imtbtrails Survey: How Do YOU Percieve imtbtrails

Which best describes imtbtrails to You?

  • A mixed bag of mountainbikers that provides a wide range of ride opportunities and subjects

  • A hardcore group of mountain bikers that provides exclusively intense ride opportunities

  • This is everything I was looking for

  • I'm hoping for more

Results are only viewable after voting.
mtnbikej said:
Whoa.....that was heavy.

Just kidding.

These are just thoughts....and may be all over the place.

What you call being pigeonholed....I call keeping the riffraff out. While the other site was fun and busy, it was also filled with a lot of crap.

It also took quite a few years to get up and running. Yes it t was OC’centric. It melded together a bit more because most people knew each other before hand. It’s always easier to be social at a party when you know the guests. With that said, a lot of my rides I run across at least someone that recognizes me from the site.

It comes down to the users. You get out of it what you put into it. The core group here sits more on the hardcore/expert side of things. That is not a knock against the site....it is just how things worked out.

We as a group are pretty welcoming to everyone....save for the people that sign up just to pawn their wares.

Ride invites....again this Goes back to the users. Beginners are afraid to post up rides, but that is usually because they dont feel confident they can handle being a ride leader. There are guys like me, who won’t post up a 10 mile social ride....mostly because that is not how I ride.

It’s difficult to get introverts to be extroverts.

It’s ok to cater to the higher end. Not every neighborhood needs mansions and run down projects.

Personally I like the Trailhead Invites. People know what they are getting into on my rides.

What really needs to happen is that the non-core users have to stop lurking and get involved. How to do that? That is the real question.

As a group we do get together....but we are spread out a bit. Also often times some riders don’t want 15 to show up on a weekly ride. I enjoy the group meet ups....but on a limited basis. I couldn’t hack it every ride or every week.

Every person I have met on this site have unbelievably approachable.

I’m sure I’ll have more to say.....
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Please define the term "riffraff" from your point of view.
 
Faust29 said:
Hmmm... The survey must be flawed. 16 votes and they're all the same. :cautious:

I think the only thing holding us back from more frequent group rides is geography. We're a pretty diverse group. But... The rides that have come together have been pretty memorable, with limited drama. As a relative newb compared to some of yous, I was apprehensive about joining some of my first group rides. I got over it, and have met some cool people along the way.

It's what we tell all the new forum members. Jump in and don't be afraid. We don't bite.
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I agree that geography with the additional time, cost and traffic issues, is a major barrier to more group rides. It's not often that most of us cross the various county lines! I haven't been south in over 2 years when we camped in Oceanside. I consider those times when members do venture into another county and no public invite is offered as opportunities lost.
 
ULEWZ said:
I enjoy most threads and the "what have you done to your bike" topics, but find the rides posted are mostly hard core. Most of the regulars seem to ride 2 or 3 times per week (envious of this by the way) and ride 20 plus miles in one sitting, mostly with clipless pedals. The wife and I try to ride at least once per week, mostly Tapia, and normally do 11 miles (sometimes 18 miles if all the moons are aligned). This is not a bad thing on the hard core rides, just an observation. I was a hard core motorcycle twisty rider for years, and dirt bike rider until my wife broke her leg at Gorman going down a rock face on a trail by the track. Sold my 4 dirt bikes and 2 street bikes, and now ride mountain bikes. I love the camaraderie of group rides, but not a requirement as riding with the wife and occasionally youngest son is fulfilling enough. I would love to meet some of you one day though. I lead a monthly Corvette gathering and that is very trying at times, but fun. Not afraid to lead, but not at the correct level for mountain biking (yet!), oh, and I am a grey beard if that matters.
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I always forget about Tapia! I've only been there about 6 times or so but it's pretty close for me up here in Lancaster. My wife is a solid, upper beginner (if that makes sense) but currently has some injury issues but please let me know when you ride Tapia and I'll try to ride with you!
 
mtbMike said:
This ^^^^ I'm new around these parts but like what I see so far. I'm on MTBR regularly as well and there is some great information passed around but more often than not, the discussions can turn into a $hit-show in a hurry. It gets old at times. I'm on both boards (and a couple others at times) because I like talking bikes, learning about new places to ride and helping out others looking for advice/opinions on riding areas.

I'm all about group rides and meeting new people to ride with. I've always been the leader/planner when it comes to this stuff. It started out planning ski & then snowboard trips and has morphed into mountain biking trips. I'd go somewhere every 3-4 weeks if I could get people to go but most people work the standard 9-5 jobs and can't/won't take the necessary time off to go ride. Already this year I planned trips to St George, Prescott and Sedona. Still have Cannell Plunge this weekend, Whistler in July then Downieville and Durango/Moab in the Fall. Some trips have one other rider going and some have 5. On these bigger trips, I always get my $$ up front for lodging so if people flake later, nobody else suffers.

I'm the default "lead" on our weekly rides down here as well. Every week on Monday or Tuesday, I send out an email out text asking for input to a group of 7-10 people but only 2-3 ever respond until Thursday or Friday. Most weeks we end up with 3-4 riders and sometimes we have 6-7 but that's getting to be a rare occasion. I'd have no problem leading group rides at areas I'm familiar with but have to say, I ride for FUN first and everything else is extra. Consequently as @pperrelle and @scan found out, I don't hammer out a killer pace and I'm not looking to rack up 5000 ft days either. I much prefer to cruise around in a forested surrounding on intermediate trails than ride the stuff in Laguna/Aliso but to each their own. The Wrightwood video posted up the other day looks like a blast. I have something going on the 9th already but I'm thinking about blowing it off and going just to join the posted group ride.
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Are you a teacher? I am and have been fortunate enough to travel to all those places you mentioned on either spring or summer breaks.
 
Daddy Dirtbag said:
IME, the life blood for the long haul in any cycling group is bringing new riders. If you don't have them, one by one all but a few core members hang on until the bitter end. If you want sustained participation, not to mention growth, you must court the newer riders.

It can be a double edged sword since you have to have rides that attract them to step out of the shadows, and those rides are not always the bread and butter of seasoned riders. The goal of those rides isn't necessarily awesome riding or a shred-fest. The goal is FUN. Period. If you make it fun, people will want to return. Lots of relationships are formed from those rides, and those in turn lead to other riding opportunities.

The Big Bear ride we had a couple years ago is a decent example of that, even though it was a bit of a drive. The turnout was excellent, there were options for different skill and fitness levels and plenty of regroups. That might not be the way everyone wants to ride most of the time, but again, the ride itself is not the primary mission of such rides IMHO.

Sometimes a ride like the 'vintage' rides I have attended a the FLoop have been well attended and a lot of fun when everyone embraces such a theme. Night rides, gravel/all-surface rides, camping trips, and (gasp) even road rides are fun (there's that word again) occasionally too.

I am not implying that there is any real level of snobbery going on here (being quite sincere about that), but this does tend to be a generally more experienced group here, and that might be a tad intimidating for those looking to dab a toe in the water to do a heat check.

Maybe having a Newbie/Beginner forum might be a way to get new members comfortable enough to post up. Experienced forum users know that they are likely to get the same questions about which $600 MTB they should get, but that is where patience and a welcoming vibe eventually pays off.

As always, JMHO.
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Well said DD! One of my points is that it's not just newbies/beginners that may feel intimidated or uncomfortable occasionally. BTW, there was a planned ride to Big Bear last September for a Skyline Takeover. Good intentions but was plagued by an avalanche of withdrawals just the night before the ride. Unfortunate that only a few got to hear the absolute funniest story I've ever heard anywhere from @Sidewalk!
 
Maddog said:
Well said DD! One of my points is that it's not just newbies/beginners that may feel intimidated or uncomfortable occasionally. BTW, there was a planned ride to Big Bear last September for a Skyline Takeover. Good intentions but was plagued by an avalanche of withdrawals just the night before the ride. Unfortunate that only a few got to hear the absolute funniest story I've ever heard anywhere from @Sidewalk!
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I believe the September Big Bear ride was cover for the GE reveal ride.
 
These are some of the same issues which I rather awkwardly, rashly and intactfully attempted to address in my posts earlier in the week. I apologize to all for my lack of civility. It is great to see these topics discussed in a rational manner. You people are a good influence on me:geek:! As you may have guessed, I voted for #2 although that is not a completely accurate description of my assessment. Rides are not exclusively intense, but IMHO there are not enough rides offered for the average rider. I think I've posted up my share of invites for the social rider and I join those who have called for more involvement from the silent majority of riders who want rides more suited for us. Post up invites for the 10-20 mile rides at a more casual pace! I think most of the membership fits in this category but doesn't post much for a variety of reasons. Don't let the skinny, fast dudes have all the fun and cyber-time:rolleyes:!
Mikie, thanks for keeping this site going and being a good business man for addressing a potential problem and for being a great friend:inlove:!
 
Maddog said:
If so then you got me! And scan, LLPoolJ, Sidewalk and one other guy I can't remember! Nothing wrong with last minute bail-outs either. I just referred to this ride to show that attempts have been made to bring people together in addition to the reveal ride. Gotta go play hoops now!
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I panicked, thinking you must have been left out of that operation, but alas, the Skyline bailout you’re referring to must have been a different ride because all four of youz were in on the GE shindig.
 
I choose #1 also. This is my first forum for anything...ever, even as a long time trail runner. I’m an introvert and usually ride solo, but I’m working on that. You guys are fun and easy to chat with, and I’m hoping to get outta my comfort zone and do more group rides. My hubby doesn’t mtb so he’s cool with me riding with others :thumbsup: I’m not super chatty so that’s about it. Hopefully I’ll add a little sumthin good to this forum, but if I’m not pulling my weight..just let me know!:D
 
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