[Closed] Yield to those climbing??

Thread re-opened.

Depends on nature and line of ascent/descent. When descending, I'll yield (more) to the climber if his/her line is tough. When climbing, I'll just keep going, but will change line if feasible and appropriate.

I'm talking mainly about steep/technical climbs where it's recognisably hard enough to climb without some arrogant twunt barrelling his way through you.

So, conclusion is MTB'ers can't agree, such is the [i]rich and varied composition of the MTB community[/i]

Let the Flaming begin !

don simon...paraphrasing slightly me thinks....

Only ever for the cheap comedy effect. 😆

So, conclusion is MTB'ers can't agree, such is the rich and varied composition of the MTB community

Just plain wrong in so many ways. 🙄

[i]Just plain wrong in so many ways.[/i]

Yes, correct ! (not) as we are all sitting here nodding in agreement about who yields to whom, aren't we.

😆

Eh?
So why should descenders be on different trails then. Im pretty sure that trail centres and play parks are directional anyway I assumed that was a given and the OP was refering to natural stuff.
And my monthly pension is fine thank you, it buys me lots of bike bits.
Youre right about specsavers, though typing on my iphone doesnt help.

Since the descender will have to slow to a polite speed anyway, why not just stop all together? I can't see the point in the descender having the right of way if they are going to interrupt the flow anyway - may as well just stop and then go back to it when the way is fully clear.

There's nothing wrong or perverted about enjoying climbing grum, give in to the lactic burn 🙂

Always give way to those climbing? What if they're pushing

Solo, ah ok, don't have many unofficial 1 way trails round our way, most get plenty of traffic in both directions.

Someone riding a bike (up or down) has priority over someone pushing a bike (up or down).
As a rough general rule, when 2 riders are head on, the descender should give right of way to the climber. Doesn't (necessarily) mean you have to stop or throw yourself off the trail, just give them the "racing line" (for want of a better term).

Reason being is that it's far easier to get going again downhill than it is to remount and get going again uphill.

as you say they are pedestrians, restarting doesn't come into it and they are taking up twice the trail so I'd expect them to move (i certainly would).

Someone riding a bike (up or down) has priority over someone pushing a bike (up or down).

But surely if they are walking they have right of way don't they? Walkers have right of way over bikes I believe 🙂

If i NEED to pass whether in the same or opposite direction, it's up to me to find a way pass without affecting the other riders line.

In most cases there's room for both and i'll give up the smoother line for others of even go off pistef i can.
Failing that, i try to give way to those climbing, it's easier for the descender to regain momentum than someone climbing.

Descender should give way to climber surely, its easier to slow down when descending than to slow and then regain momentum when climbing.

That is unless your climbing the wrong way up a DH track, in which case if you get mown down by 11stone of speeding hippy on 45lbs of DH bike its your own silly fault. Climbing up a DH track is like driving the wrong way on a race track!

Lifer - Member
Yield to climber same as driving.

Not if it was a singletrack road with passing places.

I always thought that it would be the climber who would have to reverse to a suitable spot as it is easier reversing down a hill than reversing up a hill?

Yield to the person having the most fun?

So that will be the descender then?

Mild troll content acknowledged.

That'll be fat people who can't climb. Basically though, you should just get out of my way.

But surely if they are walking they have right of way don't they?

🙂

I always thought that it would be the climber who would have to reverse to a suitable spot as it is easier reversing down a hill than reversing up a hill?

The car descending should be looking way down the hill to work out where the climbing cars will pass. Same for riding really - look down the hill and if you can see someone coming up then think about the most sensible tactic, which is often to just wait a minute until the downhill section is clear.

so nerr

Best argument ever made on STW. 🙂

[url= http://www.imba.com/about/rules-trail ]IMBA Trail rules[/url]

IMBA for those who dont know is the International Mountain Biking Association.

Some may wonder what they do..Ill tell you..All those fantastic trails in Moab, BC, the Rockies etc well they help the likes of us get access to them, they help to maintain them, they help forge new friendships, they re-afirm old ones when needed, they fight your corner..So when you come back from you fantastic 3wk riding trip in Utah or where-ever spare a thought for the effort put in to getting YOU & your BIKE on that trail.

It annoys me that there seems so little awareness/appreciation of this. (rant over..)

ps I wonder how many folk on here are members?

Best argument ever made on STW.

Good link repack, think everyone should have a read of those. for those who can't be bothered to follow the link

Yield Appropriately: Do your utmost to let your fellow trail users know you're coming — a friendly greeting or bell ring are good methods. Try to anticipate other trail users as you ride around corners. Bicyclists should yield to other non-motorized trail users, unless the trail is clearly signed for bike-only travel. Bicyclists traveling downhill should yield to ones headed uphill, unless the trail is clearly signed for one-way or downhill-only traffic. In general, strive to make each pass a safe and courteous one.

It's often easier to pick an alternate line when coming down hill.

Otherwise just use common sense as it depends a lot on the trail as to what's possible.

Ah ha the 'official' line, but a little late in comming. However may I add the following 'So put that in your pipe and smoke it'

I'm wondering if those who don't yield going downhill happen to drive BMWs/Audis/Range Rover Sports

Basically, I'm not prepared to run the risk of a downhilling rider or a charging elephant trying to avoid me so I will always get out of their way.

[I must confess some guilt to having scared a pedestrian on Sunday - though I passed some metres to one side, I had picked up some speed by then. As I descended past I heard a slight gasp - they had not seen me approach. At times like this I regret my intransigence about not having a bell. Forgive me]

I tend to yield to everyone, life's too short to get ate up whether you do or don't have priority on the trail.

I assume that you'll buzz past walkers, small children and horse riders shouting rude words at them.

As a general rule, yes.

I don't discriminate however. Taxi drivers, vayn drivers, other cyclists, people carrying Starbucks cups, and very pretty yet very dozy Japanese girls who look straight at me then step out in front of me when I'm tooling up Oxford St.

FFS.

So Repack what's the answer?

How long is it since we last did one, and to save me reading the whole thread is anybody saying anything different from last time?

RepacK - Member
So when you come back from you fantastic 3wk riding trip in Utah or where-ever spare a thought for the effort put in to getting YOU & your BIKE on that trail.

It annoys me that there seems so little awareness/appreciation of this. (rant over..)

ps I wonder how many folk on here are members?

Not many of us here (in the UK, not just the forum though I reckon even that's not many people) really go over to the US to ride bikes and the perception here is very much that IMBA is very US-centric despite their attempts to gain a foothold here. Being called 'International' in this instance is largely viewed as being like the Baseball World Series. As such, people's awareness/interest in IMBA is as low as you'd expect. How many people in the US understand what the CTC for example, does? Very few and why should they? It's essentially irrelevant to them.

Oh, to the thread, the answer is common sense. There is no rule. Good manners suggests that the rider less inconvenienced should give way.

If you can't be fast be wide

Assuming that we're talking bridleways as rights of way here, then I'd say yield to the climber.

IIRC the highway code used to have an antiquated advice of yield to vehicles coming uphill, which has now dissappeared as horse drawn traffic has reduced in volume.

When driving I still generally yield to a vehicle coming up hill along the same lines, I tend to assume the other driver can't/doesn't have the skill to hill start safely!

When driving I still generally yield to a vehicle coming up hill along the same lines, I tend to assume the other driver can't/doesn't have the skill to hill start safely!

Even though the hill start is part of the test!!
I always assumed it was a question of control, in that, if control of the vehicle is lost while reversing uphill you would probably do less damage than a vehicle moving downhill while out of control.

True Don, but there are many aspects of the driving test that never seem to translate into day to day driving, things such as stopping at red lights, speed limits etc etc.

yeild to the person coming down,and give them encouragement to go faster 😀

All things being equal then yes, yield to the climber. In the real world then whoever will lose out the least by stopping should yield.

What tyres for yielding?

And no trail side piddles unless you are concealed by a policemans cloak.

Ride in the North East, you're unlikely to see another rider.

Here in the US, the "official" rule (whatever that means) is to yield to the climber, but I kind of deal with each case as it comes. If I see someone coming down with their hair on fire or generally out of control, I will yield. The one time it really pi$$es me is if it a really difficult, steep technical climb where yielding/stopping will force me to hike-a-bike a good ways in those delightfully comfortable biking shoes in order to even get started again.

Couple years ago I was following a guy I know (about 55 years old) up a really steep, technical single track. He has been racing for years and can ride/climb just about anything he encounters. A couple of youngish guys, maybe 18 or so come over the crest above us and start down at full throttle and the kid in the lead yells "get out of the way old man", so Kirby just gets as far off to the right as the narrow singletrack would allow and just as the kid starts to pass him, raises his left elbow and catches the kid in the chest---kid and bike did a aerial that would rival an act in Circue de Soleil---Kirby just looks down at the guy and said "oops" and remounts (in a place I couldn't have done so and rides on up the trail. Not that I'd recommend anyone doing that, but it did seem quite just at the moment.

Yield to no one - eat my dirt bitch!

If I'm climbing and see a rider descending fast I will try and keep to one side and make it clear to him verbally if poss.(eg. "I'll keep left mate") If it's a steep tough climb where I will never get riding again if I stop, then I will press on regadless - I won't shout and tell him this is as I will be too breathless to speak.

If I am descending I will always slow to a safe speed when seeing anyone approaching on the trail, and if I see a rider working hard on a climb I will definately give way and encourage them in their endeavour.
Not rules in my book, just common sense and courtesy.

Yield to the descender. Always. Always always always.

And I'll ride as fast as I like thanks, I don't go out to "exercise caution", I go out to rag the tits off my bike and push my limits.

+1 SteveBbrain
It really is all about using common sense and a reasonable sense of courtesy

Have you ever had someone approach you and when they decide to yield and stop, they pull across the trail in front of you instead of just pulling to their side and stopping

IIRC the highway code used to have an antiquated advice of yield to vehicles coming uphill, which has now dissappeared as horse drawn traffic has reduced in volume.

155 on here
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070309

[i]And I'll ride as fast as I like thanks, I don't go out to "exercise caution", I go out to rag the tits off my bike and push my limits. [/i]

I'm so tempted to post the oh-so-infamous pic of you going well beyond your limits. 😉

Gwan then.

I went so fast my underpants ended up on the outside.

SpokesCycles - Member

Yield to the descender. Always. Always always always.

And I'll ride as fast as I like thanks, I don't go out to "exercise caution", I go out to rag the tits off my bike and push my limits.

There speaks the voice of age and experience