I rode at Bedgebury yesterday for the first time in a while and noticed alot of corners/section had been cut by riders effectively straight lining a lot of corners. Is this the price were paying for people pushing for Strava KOM’s or just a general lack of skill/laziness that riders would rather ride across a corner than round it properly?

Where I like in East Kent there is some lovely singletrack I regulary ride and even there some of the tech corners section have now been straight lined.

Any one else noticed this on there local trails?

it’s always happened though I suspect strava has swelled the number of people doing it. it’ll calm down once the newness of strava wears off I reckon.

Sorry for the hijack but my father in law lives in Whitstable. Is there any decent riding around there?

As for corner cutting. We get it alot at Stainburn. The only solution is lots of logs/rocks to stop it.

It’s a mjor problem on purpose built trials, initially it drags mud onto the trial, then the edge of the trail gets churned up, then the armoured surface collapses. When we build now we try and design the trail so that there is a tree on the inside of a corner or large roack. Same thing happens with steps and roots. If there aren’t natural obstructions either side we build them now, if we don’t the lazier / less confident riders just trash the trail. It’s hard enough keeping on top of the damage the weather does without having to repair the damage done by poor riding. We also try and properly armour areas where people lock wheels, takes long but lasts longer.

Been a problem for a lot longer than Strava has been about.

Mugboo, Im in Whitstable too. Nice singletrack in Rough Common/Blean woods between Whitstable and Canterbury. Message me If you want showing around if your down this way.

Let’s be clear about this, it’s only acceptable if neither of your wheels touch the ground.[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ_iLEbHJBY&sns=em[/video]

Might I suggest that on artificial tracks it suggests that the line wasn’t the best and the corner created for the sake of it.

mattsccm – Member

Might I suggest that on artificial tracks it suggests that the line wasn’t the best and the corner created for the sake of it.

but then again people have been cutting corners on Berm Baby Berm at Glentress – it’s a pump track ffs! The corners are the whole point of it – ****

on the other hand Broon Troot (also at GT) has had some sections ruined by mincers trying to find an easy way around some turns – also ****

the line wasn’t the best and the corner created for the sake of it.

That is amongst the stupidest things I have ever read on STW. 🙄

Glentress’s Zoom or Bust is a great example, we spent ages building a wiggly trail and riders set about making it a motorway (then complain on STW that Glentress is just a big motorway). When it’s just bad riding I can understand that but the intentional corner cuts really pisses me off.

If you want to ride everywhere in a straight line there’s green routes and roads. If you’re riding a trail, you ride the trail.

I don’t think it’s anything to do with Strava- all this stuff predates it- but it probably doesn’t help. Racing definately brings out the worst, if you go down Plora Craig just now you can’t miss that there’s been a race down it recently, every single corner has a new straightline.

cutting corners has always happened and will always happen, just the mentality of some riders, It isn’t just about skill levels, some riders want to go fast and rather than accept the trail as is will amend it to make it faster or “better”, regardless of why the trail is the way it is. Feeds into the building jumps on natural trails IMO.

mattsccm – Member

Might I suggest that on artificial tracks it suggests that the line wasn’t the best and the corner created for the sake of it.

Errrr, trail centre trails don’t go anywhere at all, if you were being efficient about it then you’d stay in the car park!

But I do kinda agree, and as stumpyjon says, building trails so they go around trees/rocks etc largely avoids this.

legend – Member

on the other hand Broon Troot (also at GT) has had some sections ruined by mincers trying to find an easy way around some turns – also ****

The step in the first corner of the Bitch has had the chicken runs grow so big that they undermined the actual feature and it’s collapsed! Unbelievable knobberness.

It’s been happening for ages. Though I did find it happened suddenly. The problem I find is that if you’re going a bit you tend to follow the cut corners?
Being an oldgit I find the aesthetics bloody dreadfull, lines everywhere.
I know I get criticized for my opinions, but sometimes I’ll tidy up. Nothing that’ll cause a problem, perhaps just use a fallen branch to cut off a line.

It does get annoying when it becomes hard to tell which is the “proper” line! Always curse myself if I find I’ve accidentally cut a corner.

Aye, that’s the kicker really, it only takes a few knobbers to establish a cut, and then it’s inevitable that people will innocently/unknowingly follow it. I heard someone having a moan at Glentress that Falla Brae was too straight and boring- presumably because he didn’t see the actual trail wending its way round the straightlines 🙁

Falla Brae has taken a real turn for the worse in the last 6 months and they have even had to put fences in part of the the Dougie Bank climb to stop shortcutters!!

Might I suggest that on artificial tracks it suggests that the line wasn’t the best and the corner created for the sake of it.

I know what you mean. When I’m at Stainburn I often think that I could be down at the bottom in moments if it weren’t for all those annoying paths with corners and such.

What’s particularly frustrating is that the chicken lines become trickier than the proper one, then new chicken lines appear and make it a right mess. This often when the original line could be ridden by any MTB’er with an ounce of confidence. I think rocks frighten people, trail builders should use other materials like pillows and soft vegetation. I mean ffs Stainburn doesn’t even have soft vegetation, if you’re off then it’s punishment by gorse. Can the trail builders not pull it all out and replace with some nice petunias???

</rant>

That is amongst the stupidest things I have ever read on STW.

The other being under trail heating. That was classic.

Trouble with rocks stopping the short cuts is some nobber runs out of skill/track, hits them and puts himself in hospital, then tries to sue the forestry commision because his accident was obviously their fault.

Lol @ Gingerss

Russjp – I might just do that and thankyou.

If you ever have the misfortune to find yourself in Bradford I will return the favour 🙂

bigdugsbaws – Member

Falla Brae has taken a real turn for the worse in the last 6 months and they have even had to put fences in part of the the Dougie Bank climb to stop shortcutters!!

Aye, and someone cut a big hole in the fence.

Using an existing feature such as a tree or installing a feature such as a rock is a recognised trail design feature to ‘anchor’ the trail, in fact when routing a trail such features are sought out.

At times corner cutting may identify a corner which doesn’t work as well as it could but on the whole (in my experience) it’s a case of lazy or ignorant riding. Grrr, etc.

Spread of trails is inevitable if they are well used. Purpose built ones need to have something to stop people cutting corners. I always thought is was more common on hairpins on climbs. Big logs and rocks sort that out. I don’t understand it on the way down though.

It’s probably the one discussed above but at GT there is a trail where you actually have to look for the proper line and if you are going at speed you’ll miss it. BAsically a boulder garden that everyone has ridden round.

One solution may be purpose built chicken runs to contain the spread and keep people on a trail even if it not the main one. Doubles the build though.

mattsccm – Member

Might I suggest that on artificial tracks it suggests that the line wasn’t the best and the corner created for the sake of it.

All corners are created “for the sake of it”. If you don’t like it, build your own trail or **** off to the velodrome. 😉

or **** off to the velodrome

There’s still 2 corners though!

Yeah but you don’t have to turn your steering, apply your brakes, move your body position or do any of the other things that make cornering on an MTB such a massive, insurmountable chore.

One solution may be purpose built chicken runs to contain the spread and keep people on a trail even if it not the main one. Doubles the build though.

We were actively contemplating this yesterday at Gisburn, the rocky staircase at the end of Homebaked is going to get trashed if people keep sliding down the muddy banked (which is way more difficult than the rocks), also considering an alternative to another rock drop we put in before it becomes a problem. Big issue though is it does slow the build down somewhat.

Nothing new here;
Wainwright denounced corner cutters in the 50s and 60s.
And that was just walkers!

I often find my self “tidying” straight-lined bits. Grab a very fallen branches or logs and stack them across the shortcut, and then shovel as much loose leaves/vegetation over it to hide it as much as possible. If people can’t see the line then they generally won’t take it (IME), make it look a very unattractive option and people will do the corner and keep it on track.

It really doesn’t take long for the line to disappear – if everyone tidied a bit each ride then in no time at all the trails would be perfectly neat with no variations and everyone would know exactly what their supposed to be doing… err… that’s what we want isn’t it? 😉

jonba – Member
It’s probably the one discussed above but at GT there is a trail where you actually have to look for the proper line and if you are going at speed you’ll miss it. BAsically a boulder garden that everyone has ridden round.

On the Black route? I was round there a few months ago (first time in years) and was at the bottom of one of the steeper sections before I realised I’d missed the “old” line completely as the boulders are now covered in grass.

I’m all for straight or different lining.
For a start Wainwright didn’t approve of it, and anything that miserable little nutter doesn’t approve of must be right.
Plus if I wanted to stick to corners planned by others I’d buy a railway set.

IanMunro – Member
I’m all for straight or different lining.

Why?

Why?
Because the fact that an existing trail follows a certain path doesn’t in itself mean that’s the best, or the only option available, just the predefined one.
In the same way as the existence of say a fire road straight though a forest from point A to point B isn’t reason enough not to stray from said fire road and try other options.

Why?
Because the fact that an existing trail follows a certain path doesn’t in itself mean that’s the best, or the only option available, just the predefined one.
It’s a two way street though, In the same way as the existence of say a fire road straight though a forest from point A to point B isn’t reason enough not to stray from said fire road and try other options.

Isn’t that the point though, if you wanted a straight wide path, stick to the fire road, otherwise stick to the trail?

People have spent a lot of time and effort building these trails for OUR benefit, so the least WE can do is treat them with the respect they deserve. I you don’t want to ride what’s been built get out of the trail centres and onto the moors and real countryside.

Straight lining ruins the trails and is done by people who are either to ignorant or not good enough to ride the trail at the speed they’re going at. Don’t wreck it for everyone else.

I assume that these straightliners are probably a lot of the people who bitch that trail centres are rubbish and neutering MTB.

Wouldn’t know about trail centres, none nearby.

the line wasn’t the best and the corner created for the sake of it.

You appear to be getting a bit of stick for that comment. It’s not worth much, but i tend to agree with you.

Some corners are designed control speed, and if you’re not going that fast, you may not notice that they can spoil the flow of a trail for some.

All the new trail centres I’ve been to recently have had climbs that wiggle slightly where a straight line between the start and finish of the section could have been constructed. I can’t see the point and it appears nether could lots of other riders as new straight lines were appearing everywhere. It seams inevitable this was going to happen, desire paths are a known phenomenon!

I can’t see the point

You’re going off to ride a bike in a small circle for a couple of hours, yet you “can’t see the point” of extending said ride by a few metres?