Contemporary trail building rant

[beeb]

I've recently started riding with a mate who is his own worst enemy when it comes to being hyper-focused and analysing every single thing that ever happens to/near/around him.

He's absolutely stoked on how good mtb'ing has been for his mental state. Soo good.

Err, it's actually been quite a while since we've been on a ride...

 

[fjohn860]

Err, it's actually been quite a while since we've been on a ride...

I'm like a magnet

 

[johnny]

One thing to keep in mind with government funded trail networks is ROI.

The amount of people with the skill level for a Canadian network is very small, so the build brief is to cater to the majority and thus recoup the most amount of money. The other thing with Canadian trail networks is they are multiple generations into mountain biking, Australia is relatively new to it when talking mass numbers.

A mate and I were just discussing Silvan (my local network) on a ride today at Mt Macedon. Props to the guys doing the work in Silvan but they are trying to build machine built trails by hand. It’s killed the one thing that differentiated Silvan from Lysty, which was the tight and technical nature of the place.

Today was my first time at Mt Macedon and it was a blast. It’s helped by a very gentle climb back to the top but the trails have a good mix of flow and proper singletrack descending. I know a few on here are regulars out there - tip of the hat to you. Seems like endless possibility out there, literally a blank canvas!

A Huge number of new riders and very few of the middle age ones want to improve its just anexercise social thing take them Somewhere interesting and they walk it

I think a combo of these two, and the point about machine-built tracks that are running to a budget (and trying to turn a profit) are the main reason for the mainstreaming of flow trails - or at least the same kind of trails being built so often. @caad9 the ROI is more about how many people it can attract to the town, given that the trails are mostly free to ride and taxpayer funded. The goal is to attract tourism (alongside the fluffier stuff about encourage physical activity, community, etc.).

I've seen previous surveys of people at trails like Stromlo asking if you're from out of town and if so, if you stay in a hotel, eat out, use local bike shops, fill your car up with fuel, bring the family, etc. The idea is that it attracts a tourist that has disposable cash and that spends money on coffee, hotels, food, beer, parts, fuel, etc. The money invested in trails goes back into the local economy with domestic tourism. So the ROI is wheels measured by the amount of people using the trails. And that's where @rowdyflat post comes into it - they need trails that appeal to the largest common denominator, and that's people who want to buy a half decent bike and have fun on it straight away - not spend years developing skills and fitness.

For me, the trails don't need to be double black, they just need to be varied and not all the same style of trail. Narooma seems to have taken that approach, which I'm stoked about (have an email train forming as I type this to organise a trip with some blokes in a few weeks - YEW!). My fav trails are ones that really use natural obstacles, have some jank, have some fast sections and some more challenging sections, etc. For those who know the trail down the back of Stromlo - Wedgetail down to the bottom of double dissolution, that would be what I'd like to see more of - fast and that little bit sketchy with shit that you have to properly navigate.

 

[rowdyflat]

And that's where @rowdyflat post comes into it - they need trails that appeal to the largest common denominator,

Yep you are right .Yack is crawling in people even though most tracks are physically but not technically challenging and Falls is the reverse.

 

[bigdamo]

I think a combo of these two, and the point about machine-built tracks that are running to a budget (and trying to turn a profit) are the main reason for the mainstreaming of flow trails - or at least the same kind of trails being built so often. @caad9 the ROI is more about how many people it can attract to the town, given that the trails are mostly free to ride and taxpayer funded. The goal is to attract tourism (alongside the fluffier stuff about encourage physical activity, community, etc.).

I've seen previous surveys of people at trails like Stromlo asking if you're from out of town and if so, if you stay in a hotel, eat out, use local bike shops, fill your car up with fuel, bring the family, etc. The idea is that it attracts a tourist that has disposable cash and that spends money on coffee, hotels, food, beer, parts, fuel, etc. The money invested in trails goes back into the local economy with domestic tourism. So the ROI is wheels measured by the amount of people using the trails. And that's where @rowdyflat post comes into it - they need trails that appeal to the largest common denominator, and that's people who want to buy a half decent bike and have fun on it straight away - not spend years developing skills and fitness.

For me, the trails don't need to be double black, they just need to be varied and not all the same style of trail. Narooma seems to have taken that approach, which I'm stoked about (have an email train forming as I type this to organise a trip with some blokes in a few weeks - YEW!). My fav trails are ones that really use natural obstacles, have some jank, have some fast sections and some more challenging sections, etc. For those who know the trail down the back of Stromlo - Wedgetail down to the bottom of double dissolution, that would be what I'd like to see more of - fast and that little bit sketchy with shit that you have to properly navigate.

For me I am lucky and like most trails wether they are green ,blue or black (double black not so much) a factor that comes into it is also how far I have to drive to get to the trails.

I remember first going to Tippogoree Hills trails and half way up the mountain/hill they have the map of the trails and I stopped to have a look at that and there was a bloke with his son there who seemed to know the trails and I started asking him what this trail was like and what that trail was like and he said

" look what trail I like and what trail I think is easy and what trail is hard will probally be different to what you think is good or not and what you think is easy or hard evryone will have a different take on the trails.. You have to go and ride them to find out but take it easy on the black runs or maybe don't do them"

This is so true everyone is different I know some people who think Derby is not as good as people make out.

Up on the mainland where I used to live the trails were hand made pretty natural and rocky with logs and such I liked to ride those espically coming from a moto background.

Got to Tassie I didn't like the flow trails took me a while to get used to them but now I like them. Coming from a moto background how you ride berms is different to how you ride berms on a MTB. Jumping is different to.

I know some pretty good green runs and I know some pretty good black runs. Each to there own I guess.

 

[Scotty T]

Stromlo - Wedgetail down to the bottom of double dissolution, that would be what I'd like to see more of - fast and that little bit sketchy with shit that you have to properly navigate.

It's callled Beginner Downhill in Strava which is fitting, it has optional downhill features but no mega-gnar. If the new track from the top down to Cotter has that sort of design and variety it will be awesome.

 

[Stredda]

I've recently started riding with a mate who is his own worst enemy when it comes to being hyper-focused and analysing every single thing that ever happens to/near/around him.

He's absolutely stoked on how good mtb'ing has been for his mental state. Soo good.
View attachment 406447

I get an hour each way riding to work, it does make you day a lot better. Might be different if you are in heavy traffic and dealing with a lot of dickheads in cars.

 

[Haakon]

For those who know the trail down the back of Stromlo - Wedgetail down to the bottom of double dissolution, that would be what I'd like to see more of - fast and that little bit sketchy with shit that you have to properly navigate.

Despite it once trying to kill me, thats still my favourite run at Stromlo.

And I still rate Skyline for the speed you can carry through it - it can be pretty tame for beginners, but the mark of a good trail is it becomes technical when you crank up the speed I hate the current trail building trend of trading elevation too fast...

 

[The Duckmeister]

I'm like a magnet

Attractive on one side, repulsive on the other????

 

[fjohn860]

Attractive on one side, repulsive on the other????

 

[Jabubu]

I'm like a magnet

Dense and repulsive?

 

[fjohn860]

Dense and repulsive?

I like fat and polarizing

 

[Jabubu]

I like fat and polarizing

Clearly you hang around the fridge too much..

 

[Cardy George]

Clearly you hang around the fridge too much..

Oh, come on! You HAD to have seen that coming........

 

[Jabubu]

Oh, come on! You HAD to have seen that coming........

I didn't see anything, my head was too far in the fridge..

 

[bigdamo]

The Georgetown trails, perfect example, had the potential for so much more, but they keep building these soulless boring blue (green really) trails that dominate the networks they do. World trail trails have rested on their laurels.
Their hump jumps signify it all.

jrewing abit of a warning they open the new trails on Friday but i'm thinking you might not like them. They are blue / intermediate But hey Tippo is holding a round of the Tas Gravity Enduro Series and the Tassie State Enduro Champs there this weekend so the it can't be all bad.

"

FRESH TRAIL ALERT! Stoked to announce we have two new descending trails opening Friday 26th January. #straittothetop just taken up a notch!!
Rickerty Split - Popping straight off the Tipp Hills summit, Rickerty Split is a 2.8km rail-fest with expansive views of the North Tamar Region.
Slab Hunter - There's slabs-a-plenty in them there hills, and whilst the hunt for the prefect slab continues, this 5.8km adventure/gravity trail has its fair share.
Both trails depart from the highest point in the Tippogoree Hills Trail Network, and depending on the trail combo you choose, offer up to 9km of riding to get back to the trail head - love your work WorldTrail!
But how are they accessed? There's two options...
1. Catch a ride with Send It MTB Shuttles George Town, or
2. Pedal up the service road (which we've co-named Skyhook - Upper). However, you’ve had it easy until now… The service road / Skyhook - Upper is a steep slog. You've been warned.
There are still works occurring on both the service road and the new trails so PLEASE DON'T RIDE UP TO HAVE A SNEAKY LOOK!