We often get contacted from people who are looking for ways to help out. We have some ideas. These are trail jobs that will really improve the fun-factor of everyone’s ride and make a visible difference. The best part is – these are jobs that anyone can do and they can be done on your own time. No need to be a master trail builder or wait for a trail day. Nevertheless, helping out will make you feel great… and it will get noticed!
Brushing
Rain and long days mean that the vegetation has kicked into overdrive. Some of our trails are getting very bushy. Brush can really suck the fun out of a flowy ride. Nobody likes getting whacked in the helmet by branches. Vegetation can mean riders can’t see far ahead of them and they can’t see the obstacles on the ground. Well cleared trails are fast trails. Generally, we want a corridor that is 3 feet on either side of the trail tread and 7-8 feet high (low branches drop down in the winter and become an obstacle for grooming). RVC can lend out loppers for pruning back trees and shrubs. We also have heavy duty line-trimmers for grass and bushy stuff like tall ferns and raspberries.
We have lots of ground at MVP and Penniac that could use brushing out. Trails under mature forest are not bad but any trails going through sunny areas are sure to need cleaning. It would be amazing to brush out the Mark Bolden Skills Park at MVP.
Raking & Picking Rocks
Loose stones are not pleasant. Over time, riders can dislodge rocks that accumulate in the trail. Anything larger than a golf-ball that is loose should be raked off the trail. On descents they decrease control and get shot up putting dents in your fancy bike’s frame. On climbs they can be frustrating momentum killers. Getting rid of them is easy with a rake (RVC has lots to lend out) and you can cover a lot of ground in an hour.
MVP has lots of trails that could use a pass with a rake. Bunkerama, Velocity, D-Track, Slash-N-Berm and V-Fib would be top of the priority list.
Rooting
Over time hand-built trails can go from being smooth flowy delights to root-packed technical nightmares. This happens as riding compresses and removes the organic part of the soil. While roots are to be expected on a mountain bike, some trails need the occasional root pruning to keep the ride quality that the original builder started with. Loppers are the right tool for the job. Their jaws make short work of tough root-wood but they aren’t big enough to remove large structural roots that hold up the trees. Big roots should be left alone or buried with rocks and soil to smooth the ride. Rooting is especially important for tripper-roots that have become fully exposed creating a loop back into the ground. Overzealous rooting can lead to erosion on steep trails and a change of riding style so if you’d like to try this out just give us a message and let us know where you want to work.
Some trails in Odell Park would really benefit from a root-pruning and RVC does have permission from the City to do this work.
