Quantcast

***Saturday GMT***

Sandro

Terrified of Cucumbers
Nov 12, 2006
3,228
2,541
The old world
Effing carnival over here. The entire Rhineland has been hammered since Thursday morning and will continue its collective inebriation until Tuesday.
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
21,880
21,391
Canaderp
Woo Saturday. Woo long weekend. Woo Family Day (whatever that is).

Not quite sure what to do with all this free time.
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,508
In hell. Welcome!
Woo Saturday. Woo long weekend. Woo Family Day (whatever that is).

Not quite sure what to do with all this free time.
Meth?

Morning monkeyz. Took my new bike for a spin around the hood and it felt good. Now I need the historic snow cover to go away. It should not take more than 4-5 months. :banghead:
 

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
8,348
6,846
Yakistan
Hello East Coast, please send snow West. We are in the throws of spring. 50-60 forecasted out for the next 10 days... No snowpack in the mtns. Our ski hills were open for a few weeks of shitty and rocky snow. Drought is serious bizniss here. I have been riding/trail building in shorts and t-shirts all week which is awesome and scary at the same time.

Also... fuck yea. that is all.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,609
8,666
Howdy all. Family dinner (wife's side) hosted at mother in law's (mother's in law?) place in Seattle, at which we are staying. She's making two cheesecakes, as well as pulled pork, baked beans, etc.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,589
2,019
Seattle
Hello East Coast, please send snow West. We are in the throws of spring. 50-60 forecasted out for the next 10 days... No snowpack in the mtns. Our ski hills were open for a few weeks of shitty and rocky snow. Drought is serious bizniss here. I have been riding/trail building in shorts and t-shirts all week which is awesome and scary at the same time.

Also... fuck yea. that is all.
:stupid:

I'm gonna go ride.
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
20,037
8,756
Nowhere Man!
The result of a bidding war has pumped up the price of my bike to $1800. I accepted that offer and if everything goes well and he returns with the cash I will be a happy camper.
 

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
Just landed in aruba.
-2 when we left, 90 when we landed.
Barely made both flights, OJ'd through Philly to dive through closing door. wife/kids missing their bags but mine made it, so fuck em.
 
Last edited:

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,508
In hell. Welcome!
cold and snowing. perfect bike ride weather. instead i'm shoveling two feet of packed snow off a flat roof above sunroom. so fed up with this nonsense.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,561
26,807
media blackout
Just landed in aruba.
-2 when we left, 90 when we landed.
Barely made both flights, OJ'd through Philly to dive through closing door. wife/kids missing their bags but mine made it, so fuck em.
which is worse, missing the wife/kids or missing their bags?
 

49%

Chimp
Feb 8, 2015
10
6
Excited that we've got a genuine IMBA Trail Care Crew building legitimate trail here tomorrow!

The times they are a changin'. Up to this point our county has been strictly pirate
 
Last edited:

49%

Chimp
Feb 8, 2015
10
6
So they're paving the woods?
They may. We'll see. They knocked the presentation last week out of the park (I recommend attending one if ever have a chance), so we're hopeful.

Jason Wells will be the builder. https://www.imba.com/blog/chris-bernhardt/meet-builder-jason-wells From the slide presentation anyhow, he seems like a bad ass.

If you're talking about armoring all the way to grandma's house, they say they'll only armor ersosion prone sections over 15% grade.

I've done way too much erosion control work over the previous decade, and I'm really curious to see IMBA implements their more unfamiliar to me concepts- Stacked loops, half rule, outslope, grade reversals, sight line and vertical corridor manipulation, breaking up decommissioned lines. And their take on IMBA techniques I've used- Nicks, uphill ramps, rolling grade dips, stone pitching, and flag stoning.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,561
26,807
media blackout
They may. We'll see. They knocked the presentation last week out of the park (I recommend attending one if ever have a chance), so we're hopeful.

Jason Wells will be the builder. https://www.imba.com/blog/chris-bernhardt/meet-builder-jason-wells From the slide presentation anyhow, he seems like a bad ass.

If you're talking about armoring all the way to grandma's house, they say they'll only armor ersosion prone sections over 15% grade.

I've done way too much erosion control work over the previous decade, and I'm really curious to see IMBA implements their more unfamiliar to me concepts- Stacked loops, half rule, outslope, grade reversals, sight line and vertical corridor manipulation, breaking up decommissioned lines. And their take on IMBA techniques I've used- Nicks, uphill ramps, rolling grade dips, stone pitching, and flag stoning.
i may sound cynical about them, but i also recognize how valuable they can be when it comes to finally obtaining sanctioned trails (sounds like your current situation). I know all too well the stresses that come with rogue building and poaching.

i've seen some amazing trails get dumbed down to the point of boredom at their hands as well, and i'm not the only one. Tread cautiously with IMBA.
 

49%

Chimp
Feb 8, 2015
10
6
...finally obtaining sanctioned trails (sounds like your current situation). I know all too well the stresses that come with rogue building and poaching.

i've seen some amazing trails get dumbed down to the point of boredom at their hands as well...
Yup. Pegged it. No sanctioned MTB trails, rampant rogue building.

We've got well organized rogue builders even. They're good guys, just utterly clueless. They do a LOT of weed whacking of invasive weed growth, something that's constantly needed here to keep the trails ridable. But then turn around and build strictly fall line trails (think ruts big enough to drop a house into), add unneeded wooden structures which are left to rot, build jumps near trail heads, shuttle only, etc- Basically do the most harm to the publics perception possible, while keeping the authorities constantly breathing down our necks.

The tech level here is generally very high. Even if the IMBA trail ends up being a coaster trail, that may be something that we could use.

At least we can ride it without fear of being ambushed by Conservation Officers threatening to confiscate our bikes.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,561
26,807
media blackout
Yup. Pegged it. No sanctioned MTB trails, rampant rogue building.

We've got well organized rogue builders even. They're good guys, just utterly clueless. They do a LOT of weed whacking of invasive weed growth, something that's constantly needed here to keep the trails ridable. But then turn around and build strictly fall line trails (think ruts big enough to drop a house into), add unneeded wooden structures which are left to rot, build jumps near trail heads, shuttle only, etc- Basically do the most harm to the publics perception possible, while keeping the authorities constantly breathing down our necks.

The tech level here is generally very high. Even if the IMBA trail ends up being a coaster trail, that may be something that we could use.

At least we can ride it without fear of being ambushed by Conservation Officers threatening to confiscate our bikes.
in your case definitely engage with IMBA and help guide them as to the kinds of trails you want. not sure what kind of response you'll get, but you gotta start somewhere.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
55,921
21,952
Sleazattle
your only hope is to be able to wait it out a few years until nature and erosion make the trail somewhat fun again.
A few years ago some IMBA type trails were build just a few hundred yard from home. Wide smooth trails. Had just enough flow and a few features that made it a fun place to ride if you hauled ass. Know who else likes wide smooth trails? Old people, dog walkers, Weight Watcher Speed walking clubs. In two years this little park with a few miles of trails become the most visited park in the county. Now the place is pretty much unrideable as every corner is clogged with people walking 3 abreast. And when the local weight watchers speed walking club can't walk three abreast they widen the trail.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,561
26,807
media blackout
A few years ago some IMBA type trails were build just a few hundred yard from home. Wide smooth trails. Had just enough flow and a few features that made it a fun place to ride if you hauled ass. Know who else likes wide smooth trails? Old people, dog walkers, Weight Watcher Speed walking clubs. In two years this little park with a few miles of trails become the most visited park in the county. Now the place is pretty much unrideable as every corner is clogged with people walking 3 abreast. And when the local weight watchers speed walking club can't walk three abreast they widen the trail.
Have you tried putting a cow catcher on your bike?
 

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
17,300
14,099
Cackalacka du Nord
A few years ago some IMBA type trails were build just a few hundred yard from home. Wide smooth trails. Had just enough flow and a few features that made it a fun place to ride if you hauled ass. Know who else likes wide smooth trails? Old people, dog walkers, Weight Watcher Speed walking clubs. In two years this little park with a few miles of trails become the most visited park in the county. Now the place is pretty much unrideable as every corner is clogged with people walking 3 abreast. And when the local weight watchers speed walking club can't walk three abreast they widen the trail.
I am truly sorry. That sounds awful.
 

49%

Chimp
Feb 8, 2015
10
6
I am truly sorry. That sounds awful.
That would suck. We don't really have any riders that are equipped for anything other than pretty techy stuff. Even the xc guys. Hopefully if all flops, they put in another loop above that one with a worthwhile trail.

You guys are light years ahead of us. Very interesting to hear what the future reality may be. We're in the dark ages here.

There are hardly any mountain bikes sold here, basically no mountain bikers, no legal mtb trails. Heavy handed regulation by the authorites is the norm. Races are conducted solely on private property, with access only on day of, for a fee.

Our neighboring county has a tenth the population, but has organized and worked shit out with property managers. They've got legit awesome trails, high end bikes available retail, mtb tourism, a world championship race every year, etc, etc. Hopefully we're heading in that direction now.

IMBA talked a lot about the importance of stacked trails- A wide smooth beginners trail with long sight lines like you guys talk about. But then with more challenging trails stacked out further and further from the trail head. Maybe that's a new concept for them.

They also talked about how to appease the equestrians, weight watchers, etc by building a trail like this for them near the parking areas/ easy access. But then also between the lines told us how to build trails further up that explicitly keep them out-
Choke points with massive boulders (keep moto's out), short sightlines, low corridor ceilings (horses), trail heads with highly challenging entrances. Hidden trail entrances weren't explicitly mentioned...