(File photo)
Tonight I’m off to Oakridge, Oregon (“The center of Oregon recreation”) to take part in Mountain Bike Oregon.
The event promises three full days of riding on what I’ve heard are some of the best trails anywhere in the country. I’ll join about 150 other folks at a rustic camp along the Willamette River and ride till our heart’s content (then talk about it every night over cold beer).
My love affair with mountain biking began in 1995, but has been on hiatus since I moved to Portland three years ago. I can’t wait to get down there and rekindle the relationship. I hope the sparks still fly like they used to in the old days.
Stay tuned for reports and photos from the trail.
Don\’t ferget yer DEET! 🙂
That photo you posted points up one of the biggest problems with Mtn biking. And it is especially a problem when Mtn. bikes are used on foot hiking trails: riding side by side, and/or widening the tread of the trail.
Irresponsible mountain bikers tear hell out of trails. And many historic USFS and native american trails are being damaged by this. Riding out of the tread, going wide on switchbacks and riding side by side seriously damage trails.
In comparison to what motorcycles and quads do, however (especially on trails up the Clackamas drainage), moutnain bike damage is minimal. heavy use by bikes does, however seriously damage trails.
Spanky — Can give some specific examples here? As far as mountain bikers riding side by side…I\’ve been cycling for ten years and have never, ever seen that happen. not once. I can imagine that on less technical, high traffic parks paths this may happen, however I can\’t see how those types of paths would qualify as historic USFS and native american trails.
I hope you realize that especially in Oregon, there is a HUGE contingent of cycling groups that donate a large amount of time to trail responisibilty advocacy, maintenance, and trail building, so I urge you to be cautious about painting a picture of cyclists as \”irresponsible mountain bikers tear the hell out of trails\” without acknowledging that when taken as a whole the balance of users is quite on the opposite side of the fence.
Now don\’t get me started on Equestrian trail damage…I find it really obscene that excrement is allowed to be left on the trail, as well as 1\’ deep post-hole footprints.
Spanky,
It looks like the riders in the picture are riding a double-track trail. If you click on the photo, you\’d find out that the photo was taken in Forest Park, so it\’s probably on one of the firelanes. Nothing wrong or irresponsible with that.
Hey Jonathan,
We\’re excited to have you down here with us. Best sight so far: walking up the truck ramp to load your bike, camera around your neck, taking a picture as you loaded your bike. That\’s Classic Jonathan.
Camp is full of riders from around the country and we\’re ready for an awesome weekend.
Read Jonathan\’s reports and if you like what you see, come join us in August.
!! Team MBO
I bike everywhere in the city (sold my car when I moved here). I think opening up mountain biking in forest park is bad idea. Bikes should not be off road in a citypark, they rip up trails and make it all to easy for thrill seekers to go off the trail and damage the forest. Where I’. from (Philadelphia). they opened up some of their city park trails and it created a real problem with trail damage and in some cases safety issues. Is their anyone who thinks this is a mistake? I love this city and the amazing bike culture. I have to say I’m really surprised that bikeportland is on board with this