[Ciaran]

Since we are on like our 4th day in a row of rain here in Southern California, and we can't ride the trails lest we ruin them and have them all closed to bikes I began to wonder...

How many of you are able to ride in the rain or right after it rains when your trails are still wet and muddy? Here the rain turns the trails into sticky clay mud and makes riding all but impossible. If you do ride you leave deep ruts that are there till next winter.

The GF and I would eventually like to move out of L.A. and up to the northwest where it is green and rainy, and I am wondering if I will be able to ride. So, where are you and can you ride the local trails in the rain?

 

[Snacks]

Since we are on like our 4th day in a row of rain here in Southern California, and we can't ride the trails lest we ruin them and have them all closed to bikes I began to wonder...

How many of you are able to ride in the rain or right after it rains when your trails are still wet and muddy? Here the rain turns the trails into sticky clay mud and makes riding all but impossible. If you do ride you leave deep ruts that are there till next winter.

The GF and I would eventually like to move out of L.A. and up to the northwest where it is green and rainy, and I am wondering if I will be able to ride. So, where are you and can you ride the local trails in the rain?

Hahaha....if we didn't ride in the rain wouldn't ride 50% of the time

 

[JSB]

Dude, it's been dry for 4 days, but it has rained so much you still can't ride with out trinching up the trail. I'm hating the weather right now. It's suppose to be dry until Wednesday, then more rain. Right when the trail would probably be tacky. But I guess that's just the way it is on clay.

 

[DHS]

hm, thats most my season... then you add snow. though snow is much more fun

 

[wooglin]

There's a trail about 40 minutes from here that is on deep sand. Its best during and right after a hard rain because it packs the sand. Otherwise you bog down. Despite the sun, this pic was taken right after a good solid rain storm. The trail was nice and tacky.

 

[jacksonpt]

We can, but try not to whenever possible. The trails take such a beating around here... some are wet year round in places and not everyone is as conscience of trail condition as we are (we being the local group I ride with).

So, can we? yes. Do we? not generally.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Riding in the rain or after rain is a pretty big here on the Front Range. Some trails are ok (drained well), but alot turn to goo.

Luckily, we only have about 15 days like that per year............

-S.S.-

 

[Rockland]

For the most part we can ride in the rain here. The soil is mulchy not clay based. Our trails don't see a ton of traffic. We stay off the multi-use trails that are shared between hikers & bikes. The trails shared by bikes & ATV/moto/jeeps are fair game.

 

[I Are Baboon]

We can, for the most part, but I do not. I don't enjoy riding in the rain.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Depending on the trail.

J

 

[HippieKai]

shoot i ride in the snow! The rain aint going to stop me none. Besides if i didn't ride in the rain i would never get to ride. Freaking PNW bioch.

 

[jdcamb]

Trails I maintain. Yes. Trails I don't. No. Seeing as maybe 3 people do trail maintenance around here including me I am all set. The rest of the folks just complain about it being wet or the trails are in bad shape I try to be non-consumptive when it comes to trail use. Whereas most of the folks around here are just consumptive. I will fix my damage and theirs.......

 

[Echo]

Trails I maintain. Yes. Trails I don't. No. Seeing as maybe 3 people do trail maintenance around here including me I am all set. The rest of the folks just complain about it being wet or the trails are in bad shape I try to be non-consumptive when it comes to trail use. Whereas most of the folks around here are just consumptive. I will fix my damage and theirs.......

Most people I know around here don't see the point of maintaining trails that we aren't allowed to ride legally. It's not like we have the option of forming an official trail maintenance committee, that would just be begging to get prosecuted.

 

[Ian F]

No... mainly because I hate riding in the rain... I'll race in it if I have to - and I usually did well in sloppy conditions - but I hated every second of it....

 

[biggins]

hell yeah ya can here. its all rocks and roots here anyway.

 

[jdcamb]

Most people I know around here don't see the point of maintaining trails that we aren't allowed to ride legally. It's not like we have the option of forming an official trail maintenance committee, that would just be begging to get prosecuted.

That would be one place. And I wasn't referring to that place. Tryon has a way of taking care of itself neaky: But don't you still ride there? Hmmmm.

We are allowed to ride Stid Hill, do you know how many folks showed up for trail maintenance there? 2 bikers. We are allowed to ride Cutler.... I was the only one who showed up for that one even though everyone said they would.... We are allowed to ride Letchworth.... Hi-Tor.... Spenser.... Go to a WNYMBA trail day and see how many folks show up there........

 

[slowSSer]

fellow so-cal-ite
cabin fever has officially set in.

 

[Slugman]

fellow so-cal-ite
cabin fever has officially set in.

I've gained more weight from Jan 1 to present than I did from Thanksgiving to New Years ...

 

[Echo]

That would be one place. And I wasn't referring to that place. Tryon has a way of taking care of itself neaky: But don't you still ride there? Hmmmm.

We are allowed to ride Stid Hill, do you know how many folks showed up for trail maintenance there? 2 bikers. We are allowed to ride Cutler.... I was the only one who showed up for that one even though everyone said they would.... We are allowed to ride Letchworth.... Hi-Tor.... Spenser.... Go to a WNYMBA trail day and see how many folks show up there........

I wasn't talking about Tryon actually. There are lots of good places to ride in Monroe county, Durand has tons of potential if we were allowed to work with the trails there for example. East Bay is another illegal spot with tons of possibilities. Not to mention your favorite secret "sweet 16"... illegal. All those places you mention are a good 45 min-1.5 hours drive from my house, not exactly conducive to a quick ride after work. And WNYMBA only cares about the Buffalo area, we learned that long ago. I'm not going to go do a bunch of trail work in Ellicottville just to get blown off when we need help with our access issues here.

 

[Skookum]

There are some trails that don't drain well and you really wouldn't want to ride in the rain anyways(just too much poop, you'll never get any rythym). There are some trails that are mixed, if you know the right sections you can still get a ride in. Like someone was saying there are some multi-use trails that are so worn down from moto/horsey use it doesn't matter if a bike hits it.
Most trails around here are covered in a forest canopy helping out the trail conditions by having tons of real soil that doesn't get eroded away from exposure. The good soil helps drainage, as well as our hilly terrain combined with trail builders who are taking advantage of IMBA trail building techniques concerning water shedding. Certainly there are some exceptions like the multi use trails mention above where you get into the clay sections of earth....
Alot of the vunerable beautiful mountain alpine trails open to mt. biking are closed in the wet winter anyways, a high majority of them not because the closure is mandatory, but because it's impossible to ride in 20' of snow.

 

[Velocity Girl]

Hahaha....if we didn't ride in the rain wouldn't ride 50% of the time

So very true!!! Even during the summer I almost always bring my rain jacket to at least the trail head with me!

 

[Ciaran]

Looks like it's the PNW for us! Now all I have to do is find one of those pesky job things.

I wish we at least had the option of riding in the rain here. I like it, it's fun.

 

[Wumpus]

People shouldn't ride in the rain around here, but the summer dry conditions may be worst for the trails than riding them wet.

 

[mobius]

I've ridden in the rain a few times back in Richmond, VA (where i live when not at school) and it was better for the trail then riding after and it was quite peacful. Haven't ridden in rain since this summer at whistler though and i miss it.

 

[HRDTLBRO]

We try and stay off the trails here. Most of our trails normally turn to cold, sticky mud that will stop your wheels from turning. We have a trail that only 4-5 of us maintain and have designed to drain well. Two days after monsoon rains the trail is a fast tacky, and only we get to enjoy it! Lest I forget, Snowshoe in the cold, foggy rain and mud. Chocolate pudding, anyone? :heart:

 

[jdcamb]

I wasn't talking about Tryon actually. There are lots of good places to ride in Monroe county, Durand has tons of potential if we were allowed to work with the trails there for example. East Bay is another illegal spot with tons of possibilities. Not to mention your favorite secret "sweet 16"... illegal. All those places you mention are a good 45 min-1.5 hours drive from my house, not exactly conducive to a quick ride after work. And WNYMBA only cares about the Buffalo area, we learned that long ago. I'm not going to go do a bunch of trail work in Ellicottville just to get blown off when we need help with our access issues here.

Well good my bad. I agree we are very lucky to have some pretty decent riding close.

Did you ride the length of the sweet 16 including the froggies loop? Pretty fun huh? Kind of nice how it links up Tryon to East Bay

Ahhh the possibilities. I have found that in Monroe county politics/goverment individuals make a difference. Not groups. What works somewhere else doesn't mean a damn thing here. Create waves here and prepare to get humbled. I was..... If you were to take the bull by the horns so to speak. Just take ownership. If you managed to keep it low key. Then overtime you could make a impact on our situation. If you think Durand has possibilities.... Then make them. It is just as much your park as some dog walker. Just don't try to shake things up. That doesn't work...

WNYMBA has it's priorities. They also have their hands full. I find them to be pretty cool. They show up for Letchworth trail maintenance days.....

 

[GumbaFish]

Pretty much a no go for me, since there has been some controversy over biking around my area I have stopped riding after rain because it does a lot of damage to the trails. Waiting a day or two for it to dry is better than riding in the rain, ruining a trail, and possibly increasing the heat towards biking.

 

[ZeroCool]

Cabin fever, talk about it. I can't even get to work, since the 101 is shut down between my house and Santa Barbara, and I've played about as much Halo 2 as I can stand for the next couple of days.
To make things worse, I have a couple of brand new bikes just begging to be taken out and ridden, and I can't ride them! It's killing me!

JJames

 

[DaveW]

Nah can't ride after a good downpour here.

It's Volcanic ash that's been compacted to sandstone like hardness and patches of clay.... As soon as it's wet it's just too damm greasy unless you use snow spike tyres which rip the tracks apart.

 

[BuddhaRoadkill]

Not ride in the rain?!?!?!

Are you nuts? That would leave maybe a month, 2 at the most.
We're lucky here, we have some multi-use trails that get graveled in the summer. While it makes them completely worthless in the summer, they kick butt in the fall/winter/spring. Fast and flowy.

We still ride just about everything. Riding in the rain adds "technical features" for the summer. It helps expose rocks and roots, and creates those cool, foot deep, trenches of death. Some trails get better with abuse and neglect! :evil: