For the second year in a row, staff from Giant Bikes’ US Headquarters in Newbury Park volunteered to spend a morning fixing up a local trail yesterday. COSCA (Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency) Head Ranger Bruce Pace suggested that the switchback section of the Potrero Ridge Trail from the Reino Road trailhead would be a suitable location – it’s very popular among cyclists and the tread hasn’t been repaired for years. This trail was first built in 2005 during a visit from the Suburu/IMBA Trail Care Crew.
The Giant staff gathered at the trailhead by 9:00 am. Most of the work was on the tread – cleaning drainage nicks and installing new ones, widening one of the tight switchbacks and restoring a flat and slightly outsloped surface so the water would run off the trail instead of creating a rut by running down the middle. One of the two COSCA rangers who were overseeing the work used a gas-powered hedge trimmer to cut back the light chaparral that was starting to overgrow the trail, with help from one or two Giant volunteers to remove the cuttings. Finally, two shortcuts that some hikers were using instead of the switchbacks (‘trail cuts’) were armored by covering with small rocks to keep them from turning into big ruts.
CORBA volunteer trail crew leader Steve Clark coordinated the event between Giant Bikes and the COSCA rangers, and helped guide the volunteers in how to use the tools to fix up the trail.
A combination of very enthusiastic volunteers and soft dirt, the result of last week’s rains, meant the work went very quickly. Shortly after noon, everybody headed back to the trailhead, and then on to a local restaurant and sports bar where Giant treated staff and crew leaders to lunch.
Everyone did a great job and now the trail is in much better condition through the switchbacks! This is the second year that Giant has helped restore the local trails (last year they built a bypass around a steep and loose section on the Los Robles Trail West). CORBA and COSCA thank Giant for their willingness to give their time to help the local trails and community of hikers, bikers and equestrians. We’re looking forward to this becoming a perhaps official annual event!
You can see more photos of the volunteers at work in our photo gallery.
Most trails in our local riding area don’t respond well to rain. They have a high content of clay that turns into sticky, slippery muck that binds to everything it touches. It builds up on the tires, like a snowball rolling downhill, until it jams on the frame and the wheels won’t budge. Some models of clipless pedals won’t let go when full of this mud, resulting in the bike and the attached rider lying sideways in a puddle, or worse.
As a rule of thumb, if your foot, tire or hoof makes an impression more than about 1/8 inch deep in the dirt, the trail is still too soft to use. Give it another day or two to dry out before using it!
For these reasons, riders are well advised to stay off the trails after a rain until they have dried. How long to stay off? That depends on a number of factors including the particular trail, how much rain it received, how much sun it gets after the rain (is it in the shade or face south?), how warm and windy the weather is, and so on. After an isolated light rain you can probably ride the next day. After a heavy rain, you should wait several days. This is something where common sense and experience will help. Remember, tracks deeper than 1/8″ mean the trail is still too soft to use!
