Ae Trail Demons
Granny Greenlove gets some tlc and becomes a lot smoother to ride.

Thats gonna be nice and fast now, Just mind the narrow gaps in the trees…..

That bit used to really shake me up – it's now the two exposed sections that could do not with mega smoothing just a bit of rock removing huh? The bit just before Big Berm Splash and the bit after that big climb, maybe just after the Stane? Or just before the stane I forget.

Sounds very good indeed. I really like that place and some refinements are very welcome. Would be a shame to smooth it out completely though. Dont know where the Big Berm Splash is but Bran Burn Bash springs to mind.

rode kielder, gt and inners at the weekend.
braking bumps at all 3 need smoothing.
boundery trail at gt moreso.

rode kielder, gt and inners at the weekend.
braking bumps at all 3 need smoothing.
boundery trail at gt moreso.

No way! The rough stuff at trail centres add character to otherwise mostly boring trails. I find it enjoyable picking smooth lines through it not just riding the main line.
Not ridden the trail at ae yet, but i hav e to say that bit doesnt look too inspiring!

Heh. When we fix worn out bits at Glentress people complain that we've sanitised it

<edit- I swear I wrote that before the last post appeared, there you go>

I sometimes quite like braking bumps myself, but the problem is most people end up just braking straight through them and making them worse, or riding off the trail boundary, or panic braking even earlier. They're self propogating.

Think im going to ride it this weekend and make my mind up from there.

Rode up at 7stanes for first time a few weeks ago.

Glentress Black (inc Boundary Trail) was **** superb. Gnarltastic, in fact. Leave it all just how it is.

Granny Greenlove at Ae was just mildly annoying, probably built by local full susser salesman.

I quite like the smooth stuff up there too(e.g.Minch Moor descent at innerleithen), so there's room for both rough and the smooth if designed/built well.

Yeah, I think the black at glentress carries its wear well, it feels worn in rather than worn out. But then it has, what, 1/50th or less the traffic of the red at a guess. Couldn't get away with letting the red wear like that, with the numbers of riders on it.

(and, yep, the number of total knobbers… We removed braking bumps and adjusted a corner on Falla Brae one saturday- bloody evil session, but a nice result- and when we took the signs down the very first person to ever ride the new surface did a huge skid through it. Not through spite, just through being a tool)

Nobody ever complains that Kirroughtree's smooth 😉

I kind of like the approach they've used on the Nevis Red, the dirt sections are surfaced and compacted but not aggressively, or to anything like the extent of glentress. The idea is that it wears fast, but it's easy to repair. Wouldn't be practical for anywhere busier or longer of course but it's really nice to ride.

Ton take it wasn't Lonsomepine at Kielder. Rode that today and just seamed very boring. Could do with some bumps.

What about that long section over the top of the ridge that seems to be made of housebricks? I'm not shy of a bit of lumpiness but that rode like the stretcher in the back of an ambulance.

(and, yep, the number of total knobbers… We removed braking bumps and adjusted a corner on Falla Brae one saturday- bloody evil session, but a nice result- and when we took the signs down the very first person to ever ride the new surface did a huge skid through it. Not through spite, just through being a tool)

I was pretty shocked by the generally poor standard of riding on the Glentress Red – not that I am amazing by any means but the number of people skidding and out of control on relatively tame sections was surprising.

Steady on…the red grading stands for 'difficult trail'. Im not surprised people are out of control!

What about that long section over the top of the ridge that seems to be made of housebricks? I'm not shy of a bit of lumpiness but that rode like the stretcher in the back of an ambulance.

Believe the diggers will be going in but a bit of snow and all the rain we have had recently may delay that.

A priority will be the trail at the end of the Edge which has been washed away at the end of the boardwalk section. Big boulders will be needed to shore up the burn/river bank and a rebuild of the trail up to the road.

All the smoothing out is being done due to the very bad publicity Ae has been receiving here on this very site.
I do not think Posters on here really appreciate how badly this can affect visitor numbers and hence the lbs at the trailhead.

Rob at Ae took note of all the postings over the summer and held meetings with FC and came up with a programme of improvements.

Granny Greenlove at Ae was just mildly annoying, probably built by local full susser salesman.

It is a long story but time & money were at the root of all the failings of Ae. Will not mention GT 👿

(and, yep, the number of total knobbers… We removed braking bumps and adjusted a corner on Falla Brae one saturday- bloody evil session, but a nice result- and when we took the signs down the very first person to ever ride the new surface did a huge skid through it. Not through spite, just through being a tool)

I was pretty shocked by the generally poor standard of riding on the Glentress Red – not that I am amazing by any means but the number of people skidding and out of control on relatively tame sections was surprising.

Too many people watching vids/reading mbuk and the like seeing the "pros" skidding round corners. Think there was even an article by resident skills man Chris Ball showing how to do it.

If someone is skidding round a corner then the entrance or exit to that corner may be at fault ❓

I have a thing about all these little bumps(doubles?)and "moguls" that used to be all over the place at GT and are creeping in at all trail centres now. 99.9% of riders have no idea on how to ride them(inc me) and all that happens is stutter bumps appear or people ride round them, so why bother ❗

Bit of a gravedig but I love the place, rocks, chutes and all. It has a character and challenge of its own which I think would be lost if it all got too smooth. Really nice facilities too. I mean Glentress is great fun but as reds go it's very easy. 'Motorway' I hear you say?