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Direction Question on BJ's
G'day,
I was riding up BJ's on Saturday morning when a group of three riders came down. I pulled to the side to let them pass however the lead rider had a go at me, stating that BJ's is a downhill only section. I have ridden up BJ's dozens off times and have never had anyone claim it as being downhill specific. I normally continue on and ride through the paddock and back up to Gun Club Rd. Is that also one way down only? That would be a real shame as that climb and all the way back to the GCR is a great training section. Are there any other tracks that are single direction. Shit Happens is far better to climb than descend, but that does not mean it cannot be ridden in either direction does it?
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You definitely do it totally backwards to how I do it.
I'm not sure but I think once everything gets signposted from Gun club road down through baileys paddock and BJ's is down, Shit Happens will be uphill.
I don't think anyone has the right to have a go at anyone else for riding in either direction on the trails yet as nothing is posted.
When the signs go in most trails in Glenrock wil be signposted uni-directional.
I'd be the first to say there's some trails I enjoy riding in both directions. But from a trail management point of view one-way trails are the way to go.
Probably the most important reason is safety, even the most careful rider would have trouble avoiding a head-on on a blind corner(ask Browny). Also for managing impact and erosion it's a lot easier to anticipate and control if we only have to deal with traffic from one direction.
As the trails in Glenrock are re-built and upgraded we have tried to make them favour one direction, Shit Happens as you say is now better to climb, and as a case in point most of the impact it now receives is from people descending.
Personally I like the idea that trails become one-way by preference, they just feel better in one direction and feel wrong in the other, but that can be difficult to achieve.
Most of the directional trails will also fit better into the 'Stacked Loop' system of trails we are trying to create. Around the Treatment Works there is a few problems with that at the moment due to their site upgrade works and the closed areas.
(BTW we were meant to be back in there and building our own new trail over a year ago)
When that is finished and the new trail is in it will make a lot more sense.
Trailhead signs will show the loops and directional trails/signage will allow access to them, this should allow better flow, capacity for large numbers of riders and higher speed riding with safety. I think you'll find most trails and riding areas use some similar system.
In the meantime there is only a 'suggested' direction for most trails, but it does help if riders going in the 'wrong' direction are aware of it and be carefull of oncoming traffic.
They are fair comments and I understand that we need to be mindful of risk management and sustainability issues, but I have never had any close encounters going backwards up BJ's, you can see and hear riders coming a mile off and there is plenty of room to step to the side. Regarding sustainability, I reckon that there would be next to no impact caused by riders riding up BJ's. If those are the two determining factors then I don't see why BJ's should be downhill specific.
I enjoy riding most of the trails backwards as it gives a well ridden track a new perspective and have never really experienced any danger of collision. I know which sections require more care to avoid oncoming riders, like the split section where work has recently been completed on Lower Kenny.
I have had far more close head on encounters on the fire trail heading to or from the headland where for some reason riders don't stick to the left when going around blind corners which I think is mindblowingly stupid and given the speeds possible on those sections, potentially fatal. If I was going to erect signs anywhere it would be at the start of every fire trail and it would read "PLEASE KEEP TO THE F@#KING LEFT".
Will there be any discussion about which trails will be uni-directional and which will not? I have seen quite a few riders doing BJ's backwards, so I am not alone. Same goes for Snakes and Ladders, I would much rather ride up that than down it and once again have never had any close encounters. Will that be uni-directional too?
yeah, i ride most trails both ways as well.
As much as i enjoy switching it up i do think that it is wise to have a unidirectional trail. I think that traffic is increasing, speeds are quick and riders being unfamiliar with trails increases the chance of collision. Kenny Wells is a prime example. I love riding from bailey's up to gunclub, but i will only ever do it mid week during the day. Riding that direction on a weekend or after work is stupid.
There is the old rule of thumb that climbers should get right of way. as well.
Bj's is a great climb, however if your descending quick there is no room for error. Climbers need to be aware that a rapid descender is at risk of a big of if there is a climber coming up. I think it is best as a DH but only because most people will descend it rather than climb it.
I think the plan is for all of the singletrack to be unidirectional.
I reckon most of it will work once a few of the connectivity issues are sorted (eg from Shaft back across to the Shit Happens area plus I think there needs to be some thought given to better linking of Gun Club Rd down to the fire trails).
Realistically I can't see from Suess Land the whole way to the noticeboard ever being uni, signposts or not. Anyone coming from the east is going to ride the trails to meet their mates at the noticeboard in preference to taking the road.
i agree. lots of people will ride it backwards, however it is is known that the intention is for (for example) KW is to be ridden one way, then those riders going in the wrong direction will at the very least (hopefully) be on the lookout for people coming at them.
When ride that section of trail the "wrong" way, i always make sure i pull the headphones out of my ears to make sure i can hear something coming, and i'm ready to get of the trail.
I know my old mans loop is to go down shit happens and back up BJ's. Personally I am not a fan of the trails in that direction.
I'm going to weigh in and agree that in terms of sustainability, Uni-Directional is the go. On trails like BJ's, some of the steeper bits are borderline for decent, but completely inappropriate and prone to chewing out as a climb.
At the end of the day, controlling people will be near on impossible, even with the signage, but I think most people will stick with the plan.
I prefer the short sharp climbs of BJ's to the one continuous effort required for SH and the multi downhill lines of SH. Still can't ride over the step of BJ's which turns me off it as a downhill.
BJ is not really wide enough between turns one and two for riders to pass, which kind of knocks it back as a multi directional track.
Have no answer really.
Hi Trancexone nice bike,I was the 3rd rider in that group the lead rider did not mean to be abrupt its just hard to comunicate flying down hill. We do a out and back from Kahiba crossing and enjoy most tracks both directions but there are some we avoid going both ways. We ride
#up gun glub road, down Lower jump the gun on the way back,
#at the shute down the left, Up the new switch backes on the way back.
#after Baileys we go down bjs and up shit happens across to sewer works then turn back towards Baileyes takeing the high line. This gives us a good workout without to many head ons especially on busy days .This is just our preference i am open to others opinions. i ride with the gerrys sometimes and they mix up there rides so its allways interesting but there rides are early morning weekdays when its not busy.
Howdy Armo,a man of taste I see. No probs. I did not think your mate was being abrupt I was just a bit taken aback that I would get chipped for riding up BJ's when I have been doing it at least once a week for the last 10 years and never had a single person say anything. If there was signage or if i was aware that it was downhill only, I would expect to get chipped if I disobeyed the rules. Just because the majority of people like to ride it downhill does not IMHO mean that it cannot be ridden uphill, however if and when signs are erected and BJ's becomes downhill only, I will have no choice but to toe the line. BJ's is great in either direction so I should just suck it up and be thankful for having such great tracks at my back door.
Seems like a good training loop you have going there. If you want to add another hill in thar area [near BJ's], there is a good fire road climb that brings you up underneath Baileys Paddock at the trail that ducks back into the bush leading up to BJ. You access it from the fire road at the bottom of shit happens. Go up the little pinch climb and then when the fire road turns left, veer off to the right and ride through the little grassed area, across a little concrete bridge and up you go. Only a mundane fire road climb, but it gets the blood pumping and useful for doing hill sessions.
We Giant riders need to stick together as we are few and far between so I will say g'day next time I see your mighty TX1 out on the trails.
bj's been around for 10 years????
I'd reckon. I bought a house nearby in 2000 and started riding in there about a year later. As far as I can recall it has been in there as long as I have been riding in there.
BJ's was built around 2004/2005 and high roller came a bit later.
Everyone on the old sat morning group rides used to comment at the end of bailey's how the trail needed to go straight ahead to avoid the need to climb up to scenic drive and back into the park where the truck parks.
Shortly after, BJ's appeared.
thought so. I remember reworking a few of those corners about 6 months after it was open, and that was only a few years ago.
I remember the turns were so bad some crazy
guy was carrying rocks up from the bottom, in shopping bags i think, to try and rock armour them.
That's the sort of dedication that GTA was built on.
Crazy guy........that is the polite understatement of the century.
NUUUUTTTTTT JJJJOOOOOBBBBBBBBB
Trailbuilders as keen as that.