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Mountain Biking 101

Can I Walk or Run on Wet Trails?

February 28, 2019 by NTX Trails Leave a Comment

Can I Walk or Run on Wet Trails?

I recently received a very nice email from a reader who wanted to know my opinions about trail runners using wet trails. Here’s the email with an edited and expanded version of my response below.

Hi, I live on the east coast and am an ultra trail runner. I have run thousands of miles on our local single track trails over the last ten years. In the last five years mountain bikers have started to enjoy the same trails, they do a ton of trail work to keep the trails in biking shape. My grief is that now I am being told that if they can’t ride the trails because it is too wet then I cant either. I always run through—not around—muddy areas, tamping down deeper ruts made by bike tires. I do not slide or widen trails. Yet some bikers insist that I am doing as much damage as bikers. Sometimes my foot leaves a wide print no water collects. Possibly less than .1% of my run is damaging. Should I really stay off the trails? I appreciate your input and perspective. ~Kate

Hi Kate,

Thanks for your email. I hope you’ve enjoyed my website, though it’s not specifically geared toward your pastime. It’s still great to hear from you and hope you find the site valuable.

First up, not being a resident nor familiar with the trails on the east coast, I can’t speak specifically to trail conditions out that direction. Here in North Texas, we are forced to close wet trails due to the nature of our soil—it consists mostly of clay. So, I don’t have first-hand knowledge as to how well the soil in your area responds to being run or ridden upon while wet.

This seems to be something of a hot-button issue, or at least a large enough issue that my post, Why Can’t I Ride Wet Trails?, is the most popular page on this site—receiving hundreds of hits per day.

Here’s my perspective for what it’s worth, keeping the caveats above in mind. And that perspective starts with a question.

Do the trails you frequent have an open/closed status maintained by either a land manager, land owner, or trail stewards?

Where I fall on whether or not anyone should be on a trail—whether running or cycling—is based on the open/closed status of the trail. I always fall on the side of the managers/owners/stewards, so if they say a trail is closed or if they say to stay off when wet, then that’s what we should all do.

My advice is to find out who those managers/owners/stewards are and ask them what they want. Do they want you to stay off when wet? Do they announce open/closed status anywhere? Do they have posted signs for open/closed status? Do they have posted (physical or digital) rules concerning trail use that directly address wet trails?

Beyond all that, I’d encourage you to get involved in trail maintenance and care if you don’t already do so. Volunteer for trail workdays and get to know those who take care of the trails by working shoulder to shoulder with them. It may (or may not) give you a different perspective on when and why they close trails or ask runners to stay off the trail.

Here in the DFW area, pretty much every trail was built and is maintained by mountain bikers, but is open to walkers and runners. However, it’s rare to see walkers and runners show up to help during work days. Some running clubs make the effort, and in doing so have made local mountain bikers their biggest fans and defenders for access to the trails.

From your email I’m making the assumption that most of the trails you run existed before they were opened to mountain biking. In that case, I’d still find out who manages the land/trail and learn what their wishes are—the rules may have changed over time, especially to maintain sustainability due to increased use by mountain bikers.

The land managers and trail maintainers should ultimately decide when and how the trail can be used. In my mind, this means if the land manager says you can run a wet trail then you’re well within your rights to do so even if the mountain bikers don’t like it. When you’ve done your due diligence and still get called out by bikers, you can tell them you’ve checked and have the land manager’s approval to run the trail. If they don’t like it, tell them to contact the land manager and take it up with them.

Long story short, my advice is to talk to the mangers and caretakers of the trail and do as they ask—even if you ultimately don’t like their decision.

That’s my two cents. Hope it’s helpful to you.


What do you think about my advice? Anything you would have added or said differently? Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments.

What’s Up with Presta Valves?

December 11, 2018 by NTX Trails 3 Comments

What's Up with Presta Valves?
If you’re relatively new to mountain biking and either recently purchased a new bike—or are considering a purchase—you’ve probably noticed that some bikes use a strange-looking, skinny valve on the tires. These are called Presta valves, and in many ways they are far superior to the old-style valves you probably remember from your childhood bike.

Presta vs Schrader

What's Up with Presta Valves? Schrader valves are the type you see on automobile tires. A Schrader valve is wider than a Presta valve and is wrapped in rubber all the way up to the threaded end. There’s a pin in the center that must be depressed to open the valve to add or release air. A spring in the valve’s core keeps it all sealed up tight. You may still find these types of valves on lower-end mountain bikes—especially those that are not tubeless-ready.

What's Up with Presta Valves? Presta valves are long and thin, tapering at the top. The valve is made almost completely of metal and not wrapped in rubber. These valves are threaded up and down their entire length and are secured to the bike wheel by ring-shaped nut. There is also a knurled nut at the top end of the valve that must be unscrewed to open the valve in order to add or release air. These valves are always found on road and high-performance bikes because they can hold much higher air pressures than Schrader valves. Presta valves are also common on mid to high-end mountain bikes—especially if those bikes are either tubeless-ready or set up tubeless by the factory.

Why Presta for Mountain Bikes?

So you’re probably asking yourself, “If Presta valves are made to hold higher pressures, but tubeless mountain bike tires can run lower pressures, why use a Presta valve at all?”

That’s actually a great question, and the answers are not obvious to those unfamiliar with the intricacies of Presta valves. Here’s a quick rundown of why Presta valves are great for mountain bikes:

  • Easier Inflation: Unlike Schrader valves, Presta valves have no valve spring to overcome. This makes inflation with a floor or hand pump a cinch.
  • Stronger Wheels: Because the Presta valve has a smaller diameter than a Schrader valve, the hole drilled into the wheel is smaller. This allows for narrow wheels to maintain sufficient strength.
  • What's Up with Presta Valves?
    Presta Valve Core Removal Tool
    Easy Maintenance: Almost all Presta valves on today’s tubeless setups have removable valve cores. This means when the core goes bad you can just swap out a new one. Additionally, if the entire valve goes bad, you can simply unscrew the nut on the valve shaft and replace the whole thing in minutes.
  • Sealant Refresh: To refresh the sealant in a tubeless tire—without needing to unseat the tire from the bead—you can simply remove the valve core and inject new sealant.
  • Fewer Sticky Valves: Because of the Presta valve’s design not including a valve spring, there’s less for your sealant to gum up.
  • Multiple Stem Lengths: If you need or want a longer valve stem, Presta valves come in lengths from 32mm up to 60mm.

Not everyone out there loves Presta valves. One writer at Bike Radar thinks manufacturers should all move back to Schrader valves due to several factors—from the fragile nature of the thinner valves to the need for a different type of pump head.

What do you think about the advantages and disadvantages of Presta valves for mountain biking? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Have fun, ride smart, and keep shredding!

Image by Peter.shaman – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

December 4, 2018 by NTX Trails Leave a Comment

The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means, at no cost to you, NTX Trails will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Your support of NTX Trails helps keep this site alive and up to date!

Do you have a mountain biker in your household for whom you struggle to buy gifts that are both fun and useful? You’ve come to the right place! It’s time for the NTX Trails 2018 MTB Gift Guide.

Below you’ll find several different categories of gifts in multiple price levels from very affordable to possibly ludicrous. No matter what you choose from the list below, you’re sure to warm your mountain biker’s heart.

Apparel

SockGuy Sriracha Socks—about $15.
Does your MTBer love spicy foods? You can’t go wrong with a pair of Sriracha Socks from SockGuy!
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

NTX Trails T-Shirts!—$19.99
Get an NTX Trails T-Shirt before they sell out. They’re sure to become a collector’s item. 😉
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Endura Singletrack Jacket II—$169.99
For the trail rider who wants to be prepared for just about any weather conditions.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Tools

Crankbrothers B-Series B14 Multitool—$12
Crankbrothers often sets the standard for compact and well-built bike tools, and the B14 is no exception. The B14 is a great starter multitool for any MTB that doesn’t already have one.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Wera Multicolor Ball End L-Key Set—$35
These beautiful hex keys would make a nice addition to any mountain biker’s workshop. The color-coding is a nice touch, and the ball-end Allen keys make wrenching even easier.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Park Tool PK-3 Professional Tool Kit—$735
For the serious home bike mechanic you can’t go wrong with a set of the tools many professional bike builders and mechanics use to get stuff done.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Accessories

Mucky Nutz Fender—$9
Though we don’t ride muddy trail here in the NTX, your favorite MTBer may want to head to Gnarkansas or somewhere else where the trails are rain-friendly. Set them up with the versatile Mucky Nutz mudgaurd.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Piggy On Bike Storage—$36
For the mountain biker who doesn’t want to use a saddle bag, or just needs a little extra storage room. The Piggy snugly holds a tube and some tools beneath the bottle cage.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Silca Pocket Impero Pump—$120
The Silca Pocket Impero hand pump is one of the smallest pumps money can buy. It weighs in at 5.3 oz, is only 8 in long, and promises high pressure and high volume packed into a long-lasting package.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Tech

PEET Shoe Dryer—$40
There’s not much worse than a pair of dank, smelly shoes—except for soggy shoes at the beginning of the next ride. Help your rider keep their feet comfortable, healthy, and dry with this shoes dryer.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide
Wahoo ELEMNT GPS Bike Computer—$324
Chances are your MTB-addicted loved one already has a bike computer to track their rides. Set them up with what is arguably the best bike computer around.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Wahoo Kickr Smart Trainer and Kickr Climb Indoor Grade Simulator—$1,800
Nobody really like riding indoors, but for that MTBer who wants to stay fresh and in shape when the trails are closed, there’s nothing closer to the real thing than this combo from Wahoo when used with a Zwift membership.

The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Bike Bling

KustomCaps Custom Headset Cap—$13
One of the least expensive and coolest ways to customize a mountain bike is with a custom headset cap. You can grab one from KustomCaps in a variety of colors and put your own art on it!
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

KMC X11SL 11-Speed Chain—$80 to $120
For the MTBer who not only wants a high-quality chain driving their bike down the trail, but wants to match the paint job as well, this KMC monster chain is just the ticket.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

Magura Vyron Wireless Dropper Post—$500
For the mountain biker who truly has everything both on and off the bike, it’s time to take their bike tech to the next level with the Magura Vyron Wireless Dropper post.
The NTX Trails 2018 Christmas Gift Guide

What’s Up with Tacos?

November 29, 2018 by NTX Trails Leave a Comment

What's Up with Tacos?

Why do mountain bikers—at least a good portion of them—seem obsessed with tacos? Could it be that tacos are the perfect post-ride grub, along with a tasty beverage of your choice (adult or otherwise)?

We love our tacos at NTX Trails. Being born-and-bred Texans, we could eat some good ol’ Tex-Mex pretty much any time. Seriously, when is the wrong time for Tex-Mex? We can’t think of one.

But why tacos? Why not some other type of Tex-Mex? Why not some other type of food altogether? Here’s our theory.

Why Do Mountain Bikers Love Tacos?

  • First, you can find a good taco stand or restaurant within a stones throw of any location, you just have to know where to look. Nowadays it’s easy to find tacos. Just open up Google or Apple maps and type in the word “tacos” and you’ll probably get dozens of results.
  • Second, you can get tacos just about any way you want in most restaurants. Unless you’re hitting up a fast food chain that just assembly lines their tacos, you can get yours refined how you like them. What’s not to like about build-your-own tacos? You can get everything from ground beef and carne asada to tofu and vegetarian versions. You can have them with or without veggies, or sour cream, or guacamole, or salsa, or….well, you get the picture.
  • Third, it’s hard to mess up a taco. When you think about it, even Taco Bell makes a decent taco, and that’s setting the bar fairly low. The ingredients are pretty basic—a tortilla (hard or soft), some protein, some veggies, and some cheese and other extras—and you’ve got a flavor explosion in your mouth.
  • Fourth, they’re fairly inexpensive. Go to just about any Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant and order a taco plate. For a few bucks you’ll get two or three tacos, beans, rice, and a drink. Not to mention all-you-can-eat chips and salsa before the dinner plates arrive.
  • Five, tacos are a really great recovery meal. You get all the major food groups in a hand-held package. When you’ve been shredding the trails hard, you need to replenish your energy, and tacos deliver what you need in a pretty balanced, self-contained meal.
  • Sixth, and lastly, maybe we eat tacos after a great ride as a way to give thanks for not getting our wheels taco’d on that sketchy landing back on the trail. You know what we’re talking about.

Do you love tacos? What are your favorite kinds to eat? If not tacos, what’s your go-to post ride meal of choice? Let us know in the comments.

Have fun, ride smart, and keep shredding!

What do you think about ebikes?

November 27, 2018 by NTX Trails Leave a Comment

What do you think about ebikes?
Ebikes are somewhat controversial, and we here at NTX Trails have no official stance on the matter beyond believing individual land managers and trail stewards should make the rules for each individual trail, and that riders should abide by those rules whether they agree with the rules or not.

Having said that, is there a place for ebikes on the trails? We present this video without comment, but welcome your comments below. We want to know what you think!

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