[ivwshane]

So I have two questions really. It’s going to start raining here in Northern California soon and since I’ve got about a month before my snowboarding season starts I’d like to keep riding. I asked one of my friends if they planned on riding it the trails got wet and he said no out of respect for the trails. I guess he was concerned about messing the trails up by creating ruts and they like.

Is this a thing? Is it considered disrespectful to ride a wet trail?

The second question is; if riding in wet weather what are some tips for beginners? The trails I ride now are currently hard packed and dusty and loose. What can I expect under wet conditions?

 

[FortOrdMTB]

So I have two questions really. It’s going to start raining here in Northern California soon and since I’ve got about a month before my snowboarding season starts I’d like to keep riding. I asked one of my friends if they planned on riding it the trails got wet and he said no out of respect for the trails. I guess he was concerned about messing the trails up by creating ruts and they like.

Is this a thing? Is it considered disrespectful to ride a wet trail?

The second question is; if riding in wet weather what are some tips for beginners? The trails I ride now are currently hard packed and dusty and loose. What can I expect under wet conditions?

Yes, it does damage to the trails. If on Singletrack and come across a puddle that covers the whole trail ride through the middle of it as it causes less erosion.

It is so dry any rain usually soaks up by the next day. If your tire is sinking into the trail and leaving tire marks probably best to wait for it to dry out. More of an issue in the spring but I can’t remember the last time had enough rain to stop ridding more than a day or two.

 

[eb1888]

It's a thing for my trails too. Trail builders put a lot of effort into sloping trail surfaces to drain and not hold water. If a spot holds water it'll turn into a muddy spot and a hole as people ride over it. Then everyone tries to miss the mud by going wide a bit. This widens and deteriorates the trail line. That means guys have to come in and do work to get it back to normal. Volunteer for trail work so you can see stuff.

 

[ivwshane]

Good info guys. Basically if it’s muddy enough to leave a trail stay off, correct?

 

[beerfriday]

It's a thing for my trails too. Trail builders put a lot of effort into sloping trail surfaces to drain and not hold water. If a spot holds water it'll turn into a muddy spot and a hole as people ride over it. Then everyone tries to miss the mud by going wide a bit. This widens and deteriorates the trail line. That means guys have to come in and do work to get it back to normal. Volunteer for trail work so you can see stuff.

Very good description.

The biggest issue in our area is trail braiding... the widening of the trail as folks ride around.

Leaving tracks/ruts is probably the biggest visual indicator.... your bike covered in dirt/organic is another. If you realize you are leaving ruts, try to stamp them out flat afterwards...

Then also look for opportunities to kick drain any standing water... find where the water wants to drain and what is blocking it... then kick out the dams

 

[chazpat]

Depending on the soil and location, it may not be really repairable by filling, it will just wash out and rocks must be brought in to armor it.

 

[FortOrdMTB]

Good info guys. Basically if it’s muddy enough to leave a trail stay off, correct?

That is the nice thing to do. But there is no law that says you can’t ride when muddy and there are those that will ride no matter what. Personally when it’s that wet I just go for a run and stick to the roads. No mud to clean off the bike that way & it only rains in CA a few days a year anyways right? 😁

 

[WHALENARD]

On the west side of the Cascades, if trails didn't function well when wet they wouldn't exist. In the not too distant past the coastal side of the Northern California range was quite wet too. I would inquire locally about your specific trails.

Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using Tapatalk

 

[ivwshane]

Well if it helps here are the spots I ride:

rockville Fairfield
Pena adobe Vacaville
Moore creek Napa
Crockett

 

[Pisgah]

Wet roots and wooden bridges can be slicker than ice.

 

[BlackPenquinn]

I don't live in California, but it’s really soil and trail dependent. Some trails have a sand base and drain beautifully, others are clay and hold water. Some have issues with erosion and others give you hero dirt when they are wet. You see folks in the UK riding in rain and it doesn’t seem to matter to their trails.

We had some crazy rain here over two days, but the trails system I rode was bone dry, on the other side of the city, the trails were a no-go.

 

[vikb]

Go ask a local bike shop in your area. I'm on the same coast, but further north and we ride all winter. Your particular soil conditions/trails are going to dictate what you should do. It may be possible there are trails in your area that ride fine wet and others that don't. Your LBS will have all the 411.

 

[cassieno]

Well if it helps here are the spots I ride:

rockville Fairfield
Pena adobe Vacaville
Moore creek Napa
Crockett

I haven't ridding Pena Adobe or Moore creek. But

Rockville - go to rain spot. This place is great in the rain. If it's actively raining and I'll go here.

Crockett - crap in the wet. East bay has peanut butter mud. It's terrible and gets all over / stuck in everything. Don't ride here if trails are muddy.

There is no general answer it depends on each specific trail system. In Marin within 5 miles of each other it varies considerably.

 

[Jayem]

So I have two questions really. It’s going to start raining here in Northern California soon and since I’ve got about a month before my snowboarding season starts I’d like to keep riding. I asked one of my friends if they planned on riding it the trails got wet and he said no out of respect for the trails. I guess he was concerned about messing the trails up by creating ruts and they like.

Is this a thing? Is it considered disrespectful to ride a wet trail?

The second question is; if riding in wet weather what are some tips for beginners? The trails I ride now are currently hard packed and dusty and loose. What can I expect under wet conditions?

Our bad season is in the spring when the snow is thawing, if we try to ride in that before it dries out (takes a few weeks after becoming bare) it leaves huge ruts that never go away. We can often ride on the trails in the rain at all other times, but now what I do is instead of riding in the rain, I go and work on the trails. It's the best time, since you can see where the water is pooling and remove the damns, build drains, trenches, angle the tread, borrow pits, etc.

It just depends on the trail system. Often times riders will ride around puddles, which tends to dam the puddle even more, which makes it bigger and bigger over time, as well as widening the trail tread, all generally bad things for the trail. Some trail networks have horrible soil that cakes the bike and actually stops the wheels from turning. Some trails rut out easily with some rain. Some trail networks are on relatively hard soil that sheds water well and doesn't care if it's raining or not. Some loamy stuff just absorbs the rain and it doesn't do anything except make the roots slick. It just depends. The rule of thumb is if you are leaving a rut, but a lot of riders seem to sugar coat conditions and they'll tell me it's great or not muddy and I go out there and it's like these people were in some sort of alternate reality, because it's not good, it is muddy.

 

[Harold]

Very location and substrate dependent. Also time of year dependent.

Where I live some trails do fine and others don't.

Feet of rain in the summertime dries out so fast (because of evaporation and because all the plants are actively drinking it up) that most trails are infrequently muddy enough to avoid. But a fraction of that amount of moisture in the wintertime or springtime when the plants are dormant and the temps are cooler (less evaporation) will turn a bunch of trails into a slopfest. The other factor locally is that traffic levels are high, being that it's a popular tourist destination. So some land managers to close singletrack to all user groups when they anticipate conditions ripe for users to trash wet trails. It's generally not because one user's impact is all that high...but because the impact of hundreds or thousands of users IS.

 

[wschruba]

This is a question for whatever local MTB group is in your area. Good general advice here (and some specific...), but there is ultimately no catch-all answer.

 

[ivwshane]

Ok I got it.

Now what about tips for riding in wet conditions? I saw a mention about wood features which is good to know because there are a couple of those on the trails I ride.

On dry loose terrain I've heard its good to go with a lighter psi, how about when it's wet?

 

[cassieno]

try and ride straight over everything. You cannot turn. Loft the front and go. If you are leaning / turning etc it doesn't end well.

However, that only really matters on wet roots. Most of the rocks at rockville are fine. I would just get out there and ride. PSI is probably going to be the same as dry / loose. As low a PSI as you can get away with is pretty much better always (unless you are just riding pavement)

 

[Jayem]

On dry loose terrain I've heard its good to go with a lighter psi, how about when it's wet?

Darker.

 

[Nosdeho]

So I have two questions really. It’s going to start raining here in Northern California soon and since I’ve got about a month before my snowboarding season starts I’d like to keep riding. I asked one of my friends if they planned on riding it the trails got wet and he said no out of respect for the trails. I guess he was concerned about messing the trails up by creating ruts and they like.

Is this a thing? Is it considered disrespectful to ride a wet trail?

The second question is; if riding in wet weather what are some tips for beginners? The trails I ride now are currently hard packed and dusty and loose. What can I expect under wet conditions?

As a trail builder come to a work party and join in. Putting some sweat and hopefully not blood on the trail gives you a respect for the work that goes into the trails you ride. Plus you get to learn about soil and trail conditions.