You are hereForums / By Discipline / Mountain (off road) / By Location / Australia / NSW / Northern Beaches / Xmas Rant
Xmas Rant
Rode LNCP to afternoon to burn off some Xmas cheer. The track is in the worst condition I have seen it in 7 years of riding there. I live in Marsfield across the road, I ride/train there at least once a week. JP probably the only one who has ridden here more.
The problem is that every single muddy spot now is twice the size, as people have tried to go round, instead of through. Just making the the area bigger and boggier. These areas take longer to dry out , cause erosion and destroy vegetation on the side of the tracks. I'm not seeing kids on Huffys doing the damage, but adults on more expensive bikes.
If you are to scared to get your $5k bike dirty, are to worried about your drive train, or just don't like cleaning your bike. Stick to the road.
I know if i want to ride in these conditions, I will spend a couple of hours cleaning my bike, need to replace my drive train and brake pads more often, but that is the joy of mountain biking.
Yes it is only fire trail, but we need to care for these trails, and not just single track. Every trail is a privilege to ride, and we need to show that we care about all trails that we have access to, in the hope that in the future more opportunities become available. If we don't care about fire trails what hope have we got of getting more single track?
Times are changing , lets hope 2012 is the year.
- Login to post comments
- Bookmark & share
A very good post. I rode Perimeter and Long today and I witnessed the same. I ride through puddles/boggy bits and that is what mountain biking is supposed to be about. Yes the bike was a muddy mess but that is what they are designed for. Good on ya Floydo for raising this.
it is the singletrack that is getting belted
Just another example of what happens when bureaucracies are slow to cope with changing usage patterns. Tracks that were designed primarily for occasional 4WD / truck use for Water Board maintenance / RFS access being expected to bear the brunt of a burgeoning recreational pursuit and not coping.
Having said that, most of LCNP trail is a fire trail /access road in a weed corridor along the river. The diversions around a couple of the puddles at least add some interest to the ride and can hardly be considered to damage the place any more than the way the trails are usually maintained in the first place (i.e., bulldoze a whole bunch of soil and crushed rock onto the track, only to watch it get washed away and silt up the nearest waterway over the next few years until they do it all again.
LOL... you guys riding wet trails and then complaining about damaged trails.
I was waiting for someone to notice that although in their defense I think they are talking about people who go around puddles.
I personally would stay off all together but thats me
not just if trails are wet!-singletrack at Manly Dam gets just that bit wider when ever I ride there every 6-9 months-not from people going around puddles but some of the small rock techy sections! & Brian I remember about a year ago I had a go at you for going to ride up at Awaba when it was still wet & you said you were going anyway!!!
The wettest I've have ridden Awaba I can remember has probably been 3 puddles. Normally when I say I'm heading there regardless is because I'm heading up the coast regardless but that doesn't mean I ride.
Struggling to see the big deal, really, or why you are blaming mountain bikers. It's a fire trail, and mountain bikers are going to go around puddles just like they will go around a fallen tree. If you are concerned about erosion, just imagine what happens when the national park authority drives a grader down there every year to clear it for fire access.
Not to put too fine a point on it, I can't really see how going through puddles helps the trail either, or why you think that mountain bikers are responsible for widening the trail (as opposed to walkers who don't want their shoes to get muddy, or RFS, NPWS, Police, Transgrid, and Sydney Water drivers who don't want their vehicles to get bogged.) And, well, when I'm doing a 3 hour walk, f you think that I'm going to walk through the puddles, only to have my feet soaking wet for the next few hours, I would politely suggest that you are somewhat optimistic.
Blue Gum Swamp in Winmalee is a perfect Example!!!
Its a fire trail that has become so overgrown its almost a single track except for 3 puddles that are always there. These mud puddles reach almost 10m in length and are over twice the width of the trail. Last month on an Oaks Maintenance day I approached the ranger to do some basic repairs to remove these puddles. I was told not to worry about it as the trail is already scheduled to be re-graded in a few months time. Sigh