Hartshorne group ride...any interest?

Park isn't closed on account of weather😉 ...no fair weather rider here. Gotta go when I can. Fix the trails? Obstacles are the whole point of xc riding. Anyone care to join?

It gets disheartening for people to give up a day out of their schedule to do trail work while people continue to ride in poor conditions. It is even worse when they post up on a public board advertising it. I will leave it there.......
 
i am planning on riding in the rain at hartshorne tonight, then swing by Ringwood and rip out some of the trail features.

after that, I was gonna go home and buy $thousands$ of dollars of bike stuff online and then bring 'em to my LBS so they can install it for me.
 
i am planning on riding in the rain at hartshorne tonight, then swing by Ringwood and rip out some of the trail features.

after that, I was gonna go home and buy $thousands$ of dollars of bike stuff online and then bring 'em to my LBS so they can install it for me.

Don't forget to hit up Tatum for some Tea and DH riding, strictly bushwhacking of course.
 
You should hit up CR instead. It's closer and we have plenty of rocks to steal.
 
** now that the thread has officially derailed - I am going to try and bring it back by offering an official proposal **

please offer suggested modifications to this (is earlier better?):

Weekend intermediate rides:

Allaire: Saturday, 9am

Hartshorne/ Huber: Sunday, 9am * * Meet at Claypit lot * *

this is a standing appointment each weekend (assuming trails are ridable). perhaps we get 10 or so, I am sure on some weekends none of us will show up.

wheels down at 9am. with an unknown #of riders on any given day, we cant be waiting around to see if more people will show up. train leaves at 9am. so show up earlier to be ready.

I would say....while this is not intended to be a non-stop, "pain train" it is for intermediate level riders so noobies stay home 🙂 I generally like to stop as little as necessary.
 
Last edited:
So how does one train for a race like Tymor? In all the years i rode motocross not many people practiced in the rain but when we did they didnvt complain about it. One of the best ways to up your skill level. Not trying to make enemies but is everyone here a fair weather rider? I'll help with maintenance....let me know when we're doing it.
 
So how does one train for a race like Tymor? In all the years i rode motocross not many people practiced in the rain but when we did they didnvt complain about it. One of the best ways to up your skill level. Not trying to make enemies but is everyone here a fair weather rider? I'll help with maintenance....let me know when we're doing it.

not sure if youre kidding but I will answer the question since asked.... In NJ (well at least those on this message board). there is no such thing as a "fair weather rider".... we do not ride the trails when they are wet. it causes trail damage, pisses off other trail users, and could thus potentially affect our access to the trails. so for this reason it is considered a HUGE "NO-NO" to ride the trails when wet. that is why there are numerous "trail conditions" threads on here, it is why the "trail rating" feature was recently added etc.

IMHO - if it happens to rain during a race, there is not much you can do. the months involved in planning a race dictates that it must go on.

but if rains on a random Thursday in September, for example, you have a choice whether to ride or not. you are strongly urged not to.
 
So how does one train for a race like Tymor? In all the years i rode motocross not many people practiced in the rain but when we did they didnvt complain about it. One of the best ways to up your skill level. Not trying to make enemies but is everyone here a fair weather rider? I'll help with maintenance....let me know when we're doing it.

@David Taylor, I don't think we can be friends.

No one is complaining about the rain, we have more issues with riding on wet tread. It has been discussed extensively on this site, and people have been shamed to the point where Norm locks threads up. Many have tried to defend riding in the rain and why it is alright, they have all failed. Dave....they failed. Listen to your friend @Mitch, he knows what he is talking about.

I am not going to type the typical why it is bad statement.

Dave, they failed. Failed.
 
he's biased bc dave ride SS 😉
I am a little biased, I rode with Dave at Hartshorne once and he seems like a nice guy.. I have no idea where this outburst came from so not to feed him to the wolf's I want to help him stay in good graces on the board as he could be a long term asset here.. He means well, just maybe misguided on trail etiquette and I can have a nice trail side chat and set him straight rather then he get eaten alive here.
So how does one train for a race like Tymor? In all the years i rode motocross not many people practiced in the rain but when we did they didnvt complain about it. One of the best ways to up your skill level. Not trying to make enemies but is everyone here a fair weather rider? I'll help with maintenance....let me know when we're doing it.
Dave, next ride we can talk and I'll fill you in . Now back to the thread... Ride ON! (on dry trails)
 
Well, I am not going to ride in the rain. I do not get it. It's definitely not like people are trying to flood the trails on a rain day, but a simple I DO NOT GET IT but I am not here to get panties in a bunch. This guy is not riding in the rain. I was unaware of those other threads. I really made my earlier post under the assumption some people enjoyed riding in mud, rain and diffeeent terrain. I really don't enjoy riding complete duat or bluegroove mtb trails. I'd rather ride some ruts, whoops etc, especially on climbs. But, THIS GUY IS NOT GOING TO RIDE IN THE RAIN TO KEEP ONE OR TWO MTBNJ BUDDIES AROUND. sorry if I ruffled anyone up.
 
Dave -

let me put it this way...

you accurately complained about the total lack of maintenance in Hartshorne (some trimming and a few rain ditches). its a big problem. the park system staff simply doesnt maintain the trails and they allow very little volunteer time to do so. same applies to Huber

as a result, the trails are in rough shape and have gotten progressively worse over the years.

when the trails are wet they are FAR MORE LIKELY TO GET DAMAGED. so, if tons of riders rode hartshorne/ huber in the rain the trails would get ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED. and since the park System does no maintenance, they will stay that way.

and then who will the other trail users (joggers and horsey people) complain about for the damage.... mountain bikers.

and what could very likely happen if the other trail users complain about all of the trail damage done by the mountain bikers.... close the trails to mountain bikers.

how do we prevent this? Simple: DON'T RIDE THE TRAILS WHEN THEY ARE FAR MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE.
 
Last edited:
All good now... so back to the OP. @wonderturtle has a nice idea there with his post... I say you guy's post up these rides in the forum before hand and keep it going just like the CR Monday, Wed Thur rides etc.. and the Thur Allaire rides,, This way diff folks can post up and check in.. Great idea @David Taylor and @wonderturtle , this should work out well..

And please no more talk about rain... we need it..
 
In addition, posting said behavior on a open forum - mountain bike board provides additional fuel for groups looking to ban cyclists from he park.

The hiking/dog walking segment of park users at Hartshorne are not find of riders, as the parks elevation allows for fast riding. A good group of cyclists do not yield to hikers and have generated close calls at fast speeds. I know Dave, dogs aren't on a leash, people don't head to bells, etc......doesn't matter. We are stewards of the land (at least we try to be). Plus, there are more people that pay taxes that use the park for walking than bike riding, and guess which creates a bigger liability to the park. You got it, the bike.

There are many other hiker/biker arguments, I picked this one for arguments sake.

A lot goes on behind the scenes to keep these parks open and maintained, join Jorba, help out, don't ride in the rain, pick up your garbage,..........and play nice on the forum.
 
All good now... so back to the OP. @wonderturtle has a nice idea there with his post... I say you guy's post up these rides in the forum before hand and keep it going just like the CR Monday, Wed Thur rides etc.. and the Thur Allaire rides,, This way diff folks can post up and check in.. Great idea @David Taylor and @wonderturtle , this should work out well..

And please no more talk about rain... we need it..

Good idea, lets watch the weather and maybe try for an Allaire run this weekend?
 
There are many other hiker/biker arguments, I picked this one for arguments sake.

Can I use this thread to complain about the dog walkers that put their dogs' shit in plastic bags and then dump them in the middle of the path? I see it everywhere!!! 🙂

*** back on topic ***

following @Mitch's advice, and in order to get this started right, i will start a new thread in the "Rides/ Races" forum for this. people can post up in there whether they can make Sat and/or Sun.
 
Let's do our own maintenance then. No one will even know if we are out at 6am on a weekend....machete, shovel, folding saw and rake? Who's in for some grooming the following saturday?
 
Back
Top Bottom