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Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,016
Sleazattle
Honestly, I've been mostly talking out of my ass about that one. It's just sad to see all the rocks gone. Does anyone build trails with rock gardens anymore? When I'm joining trail building parties with the local NEMBA guys, rocks are almost always being removed for the trails to be easier, even from previously well established trails...

I stopped supporting my local MTB club because of this. I used to get into pretty heated arguments with folks during trailwork because of Rock/Root removal. The worst part is that most of the stuff being removed wasn't even technically difficult, they just wanted smoother trails. Of course when it rains here it comes in downpours, so those trails are now all eroded, because rocks and roots hold shit together.

When I lived in Cleveland, it seemed that people would search long and far for rocks, then put them in the middle of the trails. Different scene out there, much more of a blue collar activity, not full of the dentists/lawyers we have here.
 
I stopped supporting my local MTB club because of this. I used to get into pretty heated arguments with folks during trailwork because of Rock/Root removal. The worst part is that most of the stuff being removed wasn't even technically difficult, they just wanted smoother trails. Of course when it rains here it comes in downpours, so those trails are now all eroded, because rocks and roots hold shit together.

When I lived in Cleveland, it seemed that people would search long and far for rocks, then put them in the middle of the trails. Different scene out there, much more of a blue collar activity, not full of the dentists/lawyers we have here.
I went through some similar shit here. We're fighting right now to defend Vermont's primo rock/root trails.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,016
Sleazattle
I went through some similar shit here. We're fighting right now to defend Vermont's primo rock/root trails.
What really irks me is such neutering is often excused under the guise of sustainability, which it has the opposite effect. Not only from erosion as I stated before, but because gnar is self policing. All those rocks and roots become very difficult to ride when wet and muddy and deters most people from venturing out.
 
Even when trails are initially constructed to be challenging, clotpolls shortcut turns, destroy features, and ride off trail. I spend as much time brushing in stupid lines as I do removing windfall. I can sort of understand clueless n00bs behaving like this, but those who have been riding for a while...

Probably the same people we see out there in gleaming armor without a scratch on it on a buff track...
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,016
Sleazattle
Probably the same people we see out there in gleaming armor without a scratch on it on a buff track...
LOL

Some folks just think they need every accessory they can buy. There is one local douche tard that rides with pretty much every accessory you can strap to yourself or a bike. He even has this little towel on a retractable lanyard used to dab sweat. Still not as bad as people wearing full DH race clown suits on trail rides.
.
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jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
16,624
12,916
Cackalacka du Nord
trail neutering is the reason i pretty much only ride 1-2 of the available 10+ local trails in the clt area anymore, and only build at the one system maintained by the "rogue" club that does it right. any other ride time is in the mtns.
/rant.
here's a random pic of our backyard this Am during the day off from school/work because of ice:

also
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,016
Sleazattle
trail neutering is the reason i pretty much only ride 1-2 of the available 10+ local trails in the clt area anymore, and only build at the one system maintained by the "rogue" club that does it right. any other ride time is in the mtns.
/rant.
here's a random pic of our backyard this Am during the day off from school/work because of ice:
also
You curate that for your bongshed?
 

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
16,624
12,916
Cackalacka du Nord
You curate that for your bongshed?
you see my bongshed in the tree in the yard pic?
it's part of a series of woodburns of local mtb peeps that get installed randomly at the local trail. another friend draws them from photos (some childhood, some recent, all purposely not well drawn) and then i burn 'em.
another ex:

dude actually used it for the image on his debit card :rofl:
 

Muddy

ancient crusty bog dude
Jul 7, 2013
2,032
907
Free Soda Refills at Fuddruckers
Oh no! which ones... I try to go to Vermont at least twice a year because the riding is so good. My favourite place is Perry Hill. Please tell me they are not trying to dumb that down?!
+1 There were non-popular utterance made that local builders' effort to decrease constant-erosion in places was mass trail restructuring. Not the case whatsoever, infact invited a possible glimpse at better incorporation of less-developed areas.
Just under the crest of Burning Spear for example.
Brooke (Scatchard) chiseled better trail flow down there w/o sacrifice of drainage and consistency.
 
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Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,016
Sleazattle
you see my bongshed in the tree in the yard pic?
it's part of a series of woodburns of local mtb peeps that get installed randomly at the local trail. another friend draws them from photos (some childhood, some recent, all purposely not well drawn) and then i burn 'em.
another ex:

dude actually used it for the image on his debit card :rofl:
Sounds like there is a lot of 'burning' in yonder shed.
 

Jozz

Joe Dalton
Apr 18, 2002
5,753
7,215
SADL
Oh no! which ones... I try to go to Vermont at least twice a year because the riding is so good. My favourite place is Perry Hill. Please tell me they are not trying to dumb that down?!
Perry Hill is already dumbed down to dumb level. Unless you ride there all the time and know the good lines all the early 2000 gnar stuff is either not there anymore or hidden by the "new" lines. Joe's is a prime example.
 

Muddy

ancient crusty bog dude
Jul 7, 2013
2,032
907
Free Soda Refills at Fuddruckers
Perry Hill is already dumbed down to dumb level. Unless you ride there all the time and know the good lines all the early 2000 gnar stuff is either not there anymore or hidden by the "new" lines. Joe's is a prime example.
No one has cleared alternates on Joes for the past two years. I go back to 2006 though, pre-dickhouse nostalgia.
 

Jozz

Joe Dalton
Apr 18, 2002
5,753
7,215
SADL
No one has cleared alternates on Joes for the past two years. I go back to 2006 though, pre-dickhouse nostalgia.
Each time I finish Joe's I feel like kicking myself in the nuts for missing the entrance to the meatgrinder...:banghead: