Riders' Code
Fruita Singletrack Ethics
Please help us and all Singletracks we ride by adopting the following code of riding. Thanks for joining us in protecting narrow and challenging Singletrack Trails. Please spread the word as our sport is not entirely united around the concepts that keep trails the way we all know and Love them.
Learn the Singletrack Yield
The rule of ”Yield to everyone” isn't right! Too often riders who meet just ride OFF TRAIL around each other. That is NOT a Yield at all; that's ”I'm too much in a hurry to be slowed by you”. The rule is most always; allow the uphill rider to pass. How? STOP your bike... step a foot out of the trail off to the side (without crushing that plant or cactus) and LEAN your bike and/or slide it a bit to the side. The rider you are YIELDING TOO then can pass without leaving the track. AWESOME! If we pass each other; that's 2 bikes wide and thus is NOT SINGLETRACK after we do. (Trails wide enough for this are called ”roads”) Keep Singletrack Single is our rule... Thanks for being a part of that passion for narrow beautiful trails.
NO Shortcuts!
We all know that we don't cut switchbacks (I think we do) but we also need to spread the word that just because we ”see a trail over there” doesn't mean we need to ”ride over there right now”. Trails all have a start/entrance and and end/exit; they may have several but they do not need an entrance and exit every few yards. Please don't ”cut over” to the trail from your camp site or from that road you parked on or from anywhere except the Trailhead. I can't promise you if you ride up the road you will find the entrance; then you can roll DOWN the sweet singletrack and not mess up a beautiful trail or the experience of those who are on track.
Our Mud is Epic, don't go there!
It's like peanut butter, but weighs a lot more. You CAN'T ride when it rains here!!! PERIOD!! Luckily it doesn't rain very often and when it does our soil dries out really fast. Sometimes the difference between a broken ruined bike and rutted trails is only a matter of a few hours. Let it dry. Use good judgement, don't trash our trails "just because it's your vacation and damn it you came here to ride." Over The Edge updates its FaceBook page often with trail conditions during questionable weather, or you can call us.
Cheaters never prosper
No new TrAXES! - we all run across things we can't or don't feel like riding. If we didn't then we would be the single greatest rider in the sport. Never ”lower” the trail to your skill level by altering the line or stacking rocks or cutting down trees or plants. Someone can ride it; I know it seems like too much but it's not. Ask your friend to spot you and give it a try maybe, or just walk around, NEVER re-design a trail that you didn't help design and build in the first place. If you really think it needs fixing? Stop in the local trail advocate shop and mention it. That will be appreciated; kicking out off trail tracks will be appreciated, creating a new ”by pass” or ”ramp” on someones favorite rock move will be despised and be re-built back to normal and thus wastes everyone's time. Cutting down or back a tree is just vandalism of nature; NEVER kill plants for your own convenience, Please spread the word.
Burn Baby Burn - But NOT that!
We all camp and we all LOVE to camp near our beloved trails. The better the trails the more campers and riders they see a season. As in Fruita where we see 20,000 campers a year the ”gathering” of fire wood is a huge negative impact. Live trees should be allowed to remain thus and dead limbs still belong to the tree. Old decaying trees are the source of fertilizing the soil for the next generation. BYOWOOD (buy a bundle) and save the nature that we came here to enjoy. Spread the word on this; it's a little known idea, Thanks
When in doubt... RESPECT it... all of it.
We love here and you came here because it's awesome. I travel because I want to see more awesome places. To be the one who comes to ”awesome” and leaves it ”less awesome” says something about me that I would never want to hear said. Leave it as good or better than you found it...
These are the Trails and the Places we Love! I'm glad you love them as I do. Thanks for the help - Keep Singletrack Single - Love Life - Share the Love - Enjoy the ride