Ramped logs - love/hate

[Nash]

Does anyone remember the art and skill of cleaning a large fallen tree without it being ramped with little logs? The challenge of pedaling at a fallen tree...say 2+ feet high....picking the correct speed, pulling a wheelie, throwing your bike and body weight up...rolling your large chain ring over while trying your hardest not to dab, then to follow through and not endo? Its a really difficult skill that I once had but since every tree anymore is ramped (even ones that your chain ring will clear with both tires planted on the ground) I am afraid I have become lazy, forgot how to do this and fear the skill has been lost forever.

[DirtRagArt]

I totally agree, Nash. The challenge of getting over a fallen tree is not only fun, it promotes better woods skills—helpful when one rides in a place that doesn't feature manicured trails. Also, log piles are a greater hinderance to hikers and equestrians than a single downed tree, and we need to be concious of other user groups.

While I'm a big fan of the big ramped log piles and like the way a ramped pile puts the flow back into a trail that might otherwise bring things to a halt, the construction of log piles has grown (especially in Hartwood Acres) and many of which are completely unnecessary (like putting three fallen saplings on either side of a foot-high log) or horribly built. Sometimes I take the time to dismantle the unnecessary piles, and often times it's possible to clear the fallen log which caused the perceived need for construction.

[Mauriceman]

Yea, log piles are fun as long as they don't interfere with the flow of the trail.

Problem is, in the public park we need to maintain trails to a more user-friendly specification, and chainsaw most logs.

[aredee]

I'm gonna try to refrain from getting all worked-up on this issue.....

Ramping any log smaller than 2 feet is the work of the Devil.

Cutting out a log w/out leaving part of it to hop is.... how you say......lame.


This is a big issue where I'm at and I am in the minority. The art of bunny-hopping is a useful skill and should be available for practice at all mountain bike trails. It is, after all, mountain biking.

Hop it or walk it.

[strong dog]

Proper technique is to clear the rings altogether. I agree though, If you can't get over it, don't make a mess that will have to be constantly maintained by ramping said logs with smaller ones. I've gotten messed up on logs that were perfectly easy to hop/bunnyhop because the ramp approach and departures were a mess of unstable sticks.

[DirtRagArt]

Yep, Strong Dog, I hear that, too! It sucks having to wheelie a foot-and-a-half sooner just to bunnyhop a pile. Also, have you noticed how shoddy some of the piles in Frick Park are?

[ckozo]

this has been a 'hate' item of mine for years and it seems that in recent years the trend is to ramp almost everything.

in my humble, and maybe misguided opinion, if people spent less time building ramps and more time practicing how to get over UN-ramped obstacles, there would be less need for the ramps in the first place.

and when you get good at riding/bunny-hopping over the UN-ramped obstacles, you realize that you don't need ramped items to keep the 'flow' of the ride.

[Nash]

When I started riding 10 years ago if you ramped a log and your buddies saw you do it...you would be verbally and physically abused until you cried uncle and swore to never ramp another log no matter how big its girth. They would then make you go back and ride it until you cleaned it or they got tired of waiting for you. Maybe this is what we are doing wrong today....if we don't ramp all the downed trees and groom our trails they will stay technical forcing the not so good riders to become better or to go ride an easier trail!!!! This should also result in less traffic which means not as much littering, fewer annoyed hikers and more importantly...more singletrack....AM I on to something or is this just politically incorrect thinking? Is it a bad thing to have different levels of trails to accommodate different technical abilities? Ahh, dreams.........

[lensmire]

Being a beginner MTBiker, I must agree with everyone else. The ramps are more difficult /dangerous than trying to bunny hop said log. As a beginner I feel I must know my limtations and strive to become better. Bunny hopping obstacles is one area that I need improvement. Not to mention the satisfaction of clearing the obstacle w/o harming my bike or my person. The reason I feel the ramps are more difficult than jumping the log is because of the poor quality/construction of the ramps.
At least when I was riding back home in Wisconsin,Nine Mile Swamp(Wausau area), the amount of ramped logs wasn't as great as some of the trails where I live in Central Ohio.

[boonerider]

IM000104 I don't have a problem with it as long as there is a legitimate need for ramping. What I hate is when people build ramps up and over trees under 2 feet. The large log jams are allot of fun though.

[Subscription Guy]

I'm not surprised to see differing preferences on how to deal with logs, ramps, etcetera. It comes down to what type of riding experience each individual is seeking.

However, there is a bigger question that has to do with the "standards and policies" that are to be applied to shared-use trail systems. Take our county parks, for example. In addition to mountain bikers, there are walkers, joggers, horseback riders -- just to name a few. Any policy on trails that see heavy use by varying users needs to accomadate all groups. Sure, many mountain bikers like jumping logs or riding ramps, but folks on horseback can't handle the larger obstacles. They are forced to ride around them, creating spur trails, which degrade the environment. Be assured, I'm not blaming the horseback riders. Actually, I'm making a case that the policy on such shared-use trails should be to saw fallen logs to accomodate all users. If we mountain bikers want to be included in "shared use" trails, we need to be willing to make sure that others can share the trails. For more technical challenges, we may need to look outside of our urban parks, to places where more rugged terrain is more appropriate.

[strong dog]

When I was a wee one building trails in the woods to tear up on our 20 inch, magged, rigid beasts, we'd build up logs with smaller ones but then cover them with packed dirt. It would make for killer jumps, and any rider not confident could just roll over them. The dirt-covered log ramps would last a heck of a lot longer too, we'd do maintenance as needed which wasn't all that often.

[boonerider]

Karl I totally agree with your view. Every user group must learn to work with all other user groups. Here in Ky we have trouble with Mtbikers and Equestrians getting along. The Equestrians hate the bikers because we spook the horses, most bikers hate the horses because they totally destroy the trails in muddy conditions.
I have been working with the land manager to try and solve this problem but we have yet to come up with a viable solution. Do you have and suggestions?

[Subscription Guy]

The only way to solve the problem is to get representatives from the bike and horse crowd to sit down at the conference table with the land manager, and work out a solution. Hopefully both bikers and horseback riders have clubs that can send representatives. The reps will then have to spread the word to educate participants, and implement action plans, after you work out the issues.

You WILL work out the issues, trust me. Once the initial venting takes place, people settle down and realize that to keep the trails they need to work together, not fight one another.

Good luck,
:)