Blind Curve Signaling Suggestions?

[jessmarimba]

I don't have any suggestions. But those must be some grumpy mountain bikers -I can't imagine yelling at someone for coming around a blind turn and suddenly being in the way! I'd be afraid of coming across a runner with headphones on though. That's most of the reason I don't run trails with music, actually.

[solobiker]

Very good points Jess...they must be grumpy. We were almost run off of a trail up at Buff Creek by a mtn biker with headphones flying down a hill. Ahh...such is the life. He must be more important then me and most others on the trails.

[Artista]

I don't have any suggestions. But those must be some grumpy mountain bikers -I can't imagine yelling at someone for coming around a blind turn and suddenly being in the way! I'd be afraid of coming across a runner with headphones on though. That's most of the reason I don't run trails with music, actually.

These have been the only 2 grumpy people out of the 100's that we've encountered on these trails. I still think that life is too short to be grumpy on a mtn bike but I give them a bit of an "out" if they're misinterpreting my signal as knowing that they're there.

I've found that the trail runners out here typically don't run with headphones but the "hikers" frequently wear headphones. It's the "hikers" with headphones that make me the most nervous. My husband had to dismount today to pass a hiker in the middle of the trail because she didn't hear his multiple signals. She jumped sky high when he began to pass her on foot.

I like the idea of calling "Corner", even if people don't recognize that term. Just hearing a human voice will alert someone on the other side that someone else is approaching without leading them to believe that I already know that they're there. I may combine this call out with an Incredibell which is supposed to be pretty loud.

[Veronica]

Climbing cyclists have the right of way. When I'm descending, I make sure I don't outride my sight lines. That often means keeping the speed down until I'm around the corner and can see what is there.

Veronica

[Artista]

Climbing cyclists have the right of way. When I'm descending, I make sure I don't outride my sight lines. That often means keeping the speed down until I'm around the corner and can see what is there.

Veronica

Yes, I'm aware that the climbing cyclists have the right of way. And I always slow down and call out when approaching a blind curve. The problem is that people aren't signaling back so I don't know that they're there.

Today I didn't see the other cyclist until literally about 2 seconds before we were side by side. He was actually riding faster uphill than I was riding downhill. I had boulders and a steep drop off to my right so I couldn't ride off the trail. If I had stopped, I would have had to lean my bike and body into the center of the trail. I did the best that I could under the circumstances and held my line as far right as possible. That's when the other rider yelled back at me that I should have yielded.

I was really "between a rock and hard place" in this encounter. I would have had a much better chance of totally yielding had he signaled back after I first called out.

[Catrin]

This doesn't sound like a good situation at all. I've never seen a blind curve on any of the mtb trails I've ridden or hiked, but of course I am new and far from an expert. We have a good number of tight switchbacks and other features, but as long as you keep scanning ahead you can see others coming enough to be able to do what you need to do. As a slower rider I just tend to get out of the way of everyone, regardless of direction

Good luck on finding a solution, it sounds like your terrain forced the trail builders into some less than optimum choices.

[Veronica]

You know they may not hear you when you holler, or they may not process that you're talking to them.

Veronica

[OakLeaf]

I've found that wearing hi-viz makes it much easier to spot oncoming riders on the MUP when the curve is blind because of vegetation. You can still see flashes of that brilliant color through the trunks and leaves. No help if the way forward is blind because of a hill or rock, of course.