Pushed our dh bikes up ben lomond yesterday, pretty tiring but worth it for the descent. On the way down one of our group managed to ride the supposedly unrideable grannytrap. Shame the pics dont do it justice
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35708627@N03/5049078554/

The video isn’t clear and makes look whatever it is relatively easy! As I’ve never ridden this trail what does the ‘grannytrap’ involve?

I know the bit you mean – didn’t ride it but it did look vaguely possible. Your vid doesn’t show them riding the top (hardest) bit though. 🙂

Only hard bit at the top is making sure you get the right line. As I said the pics don’t do it justice but given that there jave been posts on here before saying its impossible i thought it would be good to give the update

Is it my imagination or does the rider come straight off the built path onto the eroded ground alongside it?

Is there not still a sign asking people to keep on the path to avoid increasing erosion?

Tis true that the vid makes it look ridiculously easy – it is very steep and looked a fair way beyond me.

Must be your imagination TJ.
He clearly stays on the path, and i commend his riding for not contributing to path erosion.

BRAVO !!!!!!!

Can we see what happens in the next 10 secs of the vid ?

j_me

Huh? You being sarcastic?

The path appears to be a stepped slope off to the right as we look at the screen, he comes straight off the side

Sarcastic ? Moi ?

Yes x 10000.

I upset some people with the term “ripping down paths downhill style” as contributing to excessive erosion of built paths in an earlier post……..

QED

[edit]scottish paths riders vs walkers[/edit]

looks piss easy. 😉

We rode Ben Lomond top to bottom two weeks ago; apart from the “Grannytrap”. Have to agree with TJ here, has the boy not just gone round it?

Ta J_me

So actually those riders are not riding in accordance with the access code and thus we can all stand tutting at them in a very British style

I’m going to agree with TJ here:

The path appears to be a stepped slope off to the right as we look at the screen, he comes straight off the side

I know the bit you mean – didn’t ride it but it did look vaguely possible. Your vid doesn’t show them riding the top (hardest) bit though.

He did ride the top part but hadnt noticed the pics only start from where he did a sharp right into the finalish section

steeble – you mean where he turned off the path onto the eroded area beside it?

Well I’m impressed that someone rode any part of the grannytrap (having just learnt that’s what it’s called!).
It’s not easy climbing up it without a bike, nevermind when you’re carrying one. It is very steep and finding footholds to walk down is hard enough.

Credit where its due [tips hat]

Hey Brycey, this mean you and Stewart need to go have another crack at it? Can I come and collect the broken bones??

[recalling what they are told in The Slaughtered Lamb]
David: Keep off the moors.
Jack: And stay on the road.
[they look down to see that they have wandered off the road]
David: Whoops.

Rob, I’m still nursing my chipped (my opinion, others may say bruised) elbow from last time! Bloody great descent though, and fair play to Steeble and co for giving it a crack.

steeble – you mean where he turned off the path onto the eroded area beside it?

Would concede that he may have gone off a little but its defintely not eroded. Went a bit over the grassy bit but your more than welcome to have a crack at that line or any other on this obstacle :o)

TW@ is all that can be said about that.

Steeble – look at it again. The path is the steps on the right side of the vid. The rider just rides straight off the path onto the eroded ground – you know that stuff without any grass on it. Thats not the path – thats eroded area beside the path. The path is the rock steps.

Please – don’t contribute to erosion unnecessarily. Riding like that is not on. REad the access code and try to keep within it please

Yeah, Jeremy, if people start riding off the edge of paths that mountain won’t be there in a couple of years.

Steeble – Looks like a garishly painted sunday to me? Mikey?

I’m doing Ben Lomond if I go to Scotland this year.

Scott – if you knew the mountain you would know that path erosion is an issue. At one point here was an eroded scar many yards wide all the way up the mountain. You can see the results of the erosion in that clip and people riding like that are not riding in accordance with the access code as they are causing excessive damage.

Yeah, Jeremy, if people start riding off the edge of paths that mountain won’t be there in a couple of years

No its more likely WE wont be there in a couple of years. When the landowners get pi55ed at repairing the very expensive paths, I could well see them putting up anti MTB gates or even requesting that access is denied to MTBers.

[Edit] YOU have a responsibility to ride sensibly so you don’t ruin it for the riders that do![Edit]

What a bunch of losers!

You honestly think one 2.35 (bald) minion track in the dry is going to make any difference? (yes, just One! Do you think no walkers ever put a foot (or walking pole) off the track in the wet?

Riders like that do make a difference. Full stop.
No excuse for it.

The point, GW, is that it never is “just one”…

agreed alaric…….and the few that do give the many that dont a bad name.

I think a huge influx of bikers hooning down this particular section is pretty unlikely. The intention of the rider may well have been to head for the path but a dual crown fork won’t turn far enough.

Anyway, as some repeatedly say, what is responsible or not needs tested in court.

Also, the reaction of walkers on the day was far more favourable than seen here.

Get a life, full stop! j_me?
No one’s actually looking for an excuse.
What/where do you ride? ‘coz unless the only off road riding you do is at purpose built Trail centres, you will no doubt ride on singletrack created by erosion from animals, the weather, humans etc.
Why don’t you go and set up a little protest on Ben Lomond warning every walker/biker/child/sheep of the irrepairable damage they may be doing if they dare to not stand/walk/ride on a stone placed there to save the planet by someone as wonderful as yourself?

Sorry SLW – no one could argue that is responsible.

One of the principles in considering if access is reasonable is to consider what would happen if everyone did what you want to do.

Guidance on staying on the path in areas that are eroding or are at risk of erosion has been standard practice as far as I am aware for a long time

Last time I was on Ben Lomond there was actually a sign telling you to stay on the centre of the path not to go alongside it – applying to everyone.

GW – I do next to no trail centre riding. The majority of what I ride is indeed natural Singletrack or walkers paths in the Highlands of Scotland. I fully accept that I do cause erosion, I fully accept that I probably cause more erosion than an individual walker.

What I object to is people using these built paths and causing excessive erosion. This gives mountain bikers a bad name and I would hate to see any of the large landowners, parks and trusts take a negative stance on mountainbikers due to people damaging made paths unnecessarily.

By all means ride these paths, but do it in a responsible manner.

What a total **** hypocrite!!

What a total **** hypocrite!!

]

me ?

Who the **** else? 🙄

At what point am I being hypocritical ?

The majority of what I ride is indeed natural Singletrack or walkers paths in the Highlands of Scotland. I fully accept that I do cause erosion, I fully accept that I probably cause more erosion than an individual walker.

What I object to is people using these built paths and causing excessive erosion.

so what gives you the authority to decide what is acceptable erosion and what is excessive erosion? and where exactly does the imaginary line between the two fall?
oh, and what punishment do you empose on yourself if you make a mistake and cross that line? you’d probably just move it to suit yourself wouldn’t you? 🙄

1. I accept I cause erosion
2. When I am riding i try to minimise this.
3. If there is a path built there to reduce erosion I use it.
4. If I cant ride it, or the ground is soft, I carry.

I see nothing hypocritical in that, and I don’t think anything I have said goes against this.
This isn’t really about me its about the video clip at the top of the thread, where the rider clearly does not use a path put in place to help reduce erosion. So a fail in points 2,3 and 4 above.

Yeah, Jeremy, if people start riding off the edge of paths that mountain won’t be there in a couple of years.

I’m doing Ben Lomond if I go to Scotland this year.

Please do us all a favour and take your childish attitude somewhere else and leave Scotland for the grown ups who understand “responsible access”.

GW – Member

so what gives you the authority to decide what is acceptable erosion and what is excessive erosion? and where exactly does the imaginary line between the two fall?

Its a judgement call and one everyone will make differently – but we can all follow the advice in the code

However riding off a path onto eroded ground along side it is clearly not responsible / acceptable. Not in a grey area but well over the edge especially on a path under such pressure as Ben Lomond