That nice work on Oilcan got me thinking.

[Oldfart]

They spoke of how winter and many riders will deal up a pounding to the trail. Question? How many folks "replace their divots" so-to-speak. Pretty much every ride I will pull a number of sticks and other deadfall off the trail, replace rocks which have been disloged etc. I even carry a small folding swede saw for small low hangers and logs. I fugure if a rider knocks a rock out or runs a little off trail by accident and send same new sticks onto the trail, that they are unaware of what happens behind them.

Do most riders fix small problems as they descend as a matter of course?

[LeeLau]

I usually clear out drains while I'm waiting for people or just remove deadfall.

I also pathologically dislike ridearounds and braids and will take time out to heap large amounts of wood to cut those off

[Ducati]

For the most part when I'm riding I just ride. I spend enough time fixing stuff on the trails and when I'm out to have fun I do just that. If I see something dangerous on the trail then I'll stop and deal with it.

[Dean W]

I replace my 'divots'.

I carry a folding saw and cut out deadfall and clear sticks and stop braids and stack rock and clear drains and this and that.

Every little bit helps, no matter how insignificant it might seem every little bit helps.

[synchro]

we need to clone you guys

[Bryce]

For the most part when I'm riding I just ride. I spend enough time fixing stuff on the trails and when I'm out to have fun I do just that. If I see something dangerous on the trail then I'll stop and deal with it.

what he said

[cdn_rider]

almost all winter the sunday group ride crew cut down or removed fallen sticks trees etc. etc etc ... Jason aka 8 falt 8 ryder carried a saw all winter long we also did some small hole fixing some rock in hand smashing down nails and lose or broken ladders and so on ...

[hooli]

i fix braids...i hate braids...i hate braiders

die braid die

[KenN]

I carry a 'chain' saw, which is a nice little section of toothed chain that rolls up and fits into a little can the size of a tin of snuff. Amazing ... it chews through a 6" long in a minute or two! Only about twenny bucks at MEC. Great for clearing a bit of deadfall here or there.

I'm with Lee on the ridearounds. They piss me off to no end and I'll go for long walks in the woods just to find stuff to throw on braided lines that the Freds out there keep making. If you can't ride it, at least have the decency to walk the trail!

Kn.

[dudski]

I also pathologically dislike ridearounds and braids and will take time out to heap large amounts of wood to cut those off

you wouldn't make many friends in nelson...

[LeeLau]

you wouldn't make many friends in nelson...

I would never do that in Nelson. I;m just a visitor there and won't change trails plus I don't have a clue what the local scene and ethics are. Not to mention there's about 10x less people riding in nelson then in No Van.

[the Master Plan Dan]

I pile rocks while I wait for people!

[shirk]

I pile rocks while I wait for people!

What do the people do that wait for you? Oh snap :)

[ebxtreme]

We usually have 2-3 saws with us and stop ~every other ride to fill holes, cut out blowdown, put rock down, fix ladders, etc. If you've got 5-10 guys on a ride, you can get a lot done in 20 minutes.

EBX

[patrolskid]

doesn't matter where i ride . . . i try to leave the trail better than when i found it .

might be clearing brush , rolling rocks off the trail , improving drainage or picking up someones' trash or old tube , i just want the trail to be even a little better for the next rider ( or hiker !? ) who comes along . . ..

[Neo]

i fix braids, deadfall, dislodged rocks and pick up tons of garbage, especially at trailheads.

[HIBuLlitT]

picking up someones' trash or old tube ..
I hate people that leave their trash. Thankfully w/ only about 15 guys
that ride here it's easy to find the culprit and make them the shuttle bitch
for a day, which for some reason is easier to get them to do than help
do trail work.

[Knnn]

Garbage pick up, drain clearing and braid prevention mainly

[MudPie]

I try and carry a shopping bag with me these days - not just for riding, camping too, and put rubbish I find in it. I hate rubbish. I also try and make it out to traildays and I'll stop and help people if I see them working. Generally I don't do stuff on my own though.

also if a jump is too big, sometimes I'll get my shovel out and make it smaller.

[redsdisease]

also if a jump is too big, sometimes I'll get my shovel out and make it smaller.
Please, please tell me that you're joking.

[Hack On Wheels]

also if a jump is too big, sometimes I'll get my shovel out and make it smaller.

:lol:

I do like to block off braids if it is obvious which is the original line. Occasionally pickup trash and then forget about it in my pack for a year or more. Sometimes reposition rocks which are knocked loose and clear assorted things off of trails. I have come out to few traildays but I am guilty of not coming out to one so far this year. I do however like to offer help to people working on trails if I encounter anyone. Nowhere near enough in the scheme of things.

[MudPie]

Please, please tell me that you're joking.

yeah and I sued Synchro before to recover bike repair bills, beacuse he made a trail unreasonably hard...it had rocks and even roots right in the middle of the trail...just crazy




yup, I'm just "just kidding"

[heckler's better 1/2]

i have a strange yearning to drain all the puddles/lakes that I come arcoss, only the problem is I like to stand around to make sure it drains completely. The result of this meticulous puddle draining behaviour is that a quick rip down Seymour turns into a 4 hour tour.

Oh well, it wins me bonus points with the hubby when I report home that 12 lakes have been full drained.

Heckler also stuff all the garbage he finds into my pack, so by association I help out with the garbage removal as well.

[seeformiles]

I've picked up rubbish from trails and have cleared out some deadfall but honestly I don't know exactly what a trail's ideally supposed to look like. I'll throw the question back to you guys: what should we be doing? And what shouldn't we be doing?

The one thing that really confuses me is the small pebbles that seem to aggregate on the trail - do they cause more erosion (as they get ground into the trail) or do they help prevent erosion (as they're a small layer of rock between the bike and the soil)? Should we sweep them to the trailside?

[heckler]

Simple things you can do for trail maintenance while you ride:

1. Pick up garbage - including tubes, broken bike parts, food wrappers, water bottles. Carry them out in your pack. Don't add to the problem by tossing your garbage in the woods.

2. Drain puddles instead of riding around them. This keeps the trail narrower. Dig a small ditch with a thick stick that allows the water to drain off the side of the trail.

3. Hammer loose rungs back in place. You can use a rock and the existing nail in most cases.

4. Clear deadfall instead of riding around it.

5. Block off braids - this is where someone has started to ride a different line than the original trail. Braids just make the trail wider for no reason at all. Block the new path off with branches. If you know a trail quite well you'll be able to see when new routes start to be taken and shut them down before they are established lines.

6. Collect rocks on piles where a "pile rocks here" sign is found. There's usually a lone trail builder who is planning to rock in a section once enough rocks are collected. The uphill climb on Pangor is such an example.

7. Join and donate $$ to your local trail society so they can continue to buy tools. They also need membership - the more members, the more political clout an organization has to keep trails in your area open.

8. Go to trail days -cough, cough, October 1, cough, CBC

[Straw]

What's a braid?

[synchro]

What's a braid?

if you look closely, i think you can see the braid in her hair

http://www3.telus.net/marks_stuff/braid.jpg

[the Master Plan Dan]

What braid? :damn:

[seeformiles]

I'm looking at the picture but I still can't see ONE of anything.

[the Master Plan Dan]

Just keep looking... its somewhere in there!

[heckler]

sheesh...

a braid is all those little side trails on Salvation that bypass the wacky assed stunts that no one can ride. They aren't the original trail, but a bypass that some one started to ride (say around a tight corner) instead of staying on the trail.

PS Synchro - are you bringing her out on the CBC trail day to help block braids? I'm sure that would boost attendance.

[synchro]

sheesh...

a braid is all those little side trails on Salvation that bypass the wacky assed stunts that no one can ride. They aren't the original trail, but a bypass that some one started to ride (say around a tight corner) instead of staying on the trail.

PS Synchro - are you bringing her out on the CBC trail day to help block braids? I'm sure that would boost attendance.

actually that's not correct. the ride-arounds on salvation were purposely put in place as part of the trail.

a braid could be defined as any line that goes off the original trail that was not intended to be there in the first place. braids typically happen when:

1. riders cut corners or switchbacks
2. riders avoid trail obstacles such as rocks
3. riders go around mud puddles
4. riders go around an eroded section

braids widen the trail and contribute to it's demise.

if you don't like the challenge of mountain biking and the way the trails are laid out there are a few things you can do:

1. get involved with your local trail association and learn how to fix problem areas on the trail.
2. find a straighter trail, like a road or sidewalk.
3. ride the couch.

and i can bring cindy to the trail day to help hand out the free beer and t-shirts we plan top give away as part of our fantasy trail camp promotion

http://www3.telus.net/marks_stuff/braid.jpg

[Incorrigible]

OK, that's it. I'm moving back to Vancouver.

[heckler]

actually that's not correct. the ride-arounds on salvation were purposely put in place as part of the trail.


I was thinking of the braid that I recently blocked off on Salvation that bypassed the long log ride to the teeter. There was a wide path uphill of the teeter leading to the start of the log drop after the teeter. It wasn't your orignal intended line (which goes down the log and then uphill under the teeter), so I blocked it off.