[Closed] Do you put anything back in to mountain biking ?

I'm not interested in events but I do the occasional bit of ad-hoc maintenance of my local trails. Clearing fallen branches etc.

I don't want 'organised fun' thanks. I'd like just to be able to ride my bike without having to join a club or an organisation. So to that end, no, I don't put anything 'back'. But then, I've never asked for anything either, so we're all square.

Maintenance for my mates (for free) and did a club website for free - does that count?

I try not to run people over.

I'm growing a new mountainbiker, he's only small at the moment but very enthusiastic. When he's fully grown he'll start purchasing mtb stuff and funding the industry like I do. At the moment I'm subsidisinh his growth so that part of the funding is being undertaken by me.

+1 nickc

I do a bit of volunteer trailbuilding.

I help (Well, I'm on my own at them minute) at a local project that teaches wayward kids from 9-15-ish years old bike mechanics. We get old/broken bikes, strip them down and teach them how to fix them up. Then set them up with lights and a helmet before sending them off for a cycling proficiency course. 2hrs+ on Saturday mornings, in 3-4 week blocks.

It can be a bit intense, because some of them are quite demanding, but I really enjoy it. It feels like a 'good thing' to me.

🙂

Not club-minded - a bit anti-organisation, anti-authority, and a bit of a loner if I'm honest!

I tidy existing trails and clear the odd new one - but not a great contribution really. I do offer to show anyone around the trails and actually do it if they care to ask.

Pete - that's a top thing to do mate!

Does 10 years of organising Trailquests, 5 years on the TQ Committee, speccing out and waymarking Mach 1,2 and 3 and starting the development at Nant Yr Arian count? Having a rest now I've passed 50 😀

Like Buzz, I'm mostly a solitary(ish) grumpy get, but Mendip riders benefit from my trail work all the time without them really noticing, which gives me a nice warm glow.

I do the odd dig day when I have some spare time on my hands but that isn't very often. I'd like to do more but I can barely find the time to ride at the moment.

Bit of trail building

Litter picking as Swinley

Does mocking people riding without permits count?

More cash than I'm prepared to admit.

Trail building mainly and some conservation work on the local SSSI where we ride.

I regularly clear or repair some of my local trails.....today I even cleared away dog sh*t from some of the singletrack.....god I want to rub the dog owners face in it! 😉

Once a month or so myself and one or two others pick up litter in the local forest...

If we had a local club/trail building I would be more than happy to help out with trail building and maintenance etc, but we dont, so I cant 😉

I put the Bike in Mountain Biking.

Bit of trail building and maintenance mainly for my own ends as most people don't even know my trails exist. Free spanners and technical advice for mates. Free tuition for anyone that will listen on the trails.

Trailbuilding at Stainburn as a member of SingletrAction. Also get involved in a bit of backroom stuff like liasing with Ragley this year with our 'Dig For Pig' trailbuilding incentive -
[url] http://www.singletraction.co.uk/index.php?fn_mode=fullnews&fn_id=71 [/url]

If we had a local club/trail building I would be more than happy to help out with trail building and maintenance etc, but we dont, so I cant

Start one?

I create bike related art. I go around with a bag of innertubes and throw them into trees, folks love that.

As an avid dog lover I also do the same sort of thing but with dog related art up in trees.

i pay about a billion pounds a year to "the industry" on things i don't really need, does that count?

I found and returned a lost dog yesterday, which has got to be good mtb pr. It brings my lost-dog-search-and-rescue operations this summer to two, with a 50 percent success rate...

I think part of this comes from the way MTBing has developed in this country. The club culture that exists in cycling is something most clearly identified with road riding.

MTBing went through an extended period of "roadie bashing" (hence the nonsense threads on here about miserable roadies), and patr of that I think has contributed to the idea that formal organisation of TMBing is against its core principles.

Now there has been a resurgence in road riding (whereas MTBing has been growing and growing in any event), there are more people who want to ride with road clubs and get into contributing to the huge number of races and events put on by road clubs that way.

For so long as MTBers eschew the idea of organising themselves under umbrella organisations, there will continue to be an obviousmajority who benefit from the hard work of a committed minority. That said, that's true of almost every activity. I just think it's more obvious with MTBers, who tend to organise themselves along the lines of riding with friends, rather than riding in clubs.

For me, I ride MTB very little these days, but have enjoyed the benefits of others' hard work at the couple of races I've done this year (Mayhem and HTN x 2). I contribute to my (road) club's events, and help out at those, so am doing something for cycling.

It's good that people do trail clearing and maintenance, as that's proper thankless stuff - non-riding effort for others instead of riding ne's own bike..!

I prevent weeds from re-establishing themselves on various bits of unofficial singletrack.

And I did plan and do lots of re-surveying of the map for the British MTBO champs last year in Wareham Woods.

I put in millions in to the mtb bike industry and related holiday, race event companies, charities each year 😀 I also think that when I go to Wales or elsewhere and spend money on food coffee more food, tolls, fuel, B&B etc I am putting something very worthwhile directly in to the countryside economy. Digging repairing trails isn’t quite the same and has a sort of a negative self indulgent image for me. One persons manufactured trail is another's trail vandalism.

I mainly contribute pervy photos of women riders
[url= http://www.bogtrotters.org/rides/2008/3may/_DSC0217.jp g" target="_blank">http://www.bogtrotters.org/rides/2008/3may/_DSC0217.jp g"/> [/img] [/url]

I've given it my all, to the exclusion of anything else.

I pay a small fortune for food from National Trust café at Hindhead when I ride through their land on the way up there at weekends. One tea, one coffee and two cakes and you could have driven to Afan for less. 🙂

£3 into the parking machine 😆

Yes. This:

www.innerleithenmtbracing.com

Hit the North.
...but it doesn't matter if you do or you don't. By just riding bikes you're 'putting something in', surely?

Trail building, writing club newsletter, lobbying FC, Junior coaching, adult coaching, litter collection, race marshalling, leading new riders, fixing peoples bikes.

If you don't like Bedgebury, think how bad it could be without people like me!

But I am unemployed and have time on my hands... 🙁

I annoy people on here so much they go out and ride their bikes just to get away from it. 😀

[b]simonfbarnes [/b]- Member
I mainly contribute pervy photos of women riders

And a very valuable contribution it is too, Simon.

Actually, I'd just like to say;

PeterPoddy made the effort to come and meet me for a pint one time a few years ago. Then invited me down for a ride with others, round his way. Since then I've met loads of people, many of them really lovely, and several of them who have become real friends. I've had loads of fun as a result, and feel part of 'community'. I've also learned to become a better rider, from watching and being encouraged by others.

So yeah I'd like to thank Peter for that. It's people like him, and also WCA, Cinnamon Girl and others who make a lot of effort to help others enjoy this wonderful activity. I'm truly grateful. The World needs more people like this.

endorsing Elfin, I think the best people can put into MTB is their enthusiastic participation. I ride with a different selection of club members every week, and we all have fun together, teasing, helping with mechanicals, enjoying each others' company, and without them I'd not bother riding!

-Trail pixying/tidying/pruning of existing trails, and helped 'build' a couple new ones, one of which I am well proud of when hearing other riders talking about it. It's highly highly cheeky though so I could never admit to having ridden it let alone made much of it. 😕
-Financial: Sustrans and local DH club membership/direct debit.

[edit] oh, and I make a point of answering a few of those easy technical questions posts that sit on the bike forum for hours and hours without an answer. I know there's a search function with a dozen similar questions answered, but it if keeps people fixing and riding their bikes... [/high horse 😉 ]

Trail maintenance type stuff.
Have been known to spend more time sorting drainage ditches than actual riding - Still, it's a good thing to do.

Chris

" that's proper thankless stuff - non-riding effort for others instead of riding ne's own bike"

Not really a big effort esp. as it's trails that I want to enjoy. Not attempting any digging (yet). Mostly just carrying a saw and spending 15 minutes sawing up a fallen tree branch, the odd hour trimming back brambles, at most a couple of hours dragging tree harvesting debris away! It's better than TV and I'm glad to make a small contribution for everyone, including ramblers, to benefit.

Anyone who'd seen WCA at this years BigBikeBash surely must appreciate the amount of hard work, time and indeed money that some decent folk put into helping others have a good time. The BBB came about because Nick thought it would be a good idea to get folk together for a weekend of biking, beer and bands. The amount of work that goes into putting on such an event is colossal. He even managed to get several others involved to help make it happen. And no-one made a penny from it (some, like Nick and Luke who ran the beer tent) even spent their own money to help make it work. I doubt Nick and others slept more than a few hours that whole week! I must say I have nothing but admiration for all of them.

Stuff like that is just brilliant. Hats off to everyone who 'puts something back'. 😀

Put more hours into (official) trail building than riding of late. Marshalled the odd event, put numerous peoples bikes back together and guided a couple of rides. Got to admit I trail build because I really enjoy it rather than any massive alturistic reasons.

Apart from giving money to bike companies, bike shops, bike guides and mtb magazines, no.

I wasn't aware that I had taken anything away.

*the usual trail tidying and 'discovery'

*some weekends with singletraction

*about a thousand years ago i helped organise some races

*some boring meetings with local land management groups - which are actually quite good fun!

*happy to take beginners out for their first rides

*happy to throw buckets of money at trailcentres and the BnB / pub where i'm staying.

*i'm incredibly handsome and stylish, i make the sport look good, you all benefit by association.

Trailbuilding at Glentress, clearing and draining trails locally (and talking to the local Rangers about making that a bit more organised... Though like stumpyjon, I just like doing it, I don't do self sacrifice.

Oh and I spend a load of money, and talk immense amounts of pish on internet forums, of which just occasionally some is useful to someone.

[url= http://timbermtb.org/about.html ]TIMBER[/url]

Help organise a mountin bike event! Would I do that 😉

PeterPoddy - Member

I help (Well, I'm on my own at them minute) at a local project that teaches wayward kids from 9-15-ish years old bike mechanics. We get old/broken bikes, strip them down and teach them how to fix them up. Then set them up with lights and a helmet before sending them off for a cycling proficiency course. 2hrs+ on Saturday mornings, in 3-4 week blocks.

It can be a bit intense, because some of them are quite demanding, but I really enjoy it. It feels like a 'good thing' to me.

Having met you in the past, I bet you're really good at doing that..do you have to stop yourself getting all 'in-depth' about rock shox forks though? 😉

Where do you do that Peter? Sounds like a great scheme!

Not enough. I'll pick up litter on the trail and especially on the jumps in Leicester - the kids always leave loads of litter there so when I'm there I'll put it in the bin. Other than that it's just the £3 on the parking fee each time I go to a trail centre/forestry commission place.

I like to see people enjoying themselves riding their bikes. So anything I can do to help them do this I will do.

We do quite a lot in our local area:

We helped develop the trail map.
We do a lot of trail maintenance (clearing deadfall, repairing rain/rider erosion damage, building new sections, etc.)

We also help out with local events (free guiding, uplift, use of our van/trailer/hire bikes/etc).

We've run a few free uplift days for local riders too, late and early season. But when we say local riders, we do mostly mean our mates! 😉

Should probably do even more really, as we are a mountain bike business and couldn't exist without the local trails and facilities. We have a couple of bigger local trailbuilding projects planned for this autumn, hopefully we'll have time to get them done!

I make a rather fine hip flask filler which I hand round freely, along with Haribo Sours. And a wee bit of trailbuilding too.

well, me and a few mates have cut trails at our local centre. there's official stuff there, but it's not built for 'proper' riders IMO, but very useful in the gack weather. it's fun, of itself, and the warm glow you get from a mate saying 'oh! that's really nice', is well worth it.

i'm incredibly handsome and stylish, i make the sport look good, you all benefit by association.

😀 Lol at a good answer

i'm incredibly handsome and stylish, i make the sport look good, you all benefit by association

+ 1

I turn up to the odd trail building Sunday at Stainburn and Gisburn, but have massive respect for those who lead these events and turn up week in week out, stumpyjon above^^ and cheeky monkey, chairman of SingletrAction. There are others aswell, Martin Colledge the Head forester at Gisburn, Ed Oxley and that council bloke at Lee Quarry.

i'm incredibly plain and lack style, i make the sport look ordinary, you all benefit by looking better...

why not stop debating shit that doesn't matter. and ride yer bike.

Trailbuilding with SingletrAction

Lots of local trailclearing/maintanence round Bingley area

Ita amazing how much more fun local trails are when you don't get ****ted in the eye every 2 secs by a branch.....plus with a little drainage work the 'man' won't see your tyre tracks every time it gets muddy.

[i]Not club-minded - a bit anti-organisation, anti-authority,[/i]

I help run our club. I reckon we're about as unorganised and unauthoritised as it's possible to be. And I'm not even sure if one of those is a word!

[i]why not stop debating shit that doesn't matter[/i]

Maybe it's because people do debate stuff like this, and then go out and help with trail maintenance, that we have so many good trails in this country. A lot of folk who "just ride their bike" don't always appreciate the unpaid work that's been done on their behalf.

I think contribution is relative to involvement. When I was in a club and single there was no issue for me setting aside a weekend to dig or build for free or chip in with the odd race, since moving acquiring a family no longer being in a club and having less time, I suppose you could say I give less and fit the loner MTBer paradigm more. But I still do my bit, taking beginers out showing them trails and riding tips, and repairing my local trails now and then.

My biggest problem with the op's point was that it implies that there is a lack of ground roots level organisation and contribution. That simply isn't the case, go to any one of a hundred locations this weekend and you'll find people who give thousands of hours and a fair chunk of their income to the sport, as for an overarching organisation, that is still the remit of British cycling, you could argue that their focus isn't grass roots enough at times but they exist and do have that responsibility.

Basically things could always be better. But their not actually that bad as it stands.

I don't ride events or build trails but would be prepared to maintain bridleways as a goodwill thing ,so long as walkers and the horsey lot join in as well .It could be a goodwill, bridge building exercise

why not stop debating shit that doesn't matter. and ride yer bike.

Where's the 'debate'? I don't really see an argument here. It's just a 'discussion'.

And if others din't put effort into mountain biking, you wouldn't have anywhere to ride yer flipping bike!

sorry, I just saw it turning into another ****ty thread, when actually it's really nice and caring. How did you go about doing that Peterpoddy? Plenty of bored kids round here. I fix everybodys bikes at work.

I make nice shiny bits for you riders and some one-offs for those who are stuck requiring certain bits and pieces. Help my mates selling stuf for them too plus a bit of local trail building.

My biggest problem with the op's point was that it implies that there is a lack of ground roots level organisation and contribution

That's not what I was trying to imply. I was more trying to find out what other people do to give me some ideas myself.

I'm not so bothered with trail building, I'd rather ride bridleways and take them as they come. It's good that people who are in to that sort of thing are getting on and doing the work that's needed on their own though.

There's a few events like Hit the North and the Forest of Dean Enduro which are put on by a few individuals or a local club.
I don't think I've got the organisational skills to get something like that off the ground myself, but if there was a club round here doing something similar, I'd join up and be a willing minion.

Yes...up until a few years ago I think I put a lot back into the sport - organising events/club events/rides/fixing numerous bikes/trailbuilding...last couple of years I've done far less biking and I'm doing far less 'back into the sport' - don't have the time just now - I need to get back to riding my bike and enjoying it and feel fit doing it before I can start thinking about others...

Selfish but that's how it is for me...

Hardly selfish 😛 Only thing I'd say about this thread is that there's a lot of people who put in more than most yet still feel bad about it, that's a damn shame. There's no need or requirement to do anything so everyone who gives anything back above that can be proud IMO. I mean, about half the people at glentress on a sunday don't even pay the £3 parking FFS. Even giving a lift to a ride, or helping someone out on the trails fix a mechanical goes in the "nice" list in Santa's big book.

Plus its good karma. Just let a guy in front of me at Wickes cos i had loads of stuff - he returned the favour when he saw i would struggle to fit 14 large plasterboards in my van without some help!

And lets not get started on tossers that don't pay for parking... 😯

I'm not so bothered with trail building, I'd rather ride bridleways and take them as they come

seconded 🙂 I wouldn't care if I never rode another inch of volunteer-built trail!

I lead a beginner ride every Saturday of the year, but I get at least as much out of it as I put in due to all the gorgeous totty 🙂

I put my back into riding my bike if that counts...

[url] http://www.singletraction.org.uk [/url] and anything else I'm daft enough to get myself into.

I like what I do, on balance, and don't think too hard about why I do it. When it's not good enough fun overall I'll probably do less.

Folks do as little or as much as they fancy. You can't guilt someone into it (well, you can, but it's fruitless and unsustainable in the long run).

done a few trail building sessions and volunteer marshalling at races not alot but its something

I often think it's a shame mountain biking isn't a bit more like motocross

I'm often very glad it's not. The schoolboy clubs often book races on the same dates competing against one another (not much of a comunity spirit!) and you are coerced into bringing a marshall. The amateur (AMCA) clubs seam to be a bit "jobsworth", only allowing you to race with them you have to ask to race with another organisation. As well as having very stringent rules and whilst they do provide cheap racing the tracks arn't exactly good. ACU round my way seam to have the right idea pay your money, turn up to a good track (quite often a national standard) that has been watered and ride. The latter being much like an mtb race pay and ride job done.

At a grassroots level we could do a lot worse than look at road cycling clubs, plenty of clubs round my area not too many date clashes. You do your bit by timekeeping or marshalling at a road race. The racing is cheap no frills and simple, it would be nice to have a few mtb events run on the same premise.

Iain

racing ?? What's that about ?

Christ no I'm not a ****ing hippie.

I'm a keen and good trail builder. I like to build new trails and maintain existing ones.

I also help organise local mates races and am willing to offer advice/help regarding bikes/riding whenever someone asks for some.

🙂

I talk to people about cycling and encourage them to give it a try. I offer to take people out on rides and I provide free maintenance davice. If someone has a bike problem they can't fix I suggest they bring their bike to me and I'll show them how to mend it.

After that I do **** all for mountain biking, at least half the people doing it are cocks and I avoid them for the most part.