What’s it like? I’ve ridden Follow the Dog years ago, but that’s the sum total of my knowledge of the place… A friend wants to have a trip over there to do FTD / the Monkey Trail, and I’d like to play on the DH too. Can’t face the XC stuff on the big bike, so is the DH still fun on a wee hardtail with Pikes (or maybe wound down Lyriks)?

Not a very nice push up (steep-ish fire road) but it’s fun there. I’ve only ever ridden there on my Trailstar with Pikes which was fine. the red run is smooth enough not to need a full sus, and the drops aren’t very big really. I think there are some rockier/rootier bits but I’m sure you’d have fun on a HT anyway 🙂

Bring pads as the surface is fairly loose gravelly stuff which wouldn’t be fun to fall on.

It’s good fun. There is a good few tracks are all are rideable on a hardtail, nothing overly steep or technical. There is a quite scary looking step down at the end of the black but I’ve ridden that on a hardtail as well and i’m a proper mincer.

the push up is not overly nice but then which push ups are?

If you can jump you will be fine. Could always start with Wonderland and take it from there.

The red is great fun and definitely fine on a hardtail. I didn’t think the push up was that bad in comparison with other dh spots. I wouldn’t fancy doing the other runs on a ht though, balboa is hard work on a big rig.

Cool, sounds grand. Sounds like I should be able to kill an hour or so there!

As above it is good fun I have ridden it on a HT but its faster and more fun on an FS, well it is for me anyway. You will manage everything on a HT its not that hard. The runs are quite short but thats fine and the push up isnt fun but it could be a lot worse.

For what its worth I ride the normal trails on the same bike as I ride the DH on, a 6″ AM bike a bit of a chore on the climbs but well worth it coming back down.

See I have a choice of two bikes – an Mmmbop set up with Pikes etc, or an old G-Spot – which weighs more than a house, and isn’t really much fun on anything that doesn’t involve big pointy rocks and at least some degree of steepness.

So I reckon HT it is…

The Mmmbop should be ok for the DH but the uphill switchbacks would be a bit of a challenge with that slack a head angle.

I don’t mind walking on the uphills if I have to 😉 Though I find that most stuff is achievable with the forks wound down.

It is a bit floppy in tight switchbacks though.

Balls go for it, all this talk of the Chase DH is getting me all excited for when I go there on Thursday evening.

Not for a couple of weeks anyway, taking the big bike to France on Friday for a week.

Which is more exciting 😀

Git

I know… I’m proper giddy. Really hoping it doesn’t piss it down all week like it did last year though.

All of the trails are rideable on a hardtail, some of the jumps not so (unless you’ve got the nerve).

It’ll be more fun and you’ll go faster on a full suss* but just head up there and take it easy to begin with

We have a full trail map with gradings at the top of the hill near the bikestands, start with the 1 “helmet” trails and work up from there. Don’t stop on the trail to look at what’s coming next, get off to the side to avoid getting another rider up your rear mech or killing the fun of someone else’s run.

All of the runs are around the 1 minute mark give or take and with around 60 metres of height drop the walk up takes under 10 minutes.

Stu
http://www.chasetrails.co.uk

*as a general principle

Cheers Stu, that sounds wicked. I shall make sure not to get in anyone’s way!

Stu- you’ve done an awesome job up there mate, we drove up from Bristol to try it and will definitely be up again soon.

glad you like it! It’s taken a god few years but we’re getting things into a nice shape now and having been able to get the Racers Guild off the ground has been a massive boost to this.