Bureaucrat's Errors Mean closure for Manly Dam
- Thread starter raintonr
- Start date
ManlyBikeTours
Cannon Fodder
Manly Bike Tours and Manly Dam bike hire
On behalf of Manly Bike Tours, I just wanted to reply to this thread.
Yes we do hire out the blue Jamis mountain bikes with the blue bag at the front. We do promote Manly Dam as an experienced off-road mountain biking destination.
All visitors who are interested in hiring a bike from us to ride the Manly Dam are warned of the diffuculty level before deciding to go out there. We get alot of people coming into our store hiring bikes wanting to see Manly Dam, and most of them we actually don't send out there because we know that it would not be suitable for them.
All bikes that are rented come with helmets and tool kits. We advise them that is is the law to wear a helmet in NSW. If they are foolish enough to not to wear the helmet we provide, we can not control that.
In terms of wet weather, we do not hire out bikes to go to Manly Dam after heavy rain as we know that it is extrememly dangerous and damaging to the track maintenance. We also do receive an email alert from the rangers advising when the track is open or closed which assists our decision making. Again, when the track is strictly closed we can only advise people of the situation. Our hire bikes are not just used for Manly Dam, but for North Head, Manly Beach and Dobroyd Head. All of which are fine to ride to as they are sealed roads and bike paths.
We certainly do not want to get off side with the existing Manly Dam Mountain Bike Community. We have been sending people out there for over two years now, and this is the first complaint that has come to our attention.
Hi,
On behalf of Manly Bike Tours, I just wanted to reply to this thread.
Yes we do hire out the blue Jamis mountain bikes with the blue bag at the front. We do promote Manly Dam as an experienced off-road mountain biking destination.
All visitors who are interested in hiring a bike from us to ride the Manly Dam are warned of the diffuculty level before deciding to go out there. We get alot of people coming into our store hiring bikes wanting to see Manly Dam, and most of them we actually don't send out there because we know that it would not be suitable for them.
All bikes that are rented come with helmets and tool kits. We advise them that is is the law to wear a helmet in NSW. If they are foolish enough to not to wear the helmet we provide, we can not control that.
In terms of wet weather, we do not hire out bikes to go to Manly Dam after heavy rain as we know that it is extrememly dangerous and damaging to the track maintenance. We also do receive an email alert from the rangers advising when the track is open or closed which assists our decision making. Again, when the track is strictly closed we can only advise people of the situation. Our hire bikes are not just used for Manly Dam, but for North Head, Manly Beach and Dobroyd Head. All of which are fine to ride to as they are sealed roads and bike paths.
We certainly do not want to get off side with the existing Manly Dam Mountain Bike Community. We have been sending people out there for over two years now, and this is the first complaint that has come to our attention.
outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Hopefully you warn them about "The Boardwalk of Death".
Sorry, I couldn't help it. I'm so bad.
Sorry, I couldn't help it. I'm so bad.
I rode the dam on Sunday just passed after an absence of about 4-5 months and was amazed at how much soil has disappeared! Maybe the boardwalk of death should be extended a few kms . . . really though, to the locals, is this just due to the huge amount of rain Sydney has copped in the last few months or is it rider caused? Either way I reckon it would be pretty darn slippery in the rain nowadays for those intent on wetting their treads.
No Skid Marks
Blue Mountain Bikes Brooklyn/Lahar/Kowa/PO1NT Raci
In short, Your profiting from sending your rental bikes to a track that is always under fire from over use.
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nrthrnben
Likes Dirt
Or you could thank them for making the sport available to those that dont have 5k to throw at a bike,and opening peoples eyes to mtb for the first time.
A busy manly dam is a good thing as it shows the powers at be that there is a desperate need for more singletrack in sydney
Give the guys a break!
No Skid Marks
Blue Mountain Bikes Brooklyn/Lahar/Kowa/PO1NT Raci
Perhaps. Do they do any lobbying, trail work or anything like that?
tommydanger
Squid
went for a look on the weekend but didnt ride the track.
Erosion is bad but that's just how it gets after weeks of rain.
I got no problem with a rental company using the track, same as any other public place in the country.
Erosion is bad but that's just how it gets after weeks of rain.
I got no problem with a rental company using the track, same as any other public place in the country.
bikesarefun
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Lay off the rental company. Manly Dam isn't farked because of overuse. It's farked because of the assholes who manage it, and because they don't let real trailbuilders come in a build real trails.
If anyone is being an asshole for profiting out of a "public" track, it's the mob running "learn to fly" courses at Oxy. They're profiting out of an illegal track, and don't make any contribution (financial or manpower) or maintenance. And it seems someone ends up in hospital after every course, bringing a real risk of closure doe to a stupid lawsuit by an "outsider" to the core MTB community. Rant over.
If anyone is being an asshole for profiting out of a "public" track, it's the mob running "learn to fly" courses at Oxy. They're profiting out of an illegal track, and don't make any contribution (financial or manpower) or maintenance. And it seems someone ends up in hospital after every course, bringing a real risk of closure doe to a stupid lawsuit by an "outsider" to the core MTB community. Rant over.
Nerf Herder
Wheel size expert
I have just met some of the people that are responsible for MD and I'm going to say this ^^ is a really stupid thing to say and only creates hostility between trail users and land managers.
In my opinion the gentleman who is attending the 4 day IMBA trail building workshop with his colleague are pretty bloody enlightened, as is the council that has paid for them to attend. They've made mistakes, but they are actively trying to learn.
Always good to put yourself in other people's shoes before you make judgements.
bikesarefun
Likes Bikes and Dirt
I stand by my comments.
I'm in no way laying blame on the current group of people responsible. Maybe there's someone with good ideas. I'm laying blame on what I imagine to be much earlier groups. I used to attend maintenance days about 8-10 years ago, and it was a fucking joke. And I look at the "trail building" efforts that have gone in during the period since then (although it's admittedly been a couple of years since I've bothered riding the dam) and it's pretty dumb. Let's face it - illegal tracks on the beaches hold up to heavy rain a whole lot better.
If you feel that, by pointing out that I'm unimpressed with historical management of the facility, I'm "creating hostility", then I guess you adopt more of a submissive softly-softly approach than many. But in my experience, telling an office-bound government official that the managers have historically been making stupid calls, and everyone with a knowledge of the sport has been witnessing those stupid calls, that often has a positive approach.
The IMBA workshop will be full of good information (I believe the presenter is known for his gravity flow trails). But whether that converts into the bureaucracy allowing some form of actual MTB development is yet to be seen. As a rough test, let's see how long before a few of the obviously unsustainable fall-line sections of single track are replaced with new trail that traverses the fall line. If, at some point in the next year, there's a new sustainable MTB specific line cut in, I'll eat my words. Until then I'll remain a skeptic.
And fair enough, too.
The problem with Manly Dam is that it is highly politicised by "green" groups who only see the legacy at Manly Dam and have limitd capacity to see ow it can be better - and how would they?
Unfortunately this makes implementing trail alignment changes extremely bureaucratic and slow... but not impossible.
At the very least it is one of my aims to get the stormwater channel that is the boardwalk-lined entrance section to 19th Hole re-routed, with maybe some flowy bermed switchbacks to help get the water off the trail. Another section is the descent after the fire trail from Monserra Ave that needs to be either armoured properly, or switchbacked. The section after the Hydraulics Lab rocks is another erosion disaster. Any others you can think of, I'd like to hear.
Hopefully the raised tread and drainage work that we got most of the way done on the Monserra Rd bog a few weeks ago has met with your approval. We have a day scheduled for the 13th of this month to finish it off.
The problem with Manly Dam is that it is highly politicised by "green" groups who only see the legacy at Manly Dam and have limitd capacity to see ow it can be better - and how would they?
Unfortunately this makes implementing trail alignment changes extremely bureaucratic and slow... but not impossible.
At the very least it is one of my aims to get the stormwater channel that is the boardwalk-lined entrance section to 19th Hole re-routed, with maybe some flowy bermed switchbacks to help get the water off the trail. Another section is the descent after the fire trail from Monserra Ave that needs to be either armoured properly, or switchbacked. The section after the Hydraulics Lab rocks is another erosion disaster. Any others you can think of, I'd like to hear.
Hopefully the raised tread and drainage work that we got most of the way done on the Monserra Rd bog a few weeks ago has met with your approval. We have a day scheduled for the 13th of this month to finish it off.