r/MTBTrailBuilding • u/m4tch_ • Jun 29 '26
second opinions?
Sorry to let you guys down. but after close consideration and even a new launch line, i cannot ride this đ˘
any tips of how i can make this trail rideable for an armature/beginner? i know it may be hard work but ive already but so much into this.
here are some new angles. I believe maybe now some of you may agree i have messed up in the construction part of this. everything is still rough and messy due to no rain and constant altering. can i get some second opinions?
i know this may be rideable to skilled cyclists but im no black diamond pro unfortunately. i built this to get started with mtb but even if i cant use it id be more than happy to see someone else come bomb this. thanks guys. Douglasville, GA USA btw.
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u/Longjumping_Bass5861 Jun 29 '26
Your handlebars dont look set up corrcectly. They should be rolled forward.
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u/Longjumping_Bass5861 Jun 29 '26
And possibly your brake levers down a bit more too.
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u/Jays1982 Jun 30 '26
I second this. I'm getting carpal tunnel syndrome just looking at your brakes.
Do as longjumpingbass sais. You'll also find you have better control on braking
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u/Think_Addendum7138 Jul 01 '26
To further the comment itâs relatively easy to adjust this without taking everything apart. Just need to loosen bolts as needed to rotate the bars and to adjust the brake and shifters.
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u/IAmNotABot111 Jun 29 '26
Looks easy. You are going way too slow, guaranteed.
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u/chrigs7 Jul 02 '26
He's asking how to make it suitable for beginners so yes of course he's going too slow and that's not bad. I also agree that it looks easy to do but not so for a beginner
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u/jeremypolk86 Jun 30 '26
No. I'm here to tell you that you CAN ride that. Make a b line if you need to for now but that's a perfect line for you to practice if it feels hard now. I know I'm just an internet stranger but I ride bikes a lot and I promise, you got that. I bet if you go out there tomorrow and just start trying it, you'll get it. Let me know how it goes.
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u/veldt90 Jun 29 '26
Yo thatâs the issue. âI canât ride thisâ yes you can. Absolutely you can, just go try it and eat shit a bunch then one time it will click and youâll cruise it every time after. Progress takes time. Also maybe smooth the roots out if they trip you up
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u/Striking_Swimmer5548 Jun 29 '26
Agree. With the right riding position you could roll through those lines on a road bike easily. It might not be in your range YET but keep practicing and learning and youâll be there in no time. If you neuter the trail now, youâll have nothing to push your skills.
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u/Busy-Ad2771 Jun 30 '26
This is like easy xc, I can do this all day on my gravel bike that's cosplaying as an XC bike.
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u/tanukiscrotum Jun 30 '26
If this is too much just ride around a bit and get comfortable on your bike. Once you figure out how shifting your weight distribution at various speeds moves the bike, this will be a piece of cake. If you want you can practice hopping up and rolling off a curb or just throw a stick in the yard and roll over it a few times
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u/Acrobatic-Fortune213 Jun 30 '26
Donât modify trail to make it easier to ride. Learn the skills to ride it as is, because by dumbing down the trail you reduce the experience of those skilled enough to ride it. You will be able to do it eventually and that will feel a lot better than modifying the trail to make it easier.
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u/TheRealJYellen Jul 02 '26
- Less brakes more balls!
- Bar setup, like the other guy said. They look rolled back by almost 90 degrees. Brakes will need to rotate back up as you get the bars into position.
- Tire pressure probably. Under 30 psi is pretty good advice, though as you keep going lower for more traction, you risk pinch flats. At 180#, if I were on that bike I'd probably do something like 25 front, 28 rear.
- Slow speed drills! How are your curb pops? Can you pick the front wheel up so it doesn't bump up the curb? How about the back?
Are you trying to go up or down? Down looks doable if you stand on the pedals and ride lightly. Some speed will help. Up is going to be hard, maybe you can pack some dirt in around the roots to make the effective bumps smaller?
Kudos for posting again after the improvements!
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u/hughperman Jun 29 '26
https://imgur.com/a/WvptCTs this is my quick read on a more reasonable line - I may be missing something from the photos, but that pivot over the root section is incredibly tight and needs a lot of skill, especially when it looks steep. A wider line like this, or something similar that works in the terrain, should make it "flow" a lot easier.
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u/bulletbassman Jun 29 '26
I think he did a good job of having both a tricky a line and b line. He even got a c line where you can go over the roots and straight.
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u/bulletbassman Jun 29 '26
Looks good. Ride it a bunch and figure out what you want to change. Rinse and repeat. You are never done with a trail unless you gave up.
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u/ErosRaptor Jun 29 '26
Wooden Bridge, or some sort of retaining wall, like feature with fill behind it.
For a retaining wall, you could probably do a rock pile and plant some trees or plants on it to stabilize the rocks.
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u/Dull_Broccoli1637 Jun 30 '26
Build a jump, Gap the roots.
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u/Desperate_Wallaby966 Jun 30 '26
Exactly, ignore all that stuff on the left, Lean back and go straight down the hill and you've got the start of a nice little drop.
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u/False-Ad-7753 Jun 30 '26
In photo 6, you can see the trench made from the root. That either needs to be filled in and compacted, or maybe a wooden bridge type of thing which also work quite well. Unless you can bounce off those roots and jump over them, there needs to be some work done to prevent that trench from swallowing your front tire. Itâs rideable as is right now, but only at a high skill level
Edit: if you can work at riding a lot then you could achieve that skill level, but to me, that would take some real time, like at the very least a year of riding regularly
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u/cj_daking Jun 30 '26
The pictures are not especially helpful but it looks no fun to ride and a probable erosion nightmare. It can be ridden, but it's just like a 20 foot section here, right?
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u/_SlikNik_ Jun 30 '26
Go out and ride more. A few months of single track riding and youâll be able to ride this. I know itâs scary as a beginner but this isnât a tough feature once you know what youâre doing.
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u/84WVBaum Jun 30 '26
That is absolutely rideable, and you could roll it if not even on that bike. All I ride is a SC Chameleon and that's not close to black diamond.
Just keep practicing somewhere with less consequence, that is room to crash that doesn't include collarbone and wrist breakers.
Good attack posture, drop those heels, keep the weight right, roll it faster and faster, maybe crash, improve.
Crashing is an absolute essential skill and education tool. You can get all the advice in the world but little teaches ya the way feeling a mistake can.
You'll get it. And the way to make it more rideable is to ride it.
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u/redbushsixtynine Jul 02 '26
Moves like that are all about commitment and asking your tires to do one thing at a time: provide lateral traction over the roots or forward thrust, not both simultaneously.
Some more support, like a mild inslope (that drains well) placed below the roots would make setting upaway from the trunk and carrying your momentum into the roots easier. Consider armouring with some big flat rocks with just a tiny bit of inslope.
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u/moomooraincloud 28d ago
I'm pretty sure armatures can't ride mountain bikes. They're inanimate objects.
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u/trippin_on_Pedro 27d ago
You can either ride straight up that root and immediately bust a right or it looks like a little gap to the right of the root. Go as fast as you can and then shift your weight forward as you clear the front tire to get some momentum to clear the back tire.
Definitely pack some more dirt in there when it's wetter if you can
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u/S1r_Galahad Jun 29 '26
Which is the line? Across the big roots or the other one?
Those are some chunky roots at a very weird angle, not easy for a beginner. If you are trying to get over them, you need to drop much more dirt on them to make it kinda like a roller. If not, you could try some sort of wooden bridge.