Whether you read them or not occasionally I pick up different MTB Rags and MTB Action is shiny and has nice pictures and based in SoCal.

An article written by Jim Mcllvain outlines some very interesting points about bikes/riding/etc that pertains highly to our SoCal and San Diego plight of trail access/closures.

Bottom line of the article is the change in the types of bikes and their intended purposes and how they have greatly changed in recent years and how that affects the trails and other users of the trails.

Essentially many of the Problems with land management and mulit-users stems from the "Modification" of trails, adding jumps, drops/stunt features as well as the interactions of some riders/hikers/equestrians.

The gist of the article spells out a rating/registration process, by which you would register your bike as a X-Country/Trail bike or "evil" (my word) downhill bike. With the registration/permit some money could be generated for the Land Manager (I'm sure they like money) and specific trail areas could be deemed for Category usage.

Obviously the question of how to Police something like the above, but it could be a start in showing good faith with the Land Management people who are so keen to shut us down.

I know it would suck, but I would be willing to pay annual Permit Fee if it meant I could ride existing and new approved trails without worrying about "The Man". Maybe the Permit fee could go towards creation of official nice trail maps that you receive annually when you get your permit.

Yes, there are certainly other issues including the increased use of things such as Strave, etc (see article below)
http://www.mbaction.com/Main/News/Ride_Smart_Strava_Abuse_Could_Hurt_Trail_Access_In_5925.aspx

Let discussion ensue!!!!!!!!!!!

Screw that.

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"New York City is a mismanaged carnival of stupidity that is desperate for revenue and anxious to criminalize behavior once thought benign."
--Alex Baldwin, unknowingly describing his socialist utopia.

mountain bike action is a complete turd

I will be more verbose than my predecessors. Not a fan of any sort of regulation of our sport by land managers. Regulation of the type involving permits and money on public land is for camping where they provide services like bathrooms water and shore line, not passing through on a bike. No way. Don't take this feedback badly though; it is interesting to see what ideas people cook up when their is a perceived problem.

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"We'll ride it until they pave it."

-Big Clyde

I wouldn't be surprised if they instituted a registration process for mountain bikes, looked what happen to dirt bikes. But it would be frickin hard to implement something of that sort for mountain bikes.

I always keep in mind a second option for jumps/drops so people can go around them, being either less skilled bikers or a hiker. Quickest way to shutdown a trail is to have only one way down and someone getting hurt. On the other hand people need to take responsibility for themselves and if they hurt themselves not try to sue someone instead take care of it on their own.

Im not even going to get into interaction between riders/hikers/equestrian even between some riders it seems they aren't so pleasant.

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"You're like a mountain biking version of a mall crawler."-24v

ya because we need more regulations.

While I would not Happily want to see more regulation or fees as listed in my first post. It cannot be argued that "we" are viewed as evil/bad/damaging/dangerous to the environment, other users, etc. For that matter we already have quite a bit of regulation by land managers with all the "Illegal" trails everywhere.

Yes, we pay just as many taxes as the other Land Users, but in an effort to create a more favorable view of Mt Bikers, to me this actually seems like an approach that the Land Managers might see as favorable.

As we all know Money Talks and if an organized way to provide money to Land Managers was created, there might be a day when we see "Bikes ONLY" signs!!!!!!

Realistically if most of the riders in SD County paid $50 a year ( I know pretty steep, but also really not that much) would provide $50,000 for every thousand registers. I don't know how many would really register, granted it would be divided among the Sites, but that kind of money extra starts to Incentivise government workers. It's basically the same thing Lobbyists do.

how much do the tickets costs? that should be enough right?

f'ck that shit...


..ok, my apologies, let me rephrase that;


...FUCK THAT SHIT BITCHES!
this is just another way to add a another tax to the already long list of taxes/fees this fuckin shity state imposes on us.
hell, next thing you know there will be a 'take a shit fee/tax'...and every time you sit down on a toilet, you will have to swipe a cc or sumthing on the throne just to get it to flush.
this cannot be allowed, this MUST not be allowed.

fuck land managers and fuck their regulations...and FUCK THE STATE!
riding a bicycle is the purest form of being 'green' or being environmentally conscious....its the absolute opposite of driving our big v8 three blocks down the street to get a gallon of milk...like most Americans do in this 'soooo environmentally conscious state' of ours....so i sure as shit aint gonna allow the state to tax my ass when i'm performing an action that does not cause any harm to the environment.

and as for bikes damaging trails?...fuck that shit.....your mom damages trails more than my bike does.
i dont drag brake, and the few times that i do, the rains, wind and MY diggin time will deal with it. so fuck that bullshit lie about bikes ruining trails....


fuck this state...and fuck MTB Action for even suggesting that shit..

...and fuck everyone of you that agrees with them....YOU can go ahead and pay more if you want, but dont ask me to be a dumbass along side you.

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'the notorious North County Sancho'

Right, then next thing you know there will be bicycle safety inspections to register/reregister your bike. Usage taxes, processing fees, tire disposal fees because we seem to be "shredding" the trails and wearing out tires, blahblahblah. Then bikes will need to certified by a licensed technician as trail ready, more fees there. Where does it end? When the rider needs to pass a SMOG check?

I'm a tax paying citizen. That should be enough. This state has enough draconian regulations and laws. We don't need more.

No Rules Man!!! We're Too Gnar for Rules!!

Yeah, fun to be 14 again.

More seriously, I haven't read the MBA article but, the representation above certainly references something that's totally true: evolution of the gear has fed an evolution of riding styles that affects access and trail-sharing issues. You don't have to be a rebel to recognize that, and it doesn't make you a pawn to acknowledge the world is round. The observation is totally legit.

In the new spirit of DT "crap on everything style", one might put it this way: mountainbikers that have been riding since long before the gnar-core even owned a mountainbike (much less being gnar enough to crow about gnarficity) can remember when a state-of-the-art DH bike and Rider were truly challenged on trails that the new gnar-core and we oldsters can blast at speeds way beyond what the DH National Champion could have done on the same trail. Ever see Mike King descend The Shitz or Cobblestone when he was ruling the world? Ever see Tomac or Tinker descend the Nationals DH Course at Snow Summit? Ever ridden those same trails on bikes "nearly" like theirs at the time? (You could ride those same trails today on a shop-bought, OEM bike, at faster speeds.)

Those that have may understand something the rad dudes with no rules can't even fathom: that potential speeds on TRAILS have gone up as the gear has improved, and a generation of riders with way more bike than local trails "need" have a hunger for gnarlier terrain that wasn't even "rideable" in the past... and a tendency to roll down multiuse trails at a casual speed that's way faster than what used to be "normal" (a speed that still is normal for riders on cheapass bikes or antiquated hardtails...even those Luddites on full rigid).

Very much like the cruising speed in my sedan on the freeway would have been "hauling ass" in my '69 Plymouth, the gear lets us go faster over the same stuff and access rougher stuff than ever before. Face this or not, but this factor does play into the terrain we seek, the impacts we create in venues and habitat we never did before, and the dynamics internal to the sport. Who here hasn't seen friction between trail advocates bent on access for the general population and those focused on trails suitable for "way more fun"? Right?

There's a good point in that observation that evolution of gear and riding has also evolved and broadened our needs as a riding community. That simple truth has nothing to do with Reg Fees or LoJack permits for my bike.

Why are you dissing the intelligence of this board? Gnar? Gnar-core? DTs ride around crap. Crap is the horse shit on trails.

I like my 2008 mountain bike and ride it on trails. I like my 1999 mountain bike and ride it on trails.

I have seen people ride stuff ("gnar") on hardtails I can't ride on my full suspension bike. 90% of riding is the rider. The bike is just an instrument.

If you're concerned about speed on trails, bitch about Stava!

If you're concerned about getting old and seeing the younger guys go faster, join the club! That's what beer is for dude.

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"We'll ride it until they pave it."

-Big Clyde

325racer are you a Land Manager?

I think you are fucking dummy for your opinion of DT. It's not about being to gnar for rules. To the point, it's about standing up and saying NO...keeping the hand out of my pocket and having a say about it is not being 14 years old.

Who gives a shit that our gear has evolved? Use it. Some day, I won't be able to ride a bike...too old, car wreck, cancer, die...who knows? The fact remains that I am alive now! I have the desire, gear, and trail to enjoy it (legal or not) and BET I will. Just because some hiker, land owner, or state/gov agency says otherwise, is not going to keep me or any rider with grit on the level of some bullshit reason to NOT enjoy what I want.

Basil, you can get fucked while the rest of us are out riding.

"and as for bikes damaging trails?...fuck that shit.....HORSES damage trails more than my bike does."

I already pay ENOUGH taxes! I can't afford more!
NO MORE rules, "fees", regulations or restrictions!

Just got a bill for $135 for "fire protection" because I live in an unincorporated area of the county.... WTF?

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"My favorite part of riding a bike is when I get off the bike." - Jim Gaffigan