[Closed] Trail Courtesy...

Militant_biker

So long as you don't get in the way 50 m down the trail 🙂 It would be different if they were waiting to set off and waiting for a clear trail but just faffing - ride thru 'em

Thing is though... if you stop completely to let the slower riders get away from you, you risk...

A) Blocking the trail.

or

B) Having more slow riders come past you.

anyone doing a red or black should expect faster riders to come up behind them, unless they are of course riding gods.

The problem is often that most trail centres have at least some common sections of trail - ie you could be a beginner who's just trying out a red trail for the firs time to find some stormtrooper merge from a black descent at full pelt.

It used to be such a friendly sport.

up hill has right of way as you can restart downhill very easily
Slower riders yields to the faster rider at a point of their choosing if they dont you choose it [ thisis unwise]
Dont take the grassy slope to the left of the deepish rut as it rises steeply and you then face a 5 foot drop into the rutty bit at speed. Dont accelerate to make sure you are in front of the rider you are tring to overtake
You may look skilled as you drop in to the gap but you will sacre the shit out of yourself and nearly die as you try and scrub speed to stop splatting the one in front of you that you had not even thought about who is also going much slower than you

When you stop at the bottom to chat off course you meant it and you knew the trail..dont let go of the bars they will see the shaking

I wait now

Descending rider has priority..

Unless its no biggy and you can see the rider coming up is climbing like a hero for the trail steepness- then I'd pull in and let him/her past.

uphill always has priority. Its would be polite to let the dh rider past but the DH rider can restart easily - the uphill one cannot

I tend not to let faster riders pass because I normally am going at the pace of the 11yo in front of me. They can wait until the section ends. In fact they normally give encouragement. They won't catch the teenager who disappears 😆

Will always give way to people coming uphill, as they might not be able to restart and climbing is hard enough!

TandemJeremy - Member

uphill always has priority. Its would be polite to let the dh rider past but the DH rider can restart easily - the uphill one cannot

Spot on.

djaustin - you have highlighted an exception to the rule... kids always have the ROW!!

I agree with TJ.

As a descending rider I'll just time my stop so I can track stand whilst a climbing rider goes past. If it's too steep to stop then they won't riding up it anyway?

No no no. All the above are incorrect.

As a STW we all know if the rider was female and relatively fit ALL STW males would stop, leer and attempt stilted-conversation.

[i]ALL STW males would stop, leer and attempt stilted-conversation. [/i]

sfb would just unpack his camera and wait until she was past him.

uphill always has priority. Its would be polite to let the dh rider past but the DH rider can restart easily - the uphill one cannot

Restart easily maybe, but what about stop? If i'm wanging it down a good section then I may find it very hard to stop for an unexpected party of uphill bikers. If you are riding up a section of trail that looks good for blatting downwards, then I'd suggest keeping your wits about you and being ready to move aside.

This rarely happens anyway ime as trail centres are one-way and in the real world you are usually aware that other people exist riding bikes and so are ready to move aside for someone descending fast on perhaps a rocky and loose path.

As a STW we all know if the rider was female and relatively fit ALL STW males would stop tell them we're hora online and watch them race off into the distance

[I think this is possibly the only area where the worlds of mountain biking and golf converge. In golf you let the faster group through when sensible to do so, i.e. at the next tee. As you should when on a bike.]

+1

sfb would just unpack his camera and wait until she was past him.

The Asian lady rider? :smokin:

kayak23 - Member

If i'm wanging it down a good section then I may find it very hard to stop for an unexpected party of uphill bikers.

Then you are going too fast for a two way trail. Or you need to learn to use your brakes. Its always your responsibility to stop in time. Always

1. on foot give way to anyone still riding.
2. up vs down give way to those going up, easy to start again heading down - also see point 1
If I hear someone catching me up I'll normally pull over if possible, if it's a downhill I'll speed up and hope I don't land on their line when I crash.

Dont take the grassy slope to the left of the deepish rut

[i]I may find it very hard to stop for an unexpected party of uphill bikers[/i]

it could be a childs face, though!

Then you are going too fast for a two way trail. Or you need to learn to use your brakes. Its always your responsibility to stop in time. Always

Sorry, still don't agree. If its a 'trail', as in a mountainbike track, then obstinately expecting everyone coming downhill to casually stop, doff their cap and allow you to pass is likely to result in a little Darwinian education. No, etiquette may be on your side, common sense however I fear is not.

where was that?

nan bield 😉

TJ is absolutely correct. A rider going uphill cannot be expected to dive for his life because someone is hooning around a blind bend. The faster rider has a responsibility not to harm anyone.

And on the subject of etiquette... what about those dicks you stop to let past you on the downhill who then are found hanging around on the fireroads in between the singletrack. I've seen me stop for ages waiting for them to take off again (seems little point in going on ahead of them when they are clearly faster than me) but they never go out in front. Invariably, I end up having to go in front of them and yes, within a couple of minutes, there they are again, right on my wheel. Drives me mad. The point is????? 🙄

Correct is not the same as sensible. I'm always aware that there may be people coming up a track, but much more aware that there may be people coming down one!
Anyway, each to their own.

I'm sure Jesus had something to say about this, though it may not have been specifically aimed at MTBers...

Bearded, sandal-wearer - must have been a single speeder 😉

Anyway, each to their own.

I struggle with long sentences

I'd give way if there's room and expect him/her to do likewise, it's pointless saying the faster rider has ROW if the slower rider is coming up a narrow bit of trail and the faster rider is coming out of a wide bit for example.

Make sure you can stop in the distance you can clearly see

What about if there's a blind drop?

I am in agreement with you though and wonder how many people have been involved in a crash with another rider (especially at a trail centre) because they've not been able to stop?

Make sure you can stop in the distance you can clearly see.

Yes,I do thankyou.

in which case kayak

If i'm wanging it down a good section then I may find it very hard to stop for an unexpected party of uphill bikers.

The Southern Yeti

What about if there's a blind drop?

You stop and scope it out or one of you goes first to make sure the trail is clear

What, even at a trail centre TeeJ?

what about those dicks you stop to let past you on the downhill who then are found hanging around on the fireroads in between the singletrack.

Going fast downhill and hanging around on the boring climbs? Total dicks, obviously.

+1 for common sense, and a bit of patience. It's supposed to be fun, right?

When i'm wanging it down a good section my bike makes a hell of a racket. You'd need to be pretty hard of the hearings not to know I was coming. Same applies when pushing up with other riders coming down. Stop. Look. And listen.

The Southern Yeti - Member

What, even at a trail centre TeeJ?

Euro - Member

When i'm wanging it down a good section my bike makes a hell of a racket. You'd need to be pretty hard of the hearings not to know I was coming. Same applies when pushing up with other riders coming down. Stop. Look. And listen.

And if you are deaf?

What?
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😛

Nah, it was really about overtaking riders when travelling in the same direction, but I don't mind the diversion to 2 way trails.

If it's a fast (descent) section of a 2 way trail, I imagine both riders (coming towards each other) are generally going to stop if it's a piece of singletrack that doesn't allow passing.

Thought we were talking about two way trails? don't really know about on a trail centre - there is one and only one bit at GT I can think of where yo cannot see if someone is on the landing on a dropoff. Dunno really

I can't think of anywhere at GT TBH.

I would say at a trail centre you are entitled to expect people not riding the wrong way. Bridleways / natural trails I would say the general rule of "Don't be a dick" covers 99% of occurences. Personally i'm not the best at technical climbing so anything "interesting" to descend I'd probably be off the bike on the way up. If I was descending a tricky section and someone was riding up it I'd probably get off the bike and applaud!

TSY - there is only one correct answer. 🙄

I like to be treated as a woman ...

One thing that I do, and let others do, but seems to annoy a small minority of others - if I'm riding up to the summit (say, top of Spooky Wood) and I'm not stopping, I'll ride through the folks hanging around beside the trail and keep going. Not people on bikes waiting to 'drop in' but the ones bimbling around getting ready to leave.

I do this and it really seems to wind some people up. Even when I make eye contact and say "hi" to give them a chance to go first if they're ready.

One time at CyB there was a big group chatting away at the top of a long climb. I roll past into the next section and a couple of them set off in "hot pursuit".

And I was holding them off fine until I got a hole in my tubeless tyre, at which point one of them rolled by and THANKED ME FOR STOPPING!

I probably shouted "I didn't stop, I've got a flat".

Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In other words, it is war minus the shooting. - George Orwell