[don]

I need to vent.

This trail session has had it's ups and downs. Ups in that the other local and I have gotten some pretty cool stuff built. Downs in that everyone that seems to ride in the area enjoys it but us.

I stopped by today to get some water on some small trees I transplanted. Found three kids having a little photo session. I've meet 2 of them before and one of them, I told him to get in contact w/ me next time he wants to ride. Well, seems like that wasn't happening as that conversation was about a month ago and since then he's had some sessions at our trails inviting some "Sasha The Pro" from Sinister.

The 3rd kid I've never meet, decided to start his own "pump track". Bear in mind, I built a roller/tabletop/berm line mostly for my son but so if beginners show, they have something to ride - it's fun and fast and all of us ride it. In the process, he tried to chop down a nice medium sized tree and destroyed a bunch of other small ones. Also moved a pile of dirt into those destroyed trees that we had planned for a landing someplace else.

This kids live in my town, and that's the reason I know them. They said they knew about our trails for a couple years. One kid said he has trails "up at school" and would help dig. Well I heard that from the last 10 or so people I've found riding there and live in the area. Haven't seen them since except for some more hacked landings and busted lips.

Last summer the sides were squared off, lips felt great, landings smooth. This year, stuff is hacked, trees and bushes clipped, knobby marks all over. The funny thing is: all the curprits have been mountain bikers. I've been riding trails w/ BMX'ers since 1996 - seems I know the reason why. And our spot isn't the only one - I got yelled at by Burger at Whip City Trails a couple years ago for being on a big wheeled bike. Seems those local mountain bikers up there like to ride and hack but not dig too.

So, this is the end of it. I tried to give some kids a chance - but they blew it. I'd rather have 2 or 3 good friends that I know contributed instead of a crew of poachers. Chains and locks are going up soon: no dig, no key, no ride.

Here are a few rules for you guys without a clue that want to ride Dirt Jumps:

• If you know of trails nearby, find out who the locals are and check with them about riding. It's not the local mtn bike state park where you can hack up as you please.
• Take out what you take in. Seems easy. But I pick up more stuff at the trails than what my kids leave around the house
• Leave the knobbies at home - they do more f'n damage that you would believe. We had to tell one guy about 10x to switch tires. K-Rads are fine and cheap and will actually be better on the jumps than your DH skins.
• Know how to ride. If you get loose on one set, shut it down. Have brakes that work and don't skid. I'm 220 and run a rear 990 and can do it. You smaller guys w/ dual disks should be able to stop on the landing. If you can't ride the sets go to the box at the park and learn or better yet build your own smaller stuff someplace else.
• Don't show up one day w/ a shovel and start making stupid stuff. I have a half-ass tree ride I have to eventually take down. Haven't seen the kid since he made it (Thank God). The dumb ass even took dirt from a landing because he was too dumb to do it the proper way.
• Next time you go session, bring a rake and broom instead of a shovel if you don't know exactly what you are doing. I'd rather see, clean and smooth runs that crappy patches.
• Keep the place quiet - don't bring the boombox, and definitely don't be broadcasting about the "cool Dirt jumps down the road" to the other freeriders at the XC spot.

I'm hoping some of you trail locals have some good stuff to add.

 

[chuffer]

Don,

I feel your pain, although my experience has been slightly different.

Around here I am the biggest hack on a bike, but I bust my azz constantly to build trails that, up until recently, I allowed all comers to ride. I (and one of my tightest bros.) have gone underground, off-the-radar, disappeared with our trails.

Why? Because the BMX-ers around here, excellent riders all, are idiots. They do not understand that one should not sh!t in their own bed. Showing up with a half dozen beater cars in a quiet residential neighborhood. Drinking, smoking dope and littering out in the open for all to see. (Dont get me wrong if you wanna drink and smoke have at it, but don't do it in a sensitive area.) I have lost two spots in less than 12 months because of these idiots and their stupidity.

One azzhat had the nerve to say, 'sh!t, man, the cops are always chasin us out of all the cool spots. I dont get it, ' as he flicks his cig butt into the weeds and tosses his Frito bag right after it.

My big pet peeve is litter. Being the worlds biggest hack on the planet, worn out lips and landings are fact of life that I have learned to live with and FIX...one way or the other our newest set is off the radar.

So, when lips and landings get busted up, I know whose azz to kick when things start looking shabby. My own.

My advise? Go underground!

 

[boostindoubles]

yea! fvck kids that won't build, especially when they destroy what others have built. Man I miss dirt jumps real bad. In this little college town, over the last 5 years I have built at 6 or 7 different spots and they are all dust in the wind. I even had a cop threaten me with " Do you know how long it's going to take to tear these down!?" (yea fvcker, 10 minutes with a tractor)

 

[bent^biker]

i'd just like to put one in for all the mtb "kids" out there that actually contribute to the local scene. Around this area we have some spots that bmxers put up and ride on a regular basis. sure, they're pretty tight and not many mtbs (let alone their riders) are good enough to jump that ish. i ride a mtb (with low knobed tires not dh tread), make sure everything is swept and looks primo, and help dig when new lines are goin in. i may case a landing here or there but i always make sure it gets fixed and watered. on the contrary there are some bmxers that are complete asshats, case the **** out of everything and litter like no tomorrow. point is, a dumbass is a dumbass no matter age or wheel size. so basically i agree with what you have all said, go underground or be ready to deal with dumbasses.

 

[ZHendo]

i know just what you're talking about. i haven't had the frustration of it being trails that i built initially because the spots i build are usually only known by me and a few friends, or at my cabin where there aren't really any people to ride them within 25 miles. i have seen 3 spots go down now because of kids that don't care and destroy them. one was a spot that a landowner sitting on millions of dollars worth of land was kind enough to let some of us use. the location had a moto area and then the dirt jumps. there were probably 8 doubles. 5 in the main set that were stretched along a really long strip of land. it was in prime condition, but the jumps were very small and didn't have much of a lip because the builders rode DH bikes. they weren't much fun at first, so i started a little work on occasion. but, within 2 weeks of me starting to slowly work on them, garbage started piling up everywhere. the landowner took notice, and he put up signs and kicked me out for trying to go back there. months passed, and then i heard that he was letting people back again. a dead spot was revived, and everything was bigger and more fun. i started to maintain it, and somebody brought trashcans for the garbage. however, the younger kids started to ride it in the rain, and there were troughs through a bunch of the jumps. repairs were tedious, and other parts started to deteriorate as well. people were too damn lazy to walk 10 feet to a trash can, so they threw all of their crap in the gaps and along the sides of the jumps. the owner took notice again, and he roto-tilled in between all of the jumps. i haven't been there since. the other spot had too much garbage build up, and when the parks service took notice, people tore down the sign and kept riding. next spot was one that i went to the first time ever just 2 days ago. it's a 6 pack on a hill that was, according to the builder, a complete work of art when it was first built. but, as usual, the destructive younger kids came and instead of building smaller jumps elsewhere, they apparently decided, behind the back of the builder, to take shovels to his jumps. they knocked down about 3 feet of the top of the take offs and landings in order to fill in the gaps and make semi-tables. the jumps are now barely possible to ride because of the damage they did, and they're by no means enjoyable.

 

[Ashley123]

It really annoys me when things like that happen, some people just don't appreciate things like that. If the kids can't do the jumps then they should go find somewhere else and practice until they can, not knock the existing jumps down to suit them and therefore wreck it for others.

 

[XGrantX]

I feel your pain. Its simple comon sense sometimes.
take my dirt jumps. Yes there are in a public area which is the biggest problem but some jumps are better than none, right. Its winter here at the moment so the clay rythems are very soft. Common sense would tell you not to ride them. the other day i lok out my window and 3 kids are out there with shovels altering my lines and making a huge mess of the place. So i walked down there politly asked why they were destroying the rythems and they dumbly reply "really, oh crap didnt know we were damaging them" the nice square lips are now gone basically stuffed and will need alot of work to fix. Should i even bother?
end rant.

 

[Patan-DH]

i know just what you're talking about. i haven't had the frustration of it being trails that i built initially because the spots i build are usually only known by me and a few friends, or at my cabin where there aren't really any people to ride them within 25 miles. i have seen 3 spots go down now because of kids that don't care and destroy them. one was a spot that a landowner sitting on millions of dollars worth of land was kind enough to let some of us use. the location had a moto area and then the dirt jumps. there were probably 8 doubles. 5 in the main set that were stretched along a really long strip of land. it was in prime condition, but the jumps were very small and didn't have much of a lip because the builders rode DH bikes. they weren't much fun at first, so i started a little work on occasion. but, within 2 weeks of me starting to slowly work on them, garbage started piling up everywhere. the landowner took notice, and he put up signs and kicked me out for trying to go back there. months passed, and then i heard that he was letting people back again. a dead spot was revived, and everything was bigger and more fun. i started to maintain it, and somebody brought trashcans for the garbage. however, the younger kids started to ride it in the rain, and there were troughs through a bunch of the jumps. repairs were tedious, and other parts started to deteriorate as well. people were too damn lazy to walk 10 feet to a trash can, so they threw all of their crap in the gaps and along the sides of the jumps. the owner took notice again, and he roto-tilled in between all of the jumps. i haven't been there since. the other spot had too much garbage build up, and when the parks service took notice, people tore down the sign and kept riding. next spot was one that i went to the first time ever just 2 days ago. it's a 6 pack on a hill that was, according to the builder, a complete work of art when it was first built. but, as usual, the destructive younger kids came and instead of building smaller jumps elsewhere, they apparently decided, behind the back of the builder, to take shovels to his jumps. they knocked down about 3 feet of the top of the take offs and landings in order to fill in the gaps and make semi-tables. the jumps are now barely possible to ride because of the damage they did, and they're by no means enjoyable.

Man you need to catch up the Fvking kids destroyng the jumps and give them a nice hard kick in the ass to each one. then kids

At least thats how we do it arround here

 

[chuffer]

TRASH: It sounds like a common theme here is idiots littering. This is a problem that can be controlled if not completely fixed, but it wont be fun.

1) When you see an idiot littering, call him out on it. Start out politely, but in the case of repeat offenders loose your cool.

2) When you show up to a spot and it is full of trash, clean it up. Dont just sit there and bittch about it, do something about it! What? It's not your job to pick up other people's trash? Is it your job to keep your spot from getting closed down? I'd rather pick up trash for 10 minutes than bust my azz for a couple of hundred hours finding, clearing and building a new spot.

3) When you leave, give the spot a once over. Pick up any trash. See if you can find some old stuff. In general, try to make the spot look nice even to people who have no idea what dirt jumping is about...A buddy of mine is a fiend with a rake. At the end of every session he rakes for like 20 minutes. When he is done, the spot looks like a freaking garden! Sweet!

4) Try to arrange a garbage can and politely, yet forcefully, train the sub human pigs that litter to use it.

I hate the trash that litters.

 

[jtdcg]

Sorry to hear about your troubles Don. Thanks for the tips, I think most of them should be obvious through a respectful approach but things like tire choice are less obvious to a beginner.

Did the kids realize yesterday you are locking them out...any reaction?
Too bad to hear that Sasha was somehow peripherally involved.

I hope things turn around for you.

 

[basikbiker]

rules at my place:
-3 skids and you gotta stop riding, fix your damage, and depending on how everyone else feels you either are kicked for the day.

-the tires thing -NO KNOBBIEs- is in full effect. those knobs eat up the hardpack.

-bring brew for later

-18 and older. this is a serious one, i don't want any parents coming by and bitching me out cause their kids got hurt.(trust me it happens ). and those parents could sue me. and the beer thing comes into play.

-i feel your pain though don, i used to get a few local kids on 50's tear up my stuffoster_oops:. thankfully i caught em and they now don't ride em anymore, they do come watch though sometimes-thats chill.

-no speeding in my driveway, it makes a ton of dust-all badlthumbsdown:


follow these rules and your welcome to ride.

 

[Stoked]

worrying about the trails sucks. it's a place we go to forget our troubles.
just threatening to chain up may straighten things out. it worked for a bud of mine at the trails. basically people were poaching in the early a.m. he mentioned chains were going up and all that stopped. on top if it people were now more than happy to help dig. it just reminded people to not take these spots for granted. either help dig or you don't ride. we don't ask for much either. 30 min of help from everyone would be great.
i'm sure this will be worked out. keep it up don

 

[Cru Jones]

I feel your pain, Don. As long as there have been trails, there have been problems at trails... poachers, hacks, litter, 50s, stupid kids. I agree with most of your rules, although, I think it's different at each spot. For example.... I always bring the boom box, but if the trails were near a quiet, residential area, then that would definitely change.

What seems to work best for trails around here is keeping them on the d-low and/or being in a place that makes it hard for kids to get to. For example, a few of our spots are up in the hills, the only practical way to get there is by car. So, that greatly reduces random traffic.

And your definitely right about meeting the locals. I'm a fairly recent transplant to so-cal, so all the places that I ride and build at weren't places that I started. It's all about meeting the locals, earning their respect, and just becoming part of the crew. I've made so many friends through riding bikes... it's amazing.

Another thing that seems to work is WestCoastHucker's philosophy... just make everything big, steep, technical, and gnarly. That eliminates a lot of randoms. Although, it also cuts down on the size of the sessions.

 

[ebrider510]

trails/jumps take a lot more effort and maturity to maintain then most people could imagine. going underground with the whole thing isn't a bad idea. welcome the people you know you can trust. a bit more then a year ago, i started the only trail or in this case, jump spot in the town i live in. it was basically the only spot around to build in that was fairly hidden and had a bit of potential.

i started getting people out there to help and for a while we had a nice crew of guys who spent tons of time digging everyday. unfortunately, it didn't last long enough. besides the fact that the spot was far too sandy to even try working with, we faced problems with the local idiots deciding to play airsoft(SP?) and other crap out there which involved ruining the jumps and just making it that much harder. we eventually confronted them and told them how it was. they acted like they understood, although we have a feeling they decided to come back after we left and ruin as much as possible. that was just the life at the jumps, we had to learn how to deal with many different situations.

i can sort of see what you mean about the whole MTB thing in your area. the bottom line is most kids think big bikes with fancy suspension, huge knobby tires and 8in rotors look sick. give them a few years and they will probably be on much smaller/simpler bikes. most kids like that aren't at the maturity level to see the big picture when it comes to trails.

 

[Zach Dank]

I hate poachers.

 

[snaky69]

I feel you. Completely.

We have made a few smaller jumps for the kids and they seem to stick to them, we have not had any major problems so far.

 

[don]

Don,

I feel your pain, although my experience has been slightly different.

Around here I am the biggest hack on a bike, but I bust my azz constantly to build trails that, up until recently, I allowed all comers to ride. I (and one of my tightest bros.) have gone underground, off-the-radar, disappeared with our trails.

Why? Because the BMX-ers around here, excellent riders all, are idiots. They do not understand that one should not sh!t in their own bed. Showing up with a half dozen beater cars in a quiet residential neighborhood. Drinking, smoking dope and littering out in the open for all to see. (Dont get me wrong if you wanna drink and smoke have at it, but don't do it in a sensitive area.) I have lost two spots in less than 12 months because of these idiots and their stupidity.

One azzhat had the nerve to say, 'sh!t, man, the cops are always chasin us out of all the cool spots. I dont get it, ' as he flicks his cig butt into the weeds and tosses his Frito bag right after it.

My big pet peeve is litter. Being the worlds biggest hack on the planet, worn out lips and landings are fact of life that I have learned to live with and FIX...one way or the other our newest set is off the radar.

So, when lips and landings get busted up, I know whose azz to kick when things start looking shabby. My own.

My advise? Go underground!

yeah, it seems like it real cool now in BMX to being drunk and a dirtbag. Trying to be different? Why is it they all look the same? And it gives a bad message for all us other bike riders, that are into riding for the long term. The BMX guys I ride w/ have been riding for a many years and it seems most of them aren't too happy w/ the new style either. That's why you'll find them at trails instead of the parks where there are more new schoolers.

And the smoking and litering kills me too. I see smokers throwing stuff on the ground all the time - guess they feel they can get away with it.

And it's real cool that you build and fix your own hack marks. That's fine and soon you'll be riding stuff smooth. I just have problem w/ people that hack and never have built anything.

 

[don]

TRASH: It sounds like a common theme here is idiots littering. This is a problem that can be controlled if not completely fixed, but it wont be fun.

1) When you see an idiot littering, call him out on it. Start out politely, but in the case of repeat offenders loose your cool.

2) When you show up to a spot and it is full of trash, clean it up. Dont just sit there and bittch about it, do something about it! What? It's not your job to pick up other people's trash? Is it your job to keep your spot from getting closed down? I'd rather pick up trash for 10 minutes than bust my azz for a couple of hundred hours finding, clearing and building a new spot.

3) When you leave, give the spot a once over. Pick up any trash. See if you can find some old stuff. In general, try to make the spot look nice even to people who have no idea what dirt jumping is about...A buddy of mine is a fiend with a rake. At the end of every session he rakes for like 20 minutes. When he is done, the spot looks like a freaking garden! Sweet!

4) Try to arrange a garbage can and politely, yet forcefully, train the sub human pigs that litter to use it.

I hate the trash that litters.

all good points - I've been giving people that show up a 5 minute speal - no knobs, take your trash out, don't mess w/ the trees, and most of all know your limits for their sake and the jumps.

I would imagine that a place w/ no litter will come across a lot better if a cop or offical comes through. That's why I've been such a bugger about transplanting the smaller trees and bushes and not messing w/ larger stuff. It takes a lot of time but definitely helps in making a place look good.

 

[don]

Sorry to hear about your troubles Don. Thanks for the tips, I think most of them should be obvious through a respectful approach but things like tire choice are less obvious to a beginner.

Did the kids realize yesterday you are locking them out...any reaction?
Too bad to hear that Sasha was somehow peripherally involved.

I hope things turn around for you.

I called up the one main kid that invited Sasha to ride there a couple times (maybe more, maybe less). I told him the locals were pissed on what happend and he was understanding and really seemed like he wanted to help. He's a good kid - he just didnt think.

In all honesty, it was his friend who killed the trees and started trying to build some crap that got him into trouble. But he should know and control who he invites to trails. And should have reached out to me a little sooner.

I don't know Sasha, but wouldn't have minded riding w/ him. I guess he had some good things to say about our place but knowing they were having photo sessions w/out letting a local know, leaves a bad taste. I simple phone call or email would have gone a long way.

 

[don]

basikbiker, Cru and Stoked, and everyone else - thanks for the words - I have some things I can add to my mental list. It did feel good reading about other spots and issues - wish it wasn't so much work and a pain in the a$$ but the payoff when riding these spots can be worth it.

I got a quick dig sess in yesterday and felt good leaving. Just need to get the locks up and get some more sections dug or patched and I'm sure I'll be happy again.

 

[GuettoBlaster]

basikbiker, Cru and Stoked, and everyone else - thanks for the words - I have some things I can add to my mental list. It did feel good reading about other spots and issues - wish it wasn't so much work and a pain in the a$$ but the payoff when riding these spots can be worth it.

I got a quick dig sess in yesterday and felt good leaving. Just need to get the locks up and get some more sections dug or patched and I'm sure I'll be happy again.

never give up...always keep your head up Don!!!
for the love of the DJ's!

 

[Cru Jones]

I'd like to see pics of the chain job you did, if you've got em.

 

[don]

I'd like to see pics of the chain job you did, if you've got em.

I can try to take some pics. And it's more of a cable job now. Back some years ago at the other trails we used chain.

Lowes sells the cable in 10-30' lengths and it's not too bad for cost. I got 2 sections and wrapped them around some trees (they are plastic coated to protect the bark) and then use a lock. It seemed to work out well. I might get an orange cone to fit thru the cable so it doesn't look like I'm trying to impall anyone.