The Pinkbike Podcast: What Makes the Perfect Trail?

Jun 30, 2023
by Henry Quinney  
photo
Art by Taj Mihelich

What are the must-have ingredients for the perfect mountain bike trail? And what do Kaz, Dario and I think of each other's suggestions?

We talk about what would be in our favourite trail. What it needs to have, what we love, and what they'd gladly live without. Tech? Jumps? Or just some nice turns in the woods?


Featuring a rotating cast of the editorial team and other guests, the Pinkbike podcast is a weekly update on all the latest stories from around the world of mountain biking, as well as some frank discussion about tech, racing, and everything in between.

Subscribe to the podcast via your preferred service (Apple, Spotify, RSS, Megaphone, etc.), or visit the Pinkbike Podcast tag page for the complete list of episodes.

Music Corner


Henry's choice

Kazimer's pick. The best worst song ever.

Dario's choice - the studio album Crushing is worth a listen.


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58 Comments
  • 19 2
 I'd love if you guys were able to get Dave Weagle on a podcast to chat about his career and go through his suspension designs over the years, which companies he's working with, what projects he's enjoyed the most/would love to do in the future, etc etc etc. I'm sure there are a ton of great topics to be discussed with him, between levy kaz and henry and brian.
  • 1 0
 Much agree
  • 10 0
 Missing the run-through of the main news stories of the last week with a little discussion around them. It's good to get all of your take on the main stories in mtb each week. Doesn't need to be much, content your putting out these days is excellent, so maybe 80:20 split.
  • 14 2
 Tech trails but most importantly, not a constant grade trail. Machine built trails are not single track trails. They're paths.
  • 1 0
 Completely agree. We used to have a lovely natural trail set around my local. We had some weather damage, they were "repaired" and when reopened basically 10 foot wide paths. Of course, most people now like them and now the same thing is happening at all the local trails.
  • 5 0
 Little to no machine manicured stuff, so narrow-ish single track, 2 feet wide, with 3 inches of wiggle room. That's what she said... Also, embedded roots and rocks where imbedded roots and rocks are supposed to live. At least 2 minutes of downhill for every 4 minutes climbed, with small drops, maybe a few long jumps and a you hit 25mph at least once. Oh, and a stream that flows fresh, drinkable, beer and trees that grow smoked sausages of many varieties.
  • 2 0
 That’s a tasty trail request.
  • 5 0
 So you’re referring to Levy as “someone else in the car”??
WTF is going on with him?
  • 5 2
 Agreed, can we please get a little info about Levy. Is he okay? @pinkbike
  • 1 2
 @lochsweed: On extend vacation; ran into a little trouble getting the alien probe removed.

It’s rumored that his triumphant return will include a prominent face tattoo of a semicolon.

At least that is what they are saying.
  • 4 1
 The best is traditional, tight, technical single track hasn't been ruined with flow trails by enduro bros with minimal bike handling skills on bikes with 64 degree head angles.
  • 1 0
 Are tight single tracks being converted to flow trails? Or are people just building more flow trails?
  • 1 0
 @emptybe-er: The challenging techy(fun) sections of old trails are being re routed in easy, flowy been sections all over. I do really like flow trails, but they should stick to the bike parks.
  • 4 2
 sounds like you all have shitty flow trails where you live. Machines are just another tool to dig a trail, you don't have to build a boring quad track just because you're using hydraulic power. You can build singletrack with a 5 ton machine if your not stupid and then stack a 40 foot double on the same trail. Hope you get to ride some actual good machine built trails one day, stop going to whistler.
  • 2 0
 @henryquinney @dariodigiulio @mikekazimer
It will be nice to know why you guys ride Shimano or Sram drivetrain and how you choose a groupset. Also, why you use Sram brake vs shimano or other brand.
I think lots of people would like to know the thinking process of choosing a groupset.
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer
This song recommend will now automatically be played when someone says, “everything really!” to the question, “what kind of music do you like?”
I love that you love this! It did make me smile when they started singing but at first I thought I was in a music store with my toddlers again.
  • 1 0
 Perfect trail you say?? it would be LEGAL, have several tabled jumps to progress on, reinforced approaches and berms with concreme native soil dirt mix(used in building construction these days) and be primarily in the shade/canopy..
  • 4 0
 Henry does numbers on squamish hinge
  • 6 2
 What makes the perfect podcast? We all know the answer....
  • 8 2
 Levy (aka; someone else in the car)
  • 3 3
 Could we please get a little more enunciation from Henry Quinney? Thanks, because:

Time can never mend
The careless whispers of a good friend
To the heart and mind
Ignorance is kind
There's no comfort in the truth
Pain is all you'll find
  • 2 0
 Next video/reality series: PB Presenter Trail Building Showdown

Could be @mikekazimer vs Mike, or even PB Academy but for digging & designing
  • 1 0
 Sitting around mouthing off is a lot easier than actually digging. Maybe the editors at Outside™️ magazine should sponsor a trail in Bellingham and get out from behind the microphone.
  • 5 1
 JUMPS.
  • 3 0
 Did the magazine show take over the news segment of the podcast? I miss it
  • 19 15
 Where is levy??
  • 13 5
 Honestly I feel like we're owed some explanation? I'm with you...
  • 2 2
 @ridedigrepeat: I just direct messaged Levy to let him know we miss him and we love him. Hopefully he responds.
  • 2 1
 @ridedigrepeat: Brian park said that he’s on a long vacation
  • 1 2
 @adamstraus: I hope that's right! He deserves one!
  • 2 1
 @adamstraus: he’s literally on holiday. We’ve been told this now. Stop asking already.
  • 2 4
 @ridedigrepeat: I feel like the “where’s levy” folks could collectively get off his nuts? They have been sufficiently juggled.
  • 2 0
 Read the comments... www.pinkbike.com/u/brianpark/blog/the-pinkbike-podcast-a-deep-dive-on-pivots-prototype-dh-bike-with-bernard-kerr.html
  • 3 0
 This Foot Foot Song is giving me heart palpitations, in a good way.
  • 2 1
 It really is an amazingly good bad tune.
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer: Kaz you need to write the first mtb novel
  • 3 0
 Rake the leaves. Cut the branches. Hit it with a moto a few times. Done.
  • 1 0
 Believe me the rest of the uk doesn’t want to follow what America is doing, also joe barns trail in fort bill is still shredding
  • 2 0
 Playing somewhere into it is “having it all to myself”
  • 3 1
 Where's the love for bench-cut anti-flow flow trails?
  • 2 0
 Not sure that’s a thing. Bench-cut almost always have flow, secret flow, in the form of slashing and popping off the high side like a wave.
  • 3 1
 The perfect trail is built in a world where heatmaps don't exist
  • 1 0
 Henry, have you ever read Money: a suicide note by Martin Amis?
  • 2 1
 Anything that hasn’t been plastered with blue flow
  • 2 1
 Sounds like you guys want to ride Pisgah. Hump
  • 3 0
 We got fast. We got jumps. We got steep. We got natural washed out drop your heels and hold on for dear life I hope I don’t get off line and fall down the mountain tech. Add in the breweries, humidity, copperheads, and ticks we got what dreams are made of.
  • 1 1
 Haven't had a chance to listen yet, but a great trail commands at least a little bit of fear
  • 1 0
 Braking
  • 2 1
 SECRECY
  • 12 12
 Where's Levy these days?
  • 3 2
 off somewhere designing 30.5" wheels for they boyz.
  • 2 2
 @JustGiverBud: for the production version of the grim donut
  • 2 2
 At your mums house
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