Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 UW 5/3/83; site uw-june Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!uw-june!trow From: trow@uw-june (Jay Trow) Newsgroups: net.bicycle Subject: Re: Mountain Bikes & The Environment Message-ID: <1793@uw-june> Date: Wed, 26-Sep-84 23:49:06 EDT Article-I.D.: uw-june.1793 Posted: Wed Sep 26 23:49:06 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 4-Oct-84 02:23:04 EDT References: <173@oliveb.UUCP> Organization: U of Washington Computer Science Lines: 36 Forwarded from Bikers^@Xerox.arpa ---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 24 Sep 84 13:59:49 PDT (Monday) Subject: Re: Mountain Bikes & The Environment I think that mountain bikes should be allowed to go anywhere that horses are allowed to go. Since horses are allowed in most backcountry areas (I am not sure about designated Wilderness areas though), bikes should be allowed there too. A bike does no more damage to the environment than a horse, and causes no more disturbance to other people than a horse or even a hiker (unlike the ear-ripping noise and choking fumes of a motorbike). Sure, there will be a few irresponsible people who will ride like maniacs -- just as there are irresponsible hikers who leave trash all over and let their fires burn. But I don't think it's fair to close trails to bikers, because of the inconsiderate few, just as hikers are not shut out, because of their inconsiderate few. There really are not very many places that mtn. bikes are allowed to go, especially if all hiking trails are closed to them. There are no "trails designed for them", as Kenton Lee recommends. Very few people who buy mtn. bikes actually ride them in the mountains. Most buy them for local playing, and hardly ever see "wilderness" or "backcountry". This is one of the reasons that I don't believe that the land is any more threatened by mtn. bikes than it is by hikers or horses, because they are few and far between. As far as erosion from ruts, bikes don't leave ruts unless it's muddy, in which case very few bikes are out in the wilderness, and if there are, the ruts are no worse than the huge pockmarks left by horses, or the ruts caused by sliding hikers. I just don't think bikes should be discriminated against. Holly Wanless wanless@xerox.arpa ----------------------------------------------------------------