- Joined
- Dec 21, 2015
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So I have been thinking more and more about why I flat out love certain trails, why I hate certain trails, and also why I can hate a trail but learn to love, and also why I can hate a trail and never learn to like it.
Thinking about this I have come to a conclusion, regardless of technical difficultly there are three types of flow you can find on basically on any local trail system.
1. Trails that just built flowly.
This does not necessary mean excavated flow trail, but it could mean it. What it means to me, that the trails is built to not ever make the ride do sudden moves or direction changes all turn usually end more open than closed , overall the average intermediate rider wont have any issue riding the trail and will most likely have fun, and if their are technical feature they will most like ride them because of how the rest of the trails makes them feel, the average advance expert rider will have a blast due to speed and the G force feeling they feel.
2. Trails where you have to find the flow.
These trails are typically more advance in nature or at least effectively ride more advance in nature. These are trails though a combination of line choice(sometimes "creative"), Pumping and well timed trail gaps, can be made to flow really well, hell in fact once you get the flow of this type of trail it is typically more rewarding than Type 1 trails. Small bits of finding the flow put into a trail where it just flows can be a great intro this type of riding.
3. Trails where no matter how much you try to find the flow, it just does not exist.
These types of trails IMO fall into two type of categories. Trails that the natural Terrain was tough to use and were not built with MTBs necessarily in mind , this IMO is entirely acceptable. The second type are trails that are built are supposedly built for mtbers, and typically have featured such a decreasing radius turns, guide stones, trees blocking apexes, steep turns and flat straights, no up and down undulation to pump. Basically this type of trail tries to sap any momentum you have and make it hard to gain more by either pedaling or pumping.
I am pretty sure you can guess which type of flow I dislike and basically think has no place ever being built on purpose. But I am curious by my criteria what kind of flow do you like? I can give real world examples eventually but I would rather hear from you what you like, with your examples especially fairly well know trails.
Thinking about this I have come to a conclusion, regardless of technical difficultly there are three types of flow you can find on basically on any local trail system.
1. Trails that just built flowly.
This does not necessary mean excavated flow trail, but it could mean it. What it means to me, that the trails is built to not ever make the ride do sudden moves or direction changes all turn usually end more open than closed , overall the average intermediate rider wont have any issue riding the trail and will most likely have fun, and if their are technical feature they will most like ride them because of how the rest of the trails makes them feel, the average advance expert rider will have a blast due to speed and the G force feeling they feel.
2. Trails where you have to find the flow.
These trails are typically more advance in nature or at least effectively ride more advance in nature. These are trails though a combination of line choice(sometimes "creative"), Pumping and well timed trail gaps, can be made to flow really well, hell in fact once you get the flow of this type of trail it is typically more rewarding than Type 1 trails. Small bits of finding the flow put into a trail where it just flows can be a great intro this type of riding.
3. Trails where no matter how much you try to find the flow, it just does not exist.
These types of trails IMO fall into two type of categories. Trails that the natural Terrain was tough to use and were not built with MTBs necessarily in mind , this IMO is entirely acceptable. The second type are trails that are built are supposedly built for mtbers, and typically have featured such a decreasing radius turns, guide stones, trees blocking apexes, steep turns and flat straights, no up and down undulation to pump. Basically this type of trail tries to sap any momentum you have and make it hard to gain more by either pedaling or pumping.
I am pretty sure you can guess which type of flow I dislike and basically think has no place ever being built on purpose. But I am curious by my criteria what kind of flow do you like? I can give real world examples eventually but I would rather hear from you what you like, with your examples especially fairly well know trails.