Loud hubs scare hikers....

[jdog]

I was riding in Rhode island last week at a demo around a lake. I yelled "rider back" to a couple walking.

The lady ran full speed into the bushes. I had to laugh. Later on I started to think that they were out on a hookup session and she might have been nervous because she was cheating or something.

Maybe not but it was funny.

Either way i am sure that they thought I was being reckless. I wasn't going fast but from their perspective i bet I was.

 

[don]

Yea, I was dissapointed when, after I pulled over and let a couple walking their dog go by, they said "thanks, you're the first biker to do that."

I've hiked a few times with my family in Hartshorne and Huber and it's fustrating to see bikers that just don't give a damn. There were a couple times I was pissed at pass-by and I ride - so imagine the message some people get who aren't too siked on bikes to begin with.

Riders should experience hiking and even horseback riding just to see how the other side is. At the very least, get as much trail maintenance days in as you can. I think that is one area, that could really help us out as a group.

 

[MMuller]

It was Hartshorne where that happened. Also see people bombing through the dismount area at the lower lot. We could be shut out of there so easily. That would suck big time.

I think most of the people that don't follow some of the basic rules are less likely to be people on this site, but more newbies and weekend warriors that really just may not know any better.

 

[kush]

a little bell helps

coincidentally, the below is from the Fair Hills Jamboree site / Delaware Trail Spinners Bike Club that jdog posted, just happen to glance at it. seems like not a new concept to use a bell on the trails


We cyclists tend to spend a lot of time accumulating all types of gear to make our bikes faster, lighter, quieter, and just plain more fun to ride. The Delaware Trail Spinners recommend one simple but very important addition to your arsenal: a bike bell.

Many of the trails in our region are multi-use trails, which means the likelihood of encountering a hiker, equestrian, trail runner, or even another mountain biker is highly probable. Having a bike bell mounted on your handlebar means you can simply ding your bell a couple of times to let other users know you're approaching. It's a lot easier to ring your bell than to have to yell "biker on your left!" -- and it's a lot louder and safer too!

For more than four years, we've been distributing bells to bikers that we'd meet at the trailhead or at our events and encouraging their use. Since the program began, we've distributed more than 2,500 bells! To get your own free bell, just attend one of our events. Or, to learn more about the bell program, contact Todd Forrest.

 

[NJMX835]

I don't know how many times I've come up behind hikers on fireroads & purposly ride on the dry leaves, gravel & anything else that makes noise so they hear me coming, but they never notice until I say 'hello' when I'm 20 or 30' away or so, which almost always startles them & makes me kinda' feel bad.

It's amazing how oblivious people are to their surrondings, good thing we don't have mountain lions out here or methinks there would be alot of hikers becoming kitty chow.

 

[idbrian]

I was thinking of this just yesterday. What are the limits to what a rider is supposed to yield to hikers? Because i'm rarely dismounting for them. Usually they get out of the way first. I mean i don't fly by them at any time and i always slow up, but they usually get off to the side. If i were in situation where i had to, i would stop and yield, but that happens rarely. Does yielding to hikers mean i'm suppose to stop and move aside everytime? Usually i just slow up to a crawl, and then when they notice me i'll end up slowly going by. Sometimes even though everything went fine i feel like i get dirty look, which could also just have been a look of surprise about bikes being on a rough trail. I always say hello but i feel uneasy after coming out of some encounters.

Most hikers/riders i come across seems like there are no problems.

 

[Norm]

Does yielding to hikers mean i'm suppose to stop and move aside everytime?

Dismount, grab a rock, and start smashing your bike. It helps to scream things like, "Down you tool of the devil!" and "I hate you!"

 

[The Kalmyk]

this helps

I love that bell

 

[stb222]

I love that bell

I got this bell when I first signed up for JORBA...works well but doesn't do jack when people where ipods. If you are coming up on someone running with both headphones in, it gives you the right to run them right over....or at least knock'em off the trail.

 

[kush]

I got this bell when I first signed up for JORBA...works well but doesn't do jack when people where ipods. If you are coming up on someone running with both headphones in, it gives you the right to run them right over....or at least knock'em off the trail.

that has some risk to the bike, i.e. what if you scratch the finish, or worse if something catches in the spokes.

unless you practice the move, like you would have practiced a bunnyhop, it's a bit sketchy.

 

[lmckee]

This whole "mtbers have to kiss all of the other trail users asses" thing is really starting to piss me off. As far as I'm concerned we have just as much of a right to be on the trails as anyone else. This doesn't mean that I think its cool to be ignorant to other users or to tear the trails up. I just think that it's a little ridiculous that we have to walk on eggshells at all times when were usually the ones taking care of the trails and sinking our money into them. I'm always courteous to other people when I encounter them but why should I have to stop, dismount, then step off the trail with my bike when a hiker could simply step to the side for 2 seconds to let me by? And as far as the horses I totally understand why we have to dismount and let them pass. Of course I also feel that horse users should be responsible for going back and picking up the 40 piles or crap that they left behind. I don't know, this drives me up a wall.

 

[The Kalmyk]

This will work....


http://www.deltacycle.com/product.php?g=1

 

[ellbiddy]

This whole "mtbers have to kiss all of the other trail users asses" thing is really starting to piss me off. As far as I'm concerned we have just as much of a right to be on the trails as anyone else. This doesn't mean that I think its cool to be ignorant to other users or to tear the trails up. I just think that it's a little ridiculous that we have to walk on eggshells at all times when were usually the ones taking care of the trails and sinking our money into them. I'm always courteous to other people when I encounter them but why should I have to stop, dismount, then step off the trail with my bike when a hiker could simply step to the side for 2 seconds to let me by? And as far as the horses I totally understand why we have to dismount and let them pass. Of course I also feel that horse users should be responsible for going back and picking up the 40 piles or crap that they left behind. I don't know, this drives me up a wall.

That's the problem..we don't have as much of a right to be on the trails as everyone else. At least not yet, biking is seen as a privilege 95% of the time. By default we're usually banned. As soon as people start complaining the easy move is to ban us all off the trails again and voila problem solved. Apparently Bush (according to another post) is changing some laws to help us out in the regard before he leaves office which is nice.

Horse crap really irks me....if I decided to walk around naked around the stables and take dumps everywhere without cleaning up I'm sure someone would be pissed. When I used to ride in Moscow horse crap got picked up right after deposited by a trainer usually. If you're on the trails.....strap one of those crap buckets to the horse and problem solved.

 

[don]

It was Hartshorne where that happened. Also see people bombing through the dismount area at the lower lot. We could be shut out of there so easily. That would suck big time.

I think most of the people that don't follow some of the basic rules are less likely to be people on this site, but more newbies and weekend warriors that really just may not know any better.

Hartshorne gets a LOT of traffic. I've ridden there a ton over the years and pretty much know the spots that get tight and have traffic its easy to come up on people. I rode Chimney Rock last friday and hardly saw a sole save for the lookout area.

Yeah, that fireroad is fun to get going on. But it's so open that if someone is walking you can see them a far bit away and give them plenty of room. I would think that board they put across would slow people down in the dismount area.

I agree, the people on this site are more aware and knowledgable but it seems like there are quite a few new members in the Newbie forum. Hopefully more and more people will spread the word.

 

[lmckee]

That's the problem..we don't have as much of a right to be on the trails as everyone else. At least not yet, biking is seen as a privilege 95% of the time.

So your saying that the avid hiker up the street from me has more of his tax money put into the state park systems and it's employees than I do? I don't see how cycling is a privilege considering if you really wanted to you could go to wal-mart and buy a $60 bike and ride the trails all day. Meanwhile there are people out riding horses around that tear the trails up and crap everywhere, now thats a privilege. It's just plain wrong.

By default we're usually banned. As soon as people start complaining the easy move is to ban us all off the trails again and voila problem solved. Apparently Bush (according to another post) is changing some laws to help us out in the regard before he leaves office which is nice.

I guess this doesn't bother me as much as it might bother some of you. I grew up running from the police and rent-a-cops on my bmx bike because I was riding places that I wasn't supposed to.

 

[don]

This whole "mtbers have to kiss all of the other trail users asses" thing is really starting to piss me off. As far as I'm concerned we have just as much of a right to be on the trails as anyone else. This doesn't mean that I think its cool to be ignorant to other users or to tear the trails up. I just think that it's a little ridiculous that we have to walk on eggshells at all times when were usually the ones taking care of the trails and sinking our money into them. I'm always courteous to other people when I encounter them but why should I have to stop, dismount, then step off the trail with my bike when a hiker could simply step to the side for 2 seconds to let me by? And as far as the horses I totally understand why we have to dismount and let them pass. Of course I also feel that horse users should be responsible for going back and picking up the 40 piles or crap that they left behind. I don't know, this drives me up a wall.

I don't think we need to kiss ass but just have a lot of respect for other users I understand where they are coming from. We certainly have a right to use the trails but what about dirtbikes/quads and jeeps? I would love to have more wheelin' trails in NJ besides the Pine Barron area. It's a tricky area but if we keep up the respect and provide as much maintenance as a group as possible I think we'll do all right. In busier parks I think a bike only trail would be a great thing and I am sure there would be plenty of bikers that would build and maintain it.

I totally agree about the horses. Dog owners are typically asked to pick up after their pets on the trail - what's the difference?

 

[ellbiddy]

It's not a privilege in the sense that you SHOULDN'T be allowed to do it, but under the current way the parks system is run (at least in this state) you aren't allowed to do it. It's not about where your tax dollars ago, it's a screwy system in which we get the short end of the stick. I wish we could ride everywhere however we want, but sadly that's not how it works.

And if you did by the $60 bike and ride it on the trails all day you're likely to get written up for it, since it's not allowed in a lot of nice parks (unfortunately). And the idea is not to shove our whole mtbing community into having to run from rent-a-cops/cops/park rangers when you want to ride. A lot of the guys here have kids and want a nice day cycling with them, you see it all the time at places like 6MR, having a nice (legal) way to do that helps. And I really feel where you're coming from, bending over backwards for a group that doesn't do much to help maintain the trails and even craps (literally hah) all over them sucks. But don't think of it as kissing ass to any one group, just see it as being nice in general, we're all friendly after all

 

[lmckee]

We certainly have a right to use the trails but what about dirtbikes/quads and jeeps? I would love to have more wheelin' trails in NJ besides the Pine Barron area.

They're motorized, thats why they can't just go anywhere they want. And don't take this the wrong way, I'm all for dirtbikes and jeeps. I remember when I was a kid there were plenty or places to take a dirtbike, now there's nothing.

 

[Norm]

We're the minority. Without question we do more trail work but if you poll the people more of them will say they are hikers than bikers and likely by a wide margin. At the end of the day, we need to appease the hikers so a bunch of them don't band together and decide to vote us off the proverbial island.

It's as simple as that. You can analyze it any way you want, but that's where the reality lies.

On a personal level, I never ever have a problem with anyone, ever. Be nice, ask how they're doing, comment on the weather. If they can't hear you say "good morning" or "great day for a hike" or "this sure beats the office" or whatever. I have never been in a situation where that hasn't worked.

 

[lmckee]

And if you did by the $60 bike and ride it on the trails all day you're likely to get written up for it, since it's not allowed in a lot of nice parks (unfortunately).

What? I've never heard of this before. This is absolutely ridiculous. So what your saying is that a park ranger can approach me and says that my bike isn't good enough to ride a certain trail system? Who's to say that the park ranger won't mistake my bike for a wal-mart bike. If this ever happened to me it definitely wouldn't end well.

And the idea is not to shove our whole mtbing community into having to run from rent-a-cops/cops/park rangers when you want to ride. A lot of the guys here have kids and want a nice day cycling with them, you see it all the time at places like 6MR, having a nice (legal) way to do that helps.

I totally get this and totally understand. But exactly how much bull should we have to endure before we stand up for ourselves?