Mountain Bike Pedal Sparks 122-Acre Forest Fire After Scraping Rock in California

clicky

Well I can’t access the page, but I am going to call bullshit on it anyway.

Mountain Bike Pedal Sparks 122-Acre Forest Fire After Scraping Rock in California

Apparently there were marks on rocks consistent with pedal strikes. Wonder if magnesium pedals are worse for starting forest fires. 😉

I’m impressed at the skills of the fire investigation team. Can they tell me if it was a steel pin or a magnesium body that started it? After all, it says they found scrapes on a rock AND fragments of metal. Amazing, as I can’t find a valve cap if I put it down in the grass but they found fragments of metal at the epicentre of a 122 acre fire.

And @ the OP. Missed opportunity for thread title of “which flat pedals for…..starting forest fires.”

Now I have read it, I will stand by my initial assessment.

I’m impressed at the skills of the fire investigation team

I thought that, and even more impressed the riders skillz, perhaps they were riding one of these

And @ the OP. Missed opportunity for thread title of “which flat pedals for…..starting forest fires.”

Ashy

good point I’m still fairly new to all this 🙂 and just out of time to edit as well

very apt user name for this thread tho

😆

I’ve seen a pretty big spark come off a rock pedal strike, and in tinderbox conditions, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility.
Trouble is what sort of trail closures might we see for bikes if its decided by the authorities or conflicting user groups that bikes are a legitimate risk!

It is just about possible that this is the cause. But it’s completely impossible to prove it. The “conclusive evidence” is just bobbins really, they found scrapes in a rock but they can’t date them.

I once saw a nighttime crash between school kid riding with no lights texting on a phone and an old guy. The old guy saw him at the last second and swerved so he didn’t get it so bad, but the kid went for a big skid on his hands and knees with sparks coming off his bike. Was quite cool to see. I think it must’ve hurt a bit, he just kinda limped off with the old guy yelling at him about being a dumbass.