Trail use after rain?
 

I like mud. I also like dry hardpacked trail. I am never quite sure about the amount of evaporation that needs to occur before riding again. Obviously this will vary by local but how about a general rule of thumb...I.E. No riding in broth, yes to gumbo. Whatever food preference you like may be inserted here. I do happen to reside in...SIIIGH the mid-GRUMBLE-west SCOWL. Any thoughts?

Mmmmm.....soup.

Maybe it's because i grew up in rainy Vancouver, but there is nothing more satisfying than riding a trail hub deep in muddy water!

I love it. Navigating 5 meter long, half meter deep puddles at speed is an art.

Well i know here at my most local trail after it rains i like to wait a day. The trail is very hillish, so usually the water accumalates at the low point of the hill so you go really fast down a hill then hit an 8" deep pud patch for a few feet and up the hill. BUt often i have enough momentum from before to plow right through :). Now that is fun

i don't mean to be a stick in the mud (no pun intended).....bbbuuuuuuttt.....riding on trails when they're wet creates a lot of impact, i.e. people going around puddles...just something to think about.

That's an incredibly myopic claim.

There are many areas where riding on wet trails is the norm. If people didin't ride when the trails are wet they would only ride a few months of the year.

There are also areas where riding on wet trails doesn't create "a lot of impact."

Generalizations suck.

Some of the riders on this forum apparently don't even like to ride when it's dusty outside, from some of the pics I've seen.... I ride whenever I want, no matter if it's raining/snowing/lightning/dark or just plain ole sunny....

Hmmm, yeah that's kind of my attitude but recently I've noticed a lot of trail maintenence going on and an increase in "trail ettiquite". Apparently you are naughty if you ruin the trail by riding after a rain. I don't want to be rude and violate any unwritten MB laws but at the same time I think the big knobs on my tires do a fine job of flinging mud and I hate to deny them this when they seem to enjoy it so. I hike also and am aware of the LNT ethics involved with that activity. I guess in an area with a larger MB "community" there are more clearly defined rules.

Hmmm, yeah that's kind of my attitude but recently I've noticed a lot of trail maintenence going on and an increase in "trail ettiquite". Apparently you are naughty if you ruin the trail by riding after a rain. I don't want to be rude and violate any unwritten MB laws but at the same time I think the big knobs on my tires do a fine job of flinging mud and I hate to deny them this when they seem to enjoy it so. I hike also and am aware of the LNT ethics involved with that activity. I guess in an area with a larger MB "community" there are more clearly defined rules.

You can say that again. :roflmao:

Not again.... Twice is enuf....

Hey kids it isn't nice to cut ruts into the trails after it rains.

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

Who said I was nice?

And some riders here obviously don't ever bother to maintain trails and fix the messes left by people who ride when it's too wet. May your bearings rust and cables clog!!!

Down here is Texas it's a written rule (www.dorba.org) that you DO NOT ride muddy trails. We don't ride 'em 'till they're tacky. At least those of us responsible riders don't. With our clay soil, you really can't ride muddy trails anyway. At least not unless you like to carry your bike 50 feet back to the parking lot and spend an hour cleaning the mud off before it turns to concrete!

Yes people who care about our sports reputation and the environment definetly suck :rolleyes:
If your riding on private land thats one thing, but when its public lands you should tread lightly.
We would not have half the legal trails we have in my area if we didnt follow the rules and promote proper trail usage.
A group called CAMBR here in chicago worked with the forest commissioners and reached a happy medium. The Forest commissioners would enjoy if no bikes ever touched the preserves. Yet obviously not many other people would like that. So CAMBR formed and came to an agreement that they would maintain the trails, promote proper trail usage, and remove foreign vegitation within a distance from our trails.
Now there are places where riding when its wet doesn't contribute much to erosion, but thats mainly the multi-track. But remember that if you dont care that your causing erosion, why should anyone...then imagine the destruction that would be caused.

its just the american mentality of "whateva....i do what i want".......it rules in most other areas and i suppose i don't see why this is any different.....

Turn it into crap, who cares. Nature does nothing for us.
Plants and animals are stupid. Ride on.

Don't ride in my parks though.

I actually prefer dry trails. Not dusty, but nice and hard soil compound. I corner better and go faster. Although in Winter we change our times/records a bit to compinsate for the wet track. I like riding it wet for fun, its harder definatley, but for speed and compition dry is better.

Anyone want some cheese?

I ride in florida so if I follow trail ettiquite, I wouldn't ride till winter time, .......I tread as lightly as possible,also stay on the trail, dont make your own to go around the mud.....

I'll go trail riding right after it's pouring, but definitely no downhilling. I don't like the idea of rolling 50 feet down into a tree.

It really depends on the trails.

Some trails have loose soil and great drainage and can be ridden during or immediately after rain/snow. Some sandy trails I ride are better during or after a nice rain.

Other trails in low lying areas with poor drainage and compacted soil might not be ready to ride for 3-4 days after heavy rain.

Each trail is different and it boils down to how much impact you are willing to induce. if you have a few different types of local trails, you should know which ones to stay off and which ones are ok.

Lots of clay around here, too. A lot of times it looks dry/slightly damp when it's really saturated and you wind up with so much accumulation that you can't even pedal any more. That's the main reason I try not to ride when it's wet since the equestrians/four-wheeler riders don't seem to give a damn about widening the trails, and I'm pretty sure we do less damage than they do....