy cow... (although i dont say that obviously lol)

But even after this i still yeild to horses and owners, no matter what their attitude is, after all, if you fly past them or make any sudden movments, some horses do go nuts and can end up hurting you, the owner, or the horse, i find it uch easier to just let it go, and wait till they go past then ride on...

I have also found that summer and winter thing applies down here Stapfam, many familes with children and stuff visit out trails, which arent sectioned trails for mtbers, but the park is sectioned into different routes for walkers and bikes, and many of the familes dont pay attention to where they are walking and what they are walking on, many a time i have had to stop because a group of familes walks alog our trails, although they are usually pretty friendly, i suppose it's what you have to put up with if you want to ride in our supposed good time of the year..

I do like riding in winter though, i prefer to ride in the cold than the heat and many of the people i see on my local trails are regulars and you do get to know some of them... which is nice..

horses are dumb animals. Ive seen where they are scared to death of my bike and Ive seen them want to come over and let me scratch their head.the key Ive found with horses is to talk to them before they get to you especially if they seem skiddish. the rider usually will see the positive aspect of that and tell their friends about how us bikers are not as bad as the rumors. I even had one ask me to stay there and talk so the horse could get used to bikes.that was one that wanted to eat my barend. at first it wanted to run the other direction.it came to a sudden stop and wanted to turn around. after talking to it for a bit it came and investigated my bike and decided my barend looked like a snack.as far as hikers or joggers it depends on the trail. double track ,just slow down and exchange pleasantries, then go on. singletack is a different ball game.there are many variables but err on the side of caution. no need to get off the bike ,justpull over and wait. as far as multi use trails, I wish there were no horses on the trails at all( in the spring its hard to smell whether its the horse or its droppings,they smell the same,they tear up the trails in wet weather) but the limited amount of land and budgets for land maintenence dictates that weeither get a little piece of the pie or we share it. Id rather share and have more trail options than have only a small number of options. IMBA trail building standards are for multi use so if built to standard even if no one else uses it it is well done. by being pleasant you may end up getting more than a smile from a member of the opposite gender

i think my biggest frustrating is when people are skidding, because it tears up the trails like crazy... when i am at home in charleston, wv; the places i ride are technical downhills... well you can tell over time that people just ride down it like there is no tomorrow, and they lock up their back tire the whole way... well all that does is make huge ruts and it makes most places impossible to ride... and then i go to school in lynchburg, VA, and the trails around here are wet alot, and people just go around turns and lock up their rear wheel and tear the heck out of the corners which just makes suck riding... i hate it when people skid... my two cents.

BRaking bumps suck. Whistler is littered with them in the open fast trails. I am not going to comment much more than that about skidding, there are times when powersliding in a turn (basically a fancy skid) is required to maintain speed on downhill runs and there are times where using your rear brake to flow a really steep (I am talking STEEP) downhill section is easier than using the front brake especially if that section has turns....

As for the rest, I am glad I live in an area with well marked hike trails and trails that DO NO ALLOW horses. They have their own trails too. I couldn't put up with the crap most of you do. :)

It's ALWAYS downhill rider yields to climber.

I have always hated that rule. I am glad generally our trails aren't loops so downhill sections are downhill and climbs are climbs. I have only had to do this rule once, and it competley got me out of the flow of the trail.

Use the front brake more, and spin faster, try to keep the rear wheel engaged. A tire skidding is not in controll of the surface, a rolling engaged one is.

I lightly clamp my brakes and push against the resistance. Slow riding, put more power front.
As I do that i'm slowing, engaging the rear and if I find traction rear ( stick you butt out) lower the front brake force.

I'm a light guy, work on ballance a lot.
Not sure if my descripton of what I do will help.

Keep it up big guy. You inspire others.

Also learn to feather the brakes instead of slam them. your (pwd) weight will keep in motion more than smaller guys but you can recover.



Oh, fixing your bike?...get OFF the run.


Thats one I can relate too. I have this happen periodically.Never clutter the run with you or your parts :)

i was at my local trails today tearing down a fairly steep downhill section then in the middle of the run theres a couple of kids and theyre mum setting up a rope swing!! asked them nicely but no, asked them again no! so instead of getting angry we go back up and bomb it back down! ah that got them out the way! :rolleyes:

Also when you are going downhill and yielding, it is much preferred if you are not stopped on the best or only line up the hill. I've several times encounted the downhill rider yielding/waiting, but stopped in the middle of the trail, so I end up needing to stop at the top of the hill when I get to them. It defeat the purpose of yielding.
Al

HAHAHA, I think yielding includes staying out of the way. Think about a yield sign on the road, does that mean get in the other vehicle's right of way and then stop, wait for other driver to go around you? Too funny! Stopping in the climber's way is the opposite of yielding.

there are times when powersliding in a turn (basically a fancy skid) is required to maintain speed on downhill runs

What would happen if you failed to "maintain speed"? Skids are for squids, even fancy skids.

i was at my local trails today tearing down a fairly steep downhill section then in the middle of the run theres a couple of kids and theyre mum setting up a rope swing!! asked them nicely but no, asked them again no! so instead of getting angry we go back up and bomb it back down! ah that got them out the way! :rolleyes:


Wait, so they were setting up a swing in the middle of a bike trail?

Skidding is fun in places where you don't cause damage. Example...yesterday after my ride I took a detour down to the beach. Skidding on the sand is awesome! Doesn't tear up your tires or damage the surface, and it's soft if you fall. I highly recommend it.

I highly dont. Getting sand anywhere in your bike can lead to disaster.

I highly dont. Getting sand anywhere in your bike can lead to disaster.
I was just thinking about how much my chain probably loves me.

yap a swing in the middle of a bike trail! :mad:

OKay I have a question for you guys. It seems that anytime I come upon a walker or runner coming the other direction they always yield to me because they can get to the side faster. Should I also stop and allow them to proceed or just say thanks and keep going? I usually slow down and go by. If I see them again( down and back trail) I try to yield to them since they did the same for me.


Depends. If it's a dangerous situation like a narrow trail or a drop-off I'll definitely stop. Most of the time I just yell "heads up" (coming from the rear or if they don't see me) or good morning, or something and play it by ear. Some folks move out of the way so quickly that I don't have time to slow.

The big issue is horses. Some trials like Bull Mountain area in N Georgia mix horses, walkers and cyclist. I'll definitely stop no matter what, for a horse.

Al

I was just thinking about how much my chain probably loves me.
:eek:

:D

Hey Billie, I have ridden pretty much everything that Lynchburg has to offer. I go to Liberty University, and we have a mountain bike racing team that did a couple of races over in Charlottesville, but I have never done it. I have done some stuff in Roanoke, but that's about it. I would love to head over to Charlottesville sometime, but probably not until it gets a little bit warmer so I can enjoy it a little bit more. :) I actually have not ridden in the last week and a half that I have been back in town, and I need to get out there sometime this week...

yap a swing in the middle of a bike trail! :mad:

What made them even think of doing that?

If you clean your bike thouroughly after riding on sand, you'll be fine (there are races on beaches so it can be done) but if you dont clean it, dont say i didnt warn you. Oh and the salt can be just as bad.

Those who complain about their BBs getting noisy from dirt getting in to them, try getting sand in there and see how it likes it :rolleyes: