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Old February 5th 14, 02:27 AM posted to rec.bicycles.soc
EdwardDolan
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Posts: 538
Default The Joys & Pleasures of Cycling on Trails

More bad news from the trenches, something that blackblade, Phil W Lee and John B will not enjoy reading. It of course only confirms what I have been saying from day one, namely, that cycling on trails is a conflict with other trail users. Only the self-serving terminally stupid would claim otherwise.
http://www.denverpost.com/lipsher/ci...#ixzz2sE2qwT62

Lipsher: Conflicts grow over biking in the mountains

By Steve Lipsher
Posted: 02/02/2014 05:00:00 PM MST

Land managers in Colorado have been unable to
keep up with the evolving uses and demands like
biking of mountain trails, writes Steve Lipsher.
(Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)

Mountain bikers philosophically have been more
aligned with hikers, cross-country skiers and
other "quiet use" types than with snowmobilers, dirt bikers and ATV riders.

But increasingly, the two-wheeled folks are
becoming embroiled in conflicts with other trail
users, and bikers now are finding themselves on
the other side of the philosophical divide and
risking alienating traditional allies.

From a long, unflattering history of creating
illegal, unsustainable trails to a new trend *
winter "fat" bikes that compete with skiers and
snowshoers on snow-covered trails * biking now
represents an intrusive activity that affects others in the woods.

Go to any online outdoor forum these days, and
you'll see lots of chatter about the
compatibility of bikes and other activities,
ranging from allowing bikes on trails in national
parks to whether battery-assisted bikes belong,
well, anywhere. (In Boulder, two distinct camps
have formed over allowing the new breed of
electric moped to share the paved bike paths.)

And the fiercest debate today is over whether the
new breed of winter bikes * which rely on
bulbous, low-pressure tires to float over the
snow * belong on the trails. The fear is they
will gouge out ruts in soft snow, making the skiing treacherous.

On MTBR, a popular mountain-biking chat site,
writers discussed whether fat bikes should be
allowed on specifically groomed cross-country ski
trails, which already prohibit hikers for the sake of keeping the track smooth.

"I tried to ride on a groomed trail once in
Wyoming," wrote one biker. "It was on public open
space land, and the trail was probably 40 inches
wide. I actually thought I was going to be
lynched. I got on my bike in the parking lot and
was surrounded by a bunch of XC skiers. They were
actually shouting two inches from my face."

"Skiers are a testy, testy bunch. Avoid them at all costs," wrote another.

But even in sticking to multi-use trails on
public lands that officially are open to all
users, "fat bikers" are encountering hostility
from unsuspecting snowshoers and skiers, similar
to the complaints that hikers have expressed in
the summer when bikers swarm past on their favorite treks.

Communities, public-lands agencies and user
groups now are grappling with how to keep peace
among the different interests. In Aspen, fat
bikes for the first time this winter are being
allowed on Pitkin County open space groomed by
the Aspen Snowmass Nordic Council as a trial run.
Two years ago, Idaho started hosting a "fat bike
summit" that brings land managers and bikers
together to discuss ways of alleviating
conflicts. And the International Mountain Biking
Association is imploring its members to be sure
that fat bikes are permitted on the lands where they want to ride.

Because the number of fat bikes is doubling every
year, doing nothing is no longer an option, and
some regulation is needed. The problem is that
land managers have been unable to keep up with the evolving uses and demands.

The U.S. Forest Service was slow to recognize the
explosion of summertime mountain biking in the
1980s, and the ensuing user conflicts and braids
of illegal, poorly designed user-created trails
created a management nightmare. Similarly, ATVs
have intruded into untrammeled places, forever altering their character.

Many of those routes have grown so popular that
forest managers begrudgingly have been forced to
include them in their updated trail networks.

Another issue is that bikers, as well as many
other groups, always are looking to expand their
territory, threatening to change the nature of ... well, nature.

This time, it's fat bikes. Next, powered bikes.
Before that, mountain boards. Every new fad and
craze competes for more space, resources,
management on the trail, and each creates its own
bitter divisions on who belongs.”

Since it seems I am now the only one on this newsgroup posting any content, I will treat with appropriate scorn any responders who do not also post some content. Name calling does not work with me as I just love to name call myself. It is part of being a Great Saint.

Mountain bikes have wheels. Wheels are for roads.

Trails are for walking. What’s the matter? Can’t walk?

Ed Dolan the Great
aka
Saint Edward the Great

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