the 5% rule

[Culley]

recently while reading Revolution mag i came across i great artical of a thing called 'the 5% rule'

it said;


"Essentially the rule is that 5% of your riding time should be devoted to doing something for the trails you ride. This can be clearing derailleur snapping sticks after wind storms, pruning back vegetaion, joing in on build days, fixing drainage oror alternatively writing emails for advocacy.
Whatever works for you. Just puting something back into the trails we all love and need"

if only every rider pitched in there 5% eh

 

[Lard]

Imagine if people put in 0.5%! Most do absolutely nothing, then complain when tracks aren't up to scratch

 

[Culley]

true, and people often bitch about riders trying to keep there trails secret.

 

[No Skid Marks]

Lets make it a self glory thread. I reckon I'm on at least %25, and that's unpaid work.
Show us your stats.
For me it's a matter of building stuff that I want to ride. I always repair others work when riding if needed also.

 

[thecat]

Building is one of the best bits, whether out by your self sculpting your little something special or out with the crew bouncing ideas around, talking shit, seeing the line in your head and pitching in to make it a reality.

Been a bit lax on the shovel lately but flat out behind the scenes. Diggers often get the glory but lets not forget the negotiators too:eyebrows:

 

[No Skid Marks]

God job Flynny.:clap2:

 

[Dozer]

I'd easily be 50% and love every bit of it. I also have a ton more respect for a rider who gets out and rides after creating a new line or repairing an old one. They have a right to throw their opinion forward on building new stuff or repairing existing stuff. Those that call that trail their local and don't work on it during build days can keep their traps shut.

 

[JaRedy]

Sometimes I enjoy building more than riding! I find it peaceful, stimulating, and i always feel like I accomplished something. For proper DH tracks ive spent maybe 4-5% of my time, but at my local (mostly private 30 second long technical thing with a couple of berms and jumps) it's easily 80% build 20% ride.
I'll often head up there with the intent to ride and end up building instead.

 

[dl79]

Went for some push runs on Sunday, ended up doing 1x 2 min run and 4 hrs track maintainence. Some days you just want to work

 

[bikesarefun]

Lets make it a self glory thread. I reckon I'm on at least %25, and that's unpaid work.
Show us your stats.
For me it's a matter of building stuff that I want to ride. I always repair others work when riding if needed also.

Last few weeks it's been about 90% digging. But it will be worth it. And then I can get back to 25%.

 

[Toxicity]

im ashamed to say but lately its been at 0, since moving ive only gone to events, havnt even gone to build anything of my own...i feels dirtys

 

[outtacontrol]

Not sure what percentage, but I enjoy fixing sections that annoy me when I ride them. I enjoy turning a section that sucked into something fun to ride, and find it very rewarding. Rock armouring is very challenging, but fixes things permanently.

I don't understand guys who bitch about a section they don't like because it is washed out or needs some love. The answer is pretty obvious...

 

[crank1979]

I don't understand guys who bitch about a section they don't like because it is washed out or needs some love. The answer is pretty obvious...

Whinge about it until someone else fixes it or ride a different track until that one is flogged out as well?

 

[anthonyq]

Lets make it a self glory thread. I reckon I'm on at least %25, and that's unpaid work.
Show us your stats.
For me it's a matter of building stuff that I want to ride. I always repair others work when riding if needed also.

nice,but its not always about being paid or not.its about riding down what you like to ride so you make it better for yourself and others

 

[BM Epic]

Last 6 months have been 60% digging and fixing, getting drainage to work etc, it is unbeleivable how many people thrash through even after 3 continuous days of torrential rain, that breaks your heart, fortunately for me the last few weeks have only required some cosmetic stuff, for example, i took out 10 or so riders from north side for a ride and guide, went out the day before to get track looking its best, it ended up costing me 7 hours, fixing vandalised stuff, and trimming ferns and making sure all drainage was not blocked, was pretty stuffed when i did the ride the next day, fortunately the people i took out appreciated what went into the place!
But..i love doing it!

 

[brycethebomb]

im all over the place. some days it will just be riding, others just digging, then some in between.

 

[No Skid Marks]

nice,but its not always about being paid or not.its about riding down what you like to ride so you make it better for yourself and others

Yeah that was my point. About doing it for the love and duty. I was saying discluding payed track work as ssome people get payed to do it.

 

[rider124]

i was one of those kids that was bitchin if somthing aint right.
untill with a few mates we built our own track,
and over the last few months. i have ridden like twice. and built on many occasions!
never complained about another track since.

 

[haltz]

Ourimbahs a pretty good example of people complaining about the track but not turning up to help with build days, hint hint

 

[chadly1084]

Does avoiding riding when its wet and soggy so that the trails dont get eroded count? That surely is more than 5% of the time. I would love to be out on the trails helping fix them up but its not high on my priority list lately I am lucky to make it to the trail to ride let alone spend time fixing them up. Congratulations to those that put in the hard yards with the trails the bike shops should pay you guys a commision for creating all these great places to ride hence increasing the number of mountain bikers inturn creating more sales for mountain bikes. Guess we all have to be thankful that there are trails to ride without someone trying to charge you entry to ride them this 5% rule is probably keeping it that way.