[Closed] Why do people stop for a rest or wait for stragglers

Yes it's annoying. I'm very aware of not stopping in the middle of the trail but a lot of people I ride with are not, even after I prompt them they don't clear the trail properly.

You forgot about watching their mates fix a puncture (or maybe fixing a puncture themselves).

Or on a jump in the trail...

Must be an STW Forum Ride 🙄

joolsburger - in the middle of the bloody trail???

I don't get it at all.

in the middle as in "blocking the way" = because they are selfish

or "somewhere between the start and finish" = because they are not selfish

It gets my goat too. I stop and wait for my mates if need be, but I always pull off the trail out of the way. Sunday, as we rode up the Whites Level climb a rider stopped in the middle of the trail on a steep section for a breather, turned to look at me then carried on panting without moving, drives me bloody mental it does.
Ah well I still enjoyed my ride though

It's cos many (most) people are completes ****s, it occurs in all areas of life not just MTBing.

Or at the bottom of a dropoff when I'm only running a front canti...

Yep, nearly fell foul of this on Sunday. Half way down Coldwell Clough in the Peaks, just after a sweeping right hander where you can use the bank on the left, I set up to do the same on the sweeping left and there were two muppets there doing lord knows what with their bikes right in the middle of the desire line.

i dont worry myself about such things.

i dont worry myself about such things.

Me neither. Just ride and say 'Hi' 🙂

ride over them to teach them a lesson

Had this on saturday at Cannock, where the monkey trail splits from FTD, big group gathered there so I missed the signs (first time on phase 2) and carried on along FTD only to find the others had taken the left on to the monkey trail 🙁 Ah well, just enjoyed an extra loop of that section of FTD and a bit of fireroad to get back to the start of that bit and saw the signs second time round 😀

i dont worry myself about such things.

+1

[i]hora - Member

i dont worry myself about such things.

+1

[/i]

[pedant]i think it's +2 actually[/pedant]

😉

jedi:

i dont worry myself about such things.

PeterPoddy:

i dont worry myself about such things.
Me neither. Just ride and say 'Hi'

hora:
i dont worry myself about such things.
+1

Bunch of damn hippies.

I tend not to worry too much and, tbh, if you can't stop in time and you're in a public area (ie. it's not just bikes) you have to expect a family of 5 strung out across the trail whenever you come round a corner anyway.

I find it more irritating at trail centres than on bridleways, etc.
It simply doesn't occur to some people that it would be better not to block the trail, even when you reach them and clearly can't get past or are struggling to get round them. All part of lifes rich tapestry.

ooh this world place makes me so angry. grrr. grrr. grrr. 😡

I agree with wwaswas. It's a little troubling that you get groups of bikers loitering around blind bends at trail centres, but as I'm not actually at all likely to hit them the result is just them getting startled, so it doesn't greatly matter. 🙂

Still dim, and I really try not to do it myself, but hey.

Why do people stop for a rest or wait for stragglers

Because I weigh 100kg. Great to have around for picking up, carrying things (think Mule) but not soo great on a bike.

Well some poor sod almost got 16 stone of me + a 30lb bike crash into them at almost full pelt last night. It is not wise to stop on a bend at the bottom of a hill at a trail centre.

Well some poor sod almost got 16 stone of me + a 30lb bike crash into them at almost full pelt last night. It is not wise to stop on a bend at the bottom of a hill at a trail centre.

nor is it wise to go 'full pelt' round a blind bend. Could have been a fallen tree*, deer*, nasty rock*, neck height barbed wire*, flood*, wooden plank with nails through it*, someone coming the wrong way* etc etc

*herts
*pines
*yorkshire bridleway
*peaks
*dales
*llandegla

edit: I may be playing Devil's Advocate here.

I think it's because some people think they are out in the wild wilderness and there's no-one around but them.

At Afan.

Pook I said almost, I have good brakes and a head up attitude! Really dumb place to stop though.

at 'almost' full pelt?

Try harder you slacker.

Pelts?

Why has the conversation switched to natty Squirrelly-type attire?

why not?
mmm sexy
[img] [/img]

Stopping on the side of a trail more or less out of harms way is no major issue, but i guess we are talking about the plonkers who just randomly stop anywhere regardless, like the ejot on a tight downhill section that i took out last week....on his freekin phone. Not just a downhill section that was easily visable but one after a blind summit so you can imagine my suprise. I ended up in the braken and my "new shiny bike" was entangled in his and is now subsequently not so shiny. Rant...rant...rant. oh, and apparently it was my fault!!

This Squirrel looks sharp
[img] [/img]

Don't mind it if there is space to get past (which there usually is) it's the ones who turn the bike square to the trail so they don't have to look over their shoulder that get me. I don't get too het up about it though as I'm usually glad of a breather at any opportunity 😮

Same thing happens on the piste but usually it's a bit wider.

Mountain Mayhem last year has been the only time this has ever annoyed me, one very muddy section that was difficult to ride through at the best of times, then developed a lot of 'walkers' walking on the only semi rideable dry line! get out the bl*%dy way!

I've found that stragglers become group leaders if you ride slow enough.

PeterPoddy - Member

i dont worry myself about such things.

Me neither. Just ride and say 'Hi'

+ N

I move off the trail when I stop but if people do not when they stop it does not worry me in the slightest. Nice way to meet people or an excuse for a breather.

Depends on what type of bike they are on. If its a lower-spec steed I stand where I am. Glorious and proud.

joolsburger - Member
Well some poor sod almost got 16 stone of me + a 30lb bike crash into them at almost full pelt last night. It is not wise to stop on a bend at the bottom of a hill at a trail centre.

Pook - Member
nor is it wise to go 'full pelt' round a blind bend

As someone who nearly got run over by fellow MTBers after crashing at a trail centre, even at trail centres you should not go so fast you can't stop in the distance you see...

I may have held a few up on the Monkey Trail last night, chubby bloke gasping for breath, green Inbred. 🙂 I did try to get out of your way though, figured if I was daft enough to try it on a SS I should at least give you chaps a clear run.

Hora...LMFAO...a lot of truth in that for some poseurs. 😉

I get annoyed with 16 stone tubbers blocking the trail....

ChrisL- true. Its a trail centre. Not a creche. Other riders should be aware that there are other users on the trail and due to the nature- accidents will happen ahead of them.

To expect people to clear out of their way like a biblical wave is rank-arrogance.

unless you're Hora then it would be dangerous not to....
[img] [/img]

I shout "Rider !" and keep going.
There's a 95% probability that they are smaller than me* and, as we all know, Mass x Velocity = Right of Way.

*Probably.

If someone shouted 'rider' my first thought would be 'a what'? Second would be 'eh' then 'oh'.

One lad said to me on Sunday 'could you go any slower'? 😆

Gets right on my wick when folk block the trail - especially when we are on the tandem - still:

MilitantGraham - Member
There's a 95% probability that they are smaller than me* and, as we all know, Mass x Velocity = Right of Way.

As someone who nearly got run over by fellow MTBers after crashing at a trail centre, even at trail centres you should not go so fast you can't stop in the distance you see...

I hit a bloke at Swinley last year. I was enjoying myself hugely ripping along the singletrack, when suddenly there's a bloke coming the other way going at a far more sensible speed. I thought there was going to be a major accident but we somehow managed to avoid each other except my brake lever smacked his little finger drawing a bit of blood. Entirely my fault, and I felt pretty bad about it even though he was ok with it really.

Now I go slow on the really blind bits and I tend to shout 'rider' as I approach stuff just in case. I met someone coming the other way doing the same at night, and I could hear him from miles off. As we passed he mused that it was a bit pointless since we were all lit up like christmas trees anyway and were visible from some distance away.