Just wondered how many riders on here do anything for free for mountain biking.
Trail building, event organising, stuff like that.
I'm impressed that events like the Brecon Beast and SPAM Biking September Blast are put on almost entirely by volunteers.

I'm a Sustrans Ranger and I've helped organise one trailquest and I'm organising one of my own soon.
I've also done a little bit of trail clearance in the Wyre Forest.

I often think it's a shame mountain biking isn't a bit more like motocross or running where there's a nationwide network of clubs putting on events.
If everyone took a turn at doing something in their own area, there would be a lot more events for them to enter elsewhere.

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 –
http://www.singletraction.co.uk/index.php?fn_mode=fullnews&fn_id=71

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

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:

http://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. 😀

simonfbarnes – 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'. 😀