Who? Why? If I buy you some lego for Xmas will you stop it?

Why? Can’t you manage to stay within the trail?

Yes. Don’t you care what things look like?

I’ve not seen it. How does it offend you then?

I think it would offend any chimp who’d attended a half day dry stone walling course and considered himself to be a master craftsman.

Got any pictures number? Haven’t been up in a month or so now. Although there’s certainly a few spots on the last blue section that could do with it, people keep missing corners and turning it into the Somme.

I cannot wait to fall off on them 😯

No piccies. 1st time I’ve been there this morning for a while. Yeah, the short section across the edge of the field to Beggar Bush Lane got a bit shitty very quickly with people cutting the corners but the quarry section? The odd cut corner there was no problem was it? Far less ugly that what’s there now.

Guess it will keep people honest at Bikefest though.

i think its just for the run up to bike fest (looks very temp)- the new rocks at the entrance/exits to each section were a pain (although now slightly less so they have shifted the middle one)…

Along with the random patches of loose gravel, it makes things quite “interesting”.

Anyhoo, what are you doing on the official trails in this weather? Make the most of the dryness & seek out the “old” trails, which could do with riding to clear the encroaching undergrowth & stickman activity.

Anyhoo, what are you doing on the official trails in this weather?

I woke up at 5am so I thought it would be a good opportunity to have a spin round before breakfast while there weren’t any proper mountain bikers there to laugh at me for having a crap bike and wearing swim shorts and sandals.

The work’s being done by a Community Payback programme. No I don’t think it’s going to be particularly permanent (intentionally or not) but it’ll give the edges a chance to “green in” over summer.

The odd cut corner there was no problem was it?

Cast your mind back to how it looked before the revamp – a muddy trench about 6 feet wide.

Along with the random patches of loose gravel, it makes things quite “interesting”.

I spoke to the rangers this week and they’re planning to get out and leafblow the trail, which should shift any surplus gravel.

I was curious about the gravel – guess it would amalgamate with typical wet conditions.

Speculation: maybe some extra prep fettling for BBF? (Curious now – Does the BBF ‘invest’ in the trails like this at all?)

In the dusty dry conditions it’s certainly twitched a few sphincters 🙂

Still enjoying the conditions though – Take care all!

The gravel’s part of the “snagging” for the original build and was put down by the original contractors. I don’t think it’s achieved very much (apart from causing numerous sketchy moments) but you live and learn I guess.

BBF don’t “invest” in the trails as such, although Mikey’s helped out on dig days and Paul’s given the Trails Group support, financially and in kind.

There’s been the suggestion of introducing a rider levy on the entry fees – one or two pounds extra which would be ringfenced for use on the trails. I like the idea but not sure what stage it’s at yet.

@number562554 – the problem with cutting corners is that a) it annoys those who don’t want us mountain bikers there and b) more importantly when wet it drags all the mud onto the trail. I agree the edging looks artificial but if it allows the under growth to encroach more it should help the general appearance of the trail in the long run. Of course it does stop people cutting corners to beat their Strava times 🙄
The new calming measures are also a good thing to avoid conflict, Ashton Court is mixed use a very close to the city centre, it shouldn’t be needed but as some riders can’t act with consideration theses measures are needed. As it is it appears than some clever dicks have moved some of the rocks so it doesn’t slow down their Strava time 🙄
The gravel however is a stupid waste of time and money. It may work on the old muddy trails where it beds in but putting gravel and rock dust on not of hard packed trails doesn’t work. In a few week it will all have been swept of the trail by traffic. In the meantime it’s an accident waiting to happen, especially as much of it has collected in piles on the middle and top of the berms.
Above all like Rondo said now with the amazing weather is the perfect time to be using the off piste trails and leaving the new stuff to the families and beginners.

It’s not just on the corners though is it. It’s logs and rocks lining most of the lower quarry trail… straight bits included. Ugly. Serving no useful purpose.

Cast your mind back to how it looked before the revamp – a muddy trench about 6 feet wide.

a)That’s clearly not a 6ft wide trench in your photo.
b)It was taken before Architrail rebuilt it with tonnes of stone wasn’t it?
c)Still looks a damn site better than what’s there now.

cheers_drive – Member
……it’s an accident waiting to happen

It’s already happened. I have bloody big bruise and some crusty scabs on my upper arm to show for it. I’m definately blaming the loose gravel and not my (lack of) riding skills for the front wheel wash out.

a)That’s clearly not a 6ft wide trench in your photo.
b)It was taken before Architrail rebuilt it with tonnes of stone wasn’t it?
c)Still looks a damn site better than what’s there now.

a)Looks like a good six feet to me.
b)Well spotted
c)How?

Just ride it and stop whinging or have you thought about riding elsewhere?

I’d just be grateful for all the hard work that the people who build and maintain the trails put in. 🙂

Really need to pop back into Bristol with the bike and try out the trails now.

a) Not a trench.

Why the hell are you riding there when the Mendip Hills are totally awesome at the moment?

Blimey, keep your toys in the pram eh? The surface of the old trail was eroded to the point where it was lower than the bits to either side.

I know this because I’ve been spending my weekends fixing it for the past 8 years – as have a lot of other local riders who give a stuff about the impact we cause, and the rapidly-dwindling number of days per year when we have something solid to ride on, rather than slithering through bog.

Sorry I couldn’t find a photo showing a worse-looking bit, god knows I’ve had plenty of opportunities to take one. That photo clearly does show the widening that was taking place, as well as the mud, and I reckon if you posted it on MTBR, More Dirt, etc, as an example of your super sweet local trails, you’d (rightly) be laughed at.

Why the hell are you riding there when the Mendip Hills are totally awesome at the moment?

shhh

We don’t want those townies coming down and ruining our peace and quiet!

Something else: it’s clear that a few people on here have issues with what’s been done to “their” trails, and it seems to have become a badge of honour to slag them off.

By any yardstick they’ve been wildly successful so far. Tens of thousands of people have used them. Go up there and you’ll rub shoulders with families, people on knackered old rigids, XC racers, rad doods in Megavalanche jerseys sessioning the red section.

Yes, you’re entitled to an opinion, but you really don’t understand what the new trails are, or why they’re such a positive thing for riding, and for their surroundings. Moaning about them for being “man-made” or restricting your line choice is like going to the British Museum and complaining that everything’s a bit old.

Well said Anthony, I just don’t get the resistance to the new trails. I could easily do a 2hr+ local ride without spending more than 10 minutes on the new trails. If you don’t like them you don’t have to use them!
The gravel is stupid though

Mr Agreeable… as usual your reading skills and incapacity for any kind of logical thought process let you down. I wasn’t making any comment on the resurfacing of the trails done by Architrail. A good thing as far as I’m concerned. Just the aesthetics and pointless nature of the recently added logs and rocks edging along both sides of large sections of the trail. That’s it.

It’s a bit of a blunt instrument, but the trail was getting braided, and unfortunately the tendency is for lazy lines to get adopted unless you close them off with extremely obvious obstacles. Being unsurfaced, the shortcut lines become muddy ruts and you get lines either side of them. Then the trail’s back to being six feet wide (Actually the old trail was fifteen feet wide in places – that definitely raised a few eyebrows when the ecologists were surveying it).

Cheersdrive, as I say, the gravel should be gone pretty soon.

I was pretty pleased to see the edging. I hate it when trails get straightened over time. this might stop it.

Mr Agreeable… as usual your reading skills and incapacity for any kind of logical thought process let you down. I wasn’t making any comment on the resurfacing of the trails done by Architrail. A good thing as far as I’m concerned. Just the aesthetics and pointless nature of the recently added logs and rocks edging along both sides of large sections of the trail. That’s it.

The work’s being done by a Community Payback programme. No I don’t think it’s going to be particularly permanent (intentionally or not) but it’ll give the edges a chance to “green in” over summer.

Re-arrange these words,

Kettle, Black, Pot, Calling

🙄

Anyway, it’s Saturday night. What else is there to do apart from having a pointless argument on the internet? 😉

I was up there this morning, I didn’t notice any gravel, where is it?

Thanks MrA – Interesting feedback on the BBF. It’s nice to think the exposure benefits all round.

Trails, door step, somewhat weather proof – what’s not to like.Genuine soul feeding resource

It occurred to me: a slim possibility community paybackers could even be failed bike bandits – evidence of karma!

Why the hell are you riding there when the Mendip Hills are totally awesome at the moment?

+1

Seems to open season for taking a pop at volunteer trail builders this month?

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-the-hell-are-they-putting-in-the-tap-water-at-thetford

The Ashton court project has been a great success. See it for what it is. It introduces people to what we love, mountain biking. If your looking for more got to Wales, Lakes or Quantocks. Gravel on my trail shocker – yawn zzzz

Ashton Court/LW trails are ace – fact. As is 50 Acre.

Thanks to the volunteers for fixing up the old trails and for Architrail/Clixbys for building the new ones. Without their excellent work, the haterz wouldn’t be able to whine on about how easy the trails are and that they could ride them on their roadbike/unicycles/shopping trollies etc.

If you want to whine, whine on. The rest of us, we’re out there having fun 😉

Gotta agree with fuzzhead, the trails are AWESOME at the moment.

Ashton Court/LW trails are ace – fact. As is 50 Acre.

+1. We now have decent year-round riding on our doorsteps. As others have said, the nice weather means we can leave the built trails to the families, and go and explore.

bit of old, bit of new, it’s all good at the mo. Loving the trails – 50 Acre’s a bit special at the mo 🙂