What MTB is all about! - A few thoughts.

[normdouglas]

Recently spent a weekend at MT Buller, and I live in Forrest. I love modern MTB trail design, I raced BMX heaps as a kid, and I love to jump.
However, the best trail I have found in recent times is the "River Spur" at Mt Buller.
No berms, no rockgardens, DEFINITLEY NO WOODWORK, and barely even any singletrack...
Just awesome country, some high speed stuff, a bit of "back country" and the wind on my face whilst I'm pedalling my bike.

We were there with all sorts of people, and not a single person didn't have a smile on their face at the end.

Maybe as we have moved further and further away from what those guys in California discovered on their clunkers way back in the 70's, we need to just remember how much fun it is to swoop through some trees with the wind in our face and two wheels beneath us.

Trail design I feel is sometimes getting carried away, and maybe even at times becoming a little bit like BMX, or a "stadium" feel.

Case in point. I love the You Yangs. It's a God given natural resource that we should all be able to enjoy.

My favourite trail out there is the by far "Boulder Run". Why, because it has such clever design as to use all natural terrain, with virtually ZERO man made stuff. Compare this to something like Cressy Climb, and well, the difference is startling.

The at Forrest... Let's compare Marriners Run V Red Carpet.
Marriners is famous for it's Berms and it's "flow", I've seen complete beginners discover adrenalin instantly on this trail... however at times even it can feel a little contrived. But when you are smashing down red carpet, with off camber corners everywhere, trees brushing your shoulder, a steep fall to your left, and feeling like you are doing 100kph, you KNOW you are riding!

I think as we move forward in our sport, we need to be careful we are not just becoming another "THRILL" sport, and that there is more to it that that. Surfing is akin to what I'm talking about.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Mitch243]

Nice little read mate,

Feels like it should be one of those little inside cover editors articles in a magazine.

 

[floody]

I agree with the natural terrain bit, but man, all my favourite trails are rocky, rooty, technical singletrack. Firetrail is super boring unless its mega fast.
I have no problem with berms either, flowing through berms and railing stuff really is more fun than endlessly tippy toeing around flat corners.

 

[gixer7]

Yep good post Norm.

I think those "thrill" tracks have their place and I enjoy them as much as the next person but you are right - some of the best rides I've ever had have been less about the track and just riding through some beautiful countryside which felt like like it was a million miles from civilisation.

Had a trek trough Wingello last year and there were no jumps or berms, obstacles consisted of naturally rutted trails and a few snakes. Yet we all came off that ride with genuine satisfied grins on our faces.

Easily the best ride I had all year.

 

[rhyshocking]

Great read buddy, shares some of my thoughts.
Even though i also love to jump and huck etc, 'Red Carpet' at Forrest is still one of my favourite trails to spend the day riding simply due to the atmosphere created by being so at one with nature.

 

[scratchy]

The last time the IMBA trail Guru Joey Klein was in Australia, I caught him at one of his presentations. What he said was missing in Australia was the formation of EPIC trails. Which is what your "River Spur" trail sounds like.

Riding in the State on EPIC trails such as the Porcupine Rim in Utah or 501 in Colorado Epic trails seem to be a bit of everything. No riding around in circles though!

 

[eyes]

...
Thanks for reading.

Nice thoughts.

One of my favourite rides I have even completed was a 2hr trail night-ride in Gap Ck, BFP (Brisbane) after returning from a month in Whistler!

These trails are primitive as far as the new school 'rush' trails go - but built solid and sustainably and you have to earn every metre of it.

 

[normdouglas]

Yep good post Norm.

I think those "thrill" tracks have their place and I enjoy them as much as the next person but you are right - some of the best rides I've ever had have been less about the track and just riding through some beautiful countryside which felt like like it was a million miles from civilisation.

Had a trek trough Wingello last year and there were no jumps or berms, obstacles consisted of naturally rutted trails and a few snakes. Yet we all came off that ride with genuine satisfied grins on our faces.

Easily the best ride I had all year.

This is what I'm talking about... I love all the other stuff... but feel that some of it is just getting too same same, or "oneupsmanship"

The last time the IMBA trail Guru Joey Klein was in Australia, I caught him at one of his presentations. What he said was missing in Australia was the formation of EPIC trails. Which is what your "River Spur" trail sounds like.

Riding in the State on EPIC trails such as the Porcupine Rim in Utah or 501 in Colorado Epic trails seem to be a bit of everything. No riding around in circles though!

River Spur takes well over 60 mins at the moment due to the River Crossings, and most of it is downhill gradient. You would love it. We are pushing hard to create a few more off piste stuff here in Forrest. It already exists, but you can only find it if you know where to look. Signposted trails going from Forrest to Torquay would be friggen AWESOME.

Cheers and thanks for your interest in this little thread.

 

[Elbo]

Nice read mate, definitely agree there. After all, most of us started MTBing because of that big grin we got after a first ride. I don't think we were necessarily thinking about trail features back when we started riding. It was just about getting out and riding by yourself or with some other like minded people. Sure, as we continue to ride we learn what we like riding the most, but maybe we are setting the expectations too high. To this day, the things I most enjoy about riding is the wind in your face and getting away from it all and those trails that just take you somewhere, physically and mentally.

 

[Jackstack]

I think that is where the appeal of the marathon type races is. The sense of just being on an epic is what definitely attracts me to these type of events.
Sometimes its just cool to jump on your bike and ride for miles and miles even if it isn't on beautifully manicured trails but just out in the bush somewhere with a few mates just cruisin', and exploring. Like bushwalking on bikes!

 

[miko]

I know what you mean. Recently I was lucky enough to ride Rotarua in NZ, and one of the best trails for my new wife and me was one called split enz. Single track in this instance, but very smooth, very easy to ride, nice grade reversals, beautiful bermed corners and scenery. You could get air if you wanted, and "play" with the trail, but equally you could just roll to the bottom and still have a massive smile on your face. There was a whole range of different riders and age groups that rode and recommended this trail.

I'd love to be able to replicate this in Adelaide, where I am, where riding is generally a lot rougher, and more technical. But at the same time, variety is the spice of life, and I wouldn't be happy riding trails like that all the time. I love a technical challenge and being able to ride a whole heap of different trails and terrains. That's what MTB is all about, accessibility (legal issues aside) and personally, in my area I think we need to improve this.

Not everyone enjoys a nasty techy climb followed by smashing their way down through rock gardens.

This was particularly apparent in NZ, where whole families were filling the forests. I just don't see that here.

 

[normdouglas]

Not everyone enjoys a nasty techy climb followed by smashing their way down through rock gardens.

This was particularly apparent in NZ, where whole families were filling the forests. I just don't see that here.

Just to clarify my stance, the trail I was talking about "River Spur" is quite a "rustic" trail and not smooth and probably not "family friendly"... but I hear ya!

 

[Moggio]

Variety is good...often what you don't have is what you end up liking once you have had the taste of it.

The one advantage that fire trails can have over formed trails is the distance aspect. That you can go somewhere and end up somewhere different to where you started... it may not be as good a ride along the way but the sensation of change and distance is very pleasurable.

Unfortunately I am yet to come across something that goes the distance and is also as fun as single track to ride. I guess the EPIC trail idea mentioned earlier.

 

[beardi]

I think what you are eluding to is the natural diversification of sports over time. It's interesting that we start off with any type of pushy and before you know it there's a quiver of bikes in the shed! When you think about it the same can be said of any activity really. They all start out pretty simple and then become more and more specialised. Personally I get stoked about all forms of biking (although I have my favourites) and if people's idea of MTB is a foam pit or a backyard pump track then good on 'em.
Those pioneers back in the day saw something in getting out in the mountains on their pushy - regardless of what it's all become I'm damn stoked that they did coz my life is all the better for it!

 

[agoer]

Yeah Im picking up what your laying down.
But as someone said before (or similar to this) trails start out as basic fun things and people after riding it every weekend for 6 months whant a little jump in it and due to the fact it is hard to find/get trails legal the one track "evolves". So as i was saying people want a little jump then that jump becomes bigger and bigger as bordom gets more and more. Then one jump isnt enough so they put in a tech rock garden a few burms to make a corner quicker into another jump and so on and so on.
Good or bad? Well if the young punks didnt evolve quicker than me it would be fine

However a couple of years ago a mate took me to the scrub near a town about 30km away. There was no single track, just fire road down a really steep hill. It would take nearly 10mins to go from the top snake around go over a few little nolls and down to where the ute was (all on downhill rigs).
An yes i had an absolute ball, the most fun ever. Big drifts around bends just flogging the buggery out of the bikes and legs.

I guess the secret/solution, is to get more trails out there. Get the community into it a bit more and have a wide variety of trails around. Easier typed than said I know.

G

 

[Lukas]

...
We were there with all sorts of people, and not a single person didn't have a smile on their face at the end.

Maybe as we have moved further and further away from what those guys in California discovered on their clunkers way back in the 70's, we need to just remember how much fun it is to swoop through some trees with the wind in our face and two wheels beneath us.

Well... i cannot complain about my mates what i'm riding with. we have always lots of fun ("smile on faces" whole day)