Queensland Mountain
Bike User Survey
An interim report of findings
Research coordinated and prepared by QORF on behalf on behalf of the Qld
State Wide Mountain Bike Forum
6/27/2013
Background
On behalf of the State Wide Mountain Bike Forum, coordinated and facilitated by QORF, a MTB user
survey was distributed to Qld MTB Riders in April 2013. This survey replicates a survey tool created
by John Carney from Single Track Minds and provided to QORF by the Department of Sport and
Recreation, WA. We thank them for their cooperation and support.
The findings presented here are described as interim because two of the questions have incomplete
analysis due to the size of the respondent pool and the diversity of open ended responses. QORF
shall endeavor to analyse these results in more detail but believe that there is sufficient value in
making the majority of the findings available now.
Prepared by:
Queensland Outdoor Recreation Federation
Sports House, 150 Caxton Street
Milton Qld 4064
Ph: (07) 3369 9455
Fax: (07) 3369 9355
W: www.qorf.org.au
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Queensland Mountain Bike Rider Survey
About the survey
There were 2076 respondents who participated in the survey. Almost 90% of the respondents were
male and the most common age groups were 35-50 years (48%) and 26-34 years (25.2%). The
majority of respondents (82%) lived in South East Queensland. Other respondents came from Far
North Qld (6.3%), North Qld (6.1%), Central (3%), Wide Bay Burnett (1.8%) and the remainder of the
state (about 1%).
How often do you ride mountain bike trails?
Almost half (49.8%) of respondents ride mountain bike trails ‘2-3 times a week’. A further 27% of
respondents ride mountain bike trails ‘once a week’ and less than 4% ride mountain bike trails less
than once a month.
How often do you ride mountain bike trails?
Every day
2-3 times a week
Once a week
A couple of times a month
Once a month
Once every few months
Less than once a year
How long have been you riding a mountain bike?
Over a third (35.5%) of respondents have been riding a mountain bike for ‘10 years plus’. A further
20% have been riding for ‘6-10 years’ and 25% have been riding for ‘3-5 years’. Only 6% of
respondents have been riding a mountain bike for less than a year.
What type of mountain biking do you do? (more than one answer possible)
The most common type of mountain biking, selected by more than 88% of respondents, was ‘Cross
Country (Fire trails and single track)’. This was followed by ‘All Mountain’ (47.7%) and ‘Downhill
and/or 4X’ (26.6%). There were a number of different responses in the ‘Other’ section but review of
these indicated that some fit under the options provided. Some of the multiple responses included
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‘adventure racing’, ‘commuting/road’, ‘cyclocross’, ‘endurance’, ‘mountain bike orienteering’, and
‘observed trials’.
What type of mountain biking do you do? (more than one answer possible)
100.0%
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Cross
Downhill
Country (Fire and/or 4X
trails and
single track)
Freeride
Dirt jumps
All mountain
Mountain
bike touring
e.g. multi day
trips
How would you describe your level of riding ability?
Over half (56.8%) of respondents described their level of riding ability as ‘Intermediate’ and more
than a third (36.4%) described it as ‘Advanced’. Less than 7% described their riding level as
‘Beginner’.
Why do you ride a mountain bike? (more than one answer possible)
The most common reasons that respondents ride a mountain bike were:





Fitness and/or exercise (93.4%)
Fun (83.5%)
Experience the bush and outdoors (74.8%)
Socialise with friends (73.7%)
Competition in events (49.7%)
Less than 5% of respondents provided an ‘Other’ response. The most common groups of responses
given here were: health benefits such as ‘stress relief’ and ‘mental health’; and safety, with the
location often seen as a safer alternative to roads with cars. A number of respondents indicated skill
development, adventure and challenge were key reasons. Some respondents rode mountain bikes
for work or as a means of transport while others did it for the love, freedom or adrenaline.
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Why do you ride a mountain bike? (more than one answer possible)
100.0%
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Fitness
and/or
exercise
Experience Socialise with Socialise with Competition
the bush and
friends
family
in events
outdoors
Fun
How long would your average ride be?
About 45% of respondents indicated their average ride would be ‘2-3 hours’. 41% had an average
ride of ‘1-2 hours’ and more than 11% had an average ride of ‘3 hours plus’. Only 1.5% had an
average ride of ‘Under an hour’.
How long would your average ride be?
Under an hour
1-2 hours
2-3 hours
3 hours plus
What is your ideal length of ride?
The most popular “ideal length of ride” for respondents was ‘21-30km’ (36.7%) followed by ‘1020km’ (30%). More than a quarter of respondents indicated an ideal length of more than 30km while
less than 6% indicated ‘Under 10km’ as the ideal length.
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What is your ideal length of ride?
Under 10km
10-20km
21-30km
31-40km
40km plus
What limits the riding that you do? (more than one answer possible)
The two most common limitations on the riding of respondents were ‘Lack of time to ride’ (65.3%)
and ‘Lack of close, legal trails’ (53.2%). The next most common responses were:






Lack of trails that suit my preferred riding style (29.8%)
The trails are too far away to regularly ride (27.4%)
Lack of maps and signposting so I know where I am (18.6%)
Poor quality trails (17.3%)
Lack of people to ride with (14.3%)
I’m not aware of many places where I can ride (12%)
A number of ‘Other’ responses were also provided but many of these fit under the existing answer
options such as the lack of trails, type of trails and lack of signage. The most common ‘Other’
responses related to bad weather and the ability of the trails to handle the weather. There were also
a number of responses about other commitments or interests, lack of motivation and access to the
right type of bike. Other less common limitations included age, fitness and injury. Some respondents
indicated that trails were too crowded and a few suggested the time spent on trail-care limited their
riding.
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Do you participate in organised events and if so how many per year?
Nearly a quarter of respondents (24.4%) do not participate in any organised events. Almost 30%
participate in 1-2 organised events per year and about 21% participate in 3-5 organised events per
year. More than 15% of respondents participate in 7 plus organised events each year.
Do you participate in organised events and if so how many per year?
None
1-2
3-5
5-7
7 plus
Do you belong to a mountain biking club?
More than half of the respondents (55.8%) do not belong to a mountain biking club. Nearly 39% of
respondents are members of one mountain biking club and about 8% of respondents are members
of a Mountain Bike Trail Care Alliance.
Do you belong to a mountain biking club?
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
I don’t belong to I am a member I am a member I am a member I am a member
a club
one MTB club
of two MTB of three or more of a MTB Trail
clubs
MTB clubs
Care Alliance
There was a variety of ‘Other’ responses to this question. Many of the responses indicated an
alternative membership, most commonly with a peak body, e.g. Cycling Australia, IMBA, or with
another type of riding club, e.g. Cycling, Mountain Bike Orienteering or Off-road Triathlon. Some
respondents indicated they were members of online forums while others had their own social
groups which they belonged to. A considerable number indicated they were ex-members and many
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indicated an intention to become a member of a mountain biking club. Some respondents indicated
that even though they were not a member they volunteered their time for trail maintenance or
coordinating events.
What are the name/s of the MTB Club or Trail Alliance that you are a member of? (e.g. Mareeba
Mountain Goats, Mareeba)
The most common Trail Alliances identified by respondents were:
Trails Alliance
QTY
Gap Creek Trails Alliance
S.E.Q Trail Alliance
Logan City Trail Care Alliance
Outlook Riders Alliance
30
25
21
16
The most common mountain bike clubs identified by respondents were as follows:
Club
Brisbane South Mountain Bike Club
Rock wheelers Townsville
Toowoomba Mountain Bike Club
Gold Coast MTB Club.
D'aguilar Range Cycle Club - DRCC
Cairns Mountain Bike Club
Downhill From Here (DFH)
Kenmore Cycle Club
The Riders Club
Bushrangers MTB Club
Gravity Mountain Bike Club
Noosa Trailblazers MTB club
Rockhampton MTB Club
MAD (Mackay And District) Mountain Bike Club
Mareeba Mountain Goats
NRG Cycle Club
QTY
93
85
53
52
49
44
33
28
23
18
17
16
14
12
12
12
What level of trail difficulty would you like to see more of? (more than one answer is possible)
The most commonly desired trail difficulty of respondents is ‘Blue-moderate difficulty single track
with moderate trail features’ (82.9%) followed by ‘Black-difficult single track and downhill with
difficult trail features’ (58%). The least desired trail difficulty is ‘White – very easy, open, wide offroad trails’ (9.7%).
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What level of trail difficulty would you like to see more of? (more than one
answer is possible)
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
White – very
Green – easy Blue – moderate Black – difficult Double Black –
easy, open, wide single track with difficulty single single track and very difficult trail
off-road trails
minimal to no
track with
downhill with
and downhill
technical trail
moderate trail
difficult trail
features
features
features
How important to you are the following riding infrastructure and facilities?
The riding infrastructure and facilities that was most commonly viewed as ‘Extremely important’
were ‘Signposted trails and trail head maps’ (18%) and ‘Drinking water available’ (13.7%). Those
most commonly viewed as ‘Very important’ were ‘Signposted trails and trail head maps’ (26.9%) and
‘Good car parking’ (22.7%). Alternatively the options most commonly viewed as ‘Not important’
were ‘A place to rent bikes’ (76%) and ‘Café or shops nearby to buy food/drinks’ (50.9%).
Incomplete Analysis: Please list the three trail networks you ride most frequently. (If the trails
don’t have names, please explain the area you are referring to)
A lesson learned in this survey for future investigations, is to identify the trails that are most
commonly used and provide these as choices in the survey. As we did not do this, there were more
than 6000 different responses to this question, with many different spellings and titles given to
trails.
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A review of these responses however reveals that the most frequently ridden trails/ trail networks
for the respondents were:









Gap Creek/ Mt Coot-tha, Brisbane
Daisy Hill, Redlands/ Logan
Bunya/ Bunyaville, Brisbane
Mt Joyce Recreation Park, Beaudesert
Nerang, Gold Coast
Parklands, Nambour
Douglas Mountain Bike Reserve, Townsville
Clear Mountain, Moreton Bay
Smithfield, Cairns
Further work is required to unpack these results into more precise data.
What is the reason you ride these trails? (more than one answer is possible)
Three quarters of respondents chose to ride a trail that was ‘Close to home’. Two thirds (67.8%)
chose a trail because they ‘Enjoy the trail design’ and just under half (48.5%) chose a trail because it
was ‘Suitable for my ability’. The other common reasons for riding a trail were ‘Length of trail’
(45.6%) and ‘It’s close by and legal for me to ride there’ (43.3%). The least popular reason for
choosing to ride a trail was ‘Sign posted and mapped’ (18%).
There were also a number of ‘other’ responses which when categorised indicated that people
wanted to reinforce the answers they had given. For example many indicated they rode trails
because they were close to home or they had no other alternatives – close by, that were legal, or
that were of the style of track that suited their riding preference. In addition, people chose trails
because the trail design was superior, or because the location was desirable and enjoyable (e.g.
‘getting into the bush on shady trails’) or convenient (e.g. ‘the trails are on my way to work’).
Having a variety of trails available was also a strong reason for trail choice. People liked trails that
‘are different in difficulty and trail design’ and offer ‘good variety of trails from easy to double black
diamond’. A limited number of respondents also indicated the riding locations were influenced by
where they were conducting trail maintenance, or by where their friends were riding.
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What is the reason you ride these trails? (more than one answer is possible)
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Close to
home
Sign posted Enjoy the trail Length of trail Suitable for It's close by
and mapped
design
my ability and legal for
me to ride
there
What type of trail or riding experiences would you like to see more of in Queensland?
Nearly 80% of respondents want to see ‘more single track circuits’ in Queensland. The next most
common responses were:



‘trails close to regional towns or the city’ (65.1%)
‘more skill development areas’ (42.5%)
‘more multi day mountain biking events’ (28%)
There were also a number of ‘other’ responses that were provided including a consistent preference
for trails that were connected. Respondents indicated they would like to see trails that joined up
different areas or were connected to create longer trail networks; but also areas for MTB that
connected commuting paths to MTB trails, and communities to trails. People also commented that
they sought more trails in general, more legal trails in particular, and more opportunities to ride on
well designed, maintained and purpose built trails that tested skills and met a variety of needs (from
the novice to the advanced rider).
Respondents also believed that riding experiences more similar to those found in Rotorua New
Zealand for example, would be valuable for Queensland as these attract a breadth of riders from all
over the world. This would mean longer, flowing trails that join up with towns or communities and
support services such as shuttles. They also commented that long and/ or multi day trails were
sought.
Specific types of trails were also recommended including, one way, legal downhill, pump tracks,
more jumps and cross country/ all mountain trails.
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What type of trail or riding experiences would you like to see more of in
Queensland?
more skill
development
areas
more single
track circuits
more multi
day mountain
biking events
touring
opportunities
trails within
riding
distance to
train stations
trails close to
regional
towns or the
city
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Incomplete Analysis: List your 3 top mountain biking areas (with one being your highest) that you
believe offer the best opportunity for further development in the State (can be authorised or nonauthorised networks), and why?
More than 1600 respondents answered this question fully, providing a diversity of answers. While
there were some consistent indications of areas that would benefit from trail development, QORF
are not positioned at this time to finalised coding and analysis of this data.
What is apparent however, is that the reasons why people think the trails they selected would
benefit from further development is strongly aligned to the motivations of why people ride; a desire
to see trails that connect to communities; and/ or that are being undervalued due to lack of
maintenance. For example, people indicated that:
The advantages of Parklands were that it was ‘accessible to towns on the sunshine coast, is well
drained, has a good trail network, and fun features’. But to make it more desirable and sustainable it
requires ‘more trails maintenance, armouring, bridges over damp ground, trail maps and signposted
trails’.
Whites Hill/ Mt Gravatt/ Toohey Forest and Gap Creek were considered desirable because they are
close to the city, connected by public transport and commuter trails, and have suitable size and
elevation. Only Gap Creek is currently a legal site, with the other venues closed to mountain biking.
Further analysis of this information is required.
What attributes are important to create the best riding experience for you?
The attributes most commonly identified by respondents as ‘extremely important’ were:



‘Quality of trail. E.g. trail flow’ (40%)
‘Built technical trail features e.g. jumps, berms’ (26%)
‘Technical challenge’ (21%)
The attributes most commonly identified by respondents as ‘very important’ were:
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




‘Length of trail’ (40%)
‘Technical challenge’ (38%)
‘Quality of trail. E.g. trail flow’ (37%)
‘Physical challenge’ (37%)
‘Trail accessibility’ (36%)
A number of other responses were also provided and while limited are worth commenting on as
they demonstrate riders are keen for trails that are sustainable, well built and maintained, and that
offer appropriate safety management qualities such as having mobile phone coverage, signage and
maps to inform the rider, and more one way trails.
How do you find out where to ride in Qld? (more than one answer possible)
The most common way of finding out where to ride is ‘Word of mouth’ (84.2%) closely followed by
the ‘Internet’ (69%), ‘MTB Dirt’ (38.1%), ‘Trail guide book’ (33.1%) and ‘Through clubs’ (22.2%).
‘QPWS or Council maps’ was the least used method for finding out where to ride in QLD.
There were also a number of ‘other’ responses that indicated people found places to ride by utilising
the online forums, but mainly by a history of experience, through exploration including searching
using STRAVA and Google Earth, by riding until a trail ran out, and by seeking the advice and
guidance of local bike shops.
How do you find out where to ride in Qld? (more than one answer possible)
90.0%
80.0%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Internet
Word of
mouth
Trail guide
book (e.g.
Where to
MTB in SEQ)
Through
clubs
QPWS or
Council maps
(e.g. Gap
Creek)
MTB Dirt
Some have suggested it would be good to create several primary trail network areas in Qld. How
far would you travel to ride varying size of trail networks and destinations?
Nearly 40% of respondents indicated they would ‘Travel 200km plus’ to ride an ‘Iconic experience’
and 31% indicated they would travel the same distance for ‘Competitions/events’. The largest
proportion of respondents indicated they would ‘Travel up to 100km’ for trails varying in length from
31km to 50km plus. For trails varying in length from 0km to 20km respondents would most
commonly only ‘Travel up to 25km’.
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Answer Options
0-10km of trail
11-20km of trail
21-30km of trail
31-40km of trail
41-50km of trail
50km plus of trail
Competitions/ events
Iconic experience e.g. high scenic value
Travel up to
25km
Travel up
to 50km
Travel up
to 100km
Travel up
to 200km
Travel
200km plus
1300
791
312
149
105
94
72
72
350
688
804
641
413
268
131
184
147
296
555
767
832
726
499
422
31
45
109
204
315
428
476
389
27
28
52
93
158
327
602
742
Do you travel to places outside Queensland to mountain bike? (more than one answer possible)
NSW, Victoria and ACT were the most commonly visited states within Australia and New Zealand
was the most visited international destination followed by Canada.
Do you travel to places outside Queensland to mountain bike? (more than
one answer possible)
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
Would you be happy to pay a small fee for parking at a trail network if this money was to be reinvested into trail maintenance and/or trail facilities?
Overwhelmingly, 85% of respondents indicated they would be happy to pay a small fee for parking
at a trail network if the money was to be re-invested into trail maintenance and/or trail facilities.
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