I ride on a lot of rocky mt trails but I’ve yet to bottom out on a rock. I just take as much time as is necessary to find a safe route through. If a trail looked to risky I would turn around. Even if I had a skid plate I wouldn’t risk hitting anything assuming the skid plate would prevent damage.
So, who needs skid plates? Are some trails impossible to navigate without bottoming out occasionally but the trail is worth it? Do some trails have surprise rocky sections that are just around blind corners? Do some people ride fast no matter how rocky it is? What do these trails look like? I’d love to see photos of some gnarly terrain.
I posted photos of the rockier places I ride. These shots don’t show anything that looks severe but occasionally I have to decide where to put my wheels.
