I’ll mention it, if you ride at trail centre’s unless your a riding god sooner or later people will come up behind you. No one’s being rude it’s part of the sport and something you have to get used to, if you can’t perhaps trail centres aren’t the best place for you to enjoy your ride.

LOL I am a riding god!

If somebody points out that you are waiting for a good reason and the somebody jumps in then I think that trail centres might not be for them, it’s not going to be the best place to enjoy your ride.

Pretty much agree with everything in taxi25’s post.

I ride Cannock at least every other week and never have a problem with waiting, slower or faster rides.

I’m usually passed by and pass a similar amount of riders and as long as everybody is curteous then there shouldn’t be any problems.

If your in a big group of mixed abilities it makes sense to leave gaps. IME anyone who nips in between said gaps is normally rubbish and gets caught pretty quickly then you can have fun shouting at and buzzing them 😆 Tapping their rear mech is quite fun if you can manage it.

I’d just always assumed they were having a rest / chat / generally faffing. Can’t say I ever remember being subsequently caught up by any of the trail loiterers 🙂

When kids were younger, a family trail centre visit would entail a fast solo lap followed by babystitting handover so both me an mrs could get a good blast around family duties. Hanging around queuing for trails to clear wasn’t an option time wise. Sorry

Passing on the trails is rarely a problem anyway. I think the only tyres we buzz are where somebody you’ve just caught on a climb insists on deliberately diving into the next section assuming my kids are going to be slow…..

taxi25 – Member
but don’t expect others to join your imaginary queue

That’s pretty much it for me. In game design, players who invent imaginary rules that aren’t encoded in the system, and try to enforce them, are called “scrubs”.

Waiting won’t make much of a difference in a busy place with long descents. When someone gets on my tyre, I’ll find a spot to pull over. When it’s the other way round, I’ll try not to be right on their back stressing them out, and if the difference between us is big enough sometimes shout excuse me or find a sniper line to pass.

If you ride with a big, consistent group over time you’ll order yourself by speed for descents, but with random people in public there’s no set of rules that’s going to make that possible.

Weirdest thread ever.

Amen to that.

I have nothing to add, except. Errr…. WT-actual-F?

Seriously, it’s just riding bikes. There are no rules. Just try to be a normal happy human to your fellow humans. And accept that we are all occasionally capable of making twuntish misjudgements occasionally.

I’m not stopping at the head of a trail to join some imaginary queuing system. If you want to do the ride-stop-chat-ride-stop-chat thing, that’s great for you. I don’t. It’s about enjoying the flow of a trail – and for me that means ride-up-as-fast-as-possible-then-ride-down-as-fast-as-possible. Repeat until smiling.

Queuing?
No, we’re just waiting for the solo rider that thinks they are fast to pack hunt down the trail and humiliate 😉

I didn’t realise this was a thing either.

To be honest, I try and hit my local trail centre (Bedgebury) at 7 in the morning, or later in the evening, once all of the trail traffic has died down. It’s the only way you can reasonably expect to ride at your own pace all the way round.

This is not a thing.

If you want to create a magical gap to ride in, you have to wait until everyone else has got out of the way. You want something, you wait – I’m not.

+1 to the last few posts.

I won’t sprint into a trail in front of someone, but I’m not gonna ask everyone loitering about within 100 yards if I may go before them. Weird.

It’s a bit of a minefield sometimes. I normally ride solo, so on average I’ll be faster than a group of three or four say, they may have left a gap to a slower rider, but it’s still my judgement whether to ‘jump the queue’, otherwise we all end up going with the lowest common denominator. It can also be annoying if you’ve left a good gap to a slower rider so as not to hassle them and they then dive into the next bit of singletrack, the Enduroflouro guys you nipped in front of are now on your wheel thinking you’re the slow one asking themselves why you jumped the queue if you’re not even that quick.
I have had the derogatory glance and comment, (“bastard! We’re going to be held up now!”) when riding past a group hanging round at the top of a trail, me on my old short travel fs, no armour and roadie top, them on big rigs dripping in Troy Lee PJs. Nailed it and never saw them again (and they did ride straight in after me as if trying to prove a point).
Anyway, after that boasting 😳 I’m off to GT now.

This is all new to me as well. You guys that worry about all this sort of thing must be riding at some goddamn busy trail centres. Isn’t is usually obvious if the guys at the top are waiting to go or just chilling out? Are they on their bikes starring down the trail or sat a few feet away chatting and sucking on camelbacks? Do we not apply common sense anymore?

Are they on their bikes starring down the trail or sat a few feet away chatting and sucking on camelbacks?

well the OP suggests either the former and OP was oblivious to the fact or the latter in which case the “queuers” were daft to complain.

TBH only time I’ve had any congestion issues at a trail centre was during keilder 100. Some quick climbers don’t half suck at descending 😉 and the one time I actually tried to “defend my position” while climbing up to the next section of singletrack a speedy guy still nipped in before me….

and promptly left me for dead on the descent too 🙂

Weirdest thread ever

Only on STW 😆

each to their own, there are no regulations on the trail. So much worry over something that rarely happens

I’m never usually in much of a hurry, but I do like a clear trail ahead of me. I can think of several times I’ve stopped before a section to dig some sweets or cake out and then been joined by a group who are pausing, but you never know for how long. Cue me stuffing all the food in my hand into my mouth, strapping my bag on and setting off in an unseemly haste* with the odd jelly baby trying to escape from my lips 😉

* There’s ALWAYS time to say hello though, just remember to do it before you’ve rendered yourself dumb with cake

If I were waiting for a gap, I wouldn’t be too bothered if someone ‘jumped the queue’. It was my decision to wait for a gap. If I were in a rush I wouldn’t be waiting and an extra 20 seconds won’t make a difference. That said, if I saw a large group approaching, I’d probably set off.

There’s even a section at Swinley called “Jump the queue”.

Been shouted at a few times by the pyjama boys and storm troopers, **** ’em, I’m out for an XC ride, on an XC trail, the only Strava segment I actually look at is the whole loop so it makes little or no difference whether I catch someone or not. If I come across someone slower then I’ll drop back to their pace and pick a place to overtake, but I’m not planning on stopping!

I think Blackflag and DONK have it. Common sense, communication and courtesy go a long way and seem to prevail on most of my trail centre visits.

well the OP suggests either the former and OP was oblivious to the fact or the latter in which case the “queuers” were daft to complain.

No indication that they were about to set off, they had watched me coming up the hill towards them for at least a minute and hadn’t moved.

I wasn’t suggesting this was normal behaviour btw, and I’ve only had someone have a go at me one time. It was just some comments in the Gnaarly enduro dood thread that reminded me of it!

Ive honestly given this a thought either,I personally like to ride continually without stopping and most people pull to one side when they hear people approaching,as do i,I wouldnt dream of asking a waiting group whether it was OK if I rode though,maybe the groups that I pass are pretty obviously having a chat and a jolly that it`s not applicable anyway.
If they want to wait for clear track then Its their choice,shouldnt affect what Im doing surely ?

there are no regulations on the trail

I wasn’t long back people were saying that you should always pass oncoming riders to the left………

I’m blaming groups of more than 5. Just because.

I’m blaming people who ride at trail centres.

rider ahead has right of way.
if a slow group has literally just gone down 10 seconds earlier, then feel free to loiter and maybe tell me a slow group has just started the trail.
I’m not exactly going to win many Stava races, so sod it, I’m going to follow the slow riders down. You can wait that extra 10 or 20s and intimidate me instead of the n00bs. I’m not waiting 5 mins for the loiterers to finish loitering, unless I need a 5min break.

If you desperately want an unencumbered run, go do a Strava race when there are fewer other riders about.

I won’t sprint into a trail in front of someone, but I’m not gonna ask everyone loitering about within 100 yards if I may go before them.

this basically

and to be honest I usually mosh singlespeedy past the fat enduro biffers on the climbs so I’m nice and clear to dive into singletrack without slowing them down as they have to stop for a little rest before plummeting down a trail on the latest gnarsled of ultimate trail slaying 650B+ oragange-trek-a-lized.

share and play nicely, if you need to overtake someone just use race rules and politely call a side when its safe for you to overtake, likewise if someone is ragging your back wheel, give them a call and let em know that you happy to shift when safe and for them to let you know which side they want. Jeeeesus trail centers can be so full of psuedo alpha male dicks its unreal*

* some riders are decent normal folks, some just turn into the equivalent of an audi drivng sales **** with a bad wax hair job, thinking he’s on the apprentice as soon as they put their trail riding PJ’s on

Sounds like the problem is a bunch of golfists on bikes… 🙂

That’s exactly it. In cycling, groups of four dont have priority over pairs or singles, you dont need to ask to play through and there are no penalties for slow play. And if you’ve lost your balls….

mate got booted/otb/flung off their bike, by some faster riders, small group, the ones at the back saw, but did not stop

FFS…next you’ll be wanting a machine that gives a number and a little barrier that goes up when it’s your turn… 🙂

FFS…next you’ll be wanting a machine that gives a number and a little barrier that goes up when it’s your turn… 🙂

I’d laugh in your face if you thought you had the right to go before me down a trail because you’re waiting. That’s not mountain biking.

That’s not mountain biking.

You’re right. Not mountain biking, just common courtesy.

You’re right. Not mountain biking, just common courtesy.

What is courteous about expecting people to live by rules that they didn’t agree to or agree to allow you to make?

You’re right. Not mountain biking, just common courtesy.

Amazing how people trying to impose their own made up rules on others consider those people rude for not obeying. It’s completely the opposite 😆

If someone is deliberately waiting to give someone space, is it not rude to go through ahead of them, causing them to wait longer? I’d also say if you saw a group of riders who’re most likely quicker than you coming up to a trail head it would be common courtesy to either wait for them to go through or ask if they wanted to go on ahead so you can both enjoy your run, uninterrupted?

Depends. I’d actually missed the ‘trail centre’ point until partway through. I normally ride more natural stuff (different debate) and this sort of thing is quite rare. Usually if there are people waiting at the top on bikes looking ready to go there’s someone on the trail already that they know needs a gap and it’d be rude not giving it no matter if you’re busy or not. It’s usually obvious if they’re just debating whether to do this trail or go do something else, having a breather etc.

The trail centre context I picked up on the way through sounds more like lots of groups all obsessed with their own little bubbles and reacting badly to others interfering with their plans tbh, and a bit childish.

Us Brits love to queue, don’t we!

I would never imagine having to ask who was going next. I’d never imagine being bothered if someone dropped in in front of me when I was waiting. Usually, if anything, I find it is a polite ‘after you, no, after you’ with other riders.

BTW, Spooky Wood has a new system now. You need to book your time slot a week in advance. You also need to supply your GPS data of your last run so the system knows when to send the next g?o?l?f?e?r? cyclist down 🙂

Us Brits love to queue, don’t we!

That and we’re usually pretty polite.

The Canadians are polite too, which is probably why at least half the time if we’re sitting at a trail head in the bike park that a group will ask if we’re about to head down or if they can ride through.

I’m not the fastest on a DH bike so I’m happy to let others through at the trail head or on the trail. If there’s someone slower than me just headed down we’ll tell the others why we’re waiting and it’s all good.

I remember when I was new and slow and at a trail centre for the first time. If everyone had left a gap for me, then there would have been an almighty queue.
When I had space, I moved, when I didn’t, people waited.
No drama.
I’m not new anymore, but still slow. Never heard of all this waiting at trail heads for slow people before. Seems a bit patronising.