Food for thought...trails should not be smoothed out - I agree

[Headshot]

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/opinion-it-should-be-hard-shouldnt-it-2014.html

[nonky]

After reading the article, I noted that "Shocking! Mountain Bike Stolen At Gunpoint" made the front page of pinkbike

[Headshot]

Yep, there Vital MTB and Bike Radar as well. SA is famous for the wrong reasons again...

[leona]

i don't think theres a right or wrong answer. i want both, its really nice to ride something smooth with loads of berms, table tops etc but sometimes you want to be a bit scared, not know whats coming, really challenge yourself. theres room for both and everything in between.

[Squier]

Sani2c makes you fall in love with smooth, manicured trails. All our trails up in GP are really rocky... still fun, but rather tough. I've come to the conclusion that Sani makes you soft...

[Spoke101]

I think it also largely depends on the type of bike you are riding.

ie. A ridged Hardtail vs a 160mm Trail bike.

[(Deon)]

It's really hard for trail builders to please everyone. There will always be opinions over what people want but good to keep in mind that it's not always out of choice that some trails are "tarred", conditions and what we have available to us is important to consider.

 

But agreed, you want to be riding the mountain, not something artificial. I guess this is why at Tokai for example, the higher trails that naturally take more effort to reach will be less manicured since it assumes that the rider who makes the effort, has built up their fitness over time and is therefore not an absolute novice. The lower trails that are easier to access will by default be ridden by those starting out, and looking to improve on narrow trails - with a few manageable obstacles that at speed can also be challenging..

 

What's that saying; if you're bored, let go of the brakes!

[MoreTrails]

If a trail is well designed, then a novice should be able to stomach it....but an experienced rider who is pushing the pace limits will find it a challenge / rewarding due to the speed carried.

 

Obviously one also gets the far ends of the spectrum - beginner vs double black diamond which are worlds apart

[cadenceblur]

Important to also consider that fitness does not always equal technical skills. A fit road cyclist could climb to the upper sections, but won't necessarily have the the skill set to descend.

[Stretch]

one of my favourite bits of trail is "home jerome" in howick - its smooth, flowey and fast.......granted the rest of howick is pretty rough...but that stretch is just pure mountain biking bliss

[GoLefty!!]

Trails need to be built in a manner that suits what the terrain can support. Pointless building steep unarmoured trails in a sandy dusty environment because it will erode so quickly it becomes unsustainable.

 

The skill level required to traverse the trail is then really up to the trail builders creativity since sustainable does not have to equal dumbed down and easy to ride

[(Deon)]

Important to also consider that fitness does not always equal technical skills. A fit road cyclist could climb to the upper sections, but won't necessarily have the the skill set to descend.

Like I said, not everyone will be happy.

 

A roadie should know their limits through experience. To think that because one has ridden for ten years on tar they would be equally accomplished on dirt.. oh wait, that was the guy who was flown out from the jeeptrack a few years ago.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Important to also consider that fitness does not always equal technical skills. A fit road cyclist could climb to the upper sections, but won't necessarily have the the skill set to descend.

 

Then he should stay on the road

 

But seriously - if you can only get to the top, and not use any of the single track down, then you know you need to build your skill levels on the ST - and you're heavily biased towards one spectrum of MTB - fitness. You need both fitness AND skill to be able to do this sport properly.

[cadenceblur]

Not discounting that in the least. It is definitely a combination, just the assumption that only skilled riders can get to higher sections is what I don't agree with.

However if a section is too difficult people need to swallow their pride and egos and dismount until their skills improve. That's what I do. There are sections of Tokai that I battle with, but I don't complain about it or try and convince my buddies to take a different route.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Not discounting that in the least. It is definitely a combination, just the assumption that only skilled riders can get to higher sections is what I don't agree with.

However if a section is too difficult people need to swallow their pride and egos and dismount until their skills improve. That's what I do. There are sections of Tokai that I battle with, but I don't complain about it or try and convince my buddies to take a different route.

 

good man. There are sections we all struggle with. For me, it's the climb!

 

And the top section of DH0. Which is beyond my skillset at the moment.

[(Deon)]

just the assumption that only skilled riders can get to higher sections is what I don't agree with.

 

Whoa.. didn't say that at all. It's not a black and white thing, when discussing opposites like novice and pro there will be a whole category in-between.

 

I also did not say that the lower section was only used by novices.

 

You do have a point but really, to offer a cross section of every type rider in CT would require a scientific report.. My rationale is to say what is common for those who are new to riding. Yes, fit riders can get to the top but in there experience should know that falling hurts and be able to judge a situation where they would be out of their depth. If they don't have this knowledge.. well, then..