CR/RV Conditions 3/11?
- Thread starter KenS
- Start date
Riding would suck both places. Period.
People please stay away from the trails for some time now.
Nothing like waiting for the trails to be ride-able only to see that a bunch of jackasses have completely f'ed them up... I was at CR last week and while the trails were frozen solid, there were ruts all over the place. Not fun. I live right next to Round Valley, this morning I rode by (on the road) and people were pulling in with bikes on their trucks... Seeing that and pools of water on the trail (which must already be soft) is real promising.
Sorry Ken this is not directed to you personally, I just hope mountain bikers showed more respect towards their fellow riders. I just spent 4 hours on the road today because I believe it's the right thing to do, and will keep riding the road until the trails are ok (that is, dry and most certainly completely rutted up...).
Maurice
Agree with Maurice for the most part - it's road season. Rip posted some pics of RV on the other site of the rutted out switchback which looked pretty bad. Hey if you want to ride the mud that's your call. And in the end the trails heal just fine. But for me it's not a lot of fun and my bike gets too damn dirty. Plus it is ammunition for the trail-closing type. But I personally don't hold it against those that do ride. That's your own decision to make.
anrothar
entirely thrilled
unfortunately, the trails don't heal up just fine. a small rut up a climb left by a tire will create a channel for water that would otherwise be dispersed. as the water accelerates down the rut, it will bring sediment with it, and eventually lead to heavy erosion. every time you ride through a mud puddle, you make it bigger. riding soft singletrack will compress the soil in the center alot more than riding it dry and firm. this creates lips on the outside of the trail that trap water and turn the singletrack into a channel that water has a hard time escaping from. these only go away through trail maintenance. the trails only heal because people are out there healing them. the ones that don't recieve regular maintenance to clean up after the impatient types who go out in the trail conditions of the next week, slowly degrade.
if you must ride trails in the mud, or thawing frost, ride wma trails and fire roads. they are for the most part unmaintained(aside from clearing of fallen trees), and bicycle tires will be the least of the contributers to trail erosion. i'll be mostly on the road for a while now, but if i do stray onto trails, they will be dirt bike/four wheeler trails or those i mentioned above.
if you must ride trails in the mud, or thawing frost, ride wma trails and fire roads. they are for the most part unmaintained(aside from clearing of fallen trees), and bicycle tires will be the least of the contributers to trail erosion. i'll be mostly on the road for a while now, but if i do stray onto trails, they will be dirt bike/four wheeler trails or those i mentioned above.
Or call a local to give you a report..
..of the conditions before you go.Some just leave the house w/ hope and a limited sched and can't bring themselves to do the right thing when they arrive and find wet conditions.this coming wknd should be fine up here cause the freeze will return on fri...
..of the conditions before you go.Some just leave the house w/ hope and a limited sched and can't bring themselves to do the right thing when they arrive and find wet conditions.this coming wknd should be fine up here cause the freeze will return on fri...
This is why I just ride the road. I don't want to pack it all up only to get there and have to drive home or ride the mud. There's plenty of time for riding next week, or the week after.
ArmyOfNone
Well-Known Member
i dont mind the mud, but there are times when i just gets soo bad that it doesnt make riding fun. I would love to ride the trails right about now. But i think Im gonna stay away for a bit and see what the weather has to say. Although i hear its supposed to freeze over night so may b the morning may make it possible. Not sure what i am going to do just yet. Its been fun torturing myself on the road.
i'm on the road now like 3 or 4 days a week 'til april. the ONLY place that may be rideable is the tourne.
ArmyOfNone
Well-Known Member
just one more thought. becuase im knew im going to guess that this is goin to happen every year. All of us itching to hit the trails when the weather turns. But the wonderful nj weather does not cooperate sooo much. Is this true?
J-Dro
Well-Known Member
For those of us down in central NJ, I rode at Mercer today and was shocked how good the conditions were. There are some parts of Mercer that are wet in July, but if you avoid them, there's plenty of good riding in the higher sections. Did about 13 miles today and the bike didn't even need cleaning at the end. I haven't been there in over a year, but its a blast on the SS.
anrothar
entirely thrilled
it's not just that the weather doesn't cooperate, and it's anywhere with definitive seasons. during winter, we develop anywhere from several inches to a cupla feet of frost in the ground. the frost melting right now, as the weather warms up, will create really soft, unstable soil conditions for up to a month. but since it's all of a sudden warm, and not raining, some people get antsy and think the trails will be fine. and once you're suited up and pedalling, who among us is likely to turn around go back to the car because the trails are soft? i'd bet not many....
ChrisG
Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
Yes.
3 hours on the road myself today, in part due to the assumption that my local trails would be too wet from last night's rain.
CR is a mess & probably won't be rideable for a few weeks (at least for people
that don't want to destroy the trails). I heard from the TM crew that there was a lot of folks riding there on Saturday covered in mud, to each his own.
RV pics linky: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=274961
2nd weekend in a row on the road for me & like the rest of you I'm itching to get back to the dirt & rocks.
Kirt
that don't want to destroy the trails). I heard from the TM crew that there was a lot of folks riding there on Saturday covered in mud, to each his own.
RV pics linky: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=274961
2nd weekend in a row on the road for me & like the rest of you I'm itching to get back to the dirt & rocks.
Kirt
I rode at RV from the Cushetunk lot yesterday morning when things were still frozen, but avoided the trails a couple of miles out from the main lot after seeing some of the pictures on MTBR. Trails were really good for the most part, but I would imagine that conditions have changed dramatically as the weather got warmer.
I've always been a bit baffled by people riding Chimney Rock during the spring thaw. Despite the number of people that post here that will avoid that place this time of year, it will still get absolutely trashed by the dozens who don't.
Rode a wildly creaking old hard tail on the road last week for the first time in a long time. 30 miles through Morris and Hunterdon counties on Velociraptors and a non-functioning big ring.
Now I want a road bike.
I've always been a bit baffled by people riding Chimney Rock during the spring thaw. Despite the number of people that post here that will avoid that place this time of year, it will still get absolutely trashed by the dozens who don't.
Rode a wildly creaking old hard tail on the road last week for the first time in a long time. 30 miles through Morris and Hunterdon counties on Velociraptors and a non-functioning big ring.
Now I want a road bike.
Well, personally I do hold it against people that leave ruts behind, it just makes it so much less fun for everybody else. Spending half a ride dodging ruts gets old fast, especially when one has been holding back from riding trails just so they wouldn't be in that state. BTW the damage at RV was from the rain, not from riding; it looks like it's more due to poor design. Riding it isn't going to help, though, cf. point number 1.
Maurice
You have every right to hold it against people. Given the state of our world, I just don't hold it very high in the list of "things that people do I disapprove of." It comes in around #453, right before "people who drive slow in the fast lane." We live in a world of contradictions, and we all choose our place in it. After all, you and I have both done races in wet conditions. Personally I can't reconcile those 2 things. But I'm not saying you should or shouldn't.
Thanks for the answer I was looking for Kirt. Hope to see you this summer at more JORBA events. Keep us Allaire dirt bags in the loop on your TM days would love to come out for one.
For the rest of you defensive fuggas 😀 , I posted this for local info to decide where I will ride tomorrow and tuesday. I applaud your defensiveness and all, but wow, have a beer or 6. I wont be riding either spot.
Allaire is in great shape though, hope to see a lot of the people who have been kicking its ass this mud season out for our TM on the 25th. A good handful of spots need love.
Maybe ill go to Clayton for a change tomorrow or something.
if there is a hell for roadies, this has GOT to be close to it.
This is not a sales pitch..
Your local shop might have some leftover road bikes right now. They might be willing to deal a bit more than you think. (just make sure it fits!)
A road bike is strangely the best investment in your mt biking. Riding on the road during mud season might be the best thing you can do for you fitness and the trails.
j