Which do you Prefer: Machine- or Hand-built Bike Trails?

Construction methods can affect a mountain bike trail's look and feel.
Fresh, machine-built singletrack. photo: Leah Barber

No matter where you go on planet Earth, chances are there are mountain bike trails to ride. Not only that, in many areas riders will find more than one type of trail to choose from. It is truly an excellent time to be a mountain biker!

Of course many of us enjoy riding more than one type of trail, so try to think about the type of trail you would ride if you hadn’t ridden in weeks and might not be able to ride again for a while. Many trails are built using a combination of methods; for example, a trail might be machine cut but hand finished. For our purposes we’re calling any trail where motorized, earth-moving equipment is used at any point during construction.