Word of advice for when you screw up...

I had a head-on collision on Coyote last summer as I was coming down from the "ledge" at the start of the trail as you travel toward Cholla on Coyote. Right in that corner, next to the creek. I know most people try to clean that little stinger climb on their ride out of the park, but it makes for a nasty crash when you run into someone coming down.

Luckily, he saw me at the last minute (as I was yelling my fool head off), he scrubbed off some speed and the crash wasn't as bad as it could've been.

Much as I love riding Coyote, I skip that ST now. I've had two head-ons on that trail, even when I'm ringing my bell in every blind turn...

 

On my bike commute today I was thinking about this thread and remembered that it is just not other riders but hikers to take can cause problems. I remember years ago in El Moro on one the fireroad descents a group of half a dozen hikers where on the road in there usual shoulder to shoulder formation. I stopped when I heard some downhilling yahoo coming down fast yelling "rider on your left". The obvious happened and they all scattered every which direct leaving the biker no place to go except to hit someone or stuff it into the cliff. He chose the cliff totally tacoing his front tire and numerous cuts and scrapes. Moral of the story is for you to figure out, for me it was stop for hikers. And don't take it for granted that hikers know the sound of a bike coming downhill, bikers know that noise hikers may not and that is assuming that they are not IPoding it.

Dean

 

No worries! I know it's hard when daylight is low. I felt bad I had laid the bikes down across the trail and left you a smaller line to go down. I was pushing them uphill & he had to sit down & started having a hard time breathing, so I laid them down as quick as I could. A couple other bikers(thanks guys!) came by earlier when he was having a really hard time & we got him sat up a bit and that helped his breathing & they had gone up to TOW to flag the firemen as his friends were still not up yet with their truck. When you guys went by he was quiet and was doing better. You wouldn't have known anything was wrong at that point riding by minus us sitting in an odd spot.

When he actually did crash there were about 5 mtbrs + his 2 friends that all came rushing over to help. It's great to know everyone is out there taking care of each other and looking out for each other!

I was disturbed by the two guys(aka organ donors) that climbed by us while we were sitting there with no helmets. I just don't understand why people don't wear them. I've only been riding a little over a year & I've seen several cracked helmets including my own. Please please please wear one! I'm not a mom, but on this issue I'll be one! LOL!

 

To OP hope your ok. The bell is basic necessity on Coyote. Lots of riders going both ways. Trail etiquette is tough on that trail. I had a similar experience last year, ending up with a taco'd wheel. So now I always go ring a ding, ding.

Be careful out there.

 

I was riding a trail in Bakersfield about 4 years ago called Toads, it is a gully that is very narrow and you basiclly are riding the walls. The basic rule is you only GO DOWN Toads. There was 4 of us and I was second in the line. I come around one of the blind corners and there was my buddy going otb after he hit a guy on a dirtbike coming UP the trail. I luckily had enough room to go up and around them and then stop.

These Idiots were from the coast and they were yelling at us for riding the trail the wrong way. What I ride this trail at least once a week. They did not apologize for what happened. Thank god my buddy was ok, he just had some scrapes and bruises. They was not going to stop but there was no room to go anywhere.

The moral is if you are riding someplace unfamiliar to you please don't argue with people who ride the area on a regular basis. Especially if you hit them with a dirtbike going the wrong way.

 

Humans...

 

I ride Coyote a lot. I yell "Rider" and "bikes coming" and stuff like that at every blind section. Hikers appreciate it, and riders can at least hear something. I have had a few oncoming riders endo trying to stop to avoid a collision, even though I have pulled way over and stopped or slowed. If I'm hauling a** down Rock-It and there are other riders, I calmly say "you're good" it helps them calm down to hear that, and even though I am going fast, I'm calm and in control (in theory).

Final thought - if you are riding/hiking/jogging with earbuds in and music cranked, you deserve what you get. I announce my presence. If you can't hear me, that's your problem.

 

:-k
doubtful
:?:

 

Sounds like someone needs to take a bulldozer and widen this Coyote trail .........someone is bound to get killed :lol:

 

Shimano do you hear us please make a XTR bell. help me save mad gramz

 

I've actually starting yelling "Ding! Ding!" around blind corners because of it.