Mountain Bike Trail Difficulty Ratings

Likewise elevation change is not a criterion.

Mountain bike trail difficulty ratings. This rig pairs a burly and confidence inspiring front end with a lively and efficient rear end. For our mountain bike tours in gran canaria we adopt the single trail skala or single trail scale sts which classifies the difficulty of the trails into 3 classes and 6 levels. The amount of climbing on a trail is more an indicator of physical exertion than technical difficulty. It s called the imba trail difficulty rating system tdrs and despite its flaws it seems to be a pretty good start at standardizing trail ratings.

A trail rated blue for intermediate riders will not necessarily adhere to the standards laid out in the chart above. Riders will find more comfort on mountain bikes with front suspension or a rigid bike with plus size 3 in. To inform visitors about the required skill level for each trail and encourage them to use trails that match their skills appropriate trail difficulty rating system. The first thing to know is that an internationally recognized mtb trail difficulty rating system does not exist.

Imba s guide to building sweet singletrack. Moderate characterized by travel mostly on dirt roads and trails moderate technical difficulty tours ride on roads and trails that contain sections of loose gravel soft dirt or ruts. Another possible and very often used scale is the singletrail skala sts which provides 6 degrees of ranking from s0 to s5. Mountainous regions may consider including the amount of climbing on trail signs.

Evaluate difficulty relative to local trails. Mountain bike trail difficulty rating system in order to provide fun and challenge for bike park or trail system visitors trails of different difficulty levels are developed. Anyone who has done any skiing is comfortable with the idea of green blue and black trail ratings. Despite its aggressive attitude the ripmo is a very efficient climber.

Trails should be rated relative to other trails in the region. The same idea translates to mountain biking. Imba has come out with a method for rating mountain bike trail difficulty in the book trail solutions. I told you there is no official trail difficulty ratings.

This bicycle features 145mm of rear wheel travel and is designed around a 160mm fork. Many times trail ratings are subjective meaning that the person s who gave the trail its rating may be under or overestimating the trail s actual difficulty especially for a new rider. S0 s1 s2 s3 s4 s5. Expert in ski parlance double black diamond advanced black diamond intermediate blue trails easy green trails introductory novice bunny slope.