Mountain Biking on AT?

“I met a guy this weekend (young, climber, adventurer type) who says he wants to do the AT on his mountain bike. I took a deep breath and continued to probe. We chatted a while and I told him that I thought he might anger a number of hikers along the way. He took a "to each his own" sort of attitude. "It's everybody's world." He then commented on how most hikers are "holier than thou" about the trails.

My main question is: Have many of the TTrs run into Mountain Bikes out there?

Secondly: What is your opinion on the subject?”

“We have separate trails for mountain bikers and hikers. There's plenty of both. No co-mingling allowed.”

“First of all, I don't think bicycles are allowed on the Appalachian trail, at least not in Virginia. The Contential Divide Trail is a wonderful long-distance off-road cycling trail.
Secondly, I participate in and enjoy both hiking and mountain biking. I believe that the two can co-exist. Personally, mountain bikers do not bother me while hiking, assuming they are riding under control. I understand that this is not always the case, but you can not allow one bad experience with a biker to cause you to make broad generalizations about the group as a whole.
That said, while biking, I prefer to ride trails where I know the chances of seeing a hiker are slim. This allows me to concentrate fully on riding, to get into the zone so to speak, and to push my limits.
I know many hikers who hate bikers, and vice-versa. I also know that an overwelming number of bikers are respectful of both hikers and the environment. Many ride and hike. A group of bikers I know organizes weekly trail maintainence sessions every fall, and attendence at at least 2 is manditory for entry into their big end of the fall race/party.
I wish cyclists and hikers could get along better because the two groups have many common interests and working together to accomplish their goals would be more effective than each could ever be working separately.”

“i guess THAT's the end of THAT!”

“According to the ATC, the AT is for foot traffic only, so legally he might want to rethink his plan.

I've mountain biked for many years before I started hiking, and myself and the many I biked with rarely saw that "holier than thou" attitude with hikers. We never biked on the AT (which was very close). That was their trail and we had our trails. On multi use trails "hiker up!" was a popular phrase, and we always respected them by slowing down and not kicking up dust at them.

So if this guy is biking on the AT, sure he's gonna tick off hikers. He ain't supposed to be there. I've hiked most of the AT in NJ and several miles in Pa and Va, and I've only seen one bike so far. I politely reminded him that he could get into trouble and he was gracious about it, so I doubt he was your guy.”

“Bikes, horses, & ATV's fu*k up trails.
I personally don't like walking through tire ruts or horse sh!t.”

“Well, ok walkindude, but don't sugarcoat it. We want to know how you really feel.”

“let see them ride there atv's up in the White's”

“LOL sirpete!!!”

“My knee-jerk reaction is not favorable to the biking crowd. I too, love to mountain bike in places designated for biking, but it is an altogether different activity than hiking. It can tend to bring out the agressive nature of many people. I've had one too many negative experiences with bikers to cut them much slack. Most of them don't exactly stop and smell the roses, if you know what I mean.”

“As a hiker and a biker I think that hikers should stick to hiking trails and bikers should stick to biking trails. When I ride I don't want to have to slow down for foot traffic and I hate to have to watch out for mountain bikers while hiking. It's just easier and more enjoyable for both groups if they stick to their own trail. Now we have to do something about all those cars on my roads.”

“I hear what you're sayin' Avocado about the hiker/biker love thang, and in theory it's swell. But in reality it really don't jive too well. Kudo's radman, I reckon' that dude won't be ruttin' up the AT for long. I'm all with the "to each his/her own" thang, but that's generally used only as a hiking statement.

My full respect to yuns out there who bike on bike trails and leavin' the hiking trails to hikers!!”

“Thanks for looking that up Rad. That ends that discussion - unless this guy plans to run afoul of the law.”

“Ditto-
I have been nearly drilled a couple of times-Lets try separate but equal.”

“If anyone has been through a lot of the AT in PA they would say let me see ride those sections! The headlines would read "Man starts to illegaly Mt. Bike AT.....ends a woman.”

“"It's everybody's world" when he pulls you over on the interstate.

"Fish where you are" is one of my mottos, but I do not trespass to do so. There's a place for everything. If one wants to ride bikes in the backcountry, they should go where it's acceptable.”

“I really seem to be butchering my English lately! Sorry.”

“don't worry, we're open to the butchering of all nationalities here on Serial Killers Anonymous i mean TT!”

“Oh, sorry dude. I didn't expect to see a bike out here.
”

“I know in GA, we poached some trails. One time we got busted. The ranger took a friend of mine's front wheel off his bike (or be arrested), told us to pick it up at the ranger station and left us out there on the trail. That was fun.”

“The National Trails System Act of 1968 gives the Federal agencies the authority to regulate mechanized equipment on trails. Bikes are prohibited in Congressionally designated Wilderness areas on or off trail anyway.

Bikes and hikers can and do coexist. Over half of the publicly owned trails nationwide are currently closed to mountain bikes. A significant amount of the multi-use trails nominally open to bikes are so technical as to be unridable anyway. So the hiking purists really have no right to complain.
The REAL problem is hikers on designated mountain bike trails that interfere with the trail's designated purpose and are still holier-than-thou about it. They are the real jerks and @ssholes. The next time I catch one of those idiots stringing wire at neck height across a bike trail he will just disappear in the forest never to be seen again.”

“I her'dat gordon! If I were hikin' on a bikin trail and got clobbered by a mtn bike, the fault is practically all mine.”

“I've almose hit idiot walkers on "Bike" trails at Fall Creek Falls SP before.
Use a trail for what its purpose is.”

“What about those IDIOTS that wade through the channels marked specifically for small craft?

Especially if their "running" in a no wake zone.

Then try to explain to the Marine Patrol that you didn't see the poor buggers until it was "too late"!

Bastards!”