Should rail trails be classified as road biking?

Route of the Hiawatha trail in Idaho

In addition to my own trail website, I enjoy contributing to other trail communities. After all, it is my hope that we all have the same general goal: to promote the enjoyable and healthy lifestyle that trails offer.
However, I am having trouble convincing other websites that there should be a third category of biking besides mountain biking and road biking.
My most recent foray into this topic was with Russell of Alltrails.com. First, I want to thank Russell for replying to my request. I appreciate that he took the time to consider the issue and give me a detailed reply. As with all people in the internet trail business, he is most gracious and helpful.
Here is what Russell had to say about my request:

"Thanks for the suggestion Kevin. Today we classify most of the rail trails under road biking since as you pointed out they are paved surfaces that require little to no mountain biking skills. When we spoke with users most people found adding an additional category for biking to be confusing. That being said, we do appreciate the feedback and we'll make sure to revisit this in future updates to the site."

This is similar to the replies I have gotten from other websites such as Everytrail, Trails.com, Mapmyride, Ride with GPS, etc. So my intent is not to say that Alltrails is out of line. In fact they are right in line with all the others. Instead, I would like to offer my own suggestions regarding this issue and hope that I can convince one of the major trail-information websites to take the bold step of adding a third category of trails called trail biking:

1. Rail trails should definitely not be classified as road biking!! The obvious reason for this is because it does not involve a road, but a trail. In fact, most people who ride on rail trails are doing so to avoid riding on roads.
2. It would not confuse people to add a third category. Much more confusing is to classify rail-trails as road biking. By definition, a trail is basically the opposite of a road when it comes to biking and hiking.
3. Although many rail-trails are paved/concrete, many (possibly most) are not. Some are gravel, some cinder, some ballast, some dirt... Each one is different. But they all have one thing in common. They are all family-friendly and they all cater to the needs of all demographic groups, unlike mountain biking and road biking.
4. Both road biking and mountain biking, at least in the minds of many people, offer some element of danger and risk. Trail biking, once again, is quite the opposite. It is relaxing and extremely safe. It attracts a completely different type of user.
5. It is estimated that only 1% of Americans ride bikes on a regular basis. Despite the fact that bike riding is fun, healthy, environmentally-friendly, inexpensive, and (potentially) relaxing, something is keeping people from riding bikes on a regular basis. It is my firm belief that our stringent policy of categorizing all biking into the two narrow categories of mountain biking and road biking is a major factor in the limited biking habits of most Americans.
6. I first became interested in trail biking (I was already an avid mountain biker.) when I took my one-year-old daughter on the Hiawatha Trail in Idaho. Of course she was in a bike trailer and I was pulling her behind my bicycle. It was a revelation to me. I loved the idea that I could enjoy trails with my daughter while avoiding the risks of road biking and mountain biking. Our father/daughter biking trips continued on trails such as the Withlacoochee Trail in Florida and others throughout the country. We were biking together, but we were not mountain biking or road biking. My daughter has never been interested in the rigors of mountain biking, and I don't like the odds of serious/fatal accidents involved with her biking alongside large, fast-moving, often distracted drivers and their automobiles. (side note - Believe me, I am the polar opposite of an over-protective parent, and I would gladly allow my daughter to road-bike if she had such an inclination.)
7. As I travel the country and ride the various family-friendly trails, I can't help but notice that they attract a completely different type of recreationalist. In general, these people are incredibly friendly, laid back, nature-loving, slow-paced individuals and families. That's what they have in common. What they don't have in common is age, income, background, or lifestyle. They seem to come from all walks of life and have varied ages, backgrounds, and socio-economic status. Most of them have no desire to risk life and limb on a road or mountain bike trail. They just love getting out and enjoying the laid-back offerings of a safe and simple trail.

It is for the reasons listed above and many more, that I started the trails network website. I wanted to help other people find the joy of these trails without the risks of road biking and mountain biking. Trail biking is as different from these other two categories as hiking is different than backpacking or trail-running. Alas though, my website is just a small fish in a big pond and doesn't attract the  visitors that the other big websites do. And since my objective is to introduce as many people as possible to the joys of trail riding, I'd prefer to have at least one other site promote trail biking.

It isn't my goal to change all of the various trail websites to my way of thinking. In fact, I hope that there remains variety and choices among the different sites. However, I hope I can convince just one of them to add the category of trail biking so we can spread the word about a third category of trails. It is my dream to raise the percentage of regular bikers in America from 1% to 50% or 75% or, what the heck, let's shoot for 100%. Biking does not have to be dangerous, competitive, or mundane. I am so glad that I get to experience, on a daily basis, the joys of trail-biking throughout America. I look forward to seeing more people join me in this healthy, green, and enjoyable pursuit.

Should rail trails be classified as road biking?

Relationship between biking, walking, & obesity

There's yet another study out showing the relationship between active travel (biking & walking to get from here to there) vs. car travel and the relationship to obesity rates.

Infographic by The National Building Museum in Washington DC, USA.

It's no surprise that where children utilize human-powered transportation to get to (for example) school as opposed to being driven there, they seem to be much less likely to suffer from obesity and its ill-effects.

Obviously, activity is the key: If kids participate in movement-based after school activities, this might very well help to alleviate some of the affects of being driven to and from school. But then there's the whole petroleum consumption and its maladies.

I have noticed a related correlation. The schools that have trails (some safe, off-road route) that lead to them, have a much greater rate of children who walk or ride their bicycles. Of course this makes sense from numerous standpoints. First, the trails are safer than kids walking & riding on busy (or any) roads due to a decreased risk of auto/pedestrian accidents. Secondly, for those people who are paranoid about someone kidnapping their child ("The Ransom of Red Chief" is more realistic than this fear, but that's another story.) then trails are also much safer. It is much more likely that the (ubiquitous) kidnapper will utilize the services of an automobile when attempting a kidnapping. I would assume (having never seen the upside of kidnapping) that it would be much easier to pull off such a stunt from a motor vehicle than on foot or (nearly impossible) on bike.

Anyway, I think the above chart allows the statistics to speak for themselves. Active kids are healthy kids.

Relationship between biking, walking, & obesity

The five newest & coolest forms of human-powered transportation

Elliptigo

At trailsnet, we're all about human-powered transportation, and normally, we highlight the standard fare of biking, hiking, snowshoeing, nordic skiing, inline skating, & horseback riding. But we're also intrigued by some of the newer forms of sweat-equity transportation; so here's a list of some cool new ways of getting around while getting in shape:

The Schweeb

• The Schweeb, by Google is like a hybrid between a bike and a monorail. It is currently located in New Zealand as a recreational application, but it's potential for transportation is sky-high!

• Those of you who enjoy the elliptical trainer at your local gym will love the Elliptigo. It allows you to cruise like a bicyclist while standing upright like a cross-country skiier. It's like running without all the jarring impact.
• The Trikke, like the Elliptigo, allows you to stand up while moving down the street or trail. But it's a lot less expensive and more of a full body workout. And once you master the Trikke, it'll be a cinch to move onto the Skki during the winter months.
• Okay, recumbents aren't all that new, but they haven't yet caught on like I think they're bound to someday soon. So many of you may not even be aware of the recumbent movement. However, if you give one a try, I predict you'll be hooked. I know I was.



recumbent

• Technically velomobiles are a form of recumbent. But I think they look way cool, and seem to have their own following, so I'll give them their own category. They look like the human-powered machine of the future.

The five newest & coolest forms of human-powered transportation

Pittsburgh Walk & Bike

Streetfilms have some great videos of alternative transportation success stories with many films that involve biking and bike lanes. Here's one of the videos about a biking triumph in Pittsburgh.


Pittsburgh Walk & Bike from Streetfilms on Vimeo.


Now as most of you know, I prefer completely dedicated bike trails, but I also know that's not possible in a lot of places. So some of the bike lanes in the Streetfilm videos are the next best thing to separated bike paths.

Pittsburgh Walk & Bike

Andalucia for active travel in June

June is a pretty good month for travel worldwide, but it's also crowded in most spots, and the weather is starting to get a bit hot and muggy.

One option for your June active travel vacation is Andalucia. It's great for hiking, biking, & horse riding. The weather is fairly reasonable for most of the month, the costs are relatively low, and Andalucia is less crowded than many other travel destinations.

For information about an active vacation in Andalucia try visiting activeandalucia.com.

Andalucia for active travel in June

Wisconsin #1

I just read an article today about rails-to-trails in general and about Wisconsin rails-to-trails specifically. According to the article, Wisconsin is the #1 rails-to-trails state in the nation. Personally, I've never been there, but I'd love to visit this summer.
I hope to hear from some of you about your favorite trail experiences. Any proud Wisconsinites who want to affirm your #1 ranking. How about those of you from other state who may want to refute Wisconsin's ranking as #1.

Wisconsin #1

trailsnet

Do you enjoy riding your bike? Do you enjoy exploring new trails? Are you looking for great trails all over the country?

I would answer yes to all of the above. Over the years, I've enjoyed mountain biking, road biking, and recumbent biking. Now, I prefer multitrails such as rail-trails. One of my favorite pursuits is to travel across the country to ride on a great trail. I know there are other people out there like me, because I see them on the various trails.

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of forums out there for us active travelers. That is why I developed a website called trailsnet.com. It posts the names, locations, descriptions, and photos of great trails located from Washington D.C. to Hawaii. All of the trails (45 at this point) are ones that I've personally ridden. And all the trails are widely accessible for bikers of all levels.

Please visit my site and tell me what you think. There's a contact page and another blog located directly on the site.
Visit a network of trails on the internet at trailsnet.com.

trailsnet