Mountain Bike Trails

We're Ari and JR, and we bike on some of the most wild rock formations in the country. It's all sandstone here in Moab, Utah, but the terrain really varies: sometimes it's rolling hills, and sometimes it's ledges and drop-offs. No two trails are quite the same, which really keeps us on our toes (or our pedals)! For our DragonflyTV investigation, we wondered why, if everything is made of sandstone, are these trails all so different? We thought we could get to the bottom of this puzzle by hopping back on our bikes and collecting data. How do you think we did it, and what did we find out?

How would you investigate this question?
Mountain biking takes your full concentration so how can you collect data while you ride? What sorts of things would you look or listen for? Think about what tools you have available, such as your bike trip odometer. Also think about things you do while biking, like braking, pedaling and changing gears. Those things might reveal something about the geology too. Describe your investigation ideas in your notebook and discuss it with your teacher, or go to Mountain Bike to learn what Ari and JR discovered.