You are hereManly Dam update for 28 Jul
Manly Dam update for 28 Jul
Area:
Manly Dam
Status:
Red/Closed I've not ridden there recently but after today's constant rain and the fact that it hadn't dried properly after the last lot, the track will definitely be a red staus.
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Disgusting how many bikes were out there over the weekend. I went and took a look at all the entries, it's not pretty. The worse case is below the 19th hole on the shared track. They've ridden up the grass slope and around a tree to avoid a puddle on the track. Doubt the grass will come back from what I saw.
Yep, I saw that after the last lot of heavy rains. What a mess.
How deep is the rut in the regular track thru there? I'd have thought it would be up past hub height by now.
Do the majority of punters have no access to the internet or if they do, do they not know of mountain bike websites and trail ettiquite?
Or do they simply not care?
If I had a pet pig, he would have loved it...needless to say the opportunity to get out and ride recently has been limited. My brand new Marin Attack Trail 6.8 was begging for a ride and I was pumped. Clear skies, I'm out there !! Worst part of the track effected by water was the single track as the water has no where to run off too, first bit past Wakehurst GC car park was very muddy and slippery, although coming in quick was a lot of fun. Singletrack to golf rock was wet but no probs, next section was not so flash before the rock garden. This is where it was worst, lots of big puddles and plenty of mud made it really hard work. Downhill was fine, I don't climb although didn't seem too bad. All in all, after all that rain, our track held up pretty well. By the way, the bike is a cracker, a massive step up from a Giant hardtail, brilliant.
shouldn't take a whole lap to work out it's too wet to ride??
When my son and I first rode Manly Dam it rained part way thorugh the lap and we thought the wet muddy conditions were great fun.... (well until I tried ot ride the bike next time and found the gears and brakes had turned to crap becasue of all the garbage in them.)
Little did we know how much damage it does both to the trails and to the relationships with land managers.... (much embarrassment)
The shops - which are beginners' first point of contact - just don't raise the subject or say anything. And then you have morons like Manly Bike Hire that I've seen first hand sending people out onto wet saturated trails with slick-tyred hybrids.
There needs to be signage at the trailheads outlining the code of conduct, and offering alternatives (eg Duck Holes) if the dam is too wet.
yeah sunday was an awesome sunny day...great day for riding but the point being trails DONT DRY IN A DAY!...and trails like the dam are lucky to dry in 2 days of good sun in the areas where the water ahs nowhere to run....riding when the day is sunny will still tear a track to bits if theres been decent amount of rain during the week.... everyone should just keep off them when they are wet....otherwise council will get sick of it and just close them to all mountainbikers......
It's all about education.
Someone else recently compared Manly Dam to other council run facilities such as sports fields. Doesn't everyone know how to tell if a sports field is water logged? So can't they do the same for a bike track?
Trouble is - Warringah Council have dropped the ball big time on the maintenance of Manly Dam so riders have to step up and do what they can to protect the resource they love. In this case, it means trying to educate other riders.
When IMBA Australia first got off the ground they were meant to be getting some 'coat hanger' like flyers to hang on the bars of every bike in every shop. This would be brilliant. It was just a simple code of conduct but would let people know what to expect.
On top of that, there is a standing offer to land managers in the Northern Sydney area for local bike shops to sponsor signs that would have a code of conduct and place these at trail heads. For whatever reason such offers have been refused by both councils and DECCW.
Trouble is that some people think that getting out in the dirt and mud is part of the action - some sort of right of passage perhaps. Fair enough - when you are new to the sport it can fun... to a point... and I have to admit at not worrying too much about it before I knew better. Guess that's the point - don't blame people of slag them off just because they don't know any better. Just stay calm an explain politely.
Riding in the wet is bad because soil erodes more easily when wet. Erosion caused by riders (and walkers for that matter) is that much worse in the wet so we should stay clear until the ground dries a little and can handle traffic better. Oh, plus - replace your entire drive train and brake pads a couple times and your wallet will thank you too.