Blind corner single track bell ring design

[Cypher]

For those of you who know it, the Royal National Park has some good bits of fast, curvey single track - which can be ridden in both directions.

Just recently I rode there and my mate nearly had a head on collision with a fellow coming the other way - at high speed. As an aside, this fellow had just recovered from his broken elbow, cause by having a head on collision in a blind corner while MTBing.

With all the rain and heat, the plants have grown a bit (and I'm sure they will be cut back at the next trail day - why don't you come along and help?), you can't hack away that much vegetation to get a good sight line.

Since very few people ride with a bell (what is up with that! Bells are great), we were discussing installing an automatic bell ringing system for the blind corners.

Any thoughs on how I could create one? Here are the rules...

• It needs to be cheap
• It needs to be easy to make
• You need to be able to ride over/through it in both directions

Thanks for your help

 

[Nerf Herder]

Would have to be a pretty loud bell ... I'm deaf at the best of times, but factor in me focusing on riding and I'd need at least 3 swiss cow bells in my line of sight to hear the puppies.

I could see some kind of string and elevated pressure plate thingy would be cheap and easy to construct, but be subject to rot and maintenance and could be deemed unsightly by the MTB haters.

These are pretty cheap to make and the screaming would definitely alert on-coming traffic (sorry big pic)

Or maybe train a family of orbs to continuously weave their web 10 to 20meters prior to the corner in each direction ... ticks all your boxes I think

IMO the better solution is to take it easy round the corners (cultural change) ... or, make it one way (procedural change) ... or, maybe signage (eg; Blind Corner ... Slow Down) ... less effective really as Mr Pinner will still think the other person will give way ...

 

[m_g]

YES!!! great thread...

This has worried me for a long time at the RNP...I always ride nervously and only at around 50% pace, as there are a bunch of wannabe racers around here that dont realise (or dont care) that the RNP is a two way track and quite often there are people coming the other way (including families)...

I've had to pull completely off the track when a bunch of 10 tools bounded down the trail and didn't even pull off to one side...They're dangerously good enough to get some pace, but clearly not good enough to control it...No apology or anything

I always call out track around the blind corners, but I doubt it would work...I have always thought there should be a recommended direction of travel (kind of like Manly Dam), but I realise there is a maze of tracks here and this wouldn't really work...

Yes, a bell would be need to be loud enough, but something is better than nothing...Some signage that a blind corner is approaching and riders should slow would be helpful...

This definitely needs some thought, a very worthwhile project...

 

[willsy01]

I encountered a fella doing push runs on the Temptation Creek track yesterday evening.....he heard me coming and had moved off to the side in plenty of time though. Had the Ayups on as well which probably helped a little though.

Just hang a bell from a tree that you have to headbutt as you go past

 

[thecat]

Any thoughs on how I could create one? Here are the rules...

• It needs to be cheap
• It needs to be easy to make
• You need to be able to ride over/through it in both directions

1] Ride towards blind corner
2] Use your your lungs to force air over your vocal chords to produce noise. With practice this noise can be controlled and even understood by others. "Rider coming" works well
3] Listen for a response.
4] No response ride on with care. Response. slow down even more and give way

Cheap, easy to use and doesn't involve putting permanent structures in National parks which is pretty much illegal and detracts from the park.

Just imagine the out rage from the extreme anti mtb brigade when the start tripping bells each time they walk up to a corner

 

[Ridenparadise]

lol - rider coming or meeow?

 

[harmonix1234]

What about one of these?

 

[mtb101]

the best thing is to have a noisy cassette and then back pedal when coming into corners. Click click, click is a very good warning as other mtbs recognise the sound.

 

[Cypher]

What about one of these?

<see image above>

Um, too expensive and I'm not sure you'd be able to see anything with one in the bush. It is bushy bush about 2-3m high. But a good thought.

 

[Nmag]

Sounds like it should be signed as single direction.

My bell involves me yelling out a sound "Ding Ding" when approaching a blind corner, or coming up behind some humans walking along (softer from a distance not to scare them).

 

[thecat]

Sounds like it should be signed as single direction.

.

Nooooooooooooo. Single directional trails are for people who can't communicate and seem unable to grasp the simple idea that if you want to race you should enter a race


Ummm, I'm not a fan of single directional signage as I feel if you want road rules stay in the city on the roads

 

[hiredassassin]

Sounds like it should be signed as single direction.

My bell involves me yelling out a sound "Ding Ding" when approaching a blind corner, or coming up behind some humans walking along (softer from a distance not to scare them).

I've got the same bell!

 

[Dozer]

Get two pieces of timber about 50mm wide and a metre long. Put a hinge on one end of the timber and screw it to the other so they run on top of each other. At the other end you can put a short spring in between each piece of timber at say.....50mm long. Put a piece of string or wire or something into a hole in the top piece of timber above the spring and tie it diagonally away from the trail to a small post or tree or something solid that will keep a bit of tension on the string / wire. Mount a cheapo bell at the top of the wire / string thingo and whammo! You have a rider activated bell system that would cost you $10 that you could make two of and put ten metres or so before each blind turn.
You could also have a system set up at the trail head where people put down the direction and ETA back at the trail head so you at least know somebody is out there. I'm sure mountain bikers will fill it out..............

 

[dain2772]

As much as it is nicer not to have signposted/directional trails, if there are significant enough amounts of riders that head-on collisions occur regularly, then it should be done.
I would much rather see the amenity of an area and the freedom of mountain bike diminished slightly than to have a head on with another rider at speed (even considering single track speeds are relatively low, you need to combine the speeds of both riders for the impact speed).

More ideal would be to be able to trim enough of the bushes around to be able to see another rider coming, or just to have riders riding appropriately for the conditions

 

[Cronar]

There’s probably 2 or 3 bad sections in the RNP, the easy answer would be to build a separate track running parallel for these short sections and have these short sections as one-way only. But good luck getting that past the NP powers that be, it would take 10 years, 15 feasibility studies and it would still be rejected.​

 

[Nerf Herder]

Ummm, I'm not a fan of single directional signage as I feel if you want road rules stay in the city on the roads

I would have thought single direction takes away the need for rules ?

Bi-Directional ...
i) Slow down at corners or blind bits
ii) yell or activate Ding Ding machine of your choice
iii) Listen for response
iv) stick to the left (most* common adhered to road rule).
v) brace for impact
vi) watch out for walkers just in case
Note: this is just on the flat bits ... what about ascending and descending ... a whole mind field of WhoTF gets right of way ... is it 4WD rules (guy climbing is in the right) is it Fatman's rules ... Fat guy gets whatever he wants ... is it walker's rules (refer to Fatman rule)

One way traffic ...
i) ride and have fun
ii) watch out for walkers just in case

One way traffic wins with less rules for the Anti-rules brigade

* most = not everybody does this anyway

 

[outtacontrol]

I posted this in the Xc section. To recap:

We have built a new machine built trail, with a wide, relatively smooth bench (we have LOTS of rocks) that was designed as a climbing trail to get noobs to the highest point on our network. It is a steady climb, that has been well excepted from the target group.

The downside?? is that it is bullet fast going down, and with a few blind corners (from benched hill) it raises the risk of collisions.

I suggested making it a 1 way climbing trail in the daylight, but open it to 2 way after dark. The lights would make it easier for groups to be aware of each other. There is also only 1 group on the hill at night.

Besides, it would be a crime to humanity not be able to bomb down

 

[Cypher]

I like riding trails in both directions too.

I was thinking a treadle design would work - it can be ridden in both directions. Only problem would be that the bell would ring when leaving the blind corner as well.

Apologies for my rather rough design. All I can say is that it is not to scale. It would have to be wider than drawn as well and the gaps fixed up!

 

[thecat]

One way traffic wins with less rules for the Anti-rules brigade

there is only 2 rules.

1 ride to suit the conditions (ie if it's a blind corner slow down and take caution)
2 be in control of your bike at all times.

 

[markterei]

that's ridiculous

Nooooooooooooo. Single directional trails are for people who can't communicate and seem unable to grasp the simple idea that if you want to race you should enter a race


Ummm, I'm not a fan of single directional signage as I feel if you want road rules stay in the city on the roads

I, like most experienced mtb riders, like to ride fast and enjoy downhill sections. It is fun. I don't want to attend organised races. It would be safer for me and other people out on the trail if the trail was one-way. Surely you can see that this is sensible? (cost of this safer option - you can't ride the same dirt in the opposite directed. granted.)

your comment about a bell made out of vocal chords, however, was very sensible.