2023 Member Survey Results
Thanks to all 367 of you who took our 2023 member survey! As a new SWMMBA chapter the number of responses we received is truly humbling and we cannot thank this community enough. This was a long survey and you far exceeded our expectations, so thank you! We've provided some quick takeaways below and you can review the complete results by looking through the slides following this post.
Before getting to the results, we want to address why we distributed this survey in the first place. First and foremost, we’re an organization that represents and advocates for our community. Through conversations, word of mouth, and feedback online we get valuable input from that community. This feedback, however, has a few drawbacks. First, its typically not anonymous which may limit the variety, truthfulness, or number of responses we receive. Secondly, its not quantifiable. We may get a general sense that our community wants something, but without actual data to base our decisions off, we’re taking a best-guess approximation.
These survey results help us prioritize what the community wants most; they allow us to better represent and advocate for the projects and goals that local mountain bikers find important - and they allow us to do this based on data, not a hunch. This survey is how we listen to the community we represent and how we better engage with our members. Bozeman mountain bikers have a lot of questions about trails, stalled projects, and land manager relationships in our area and getting this feedback is the first step in having a better conversation around these questions.
Key Takeaways For The Dirt Concern:
We had an exceptionally high response rate and Bozeman bikers want their voice heard. You folks are awesome!
Our focus needs to be on developing new mountain bike specific projects and trail networks close to town. Donations, volunteer hours, and support will follow that focus.
Our typical respondent has been biking for over 10 years, is between 26 and 45, and lives with one other biker in their household. In other words, our members are invested in mountain biking and will be for the long run.
The Dirt Concern needs to focus on better communication and education. Why are projects stalling? What are we working on? When are events and volunteer days scheduled? Our job is to educate and inform our members and there’s clear room for improvement here. The Dirt Concern should be guiding a healthy conversation about local trails, and this starts with transparency and education.
Respondents overwhelmingly want purpose built bike trails. Whether its a flow trail or purpose built single track, directional, mountain bike specific trails are what the community is asking for. Leverich is, by far, the most loved trail in our service area and we understand the desire and need to expand that kind of offering.
Without question, a top priority for this community is preserving access to existing trails.
Key Takeaways For The Community:
We’ve heard you. In addition to the quantifiable survey results, hundreds of specific questions were submitted by the community. We are answering those questions one by one and will begin posting the answers as weekly social posts or blog posts soon.
There’s an exceptionally high degree of overlap between mountain bikers and other trail users such as hikers, backcountry skiers, and backpackers. Be kind to all users, be as inclusive as possible, and do what you can to help reduce user conflicts on our shared trails.
This feedback dramatically empowers our conversations with local land managers. Having data that explicitly says our community wants a specific type of trail is invaluable in making a case for better trails. Pointing to 350+ community members who are all asking for or questioning the same thing is incredibly powerful.
Our local land managers are balancing many competing interests and directives in their roles. The Dirt Concern and SWMMBA will continue working with and pushing our local land managers to support and promote the growth of mountain bike specific trails in our area. With that said, do what you can to be an asset to them. Donate your time, ask how you can give back, and get involved whenever you can. There should be an overly enthusiastic mountain biker at every volunteer trail event in Bozeman.
Lastly, if you know any private land owners that would be interested in allowing public mountain bike trails to be built on their property, please put us in contact. We’re excited to explore any and all options for our community and many initial concerns, such as insurance or payments, can be easily addressed.