[5150dhbiker]

Ok, so I just got down from my favorite trail here in SB (Cold Spring) and am wondering what hikers in other parts of the country are like.

The ride started out with me driving all the way to the top of the Mt. and I realized I left my knee pads at home. Oh well, put on some gloves, my leatt, helmet and put TWO bells on my bike. Anyways, about half way down I see a hiker and I slow down and come to a stop. After waiting 3min, he finally got control of his dog (a poodle...ughhhhh) and then the conversation started.

Hiker: "You know what my problem with you f**king a**holes is?"

Me: "Nope."

Hiker: "You destroy my trails and ruin the experience for every single person in Santa Barbara that uses these trails."

Me: "Sorry you feel that way, but these trails are open to everyone and I am wearing two bells."

Hiker: "I don't give a flying f**k what you are wearing or what you are doing, you stupid bikers need to go ride off a f**king cliff and kill yourselves. You have no respect for life, nature, anyone else and are a bunch of homeless retards."

Me:"Too bad you feel that way, we're not a bunch of homeless retards...most of us are done with college and have a place to live. We just are enjoying the outdoors. Hope you have a great hike."

Hiker: "Stupid a**hole, get the f**k away from me!"

Wow...I feel so loved out here!

 

[Yukonrider]

Hah... Here hikers get off the trail, then apologize for getting in our way, then ask a bunch of questions about our bikes, then ask if they can watch us ride. Very nice interactions.

 

[Big J]

Dude, you deserve a medal or at least a hug......for self restraint......

J

 

[Serial Midget]

I've heard that the faster you roll over a hiker the less likely you are to kill them, its the humane way to have fun and build your obstacle skills.

 

[ianjenn]

There are almost no hikers in SLO. So it usually is not an issue! There are a bunch of grumpy old codgers down there in SB I would go out of my way to be nice to make them feel stupid.

 

[drkenan]

Most of them are not quite as aggressive around here but I'd say the attitude is the same. Just minus the swearing.

 

[amishmatt]

Should have shanked him in the spine. Can't hike in a wheelchair.

 

[chillindrdude]

i applaud you for your coolness. i, for one, would have been pretty fired up.

 

[dropmachine]

If I thought I could handle it, I would have done everything in my power to aggitate him to the point of lashing out, just to pound the piss outta him in retaliation.

Then I might pee on him.

 

[Bikael Molton]

Are you new to riding or did you just move to SB?

Santa Barbara is infamous for the bad vibes between bikers and hikers. Hence the bear bells and stuff. You've got wealthy hikers mixing with young and ripping DHers: it's a bad combo.

Count yourself lucky you can still ride those trails. Similar spots in norcal and elsewhere are illegal for bikes.

 

[Iridemtb]

Post #2 happened to me about a week and a half ago.

 

[Jeremy R]

You have no respect for life, nature, anyone else and are a bunch of homeless retards."

Can somebody put that on a t-shirt for me, I want to wear it to wal-mart.

After that sentence is when I would have tackled him from behind and started violently dry humping him while saying,
"Soweee, I dawnt no any bettah. Can I come and live wif' Yeeewwww!"
in my best retard voice.

 

[5150dhbiker]

Are you new to riding or did you just move to SB?

Santa Barbara is infamous for the bad vibes between bikers and hikers. Hence the bear bells and stuff. You've got wealthy hikers mixing with young and ripping DHers: it's a bad combo.

Count yourself lucky you can still ride those trails. Similar spots in norcal and elsewhere are illegal for bikes.

Haha, ya...I've been riding DH here from the day I started riding. Used to ride Tunnel on my HT back when I was 11 (now am 21...almost 22).

The thing is though, the hikers are typically not THAT bad. This is my second encounter with one that was being completely irrational. The last one that went crazy threw a rock at me which hit me in the helmet and that happened a few years ago.

Just surprised that I remained calm the whole time. If you see a guy walking a poodle on any trail....LOOK OUT!

 

[Zark]

Just wow Mike, thanks for remaining calm and reasonable. That's hard to do sometimes, but we're better than that. I've taking to shuttling during the week and XC riding on the weekend, away from the crowds on Cold Springs especially. Too many people, and too many of a certain militant element.

 

[John Jameson]

yeah nice restraint my friend. I am also a hiker and a dog owner but that guy is f*cked. You should have punted his poodle like Jack Black to Baxter in Anchorman.

 

[Percy]

If you see him again, tell him to get a real dog, and stop being such a faggot!

But seriously, well done for not responding in kind to his bollocks attitude.

Ive had some retread old fogey hikers/ walkers/ whatevah try and tell me Im not allowed to ride down a sign-posted DH track that I helped build!
So I told them which lake they could go jump in while wearing heavy weights, just not that politely, and that they were in the wrong place so could they please feck off.

 

[Sonic Reducer]

sounds like you didn't do much of anything to deserve that kind of treatment. did you at least tell him to go **** himself? how fast did you come up on him?

 

[DirtyMike]

Wow, just effin wow..... I cant say I would have kept my cool like that.... I wouldnt have hit him or anything like that unless he hit me first, but I would have had more than a few choice words for his attitude.

I dont understand why certain areas are like this. Down my area the hikers are really cool with us, every very once in awhile do we catch attitude, and a few exchanged words<Usually pretty friendly>and its usually smoothed over.

 

[blackohio]

we went to windrock in TN recently and all the dirt bikers/atvers and rock crawlers were in awe of the bikes and how we rode them.

I got the most grief in cali from other bikers.

 

[DirtyMike]

we went to windrock in TN recently and all the dirt bikers/atvers and rock crawlers were in awe of the bikes and how we rode them.

I got the most grief in cali from other bikers.

Seriously.... I catch WAY more **** from XC riders than I ever have hikers...... Maybe its just the good nature of the Inland empire, but hikers here usually step aside and cheer us on as we go by.

 

[William42]

as an sb local, thanks man, I'll buy you a beer if I ever get a chance to, you held your cool in a tough place to do it, that guy is a jackass. He's yelled at me before, despite me stopping up the trail for him. Way to make bikers look good.

Good work!

 

[demo 9]

shoulda hit the poodle

 

[stinky6]

Any of the hiking trails around where I live that are worth riding are closed to all but the elitist hikers and equestrians. Your lucky you can get yelled at by hikers. I live in Washinton and Western WA (where most of the people live) seems to be opposed to biking. Its getting better but I can't tell you how many trails I've hiked that would be amazing to ride but are closed to biking. Another thing that I'm baffeled by is how illegal bike trails in the area are way better than the legal multi-use trails. Eastern WA has some cool multi-use trails though.

 

[sanjuro]

Dude, you deserve a medal or at least a hug......for self restraint......

J

I agree.

I would I have said,

"People like you, ranting and raving, make urban trails horrendous. Just listen to yourself".

A friend made a very eloquent argument with other trail users, which is what I use myself now. He tells them, "We have no problems between you and I. It is someone besides us that created the issue, and there is no reason why we can't share the trail".

Of course, one lady he used this argument on told him that this is her trail, and he responded, "That's very liberal of you." Flipped her out.

 

[gemini2k]

To be fair, those kind of hikers are outliers here. 90% or more of the hikers I encounter in SB think Dh-ing is cool and are stoked to watch us hit the gnar gnar sections. There are asshole in every hobby/job/walk of life, doesn't mean whatever group they belong to are inherently evil. We just have to deal with it calmly (or not sometimes in mine and hacktastic's case, but to be fair, when we act immature, its total lulz) and move on.


Edit:

At least be happy they haven't booby-trapped stuff in a while. Me and zark came across some on cold springs about a year ago. The best is the half-assed booby traps that just become sick trail features though, ha ha.

 

[gemini2k]

I dont understand why certain areas are like this. Down my area the hikers are really cool with us, every very once in awhile do we catch attitude, and a few exchanged words<Usually pretty friendly>and its usually smoothed over.

Because it's rich assholes who grew up hiking the trails in peace for their entire lives and just the past 10-15 years jerks on DH bikes have been ruining their good time I guess? It's not the right entitlement mentality, but understandable.

 

[MikeD]

Seriously.... I catch WAY more **** from XC riders than I ever have hikers...... Maybe its just the good nature of the Inland empire, but hikers here usually step aside and cheer us on as we go by.

Moreno Valley hikers are likely rednecks carrying a cooler of beer to a junkpile on a hillside to shoot at it. Of course they think you're awesome...

SB hikers are another breed altogether.

 

[Percy]

shoulda hit the poodle

Nooooo!

Dont punish the dog for its owner being a moronic nutbar!
Even if it is quite a ghey dog.

 

[MikeD]

Not DH, exactly, but here's "hiker"/biker interaction in my locale...although trail use is not exactly recreational for those walking on the footpaths that connect the villages and fields up and down the hills.

Size and power rule in this country; as a result, people generally go jumping out of your way even when you're slowing down for them...and a happy "bonjour" on both ends signals that everyone's having a good time. (People definitely don't have any concept of how much control you have over a modern bike.) And you're definitely the most interesting thing they've seen all day.

 

[LMC]

Edit:

At least be happy they haven't booby-trapped stuff in a while. Me and zark came across some on cold springs about a year ago. The best is the half-assed booby traps that just become sick trail features though, ha ha.

Most Hikers where i live are cool and extremely polite, however there have been incidents of hikers stringing piano wire across trees on the trail.

 

[Capricorn]

one had one of those churchly types chirp me a little on his way down a dedicated DH track. He said the most ironic thing: " you guys seems to have a death wish..."

Internally, i was laughing, a lot.

 

[Damo]

Hikers over here will hold branches out of your way and cheer you past.

I make an effort to slow right down and ask how their day is going. Then head off again once past.

Cycling is a religion in France.

Road cycling is similar. Cars will wait patiently behind you until safe to pass, then they will indicate and pass giving you a wide berth. Encouragement will be given on major climbs.

France can be cool.

 

[cecil]

most hikers im my area are ok with bikers, the big problem is the unleashed dogs chasing you as ride by.
im an animal lover but if someones dog chases me on the trail and tries to bite, it gets stomped in the head.

 

[DHPeteinSC]

Hikers over here will hold branches out of your way and cheer you past.

I make an effort to slow right down and ask how their day is going. Then head off again once past.

Cycling is a religion in France.

Road cycling is similar. Cars will wait patiently behind you until safe to pass, then they will indicate and pass giving you a wide berth. Encouragement will be given on major climbs.

France can be cool.

Damn French people!!!

 

[DirtyMike]

Here, this isnt Moval, this is Big Bear, a place you would expect to have hikers being ass's like this event in SB, again its not exactly DH, But you can see the hiker/biker interaction.... we loved it, we were getting cheered on like ti was race day. everyon stepped aside gave a go faste...go faster... your cathing him holler......

 

[Konabumm]

I've never had a problem with hikers, runners, or horses. Pretty much we slow down for hikers until they have time to move, and we get off our bikes and let horses pass. Most people around here know that our MTB club is the group that fixes the tail and keeps it clear for everyones use.

Sounds like you just ran into a real Dbag

 

[jonKranked]

Cycling is a religion in France.

NASCAR is a religion here in the states. Kinda explains the difference in attitudes.

 

[FlipFantasia]

@ssholes are @ssholes, not worth getting worked up over....

 

[Brian HCM#1]

It's been an on going battle in SB since I started riding there in 1991. Just keep up the ass kissing on the trails, there is a lot of money in that area and it's not from the MTBers. Brown nosing it's the best way for cyclists to riding the trails.

 

[Muttely]

I liked the homeless part, at which point, i wouldve explained to him quite how expensive our sport is, just to see his face drop a little, i then wouldve explained how bikes actually erode trails less than hikers, along with other fun facts.