[drz400sm]

Hey, just out of curiosity...today i was out riding a local trail. Noticed a lot of bikers out there, actually, more than ive ever seen before...probably just because of the good weather.

I was on my way back to the car, going through a single track with a lot of switchbacks. The section is pretty much covered in trees and brush so mostly blind corners and about half uphill and half downhill. On an uphill section this lady comes haulin ass and almost nails me. I saw her last second and calmly hugged the right side and went around her. I could tell she was probably experienced because she slammed on her rear brake with good control avoiding any sort of crash, but boy did i piss her off. A lot of curse words and yellin in my direction after the incident.

The last thing i needed was to get in some stupid argument so i just kept on trekin. Ive only been riding a little over a year but i wouldnt really consider myself a beginner, just an intermediate weekend warrior with over a thousand miles logged. I always go into blind corners with the expectations of someone/something else waiting for me on the other side.

Was I in the wrong? I really wanted to turn around and give her the finger but i kinda thought maybe it was my fault. I mean, i was moving at a normal pace, i wasnt just sitting in the middle of the trail with my thumb in my ass or anything. Just would like to know what you guys think of this or if you've had similar incidences on your rides.

 

[JPark]

Downhill rider always yeilds to uphill rider.
All riders must maintain controll of their bikes.
Sounds like you were in the right on both counts:thumbsup:

 

[AZ]

X 2 .....

 

[Bikinfoolferlife]

Like they said and if she had to slam on her rear brake (at least that translates to a skid to me), her technique is off too. Unfortunately there are some mountain bikers who think downhill has the right of way...

 

[marzjennings]

Idiots who haul arse on tight busy single track without expecting some head on traffic are just that, idiots. There's a few racers who like to 'train' on local trails in town, all single track and all shared with other mtbers of all experience levels, plus walkers and trail runners. They fly around the trails at race speed and get upset when someone else is using 'their' shared trails system.

I do like to let loose on the trails, but I call out "Rider!" on every blind corner and rise.

I'd say you were in the right, but it may be a good idea to get in the practice of calling out on blind sections.

 

[Gasp4Air]

...I do like to let loose on the trails, but I call out "Rider!" on every blind corner and rise...

Do you also slow down, prepared to stop for what may be around the bend? Or does calling out "Rider" mean whatever's around the bend has to jump out of your way?

 

[marzjennings]

Do you also slow down, prepared to stop for what may be around the bend? Or does calling out "Rider" mean whatever's around the bend has to jump out of your way?

No I take every blind section of trail with the expectation of another rider just out of view and so ride accordingly. Shouting 'rider' lets those coming the other way know the trails is not empty. I few riders yell 'Track' in an attempt to get right of way, but I've in general always ignored them.

 

[Gasp4Air]

No I take every blind section of trail with the expectation of another rider just out of view and so ride accordingly. Shouting 'rider' lets those coming the other way know the trails is not empty. I few riders yell 'Track' in an attempt to get right of way, but I've in general always ignored them.

Thanks for that. I get pretty riled at riders who expect others (riders and hikers, I'm both) to jump out of their way. It only takes a few like that to give us all a bad name. Ride on, brother. :thumbsup:

 

[Iridethedirt]

general rules of the trail.

IMBA gives a list of rules for the trail:
http://www.imba.com/about/trail_rules.html

that is generally accepted as the rules set forth for mountain bikers and trail use.

downhillers should definatly always yeild to the uphill rider. passing should always be announced, and allowed. blind corners is a sticky grey area... I find calling out loudly, "rider up" as i approach the corner will allow other riders to announce themselves to me, at which point, everybody would proceed with the proper caution. Railing through a blind corner at full speed is never a good idea, unless maybe you've got a rider up ahead who can give you the all clear. hikers, trail runners mountain bikers, and all other trail users should also give the courtesy of announcing people who may be out of sight, but out with you using the trail... ie: "got 2 more behind me" while you pass the uphill rider waiting for you to finish climbing. or the trail runner who says "got one more maybe a couple hundred yards back" so you know what you are rolling into... its just good manners. You will encounter a lot of different kinds of things on the trail, even people walking thier dogs... and dogs can be really not cool to bikes, or so stupidly friendly they will run out in front... take the proper precautions. you will find all kinds of trail users, and all kinds of people, and some of it is very cool, some of it is terribly annoying. here are some favorites:
Rude people who think they own the trail for some unknown reason. holier than thou trail users who scoff at you, or look down their nose because they picked up some garbage, or moved a couple fallen tree branches, and do not reailze that the majority of people putting in time with some really dirty sweaty trail maintenence are mountain bikers... In general, mountain bikers have made a bad name for themselves among other trail users because stories of mountain bikers startling people because of the speed they can suddenly appear with. a lot of other trail users view mountain bikers as careless trail users who go way too fast to even appreciate the nature and environment which we are, in thier eyes, abusing with our destructive mechanized equipment. we're fighting an uphill battle regarding keeping trails open to mountain bikes all over the country. please, if you read this, pay attention to the rules, ride with other's safety in mind, and would be it so hard to slow down, smile, say hello, and generally be nice to a hiker? maybe when you stop at the top of the hill so they can finish hiking uphill, smile and say "hello! have a nice day!" or any simple stupid thing to be nice. It goes a long way to get them on our side to keep the trails open to us, rather than to have some jerk come hurtling down the hill on thier bike and force them jumping off the trail to avoid being run over! those are the kinds of things that HAPPEN that we have to literally make up for by trying to show that the majority of us are courteous trail users. 6 simple rules, just follow them, and be nice to people.:thumbsup:

 

[drz400sm]

i appreciate all the comments... i feel better about the situation and am glad we both just went our seperate ways. I always try to give a nod, a wave, or a smile to everyone else on the trails with me..not just bikers, but hikers, visitors, rangers, and yes even equestrians (even tho i spend half the time avoiding the horse **** that is left all over the place ). Most of the time i dont even get a nod back...like they are too focused on there path ahead of them to acknowledge anyone else.

also, letting other riders know if you have other bikes behind you is a smart idea. i have never really thought about that before but makes perfect sense, although i am by myself majority of the time.

 

[GoBuffs]

Was it a one way trail? If not, she's totally in the wrong.

 

[spec4life]

maybe more of these on the trail would help...(borrowed pic from maida)

 

[Starkonian]

As a courtesy, uphill riders shuold try to move out of the way for downhillers but up hill rider have the right of way. I had some down hill clown yell at me once when I was coming up hill. I wasn't sure about the rule then but now am ready to answer back if that happens again.

 

[sponger]

First off, I tip my hat to you for being the gentleman and calmly going about your merry way as soon as the coast was clear. Out in the woods where there are few –if any- witnesses, I would say it’s brave for a woman to “assert” herself –right or wrong- to a passing male.

I’m not saying that women shouldn’t assert themselves. I’m saying that if I was a woman, I wouldn’t unless I had a can of mace handy, which she may have had. There are a lot of twisted dudes out there who wouldn’t have taken her challenge to their “manhood” lightly.

I think it’s great to see more and more women on mountain bikes. At the risk of sounding “sexist” or “macho,” I’m gonna go ahead and say that up until very recent years, it would’ve been something of an enigma to see the opposite sex doing the fat tire thing.

You’d have to suppose for a moment that maybe there’s a certain thrill that’s derived from conquering yet another sport of the outdoors.

It’s like in that movie “American Beauty,” when Kevin Spacey’s wife pulls the trigger on a firearm for the first time in her life. For her, it was a sense of empowerment. It was a tremendous boost in self-confidence.

Having fired many firearms throughout my life, I can honestly say that I’ve never felt “empowered” by them. I do love the smell of gunpowder, however. Oh yes I do love that smell. And I love it when the air is filled with that “greasy” smell when it comes time to clean the components.

Anyhow, what I’m saying is that maybe she was just living in the moment; she wanted you to hear her “roar.”

I apologize if I’ve offended anyone with this post.

 

[Gasp4Air]

First off, I tip my hat to you for being the gentleman and calmly going about your merry way as soon as the coast was clear. Out in the woods where there are few -if any- witnesses, I would say it's brave for a woman to "assert" herself -right or wrong- to a passing male.

I'm not saying that women shouldn't assert themselves. I'm saying that if I was a woman, I wouldn't unless I had a can of mace handy, which she may have had. There are a lot of twisted dudes out there who wouldn't have taken her challenge to their "manhood" lightly.

I think it's great to see more and more women on mountain bikes. At the risk of sounding "sexist" or "macho," I'm gonna go ahead and say that up until very recent years, it would've been something of an enigma to see the opposite sex doing the fat tire thing.

You'd have to suppose for a moment that maybe there's a certain thrill that's derived from conquering yet another sport of the outdoors.

It's like in that movie "American Beauty," when Kevin Spacey's wife pulls the trigger on a firearm for the first time in her life. For her, it was a sense of empowerment. It was a tremendous boost in self-confidence.

Having fired many firearms throughout my life, I can honestly say that I've never felt "empowered" by them. I do love the smell of gunpowder, however. Oh yes I do love that smell. And I love it when the air is filled with that "greasy" smell when it comes time to clean the components.

Anyhow, what I'm saying is that maybe she was just living in the moment; she wanted you to hear her "roar."

I apologize if I've offended anyone with this post.

I agree with you, but maybe it's not that complicated. A women can be as big a jerk as any man, which might have been the case here.

 

[Iridethedirt]

First off, I tip my hat to you for being the gentleman and calmly going about your merry way as soon as the coast was clear. Out in the woods where there are few -if any- witnesses, I would say it's brave for a woman to "assert" herself -right or wrong- to a passing male.

I'm not saying that women shouldn't assert themselves. I'm saying that if I was a woman, I wouldn't unless I had a can of mace handy, which she may have had. There are a lot of twisted dudes out there who wouldn't have taken her challenge to their "manhood" lightly.

I think it's great to see more and more women on mountain bikes. At the risk of sounding "sexist" or "macho," I'm gonna go ahead and say that up until very recent years, it would've been something of an enigma to see the opposite sex doing the fat tire thing.

You'd have to suppose for a moment that maybe there's a certain thrill that's derived from conquering yet another sport of the outdoors.

It's like in that movie "American Beauty," when Kevin Spacey's wife pulls the trigger on a firearm for the first time in her life. For her, it was a sense of empowerment. It was a tremendous boost in self-confidence.

Having fired many firearms throughout my life, I can honestly say that I've never felt "empowered" by them. I do love the smell of gunpowder, however. Oh yes I do love that smell. And I love it when the air is filled with that "greasy" smell when it comes time to clean the components.

Anyhow, what I'm saying is that maybe she was just living in the moment; she wanted you to hear her "roar."

I apologize if I've offended anyone with this post.

It's kind of funny to see the point of view of female riders being only a recent development. I began riding because my sister introduced me to the sport about 14 years ago. I will agree, it has begun to catch on a lot more with women in the past few years. I thnking it's excellent. And the growing women specific gear market is great too!

 

[marzjennings]

I'm not saying that women shouldn't assert themselves. I'm saying that if I was a woman, I wouldn't unless I had a can of mace handy, which she may have had. There are a lot of twisted dudes out there who wouldn't have taken her challenge to their "manhood" lightly.

You'd have to suppose for a moment that maybe there's a certain thrill that's derived from conquering yet another sport of the outdoors.

It's like in that movie "American Beauty," when Kevin Spacey's wife pulls the trigger on a firearm for the first time in her life. For her, it was a sense of empowerment. It was a tremendous boost in self-confidence.

Anyhow, what I'm saying is that maybe she was just living in the moment; she wanted you to hear her "roar."

I apologize if I've offended anyone with this post.

What a bunch of horse crap. We all enjoy the certain thrill of riding trails at warp speed, but male or female we have to ride with some level of responsibility and the rider hammering the trails regardless of other trail users in the OP is an idiot.

And I didn't see any perceived threat to the OP's manhood just the fact they had to deal with an arsehole on a bike. Who knew that acting like an arsehole is empowering???

If I ever let loose on a section on trail and happen to knock some one down, I'll just let them know I was living in the moment and wanted them to hear my roar. 'Cos that seems to be ok!!! :madman: :madman: :madman:

 

[Dictatorsaurus]

First off, I tip my hat to you for being the gentleman and calmly going about your merry way as soon as the coast was clear. Out in the woods where there are few -if any- witnesses, I would say it's brave for a woman to "assert" herself -right or wrong- to a passing male.

I'm not saying that women shouldn't assert themselves. I'm saying that if I was a woman, I wouldn't unless I had a can of mace handy, which she may have had. There are a lot of twisted dudes out there who wouldn't have taken her challenge to their "manhood" lightly.

I think it's great to see more and more women on mountain bikes. At the risk of sounding "sexist" or "macho," I'm gonna go ahead and say that up until very recent years, it would've been something of an enigma to see the opposite sex doing the fat tire thing.

You'd have to suppose for a moment that maybe there's a certain thrill that's derived from conquering yet another sport of the outdoors.

It's like in that movie "American Beauty," when Kevin Spacey's wife pulls the trigger on a firearm for the first time in her life. For her, it was a sense of empowerment. It was a tremendous boost in self-confidence.

Having fired many firearms throughout my life, I can honestly say that I've never felt "empowered" by them. I do love the smell of gunpowder, however. Oh yes I do love that smell. And I love it when the air is filled with that "greasy" smell when it comes time to clean the components.

Anyhow, what I'm saying is that maybe she was just living in the moment; she wanted you to hear her "roar."

I apologize if I've offended anyone with this post.

You are trying to justify some idiot's behaviour by over complicating the situation.

We are talking about adults here. Not children who are having their "roar" moment.

We have become so ultra passive nowadays that a**holes are getting away doing stuff they would have paid dearly for in the past.

When people are aware of the consequences of their actions, they tend to behave much better.

 

[OVOleg]

I would have followed her and told her how to ride...not srs but I would have yelled at her.


Hate stupid and dangerous riders

 

[sponger]

At no point was I justifying her behavior. I’m not saying that people should grin and bear it when other people act belligerently or in an otherwise uncalled-for manner.

What I’m saying is that her behavior is atypical for the female gender under those circumstances (i.e., alone and in the woods). In an area where there’s a lot of people, women are more adept to being verbally abusive toward males because they know they’ll be protected under the chivalry clause.

That’s why I thought there was possibly something beneath the surface which prompted said outburst. A woman would have to really be in a certain state of mind to tangle with some dude out in the woods. She would have to be thinking impulsively. What would cause that impulsiveness? Maybe she felt “empowered” by her mountain bike. That’s all I’m saying here.