Retuned from a ride yesterday from some trails I normally only walk with the dog. My shims and calfs are carrying stinging reminders of the briars which fall on to the path, you dont tend to notice them the same in wellies.

The question is does anyone else “trim” the flora on their local trails or is this a bit of a taboo?

This thread has the potential to go horribly wrong. 😉

So apart from Smee I take it everyone rides the trails/paths as they are, I’d better buy some shin protectors then 🙄

frequently. quite often have a pairs of secs and a pruning saw in my pack

Getting your legs shredded is part of the fun IMO. I’d have nothing against anyone trimming the flora (lol, and LOL), but I do tend to enjoy pitting myself against nature, rather than nature with a bit of tarting up.

I don’t trim anything at leg hight,but often clear the stuff that might catch you in the face.

I only ride on the verges, I consider it a public service.

Trimmings fine IMNSHO. Most trail users will appreciate it. As long as you don’t go overboard and start hacking down trees and stuff.

I often go out with a strimmer and tidy up my local trails

wtf?

there was one cheeky trail near my house that ony i seme to like, so i’d just have to trick the local club to come over and ride it in both directions once a month to make sure the vegetation was kept back.

Plenty of trails round here (Cardiff) that need some traffic and trimming seriously.

trail traffic keeps stuff back mostly
there are some gorse lined trails I take the leg guards for though in the winter, the cuts seem to sting more in the cold

yup. mainly clearing brambles and fallen trees.

I actually got bitten by a snake last year, shin went black and had to get some hellishly strong antibiotics that ruined the “End of the Road” festival for me due to malaise, if the trails had been perfectly manicured I would have seen that bloody adder and avoided its venomous kiss.

If only the Rambers would take more of a keen interest in horticulture, bloody lazy uncouth civil servants! the farmers should be forced clean up the countryside for the city folk to enjoy!

I blame the Jews, Blacks and Disabled Nazis!

“The question is does anyone else “trim” the flora on their local trails or is this a bit of a taboo?”

My wife regularly trims her local trails.

There’s nothing worse than face full of bush when you’re riding.

I dont trim per-se, but a bit of trampling, pushing back, and tucking away is perfectly good – especially if it is likely to cause puncture.

It’s the women around here that could do with a trim not our local trails 😯

Finally, after 4 hours the tone starts to head in the right direction.

When folk are cleaning up the foliage, do they tend to use, clippers, chemicals, or just pull it out by the roots?

burn em out, tis the only way to be sure me hearties.

I spent a couple of hours clearing out a local brambled track, explained to my m8’s how long I’d spent on it, they then proceeded to take the piss, as they were still cut to piece’s…. hey it would have been worse my work!

Brambles are hardly a big issue, getting a bit scratched I can live with. Fallen trees or branches at head height I dont really appreciate. If more people cleared trails we’d have better ones simple as – you dont need a tractor and a chainsaw to clear most things – just an axe, a bow saw and some elbow grease.

This concept does seem totally lost on my local xc clubs though.

Yeh i even drained three bomb hole puddles last weekend then rebuilt the side walls.

Lots of different takes on the subject of “trimming”, I’d thought about stowing a set of secuteurs but i see two possible problems.

1. you fall off and impale yourself, or

2. you end up being classed as part of the knife culture

subvresives these mtb’ers 😆

I have used veet on the old ballus baggus before now but the bastids seem that strong & wiry that even that doesnt work 😆