define flow

[synchro]

how do you define flow on a mtb trail? what does a trail need to be considered flowy?

[Revscene]

cant really describe flow, size is non important either, trail can be flowy with 20 footers or 2 footers, its just a trail that you dont have to put much thought into the riding, offers alot of smooth corners and smooth air, a trail you can get a rythem on. easy to tell if a trail is flowy or not cause you have a shit eatin grin the whole way down if it is:)

[the flying moose]

what does a trail need to be considered flowy?

STUNTZ!!!!!!111.

[Midas]

flow is if everything is smooth and each sections links up nicely with the next section you can do a top to bottom without and issues on it. thats flow. everything should just feel natural on the bike to do. you can have rough rock sections on a flowy trail, it just needs to fit the trails character.

[Dean W]

It is the rider that needs to be flowy, not a trail.

[Dantes Inferno]

flow is if everything is smooth and each sections links up nicely with the next section you can do a top to bottom without and issues on it. thats flow. everything should just feel natural on the bike to do. you can have rough rock sections on a flowy trail, it just needs to fit the trails character.

bingo

Fun to flow neds. Fun to flow salvation. Fun to flow CBC.

Flow can be anywhere. But not anyone can flow.

[IFO]

i define flow as a section of trial that requires little or no pedalin input..

somethin that with the right amount of body english and brake work u can ride chainless..

this can include smooth or really eroded tech terrian with drops and jumps, its all still flowy in my books..

trails like "To tight" and sections of "Familyguy" on Cypress are text book flowy...

[AllShockedUp]

Drops to uphill, drops to big holes in the landings, lots of drops to pogo at the top for a while before you wheelie drop in, lots of parts you have to hike, and lots of big deadfall cutting across.

[rad]

a trail where you dont have to pedal or brake at all but still having lots of up and down and jumps and corners would be the flowiest trail in my book, doesnt have to be that smooth if you can go through a rough section without losing speed.

[DUDEONABIKE]

i kno what a flowy trail is to me, but i cant exactly describe it.

[ratherberiding]

a flowy trail doesn't have to have everthing smooth with big smooth berms.tech rooty sections with multiple drops stuck right after another can be flowy too if you know how to ride them. a super rocky rough trail can be flowy if ridden enough.

[trail worker]

a flowy trail rolls, drops and corrects your speed for you, requiring little brake input from the rider. A flowy trail won't be choppy, won't require much pedalling and should link together nicely...
for me, flow means letting go of the brakes and letting the trails berms, rolls, dips and stunts slow you down or speed you up as need be.

[olly]

a trail that, when you ride it for the first time, everythings exactly where you expect it to be.

[fitchy]

flow to me is a feeling. it can be on any trail or anywhere actually. being smooth and consistant also helps to feel flow

[the flying moose]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=flow

[bcbud]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=flow

I've done a variation of #11, but there ya go down at #19 the MTB definition....give that thing some thumbs up.....

[the Master Plan Dan]

I will agree it is not a trail that has flow but the rider. Some days I don't flow in Freight Train and other days... everything connects and it is seemless and for me feels effortless.

You can flow on any trail... when I did the STP I was in a line of riders and we rounded a corner in unison... and that felt so "flowy".

My bike also has to be in prime working order... or little to no noise!

[HIBuLlitT]

Rider: A feeling that everything is as it should be. A feeling of effortless riding.
Same as in the "zone". Like IFO said, little to no pedaling, little to no braking,
just you fitting into the trail.

Trail: A trail who's builder followed the lines the mountain has, instead of forcing
a stunt because you'd like it "here". A trail that is "effortless: to ride (in a zen
kind of way, not that "sitting on the couch effortless"). A trail that given it's
difficulty is easily ridden by a rider that has that level of proficiency. So a trail
that is double black is not going to be flowy by a noob.

Flow is like being w/ your best friend, even if you have nothing to say to each
other, it's still effortless.

[enduramil]

flow is if everything is smooth and each sections links up nicely with the next section you can do a top to bottom without and issues on it. thats flow. everything should just feel natural on the bike to do. you can have rough rock sections on a flowy trail, it just needs to fit the trails character.

Flow is good. Flow is something that cannot be defined as it means something completely different to each rider. All one can do is experience it and enjoy it in their own way.

[Zedbra]

Anytime You Don't Invite Splinky = Flow

[slimdog]

no pedaling.

[jonny.zee]

Flowy trails lend themselves to rolling. Uphill sections can be easily overcome by a few pedal strokes and/or some timely pumping. Tackyness, smoothness, soft dirt, up & downs, nice trannies, etc - all that stuff helps. Flowless trails sap your momentum and work your body. i.e. - the courdouroy on Pile O' Rocks. Even the flowiest riders can't flow a flow-less trail.

Also skill plays a huge part - it takes more skill to flow a trail like Grannies than CBC.

[mattj]

I can flow pile o rocks. I'm sure you could too if you actually tried to ride it once or twice instead of just hike-a-biking up it and making fun of how crappy it is... Seriously, next time you're up there go ride it, twice in a row. Guaranteed by the second time around you'll flow it top to bottom with "little to no pedalling, few braking, effortless movements," and all that other stuff that people said up there ^^^^...


-m

[freakonaleash]

Id say a flowy trail is a trail in which you can hit and connect every stunt.

[Lady Gravity]

any trail i ride where i manage to stay on my bike

[Luke]

Flow = Curtis Robinson

[seeformiles]

On a trail that flows you're being challenged, but you're not being distracted.

[Mic]

1. Flow = Wade Simmons

2. "Water can crash or it can flow. be like water my friend." - Bruce Lee

[diddler]

Flow to me is a section that has little or no pedaling and alows you to get a rythm going. Its a trail or section you have no urge to stop and rest on as your momentum from one section connects nicely to the next section. It can be fast and smooth or steep and technical doesn't matter. The new trail I built is my definitian of flow. I always wondered why poeple didn't take many pictures of the new trail and more of the old one even thow there are alot of stunts on it but when you ride it you know why. Its because you don't want to stop from top to bottom.

[JdanS]

flow is if everything is smooth and each sections links up nicely with the next section you can do a top to bottom without and issues on it. thats flow. everything should just feel natural on the bike to do. you can have rough rock sections on a flowy trail, it just needs to fit the trails character.

This gets my vote as well.

I think it works because it has nothing to do with the trail difficulty.

[big ben]

if you're a good enough rider, any kind of trail can be flowy. like others have said it's more the rider than the trail. a smooth trail can be flowy as can a trail with a bunch of big drops if it's done right. trails with lots of high, skinny ladders can be flowy if done by experts like the floriders who manage to ride impossible looking stunts. so it's all about the skill and creativity of the rider.

[SkunkworkS]

Flow is the happy, stoked vibe in my blood during an awesome ride. One can easily tell if said rider has flow by the facial expression, and/or the angle of curvature of their mouth.

I perceive flow to be obtained through the rider, not the trail.

[Mr Ripper]

There is no flow if you are hacking it up. Every trail has flow, the only question is are you a good enough rider to tap into the flow pipe.

I would say my ulitamte flow line still to this day even though I have not ridden it in alomst 18 months is - CBC, Pingu, Corkscrew, Neds.

[03stinkyrida]

for me whistler contains most of the flow, its effortless there are few shore trails that i can flow, neds/CBC and cypress are the most flowy trails on the shore.

[seand]

There is no flow if you are hacking it up. Every trail has flow, the only question is are you a good enough rider to tap into the flow pipe.

I would say my ulitamte flow line still to this day even though I have not ridden it in alomst 18 months is - CBC, Pingu, Corkscrew, Neds.


I would be impressed if you could flow that line.

[Mr Ripper]

I would be impressed if you could flow that line.

I guess flow is also a matter of opinion.....and maybe line choice lol

[seand]

I guess flow is also a matter of opinion.....and maybe line choice lol


and magic aparently!

[Farmer]

I'd agree w./ Mr Ripper, that flow has alot to do with line choice.

yesterday, i was out dirtbiking w./ my dad, and he managed to bust his footpeg on the way up. on the way back down, we was putting along, because aparently when you break a peg, it also ruins your ability to turn the throttle, and I was behind him for a bit, and he was getting thrown around every which way, and really not doing too well. at first I thought it was because he only had 1 foot on hte bike, and it was throughing him off balence, then I noticed the line he was choseing. horrible. for me, the trail had flow, for him it didnt. normally we have similar skills dirtbiking, the olny diference is that he couldnt choose a line to save his life

luckly he also can use a computer to save his life, so he will never read this:devil:

[Tom]

the correct spacing between stunts/obstacles is the key

[Chump]

Thomas Vanderham, Romi...just a few.

Steve

[HIBuLlitT]

The problem I have w/ the people that say it's all the rider not the trail, is
that a good rider wouldn't even need a trail cause he/she could flow anything.

also...

By saying that the rider makes any trail flow, takes away from the hard work
a trail builder has to do to make a trail "just right".

so...

I would have to say I disagree that it's "the rider". Without a trailbuilder that
took the time to think ahead, make the turns just right, spacing the stunts
properly according to the surounding terra, you would be "flowing" on nothing.


although...

I do agree that a good rider will flow a section or trail better, they won't
make a trail that has no rythm flow.

It's like this:
A musician playing a guitar will sound better w/ rhyme and flow than a bunch
of monkys, but if the quitar is out of key and missing strings, he might be able
to compensate for a missing string butit doesn't matter how good he is it
won't sound good.

Does that make sense?

[Dude]

It is the rider that needs to be flowy, not a trail.

Exactly.

It can be the shittiest, most ignored trail on the shore, but if you're dialed in, it is flowy.

Conversely, how many guys get completely owned riding CBC the first time...arguably one of the best "flow" trails on Seymour?

I guess the answer is that there is no clear answer, but the feeling when you get it is priceless.

[Dude]

BTW: I'm sending this to Mastercard, so don't any of you fuckers get any bright ideas:

I guess the answer is that there is no clear answer, but the feeling when you get it is priceless. :D

[HIBuLlitT]

Exactly.

It can be the shittiest, most ignored trail on the shore, but if you're dialed in, it is flowy.

Conversely, how many guys get completely owned riding CBC the first time...arguably one of the best "flow" trails on Seymour?

I guess the answer is that there is no clear answer, but the feeling when you get it is priceless.

Yes, but it is a trail, some trail builder took the time to make it.

If you don't play piano, you will not play it well. So if you're not that good,
(or you don't know the music), you must learn it and then you will flow it.

The trail is my guitar, and my bike is my pick. You don't good make music w/o
you, your instrument or a good song...and just like music, some people will
like it, some will not ("shittiest trail on the shore" may be someone elses fav)

[Uncle Duke]

Flow = Curtis Robinson


holy curtis is getting famous.

its true though he is one smooth rider..hard to say between him matt,dylan and lewis who is the ssc's most smooth rider.

[Dude]

HIBuLlitT,

IMO, some of the best flow trails on the Shore are Cypress, if not all the best. Many would say the best Cypress has to offer are undermaintained, rutted messes of chunder. But, for me, they are the most enjoyable so, I guess that goes to prove both our points.

When you're dialed in, you have flow. Sometimes you're dialed on a familiar trail, sometimes it's a new one. When I rode some of the stuff on Mnt. Halleakalla (I think that's how it's spelled) in Maui, I was completely dialed, despite never riding the trail. Yet, I can go back to Boogieman on any given day, and have mixed results despite having ridden the trail multiple dozens of times.

Crash hard on CBC right up top in one of those slick corners, and your flow can be ruined right through to the parking lot.

Not a commentary on the way a trail is built at all, more a commentary that I feel flow has as much, or more, to do w/ the rider than the trail.

That said, some trails are just built for flow...Platinum, 4 Lost Souls amongst them. Would rather ride Cyps, though.

[biggles604]

no pedaling.

Not for me. I've had some really flowy tech climbs.

[stubz]

flow-To move or run smoothly with unbroken continuity, as in the manner characteristic of a fluid.

aka little pedaling, and able to ride the trail smoothly weather its rough or not, gravity fed or smooth enough to pump and flow through

[synchro]

a trail doesn't necessarily have to be smooth to have flow. a trail can have some pedaling and still have flow.

i think only a few people have got it right or come close. imo, the transitions or changes in momentum from one section of trail to another have a huge impact on the flow of a trail. the one thing that drives me nuts is a nice high speed wide open section and then a sudden sharp turn or feature where you have to clamp on the binders to make it. a trail can have fast wide open sections and tight sections or some climbing sections, but the change from one to the other had to be gradual.

[Smoke]

No pedaling, no brakes. That's the sort of pinnacle of flow for me, but it needs to be implemented creatively. Whistler has flow, but at the cost of natural features most of the time. It's mostly just bulldozed booter lines. I like the stuff that goes from high spped airs, then if you are carrying your speed well, just barely squeaks you onto some skinny stuff. The alternating between lo speed tech and hi speed gnar, but still tapping into that rhythm where you can make it by pumping, yeah baby.

To see examples of no flow, just check out recent work on Expresso. The skinny uphill line near the beginning used to be flowable in, but now you have to to ghey hopping moves to get it. Same as the rockface before the floppy log. Nice work, but whoever built it doesn't know how to flow. The entrance is completely wrong, and you have to break the natural rhythm of hte trail to line it up.

[jonny.zee]

To see examples of no flow, just check out recent work on Expresso. The skinny uphill line near the beginning used to be flowable in, but now you have to to ghey hopping moves to get it. Same as the rockface before the floppy log. Nice work, but whoever built it doesn't know how to flow. The entrance is completely wrong, and you have to break the natural rhythm of hte trail to line it up.

Yeah - I agree with what you're saying about the line into the rock face / floppy skinny but that line never had flow, IMO.

Maybe with the new line, the builders were trying to prevent a newb from accidentally rolling a rock face they weren't comfortable with? I dunno, just speculating.

[stubz]

..hard to say between him matt,dylan and lewis who is the ssc's most smooth rider.

just wait untill i get my dually. curt is going down.

[jvp]

It's like a great album, there might be different songs in it, but the whole thing comes together so that the album is better than any one song. A normal trail has fun features. A flowy trail all comes together so that all the features work together to make something far more amazing than any one line. It requires continuity and rhythm, you find a certain pace, a certain style, and ride that groove the whole way down.

Great trails flow for lots of riders. Great riders can flow on a lot of trails.

[Bryce]

Flow is Declining on Dirt on your TwentySix Bike. Its pure Mountain Bike Action

[HeadOverWheels]

i dont agree with the no brakes thing cuz how the hell do you get through anything but single track never using brakes. I feel i know how to ride and flow but my pads were still gone after a month of riding everyday in Whistler and other parks and trails in BC.

I like what Midas said about the trails keeping its characteristic; if it starts with wacked skinnies then you know what you're into, if it's a sweet wide open line of tables it doesnt turn into every third one is a gapper. Rider Flow is definitely a whole other topic compared to Trail Flow though. A rider that kills it with flow could make a bad trail look good and same for the beginner would make some super flowy sections look nasty, not the trail builders fault.

I like trails with options and lines to keep it interesting. Keeping the same style throughout the trail is key and using the natures lines to get down the mountain.

Oh Pedalling, also dont think if you have to pedal the trail has no flow. Thing of Aline, could you have more flow? But have you ever just went wild and pedalled where ever possible? Did you flow it more or less than not pedalling? Pedalling can also be little strokes to right?

and everyone has a different opinion and it's all sweet, nice topic

[cervo]

PLATINUM... for shore kind of riding... and also heckle and jeckle even if i can't clear it...

[synchro]

PLATINUM... for shore kind of riding... and also heckle and jeckle even if i can't clear it...

even though i love riding platinum, i would definitely NOT call it shore riding. platinum is basically a giant bmx track for mtn bikes.

[enduramil]

Yeah - I agree with what you're saying about the line into the rock face / floppy skinny but that line never had flow, IMO.

Maybe with the new line, the builders were trying to prevent a newb from accidentally rolling a rock face they weren't comfortable with? I dunno, just speculating.

Great example of how flow is different from one rider to the next. Jonny.zee say's it had no flow while Smoke says the opposite.

There is no true definition of flow as it means different things to different riders. It is up to the individual rider to discover what their idea of flow is. Not to accept what someone else's definition is.

[synchro]

Great example of how flow is different from one rider to the next. Jonny.zee say's it had no flow while Smoke says the opposite.

There is no true definition of flow as it means different things to different riders. It is up to the individual rider to discover what their idea of flow is. Not to accept what someone else's definition is.

i think there can be general consensus on some trails though.

[HIBuLlitT]

I'm telling ya that it's just like music. I don't find jazz has any flow, but
If you like jazz, you'll disagree w/ me. I like some country music but
others I hate w/ a passion. Some trails are like bad remakes of good songs.
The words are there, the musics there, but it still sucks.

[SIDESHOW]

how do you define flow on a mtb trail? what does a trail need to be considered flowy?


the right rider.

[HIBuLlitT]

Chip is that you?

[Dan CH]

stubs+.Robinson=flow

[DaveM]

the right rider.

Thanks for the sig.

[cervo]

even though i love riding platinum, i would definitely NOT call it shore riding. platinum is basically a giant bmx track for mtn bikes.
yes true, but it was just to make the difrence between trails and whistler mtbpark... ;)

[stacy kohut]

its the disintigration of the lining of the walls in the uterus, thus completing the 28 day menstral cycle.


also...........

heres flo,vera and alice.
flo is the redhead for you groms...........


mel, kiss my grits!!!!!

[baloom]

how do you define flow on a mtb trail? what does a trail need to be considered flowy?


Hang on; before I define "flow" can i talk a little about religion or politics.......

[HIBuLlitT]

I got it, flow is:
1)what happens when you drink the water in Baja Mexico
2)what happens when you go off the road drop at WBP because someone untied the safety rope
3)why you gf runs to the bathroom so fast after sex (sorry couldn't help myself)
4)the result of not wearing a helmet and landing on your head
5)what lava does

OR....
is different things to different people

[tashi]

No, YOU define flow.

[synchro]

No, YOU define flow.

like one page ago

a trail doesn't necessarily have to be smooth to have flow. a trail can have some pedaling and still have flow.

i think only a few people have got it right or come close. imo, the transitions or changes in momentum from one section of trail to another have a huge impact on the flow of a trail. the one thing that drives me nuts is a nice high speed wide open section and then a sudden sharp turn or feature where you have to clamp on the binders to make it. a trail can have fast wide open sections and tight sections or some climbing sections, but the change from one to the other had to be gradual.

[cervo]

chainless ridable, means flow for me...

[tashi]

like one page ago


no no, I wasn't being smart. The rider defines flow for himself.

Interesting how everyone has slightly different definitions.

I like that my definition keeps changing, I know I'm not paying attention when I can only flow one type of trail and riding style.

[clown]

flow to me is the seamless,effortless,subconscious connection of stunts on any trail,with stunts of any size or difficulty.
The "zen-like" total body buzz feeling you get when you get to the end of a ride, and can't believe or even remember what your ride was like, just that it was great!

And no, I'm not referring to "induced" rides.

[Air Supplier]

Anything that you can go fast on or pump.

[.Robinson]

not the ssc