Trail type
Trail grades
How hard a trail is, told by colour: green, blue, red and black, orange for pro lines and purple for transfers. Every trail on the Bikeyard map is drawn in its grade.
Also known as: trail difficulty, trail rating, difficulty grades
Key facts
- Bike types
- MTB, eMTB
The Bikeyard scale
- Green — easy. Wide and smooth, gentle gradients, nothing you have to ride over. Good for a first ride.
- Blue — moderate. Narrower, with roots, small rocks and features that can all be rolled.
- Red — difficult. Steep sections, rock gardens, drops and jumps. Needs solid technique.
- Black — very difficult. Very steep, with big features you cannot go around. For experienced riders.
- Orange — extreme. Pro lines: features where a mistake has serious consequences.
- Purple — transfer. Roads and paths that link trails — getting there, not the riding itself.
Other scales
American trail systems use the IMBA symbols: green circle, blue square, black diamond and double black diamond. In the Alps you will also meet the Singletrail scale, S0 to S5. The steps are similar; the names differ.
A grade is a guide
Rain, loose ground and a broken feature can make a trail harder than its colour. Ride a new trail slowly first, and look at unknown features before you hit them. On Bikeyard, riders vote on grades, so they stay honest.
Related articles
- Bike park — A resort of graded trails served by a lift or shuttle, so the whole day goes into riding down. Usually a mountain ski resort in summer, with flow, jump and downhill lines.
- Flow trail — A trail built to be ridden on momentum: berms, rollers and small tables, one after another, so you barely pedal or brake. The easiest way to feel fast and learn to use the terrain.
- Singletrack — A narrow trail, about as wide as one bike, winding through the terrain. The heart of mountain biking: most of the riding worth driving to is singletrack.
- Drop — A vertical step down on the trail — a ledge, a rock or a built platform — where the ground falls away under the wheels. Small drops can be rolled; bigger ones need speed and a clean take-off.
- Rock garden — A section of trail covered in rocks — fixed or loose, round or sharp — with no smooth line through. Momentum, line choice and loose arms are what get you across.