- This topic has 41 replies, 22 voices, and was last updated 14 years ago by Diane.
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7 Stanes – what are they like?
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Who_elseFree MemberPosted 14 years ago
I am new to riding mtbs. What are the 7 Stanes sites like? Too hard for a beginner?
10pmixFree MemberPosted 14 years agoBased on my experience of 3 of them; Glentress has green and blue routes for beginners (some greens are even capable of taking pull along bikes for children according to their guide). Its hard for me to say whether the reds would be suitable, not for an absolute beginner certainly. Innerleithen does not have the same variety so perhaps not. Kirroughtree again has easier routes but not so extensive. So go to Glentress and have a great time! The riding there is superb.
simonralli2Free MemberPosted 14 years agoThe Stanes are excellent places for a beginner, especially the red routes. Some of the black routes are often more about fitness than really hard, and the difficult bits are very short and really obstacles, and can be walked down or up, as I often do. Something like Mabie Red, Kirroughtree Red or Glentress Blue are great beginner rides.
Also, some of the Stanes now have beginner loops where you can practice specific skills in a controlled environment.
JohnbotFree MemberPosted 14 years agoGet out there and try them mate, Glentress is a good place to start, have a look at obstacles before you attempt them and just take it easy. You will have a blast, just take the plunge.
10pmixFree MemberPosted 14 years agoYou need a good bike and proper kit. But your question is very general. What bike do you have now? The weather can be crap and the trails can be remote and mechanicals could strike so you need to be prepared. I rode McMoab at Kirroughtree (furthest point from the centre) on a Friday morning and it felt like I was the only person left on earth.
MussEdFree MemberPosted 14 years agoSorry being peurile there. All hav a wid variety of trails for abilities and experience. You only need a bike really. If you're worried about crashing get some protection{helmet, knee/elbow pads}, maybe gloves and a backpack with puncture repair stuff and drink if your on a long loop.
7 Stanes sites has maps with details and descriptions of the different centres and their trails. Google that.
druidhFree MemberPosted 14 years agoAre you in the Edinburgh area? Your best bet would be to hook up with someone local and have a word with them. Or pop into your local shop (at a quiet time), take some biscuits and just have a chat through it with someone there. You'll get some good advice about both your abilities and your bike.
Who_elseFree MemberPosted 14 years agoGlasgow area. My local bike shop is Evans in Braehead but they seemed to know less about bikes that I did.
tiggs121Free MemberPosted 14 years agoCome to Glentress – post on here when you do and someone will join you I'm sure – maybe me if I can manage that day.
cheers
scotabroadFull MemberPosted 14 years agoIf your in Glasgow Carron Valley is a great place to get started.
All the blues at the stanes are good for real beginers. The reds at mabie, kirroughtree, newcastleton can all be tackled with a bit more experience.
If you are a true beginner then I would not start with the red at ae, Dalbeattie, or GT, but thats just my opinion no doubt someone will be along shortly to say something different.
have fun
rjFree MemberPosted 14 years agoIf you nip into Craig McMartin cycles in Shawlands and talk to the manager Neil, or put a post on their forum at Freeflowbikes.com, they'll be able to point you in the direction of group rides to the 7 Stanes and around Cathkin Braes.
TreksterFull MemberPosted 14 years agoIf you can do a mid week ride pop down to Mabie and I will take you round. 1.1/2hr from where you are
Starting off in the skills area for some practice.
Then off round the blue which has a few climbs and descents but no obstacles/features.
Then see how we get on try a bit of red.What bike? Whatever you have. Some of my riding mates from work started out recently on 20odd yr old rigid Giants, Ralieghs, Saracens.
Looking to buy a bike? Whats your budget? lots of good bikes in the £500 range. Just make sure it is the correct size and comfy, try a few out.
What else do you need?
Clothing basics like padded shorts or liners. Mountain Warehouse are doing some budget stuff or go for something good like Endura or Altura.
Baggy shorts optional, just buy a liner and wear any old shorts. If wanting/need to wear longs then make sure they are not baggy at the bottom, catching in chain ring.
Wind/waterproof jacket.
Outdoor/cycle specific base layer/tops/fleeces
Gloves
Body armour if you feel the need.
HELMET 😆Rucksack or some form of hydration pack to carry kit.
If rucksack you will need water bottles.
Other basic kit will be inner tube to fit your tyre size, basic tool kit of allen keys, tyre levers and pump.
Some food of your choice.TandemJeremyFree MemberPosted 14 years agocontrary to some of the posts above you do not need the fancy clothing – just something loose and comfy and suitable for the outdoors. Nor do you need a rucksac – a bottle and a seat pack will do. Even I would say a helmet and gloves is a must in your position tho.
Something like glentress blue can be done in short sections – do it once very slowly to check out what happens then again with a bit but no too much speed. practise braking with both brakes and lifting the front wheel over things. Tehre is also a skills area to practice on at Glentress.
Posting up for folks to join in with is good – so long as they are prepared to accept you as a newbie and to go at your psce.
£500 bikes are fine for starters
don't try to do too much too soon.
TreksterFull MemberPosted 14 years agoTJ
Nor do you need a rucksac – a bottle and a seat pack will do
True, but once you have lost a bottle or 2 and your seat pack has deposited it`s contents behind you on the trail you will probably end up getting a rucksack or some other option
MussEdFree MemberPosted 14 years agoAnyway most folk will have a general rucksac before they come into possession of a seatpack or a bottle cage/bottle surely? Easier to fire a water bottle in there before splashing out on specific equipment?
TandemJeremyFree MemberPosted 14 years agoalmost never happened to me trekster – once a bottle jumped out of the cage in decades of riding. I went back to pick it up. Never lost the tools out of my seatpack and that include GT red inners XC a bunch of times. I have ridden for decades thousands of miles a year.
I hate wearing anything on my back – its sweaty and uncomfortable. My opinion.
The hydration pack might be best but that is a matter of opinion but it is not essential nor is the all the fancy kit. I rode for decades in joggers and a fleece – and still do at times.
Muss ed – precisely my point – you don't need all the specific fancy kit. One post above suggested several hundred pounds worth of kit was needed. My point is that all the fancy kit is not essential. a halfway decent hardtail and some way of carrying a bit of water, a chocolate bar, a multi tool and a spare tube and pump. Thats all you need ( plus a helmet 🙂 )
tiggs121Free MemberPosted 14 years ago£500 bikes are fine for starters
LOL – So if you can't afford a £500 bike??
mrmojoFree MemberPosted 14 years agoDoes Bikebus not run any more from Alpine bike at George X ? they will take you to the trails and the guy that runs it is an SMBLA qualified guide .. check out the website
stevenmenmuirFree MemberPosted 14 years agoGo to Glentress and if you can't find anybody to ride with get the map and start on the blue. There are options to join the red later on if you feel you are up to it. If you are very new to mountain biking its worth going with somebody that knows what they are doing. They can then give you a few pointers regarding tecnique. If you don't know anybody thats into mountain biking you could do worse than go to a trailbuilding session at Glentress. These are once a fortnight on a Saturday morning, google Glentress Trailfairies. I think the next one is a week tomorrow. You'll get to meet a good bunch of like minded folk that can be easily talked into a ride after. If you don't fancy that there are so many folk at Glentress its not hard to get chatting to folk and tag along with them.
Who_elseFree MemberPosted 14 years agoThank you all for the responses so far.
I have the opportunity to buy a Kona Coiler for what seems to be a good price. Is this the right type of bike for the 7 stanes?
MussEdFree MemberPosted 14 years agoCoilers aren't the best for riding uphill TBH, quite heavy and bouncy so a lot of energy wasted. If you're more intersted in going downhill though they're fine!
JohnbotFree MemberPosted 14 years agoA coiler sounds like way to much bike for your skills, by all means by it but you wont use its potential if you are as much of a beginner as you let on. A £500 hard tail sounds like it would be fine
stevenmenmuirFree MemberPosted 14 years agoYou want a hardtail to start with, and singlepeed of course.
ahwilesFree MemberPosted 14 years agoi've taken a group of noobies to Glentress, they were of mixed ability fitness wise, and all a bit 'green' in terms of skill, they loved the green and blue runs but found the few red bits we did a bit too scary.
(i also found the blue singletrack at GT heaps of fun, it's very easy and very swoopy, awesome fun!)
a kona coiler is too much bike for a trail centre, it's too heavy and has a cramped riding position, i'd advise against it.
ivnickkateFree MemberPosted 14 years agoWhy not hire a bike for the day from the hub at Glentress? I would be happy to take you round if I'm available, if you decide to go to Glentress.
stevenmenmuirFree MemberPosted 14 years agoI'd show you round Glentress but to be honest there are some right nutters appear on here 😉
tonFull MemberPosted 14 years agoif you want a guide for the tweed valley stanes, there is a daft jock, goes by the name of george in walkerburn.
he is always at a loose end on a evening NOW.
he will show you round………………… 😉radoggairFree MemberPosted 14 years agocontuary to what everyone has said, they are wrong.
As a minimum you will need a full lycra race suit with sponsor names, a full carbon race bike with at a minimum XTR everything, some trick lightweight wheels and mega fast tyres ( check out the odd 1 or 2 'which tyre threads' ). If after 1hr and 35 mins you havent ridden the full black then i would quit biking because it isn't for you. 😉
TreksterFull MemberPosted 14 years agoTandemJeremy – Member
almost never happened to me trekster – once a bottle jumped out of the cage in decades of riding. I went back to pick it up. Never lost the tools out of my seatpack and that include GT red inners XC a bunch of times. I have ridden for decades thousands of miles a year.I hate wearing anything on my back – its sweaty and uncomfortable. My opinion.
Lost quite a few bottles having not noticed them falling out and having no idea where could nt be hattered backtracking to find them.
Also can t be bothered with chewing dirt, sheep/cow s%$£ from the nipple!!
Lost many a tool and spare from a seat pack inc on the old Minch Moor trail and the original GT red(up the Boundary trail!!). Gave up on them.
When I started out, also a few decades ago, I to wore trackies, trainers, any old T, jumper and work jacket.Strangely enough rode Ae last week with the basics stuffed into my shirt pockets
scotabroadFull MemberPosted 14 years agops. as per Treksters post if you are coming down Dumfries way i am usually available at the weekend if you want shown around.
Ti29erFree MemberPosted 14 years agoWhat are the 7 Stanes sites like? Too hard for a beginner?
Perfect. Different grades for different levels of ability.
Head over to Glentress, hire a bike if necessary, and go and ride.
Take a helmet, water bottle, gloves and if you want, a small day sack for some warm clothes and an energy bar or two, maybe a sports drink even?
You might consider taking a spare inner tube, 2x trye levers and a small pump or C02 cartridge, but don't get bogged down in all the kit lark.
Try a ride on the green and then the blue routes before you commit to spending lots of £, unnecessarily.
Easy, medium and hard – take your pick as they're all there.Based in Glasgow, you have it all on your doorstep.
Let us know how you get on!My only caveat is that cycling shorts or HH cycling underwear (or similar) will make your bottom a happier fella on a ride and afterwards too!
sorFree MemberPosted 14 years agoFor the bike, if you can stretch to £500 then follow the recommendations and spend £500.
But to immediately contradict myself, my first mountain bike cost around £230 new about 4 years ago. Heavy suspension fork, okay gearing, v-brakes that added to the excitement, but it still got me up the hills and away from the bustle. It got me round the blue and red routes at the Stanes, and out to Carron Valley and Mugdock, etc. Now that I've had that a few years I'm willing to spend more on a replacement.
NorthwindFull MemberPosted 14 years agoI don't think there's many better places for a noob than Glentress… It'd be a good idea to get your bike handling up a bit locally first, simple XC riding etc but as long as you've got the basic riding skills down a bit and at least some level of fitness the blue'll be perfect. The green is lovely but it's very, very simple, about as hard to ride as a canal path. Sort out your braking first, if you skid on the trails it rips them up, and we've got too much to fix as it is tbh…
The red, well, I wouldn't have wanted or been able to ride it when I got back into riding and I wasn't a pure beginner. I know some people whose first ever mtb rides were on the red, they survived but not one of them enjoyed it.
"LOL – So if you can't afford a £500 bike??"
Plenty of people there on less… First time I went I was on a Carrera that cost me about £200, it would have been £350 new. It was a lot better than me, and was fine for the blue and OK for the red. But, generally, at this price it'd be good to spend more.
Who_elseFree MemberPosted 14 years agoWent today. Thought it was OK. Nothing of any great difficulty that I found. Good fun though.
NorthwindFull MemberPosted 14 years agoWhich route did you do? Quite a bit of difficulty on some of the icy fireroads
Int that right Will?
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