MTB Ride Ratings......

[Thedewser]

Ok, here is a good one. Someone from the Appalachian Mountain Club was running a ride and labeled it Novice. The place he was running it is usually considered an Intermediate - Advanced ride do to Technical stuff. In any here is what he replied back with:

Hi Mike,
Thanks for the info. I only there rode once and that was last fall, so my recall could be faulty. It can't be that bad because I liked it and I don't like technical riding. So far the only people I have heard back from have said they can't make it. Speaking of details, I wish that NEMBA would revise its rating system. NEMBA lumps pace, style of riding, and terrain also into one description. My feeling is that they are three different things. I could go fast on a rail trail, which would not be a novice ride. I could go slow on a technical trail, which would not be a novice ride either.


I gave him my understanding of how we rate our rides. But is there an official rating system? Or at least a better explanantion?

My real explanantion would have been: There is no rating system! If you can't ride it, walk it! ;D But it would probably be a good idea for new MTBers to know what they are getting into when they come join us for our Novice/Intermediate rides ;D

Dewser

[ruckerz]

well of course any suggestion is flamebait, but here it goes

maybe rate the trail by how frequently the group will stop and for how long?

Then again you're hearing this from someone who likes to ride solo. But in watching other groups ride, I think it's ok to say that given the frequency and time of rest, many of the trails are manageable.

But I guess for newbies, it's really hard to say....but then again many of them do pretty well on jeep roads. Perhaps make a special category called "newbies" which encompass only jeep roads. Because quite frankly if a truck can make it up there, anyone on a bike usually can.

After they know what a "newbie" ride is like, then the transition to a more technical trail classified only by the number of stops and for how long becomes more feasible.


Flame away....

[steve_b]

The problem with ride / trail ratings is everyone has a different idea about what is technical or hilly. Some riders don't climb well, but can decend great. I would think a multiple classification would be best. Even in the advanced category there are differences. You can have a advanced "hammer" ride, or an advanced technical ride. ???

I have to disagree with the assesment of all jeep roads being newbie friendly. There are as many classafications for jeep trails as there are for singletrack. ;)(Granted the wider a trail is the more lines there are). Just because a trail isn't singletrack does not make it a bad or easy trail. I have ridden jeep trails in NY, NH, and Maine that would defintely not qualify as beginner friendly. They were extremely hilly and / or rocky.

A local bike club uses a P (pace) / T (technicality) scale for their ride ratings. On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being the easiest) They post the club rides as a P6/T6 (or whatever) ride. There are further guidelines on their web page for what the #'s translate to. (Number of stops, terrain type, etc).

Here's the website link if you want to see the ratings. They are defintely a road dominated riding club, >:( but they have a small group of mtb riders also.


Http://www.mohawkhudsoncycling.org/

[johnnyt]

Try the pukemaster rating on bikerag.

http://www.bikerag.com/images/MAPS/Mountain_bike_trail_ratings.htm

[Thedewser]

The PukeMaster Rating isn't a bad rating system, but I have met some newbies that haven't figured out or at least shown they understand a rating system at all. But the pukemaster system is a pretty good one. I may extend to any of the shops out there that when they sell bikes to people they can kind of give them an idea of what they may want to start riding. And of course please pass along the word of NEMBA!!

Here's one more idea, rate the trail by the parts on the bike riding them ;D

Beginner: Kickstand, cousioned saddle, reflectors, flat pedals, hard tail bike (not knocking them but usually the bike of choice for recreational riding).

Intermediate: Kickstand removed to drop weight, Reflectors, Cousioned seat switch to slimmer saddle, clipless pedals.

Advanced: Reflectors have become trail trash (which a NEMBA trail ambassador will pick up later), Racing Saddle installed, Clipless pedals,

Hmmmm that's all I can come up with. Anyone care to add to it ;D