Riding in mud - any tips?

[jessmarimba]

Just wanted to give you a few pictures back! Some of our rail trails are paved but out west they are usually gravel. Here is one in Telluride, CO that used to be a mining railroad:


And here is my favorite singletrack photo ever

[hebe]

Thank you! A trail with railings! And stunning views!

That singletrack really is single track, isn't it? Very pretty indeed. Over here I think that would be a footpath, which aren't open to cyclists or horses unless you have the land-owner's permission to ride there.

Thank you again for sharing the pictures. It is lovely to see where people ride.

[Roadtrip]

Wow Hebe. I'm booking my flight now. Can I come, pretty please?

I'll share my favorite trail...

Little Miami Scenic Trail (old railroad) that runs for seventy some continuous miles. Pics are not mine.









Shannon

[hebe]

I'd like to ride that one, Shannon! You would be very welcome

I'm going to clean the bike properly tomorrow dh is back from Germany today so I should get some free time. It's been pouring with rain since the day after I did the ride, though I know I should have done it the same day. I'll check the brake blocks too.

[Owlie]

I can say I've ridden the trail Shannon posted. I've never been as far up as that bridge, though. It's lovely in summer and fall (if you get a good year).

Ok, I'm buying a mountain bike and visiting a few places.

[MillieNZ]

Just wanted to give you a few pictures back! Some of our rail trails are paved but out west they are usually gravel. Here is one in Telluride, CO that used to be a mining railroad:


And here is my favorite singletrack photo ever

Wow that's amazing......... I so want to visit Colorado and ride some trails

[Bike Writer]

Love all the photos! So many great places to ride all over the world! Colorado and the English countryside look beautiful.

Here are a couple of the very flat rails-to-trails near my home. They are from the Lakelands Trail and one has a bridge over the Huron River.

The Lakelands Trail was the first linear State Park in Michigan and the paved portion connects Hamburg, Lakeland and Pinckney. West of Pinckney it continues on unpaved to Gregory and Stockbridge. The unpaved portion is suitable for mountain biking and is open to horses. It's part of a greater trail system that eventually will cross the state from west to east.

[Aggie_Ama]

Hebe - You also want to make sure to keep your bike chain lubed. Mud can be very damaging to the gears and such. As a mountain biker we don't ride in the mud (unless it is a scheduled race which I hate that they do) so I don't have a lot of tips. Your purpose seems like mud comes with the territory. Good luck!

[hebe]

I'm sorry for being so late back to this. Thank you Aggie.

Everything is either mud or frozen mud here at the moment, I'm going to hold off on some of my favourite off-road rides until we get more than a few dry days as I think they would be beyond my abilities (and enjoyment) at the moment. It will be nice to get in a few more road miles.

Here are a couple of pictures from my ride into town today. The track is actually the path that I linked to earlier in this thread, sections of it have been resurfaced since that photo. Sadly not all of it, I am still surprised by just how uncomfortable it is to ride over frozen rutted mud.

[ClockworkOrange]

A muddy thread that turned out to be so interesting AND thanks hebe, as you inspired me today, so much so I have started a new thread.

[hebe]

Thank you!

[sundial]

Hebe, what beautiful countryside and looks to be very inviting--even when it's truly muddy. Ah mud....nature's spa at it's best. My experience with mud is to try pedaling evenly and consistently through it while looking for a drier, packed line if possible until you cannot hold your line. When you get off the bike and sink up to your ankles you know it's time to walk the road until you can get better traction, otherwise you might end up losing a derailleur in the life sucking mud. Once you finish your ride hose off the rider and the bike, making sure your chain and the cassette is clean and grit free before you lube it. If you came into contact with alot of mud goo and water, you might need to have the bottom bracket checked to make sure the bearings are in good shape. If you wait until the mud is dried on the bike, it will take twice as long to clean it. Hope you have many more pleasurable moments on the roads less traveled.

[hebe]

I didn't thank you Sundial, I'll do it now. Thank you

Today I went back to the path that inspired this thread. A month of very dry weather has pretty much dried the whole thing out, and I was able to ride it with no problems (other than the wrong gear for a bumpy uphill section. Having seen it "naked" I'm not convinced it would be straightfoward to ride when under mud, I'll keep my muddy rides to flatter tracks! Here are a few pictures, I'll add some more to my blog later. Thank you again for all the advice, I often come back to this thread for reference.