OV9

As well as getting my wee fella interested in cycling finally (9) my wife had had a shot of a decent bike ages back and we finally got her an entry level Trek yesterday.

I am pretty lucky that there are plenty trails on my doorstep but cannot wait till we can get some friends together and pop to Traquair or Glentress!

I managed to pick up my mate's old hardtail Cube as well, it is half a stone lighter than my old Merida.

I know a lot of you on here have bikes that cost more than my car and are properly hardcore but baby steps! Anyone else planning a good cycle after lockdown or similarly lucky with local runs?

Nice one!

My boy has been getting in to his mountain biking and started getting to Glentress before lockdown. We are lucky enough to have some trails round here so he's still been getting out. He's more in to the free riding and jumps at the moment.

I'm trying to get out on the road bike a bit during lockdown to build up fitness so I can get on the mountain bike with him afterwards but am waiting for knee surgery so it all feels a wee bit pointless at the moment!

I've not been to Traquair in years, there's so many places like that on the (relative) doorstep, must get out exploring more.

My regular rider is a 29er hardtail cube, been pleased with it and I’ll shortly be upgrading it to the short travel full suspension version.
I’ve been riding at least 4 times a week on my own through this or with my boy on the fire roads around here.
When it’s over we’ll get together with friends on a trip to bike park wales on the longer travel bikes.

It is mad, when Mountain Biking became a thing n the mid to late 80s I rode an Emmele large frame 18 gear, no suspension bike with no pads or helmet etc and was an absolute nutter, a mate and I ended up half way up a tree after misjudging a bend.

Now, 30 years later, with pads, helmets and disc brakes, suspension my mates crazy kids laugh at me for being so slow downhill.

Probably something to do with lack of practice coupled with being aware of my own mortality now!

I cannot see wife and son going for any black runs (nor me to be fair) but just getting out on trails, Keilder is 45 minutes away, Glentress about 30 minutes or so with loads of pathways etc on my doorstep and I have loads of mates with way more skills who are happy to give tips etc.

As a base to go from the Bongo will come in to it's own as it is always nice to sit and have a brew or cook some sausages with a roof over your head.

drcarlos wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 9:52 am My regular rider is a 29er hardtail cube, been pleased with it and I’ll shortly be upgrading it to the short travel full suspension version.
I’ve been riding at least 4 times a week on my own through this or with my boy on the fire roads around here.
When it’s over we’ll get together with friends on a trip to bike park wales on the longer travel bikes.

My eldest has a 29er Cube Acid 2.0 hardtail which I steal at every opportunity. It such a nice, easy bike to ride (it has Raceface bars and dropper). It feels friction free at times, I can go for miles on the flat barely pedalling whilst someone alongside me is pedalling to keep up. We only do gentle trails but the difference in performance between the £800-ish Cube and the £300-ish B’Twin we also have in the garage is night and day and worth every penny.

Anyone looking for a New Bike experience from their old bike, I thoroughly recommend a Full ‘Ultra Sonic clean’ service.

My 8 year old Specialized came out riding as clean and smooth as the day I bought it.

(But then don’t leave it for 2 years in the garage or the rear hub will start to give you problems...)

Only yesterday my youngest rode on 2 wheels for the first time, he starts off from a standstill which is a big help.

I can’t wait to go cycling with them both but it’s a 10 minute drive to good places like Rutland water.

Cheap and healthy fun, perfect.

Dave!

At the moment I’m riding my hardtail Trek more than my full suspension Canyon, just love the way it climbs. I’m on the border of South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire so plenty of routes to ride, my go to loop is only ten miles but has 1000ft of climbing so you get a good workout.

Near us (about a 15 min ride away) a group of lads had built a couple of downhill runs in one of the local woods and they’d made a really nice job of it. Last week the council got a banning order on all pushbikes in those woods, with a £2000 maximum fine for being caught anywhere in that area. Fucking jokers.

NotoriousREV wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 5:35 pm Near us (about a 15 min ride away) a group of lads had built a couple of downhill runs in one of the local woods and they’d made a really nice job of it. Last week the council got a banning order on all pushbikes in those woods, with a £2000 maximum fine for being caught anywhere in that area. Fucking jokers.

Hopefully that’s just temporary until the end of the lockdown, for something that’s keeping the lads busy and engaged in something constructive it’s really shitty to ban it.
They shut the local trails around here early on in the lockdown when they weren’t sure how the nhs would be impacted, I’d hope that they’ll be quick to open them again when restrictions are lifted.

drcarlos wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 7:35 pm

NotoriousREV wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 5:35 pm Near us (about a 15 min ride away) a group of lads had built a couple of downhill runs in one of the local woods and they’d made a really nice job of it. Last week the council got a banning order on all pushbikes in those woods, with a £2000 maximum fine for being caught anywhere in that area. Fucking jokers.

Hopefully that’s just temporary until the end of the lockdown, for something that’s keeping the lads busy and engaged in something constructive it’s really shitty to ban it.
They shut the local trails around here early on in the lockdown when they weren’t sure how the nhs would be impacted, I’d hope that they’ll be quick to open them again when restrictions are lifted.

Nope, it’s permanent. Part of the wood is protected, but that’s not where the trails had been made, new bye-law covers the whole wood with lots of expensive looking signs gone up. Annoyingly, there’s a picnic site there that we’d visit on the bikes, which we can’t now use unless we walk there instead of cycling. It’s 15 mins each way by bike, 45 mins each way walking. It’s utter bullshit.

Is it owned by woodlands trust?

Mito Man wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 10:43 pm Is it owned by woodlands trust?

No, it’s owned by the council.

NotoriousREV wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 10:57 pm

Mito Man wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 10:43 pm Is it owned by woodlands trust?

No, it’s owned by the council.

I'd have a chat with the your local councillor, there's quite a push on outdoor play and encouraging the use of council land for exercise.

We had an issue a couple of years ago with the older residents of my estate of 60 houses complaining to the council about kids playing on the grassed areas around the estate

Without opposition the local authority just give in to a noisy complainant to make it go away.

I think you're the man to oppose.

Carlos wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 11:18 pm

NotoriousREV wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 10:57 pm

Mito Man wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 10:43 pm Is it owned by woodlands trust?

No, it’s owned by the council.

I'd have a chat with the your local councillor, there's quite a push on outdoor play and encouraging the use of council land for exercise.

We had an issue a couple of years ago with the older residents of my estate of 60 houses complaining to the council about kids playing on the grassed areas around the estate

Without opposition the local authority just give in to a noisy complainant to make it go away.

I think you're the man to oppose.

To be fair, he makes a good point. It’s a good cause too, people talk about the youth having nothing to do and unless it holds some sort or rare bird or plant life it does seem like bullshit.

I need a bike...

NotoriousREV wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 11:44 am

drcarlos wrote: Fri May 08, 2020 9:52 am My regular rider is a 29er hardtail cube, been pleased with it and I’ll shortly be upgrading it to the short travel full suspension version.
I’ve been riding at least 4 times a week on my own through this or with my boy on the fire roads around here.
When it’s over we’ll get together with friends on a trip to bike park wales on the longer travel bikes.

My eldest has a 29er Cube Acid 2.0 hardtail which I steal at every opportunity. It such a nice, easy bike to ride (it has Raceface bars and dropper). It feels friction free at times, I can go for miles on the flat barely pedalling whilst someone alongside me is pedalling to keep up. We only do gentle trails but the difference in performance between the £800-ish Cube and the £300-ish B’Twin we also have in the garage is night and day and worth every penny.

Well after reading this, my Cube says Acid CMPT on the dross bar but 27.5 wheels. Did 10 miles on it yesterday and 6 or 7 the day before. The difference in control with that half stone weight loss is huge! If the bike shop flogs mine for a decent amount I will probably have upgraded for £100 or less so happy here.

I would possibly speak to your local parish council as they will know Councillors and may be willing to help or know the thinking behind the ban. I agree that unless it is protecting rare wildlife, stopping kids and adults having a place for exercise seems short sighted. A few places near me have taken hillsides and what not and made some excellent runs and pump tracks. Agraflats in Kelso is small in area but packs loads of features in, even if the one that is there is done, perhaps a new site could be found if the current one does violate something or other (rather than just old people shafting young people cos they can)

The ban will be because of insurance. It happened to Tidworth Freeride, but the lads who built it got together with a business idea, started charging riders to use it to cover the insurance and as a result, the M.O.D let them have the land for free. It's really successful now and runs regular events.

Yeah, it’s ramped up loads over the last 10 years, it used to be that you could just build whatever trails you wanted and so long as you were respectful of other people using the woods no one gave a crap.

Now places have to either operate as bike parks really and you need to be a member and pay ( Tidworth/Rogate/Wind Hill have done it pretty well) or have support from the Land owner like Swinley - but even Swinley has its own membership scheme with its Summit bike park (which just seems weird to me).

Plenty of other places have tried and failed with various schemes and issues (PORC is one that comes to mind).

The only other way is to be secretive and build stuff that is hidden (but then it’s hidden, so you have to know the right people to find it...)

Yeah - Woburn Woods went to membership a few years back

Probably insurance