News Briefs

IMBA Trail News
Volume 17, Number 4
Autumn 2004

Mountain Biking Still Popular

American adults rode singletrack 587 million times in 2003. This high level of mountain biking participation was a key finding of the 6th annual Outdoor Recreation Participation Study conducted by the Leisure Trends Group and presented by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), the trade association of the outdoor industry.

The study focuses on comparing participation over time and has been conducted each year since 1998. 4,000 Americans 16 and older are interviewed by telephone about their participation in 21 human powered activities. Mountain biking on singletrack (dirt track less than five feet wide) is tallied separately from riding dirt roads.

The study breaks singletrack mountain bikers into two groups, "Participants" and "Enthusiasts." "Participants" believe they participated in the activity at least one time during the past year. "Enthusiasts" are those within the top 15 percent of frequency levels. 39.3 million adults - or 17.9 percent of the U.S. adult population - are classified as singletrack mountain biking "Participants," indicating they rode singletrack at least once during 2003.

For mountain biking on singletrack, there are two key findings: 1) The number of "Participants" has remained fairly steady since the study began, ranging from a low of 37.1 million in 1998 to a peak of 46 million in 2001. In 2003, the number of "Participants" was 39.3 million. 2) The number of "Enthusiasts" has grown 150 percent since 1998 - from 2.5 million in 1998 to 7.5 million in 2001. The number of "Enthusiasts" in 2003 declined slightly to 6.6 million.

The study also tallies the total number of "outings" each year. Mountain bikers rode singletrack a total of 587 million times in 2003. "Enthusiasts" counted for 77 percent - or 455 million - of those outings.

One conclusion is obvious: mountain biking on narrow trails is extremely popular nationwide. The OIA study may help mountain bike advocates prove to land managers that singletrack riding is an experience that is desired by a significant percentage of the public. A summary of the study can be found at www.outdoorindustry.org

Indianapolis Hot Spot Success

Indianapolis is home to 750,000 people but only 10 miles of legal singletrack. The persistence and energy of the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association (HMBA) coupled with the IMBA Urban Hot Spots campaign will help change this. IMBA and HMBA led a seven-day campaign in Indianapolis, September 7-13. We helped establish and strengthen relationships with local and state land managers, developed a strategy to acquire grants to create more trails, hosted a successful IMBA Trailbuilding School and increased momentum for local advocates. The Hot Spots program is dedicated to improving trail opportunities near cities. Info: imba.com/hotspots

Rate Your Riding

The IMBA Report Card is back in 2004. The Report Card provides an annual overview of mountain bike access and advocacy progress for U.S. states, Canadian provinces and other countries. In addition to a grade, trail riding opportunities and challenges are summarized. Grades are based on a number of factors: estimated miles of singletrack, land manager and other trail user relations, and the long-term outlook for mountain biking. Online voting results combined with input from IMBA staff, reps and local mountain bikers determine final grades. The IMBA Report Card will be open for voting on the web Oct. 1-31, with live results. At the end of the polling period, IMBA will tally the numbers and provide analysis. To vote visit imba.com