Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Trail maintenance passion

12K views 49 replies 26 participants last post by  Boris Badenov 
#1 ·
Recently on a ride, I ran into two friends who were helping to build a new reroute. I asked them why they were doing it and what help they were receiving. They were doing it because they felt a need for it to be done. A lot of us love riding bikes but how many of you are passionate enough to put in the time to keep your local trails awesome? It's the winter time, lots of downed trees, eroding areas, blown berms/corners. Do you wait for local organizations to spear head a maintenance session or do you go out on your own?
 
#10 ·
Every so often I bring a saw and walk the dog the length of the local trails, kicking sticks and trimming fallen stuff. Once in a while a skinny needs propping up out of the mud but I don't change anything... as natural as can be is the preferred type of trail for me.
 
#11 ·
I've had the fortune of riding some amazing trails around the world for 30+ years now. I know that all of these trails were put there and maintained by individuals. So here in Hawaii, I pretty much carry my brush saw in my pack every ride I do and will almost always do some kind of clearing and cleaning. I appreciate it just as much as the next guy that gets to ride the trails.
 
#13 ·
I love doing trail building and maintenance. I've been doing it since 1992 and last year got accepted as a board member for the Big Bear Trails foundation. Late last year my company, Exodux, adopted a section of the popular Skyline Trail up here in Big Bear.
I think everyone who rides the trails should put some time in if they can.
 
#14 ·
I love your "pumptrack" section on Skyline. A couple mountain communities west is my after work trail network. Once a month I'll tip toe the trail with folding saw, impact and deck screws, cutting back growth, blocking cheater lines, and fixing bridges and ramps.
 
#16 ·
No dig, no ride. Never been a rider and not been creating trails. To me the bike is only half the equation. Bike+Trail=Stoke. I've been a "Professional" for almost 10 years, and was full time for a handful. In the end, travel everyday and the random nature of the funding of the work here in Vt made the logistics too much of a PITA to fit into life. Fortunately one of the projects I worked on was a XC touring center for a small university that owns an abandon ski hill with 1000 vert on 600 acres, plus another few hundred acres on adjacent parcels I access from my street. I moved here to this house for that land, and for the lack of riding. I wanted a blank canvass. For about 5 years I was building "Volunteer" trails up there, then the Touring Center went in when the University realized what I was doing. Since then I have become the School "Trail Guy" and I do a couple few days a week keeping the machine built stuff buttery. On my own time, I've been expanding the primitive trails that surround the machine built stuff. I worked on every major trail network in Central Vermont at some point. I watched for 20 years as trails wore in, and got overbuilt. Here I have been able to create exactly what I want to ride, tight primitive technical trails that fit well into the landscape, have great flow, and offer good routes through the several hundred acres of open land that surround Northfield Vt. Still so much potential. Currently I have routes set to "Build" that will probably take the next 2-3 years by myself, as well as some projects going with a local group that has formed to help me about once a month. I think I am lucky to have created and helped create the best local riding spot in the area.

What get's me stoked is riding new trail, creating new routes that serve a purpose and offer connections to new parts of town or offer access to open spaces that are not being utilized. I hate the over-saturated bike park feel that the state and local orgs are building out around me.

I can't imagine riding without building. I would feel like such a douche knowing how long good hand work and trail clearing takes if I just rode all week and never picked up a tool. I ride once or twice a week. I get to be out on the trails 3-4 days a week, at least one day is on my dime building out impacted sections with rock work, and hiking and re-hiking next years trail clearing projects. Nothing get's me as pumped to ride as a new section of armor, or fresh cut trail. At one time riding was about the bike. As time has gone on I realize it's about the trail and where it takes you. Tight, technical, aesthetically pleasing lines through the brush. Mmmmmm, trail work.



Oh, and we have a "Flow Trail". 900 vert in 1.5 miles....no pedal strokes. Always a great way to end a ride.
 

Attachments

#17 ·
Went for a 3 hour ride yesterday and did n't make it home until I'd been out there 5+ hours. The plan was to ride, but I also took my hand pruners and a folding hand saw. The first three miles of riding took me almost 2 hours. So many branches encroaching onto the trail. Everyone should consider keeping a limb saw in their hydration pack. Keeping brush cut back helps prevent the trail from getting widened by riders avoiding tree branches.

Got asked to go out today and construct a kids race course, as part of a 45 mile long race on Saturday. I decided to pass. But I am going to drag my nephew out and do trail work later this morning. We need to create a borrow pit and fill buckets of soil to elevate a low spot that is holding water and becoming a muddy mess. It's hard to discourage riders from riding a trail that is 99% dry the day after a storm, but has a couple short sections that hold water for a few days. Seems like an easy fix.

When you talk to a mountain biker who does trail work, you realize we are problem solvers. Hikers and equestrians tend to go right past a problem on the trail and ignore it. It could be discarded trash or a fallen tree limb, or a dislodged boulder that rolled into the center of the trail. They will just go right on by. Bikers tend to look at the trails as a long-term investment in fun, and don't want to see it gradually ruined by trash or lack of light maintenance.
 
#18 ·
When you talk to a mountain biker who does trail work, you realize we are problem solvers. Hikers and equestrians tend to go right past a problem on the trail and ignore it. It could be discarded trash or a fallen tree limb, or a dislodged boulder that rolled into the center of the trail. They will just go right on by. Bikers tend to look at the trails as a long-term investment in fun, and don't want to see it gradually ruined by trash or lack of light maintenance.
^dishonest stereotyping IMO, a person's chosen recreational activity does not determine their nature. Also what is best for a hiking trail can sometimes be a fair amount different from what is optimal for mountain biking.
 
#19 ·
Oh hell yes. Trail work is as much of my physical fitness regiment as biking, skiing, hockey and firewood. I started building bike trails the first day I brought home a mountain bike in 1986 and have never stopped. Primitive tech trails, easy beginner trails, machine built flow trails, I am happy riding and working on all of them.

The only downside is every trail I ride is kind of a study in design and construction.
 
#21 ·
Where I ride, if us bikers don't do maintenance, then we have no trail to ride-simple as that. I was impressed that one of those guys that makes his living off mountain biking videos (BKXC) came out and helped us once. I always wonder how many of those cool pro riders actually help with local trail work, besides building private jumps and such, and then making videos of themselves, while the work that you folks do for everyone goes basically unnoticed by the majority of riders.
 
#22 ·
I love doing trail work. Over the years I have done a lot of the base work in three major riding areas in BC.

At the same time I have no problems with people who don't do trail work. I have never bought into "No dig, no ride". For those of us who build, we do it because we enjoy it, just like we enjoy riding our bikes. If someone doesn't enjoy building and they just ride I do not have a problem with that.

That being said, if you don't dig then you better not complain about any work that is done to a trail. I don't care if your favorite rock has been moved or a berm has been added to the flat corner you love to drift.

No dig, no complaining!!!

If you are a "non-digger" then the only thing you give to the trail workers is a high-five and beer(s).
 
  • Like
Reactions: twd953
#26 ·
Long time digger here. My local( 100 yds from my driveway) gets lots of TLC. Talked to the conservation manager for permission to do work, everything except digging is fine for me to just do. We have a good relationship from the other parcels nearby. Love my sliky gomboy, 11" of nice steel, perfect for trees and branches. I have sort of an informal FB notice for the few riders who bike there. Trees down, branches need removal, work that needs to be done etc. My NS Nemba chapter, lots of trail days, lots of boardwalks, a very passionate core builder group of say 30 or so. Our typical work day is Saturday or Sunday, 4-5 hrs, chapter provides lunch and beverages, then ride. In my area( MA) we get LOTS of hikers and other non bike folk to show up for trail work, lots of different orgs in the region too. Depends on where the trails are. This fall I picked up a 70HR rogue hoe with a 54" ash handle. Also a forest service rake, both really nice for trail care.
 
#37 ·
This fall I picked up a 70HR rogue hoe with a 54" ash handle. Also a forest service rake, both really nice for trail care.
The 70 HR is my swiss army knife of trail tools. I don't ever build without it. It may not be the best tool for every job, but if you keep it sharp, you can dig, rake/move dirt, cut roots, compact soil, and shape tread.

Sorry, you just brought out the trail builder nerd in me. Back to the topic...
 
#27 ·
Started riding MTBs back in early '04, was fit enough to be exploring proper trails before the end of the year and started trail clearing/fixing then and have been doing it ever since. I always try to travel with at least a folding saw when we've had weather pass where trees may have fallen or sagged down into the trails. Heck, like HackSaw, one birthday years ago I went out for my usual ride at 6am, did not get home until around 2pm because I was basically just riding and clearing, figure I rode for about 4 hours and cleared for about that long as well. To me it's part and parcel if you're a true MTBer.
 
#28 ·
It's great to hear that there a lot of "one-man armies" out there, but I must say I feel fortunate to be associated with an army of volunteers. Many hands make light work, so trail maintenance is pretty much limited to clearing drains for the late Winter thaw, trimming back trailside growth in the Summer, and removing downed trees (or calling someone who can).

We have a pretty efficient process for reporting maintenance needs or safety issues to the parks when volunteers can't handle it themselves.

We have very specific roles for many people, both within the MTB club and within our local park's volunteer corps, and well-rehearsed protocols for surveying, flagging, clearing, building, and maintaining. There's no rogue building going on.

We even have a training program whereby a person can move up from basically a shoveler to an actual trail builder, where they decide where to go and how to utilize the terrain. Having more people in those roles results in a lot more creative ideas on what might be deemed "boring" terrain.

One thing that we have going for us is that many of our trails are pretty much brand new (<10 yrs.) by any standards, so they are all very sustainable, with very few problem areas. Maintenance is usually a breeze. I carry a 12" folding saw and that's it. The other thing we have going for us is accessibility. It can't be more than about 3 miles from the most remote location I can think of to the nearest road. Usu. it's far less.

The guy that does the most work around here is the guy who shovels the snow off all the bridges and switchbacks, just to make it more fun for everybody else. He is the frickin' energizer bunny!

-F
 
#31 ·
Love the passion coming thru in this thread.
Sucked me in...I'm loving doing mostly rake-n-ride, right out the door stuff the past 8 or 10 years as far as trails go. We've built a solid 18 of singletrack locally, mainly 2 guys and can link into a bunch of other stuff for lots of options. You can ride from a brewery, and/or a number of local's houses. :thumbsup:

Also really enjoying our pumptrack project for the past 3 years or so. My plan is for it to be omnidirecitionally pumpable, kind of a dirt skatepark sort of thing. My town rains giant piles of perfect dirt on us on demand; it's pretty sweet. :)

Nature Vegetation Natural environment Branch Plant community
Nature Natural environment Soil Woody plant Forest
Wood Tree Soil Forest Woodland
Recreation Soil Outdoor recreation Trail Forest
Natural environment Bicycle frame Sports equipment Downhill mountain biking Forest
Natural environment Leaf Natural landscape Deciduous Forest
Rock Bedrock Trail Adventure Bag

Outdoor recreation Soil Mountain bike Trail Adventure
 
#32 ·
Building is integral to my MTB experience. I've been seriously involved in trail work for around 12 or 13 years. We have thick woods/brush and rough terrain so each section of trail is hard won. My Stihl MS211 is my best friend but I always carry a Big Boy 2000 in my pack to deal with deadfall while riding.

In the last couple of years I have noticed a major uptick in the amount of traffic my trails are seeing, both bike and foot which is gratifying. :D
 
#33 ·
I help whenever I can. Each year I set a goal to spend a few hours each month devoted to trail maintenance. I feel proud when I ride sections of trail that helped build or clean up. My contribution is small compared to my husband's involvement maintaining, building trails and advocacy.
 
#35 ·
My best years are behind me. I tried to quit building or maintaining trails a couple years ago, when we moved to Phoenix. Once I met some committed trail builders, and they discovered my own experiences building, they drug me back in. As much as I'd prefer to just ride all the time, It looks like I'm always going to be involved in maintaining trails. Even doing simple brush work can add 2-3 hours onto a ride. It get to the point where you can't ride past a bush or tree that needs pruning.
 
#39 ·
I've been digging in the dirt as long as I've been able to ride. Growing up, we had a full size BMX track in our back yard, starting gate and all in the early 80s. So I spent my summers as a kid getting up at the crack of dawn, building new jumps and berms on the track, then in for lunch, and back out to ride the track til dinner.

By the late eighties I got my first mountain bike, and started building trails all over the 25 acres that my parents owned.

Nowdays, I am a trail crew leader for our local mtb organization, so I'm involved in every aspect of building and maintenance. During build season (fall-winter-spring) I probably put in equal hours on the bike vs building/maintaining trails.

Every time I go out, I try and improve the trail in some way. Usually, that's stopping and moving a down limb, getting the saw out of my pack to cut out a tree, or just clearing a drain with my foot.

I will always first and foremost be a rider, but at this point, I can't imagine not building and maintaining trails and having that satisfaction of creating something that gives happiness to so many people.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top