Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 49 total)
  • Cannock
  • fr0sty125
    Free Member

    I was there on Tuesday so I know what is closed. But even worse than the closures was that it was slow and the lakes on upper and lower cliff were ridiculous killed all the fun out of the descents.

    So it dry and fast? Have the lakes gone?

    If not I think I will just go dark peaks and risk the rain.

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    I’d imagine that it’ll be pretty dry by now, even after the Monday downpours. I was at Stile Cop Thursday and that was bone dry and dusty in all but one or two spots.

    On a side note, those last corners on upper cliff that hold all the water really need sorting out. Even in the dry they’re not nice and ruin the corners.

    rocketman
    Free Member

    Was superb yesterday if there were any puddles I didnt notice them. Great maintenance on the trails as well. Twist an shout open, new bypass on Kit Bag and lots of little repairs here and there. Very, very good

    Just having breakfast then I’m going again 😀

    Pete-B
    Free Member

    I did Ladybower in the rain last Saturday – plenty messynes & I was dirtier than any ride this autumn/winter. Still loved it!

    The Rushup/Roych/Jacobs route is much better during wet weather – the only bad bit being the top of Rushup – as the surfaces are more solid.
    Me an’ the bike were cleaner doing that route than Cannock when wet (which is most of the last few months).

    maxtorque
    Full Member

    The cliff was pretty much dry on weds, maybe 1 big puddle to hop over/manual through, thats it. Not really enough to do more than splash your shoes. if that’s too much for you OP, can i suggest another sport? 😉

    (oh, and the new singletrack “avoid that tedious winch up a wide straight track for what feels like about 3 miles” section on the ‘dog is ace!)

    fr0sty125
    Free Member

    The cliff was pretty much dry on weds, maybe 1 big puddle to hop over/manual through, thats it. Not really enough to do more than splash your shoes. if that’s too much for you OP, can i suggest another sport?

    (oh, and the new singletrack “avoid that tedious winch up a wide straight track for what feels like about 3 miles” section on the ‘dog is ace!)

    I don’t care about getting wet it was the fact that the puddles were so deep that at any speed you were aquaplaning. They soaked your brakes so you couldn’t carry speed into the corners and it just ruined the whole experience. Glad to hear the new climb is open as it wasn’t on Tuesday though Kitbag is not a very big hill in comparison to other stuff.

    phiiiiil
    Full Member

    The rain on Monday was ridiculous, I’m not surprised it was wet on Tuesday – I work in Rugeley and the sound of the rain on the roof was deafening! Our house had a massive puddle under the car port, it has never done that before.

    Now though it’s all pretty much bone dry again; it dries very quickly most of the time.

    oscillatewildly
    Free Member

    is the new climb section the segment on strava known as cardiac hill? thats the only semi tough climb on ftd/monkey?

    rocketman
    Free Member

    Nope the new climb starts from the bottom of Kit Bag Hill and winds its way up to join Zig Zak

    Cardiac Hill is the earlier fireroad climb between Watch Out Trolls and Breeze The Trees

    oscillatewildly
    Free Member

    hmmm cheers rocketman, struggling to remember where the hell this could be then, the names dont mean a great deal to me TBH ive really no idea where kit bag hill is or zig zak 😆

    rocketman
    Free Member
    oscillatewildly
    Free Member

    cheers rocketmant, am still not sure mate, i can picture some of the sections at the start after cardiac hill, but failing to see where that climb is, guess ill have to go again soon 🙂

    rocketman
    Free Member

    No probs 🙂

    This was Watch Out Trolls, yesterday
    [video]http://youtu.be/EksgLlN8B9c[/video]

    Rusty-Shackleford
    Free Member

    failing to see where that climb is

    It’s the one that follows immediately after the road crossing & railway bridge, where the Monkey re-joins the Dog. If you only ever ride the Dog then you won’t be familiar with it.

    bokonon
    Free Member

    Zig Zak can be identified by the beeping of Garmins as they struggle to hold an accurate signal and/or tell the user they are not moving because the switch backs come so close together.

    fr0sty125
    Free Member

    What were they building at “Watch Out Trolls it has been in decent condition? Hopefully they put a nice big step up in?

    One thing I would like to put on record when I was talking about the big puddles it wasn’t a criticism of Chase Trails they do excellent work and very grateful to them.

    oscillatewildly
    Free Member

    Rusty Shackleford – Member
    failing to see where that climb is
    It’s the one that follows immediately after the road crossing & railway bridge, where the Monkey re-joins the Dog. If you only ever ride the Dog then you won’t be familiar with it.

    nope ride it all, both sections (ftd & monkey) usually twice per visit, still non the wise 😆

    wait there it may just have clicked, that straight path fireroad type climb past the house etc? is it in the trees to the right? theres always been something there has there not? ive climbed up that before in the dry??

    almightydutch
    Free Member

    Yeah that’s the one Oscillate, always been a bit of a climb there. Nice how it pushes you onto Zig Zak and not to the better singletrack to the right 😉

    oscillatewildly
    Free Member

    ahh right so its on the way back from monkey over the new bridge and there straight away on that climb right?

    so its now into the left straight away? or does it go into the right (right hand side as your climbing?) interesting if theyve made it a track, its not that much of a slog although always see people walking up it

    fr0sty125
    Free Member

    Ok I know I just said I have huge amount of respect for Chase Trails however…..

    What have they done to the first section after the campsite!

    That bit was one of the very fastest sections even though it was a little rough it was ridiculously gripy flowed so damn well.

    rocketman
    Free Member

    does it go into the right

    Yup that’s it

    What have they done to the first section after the campsite

    Is it open now?

    fr0sty125
    Free Member

    No it isn’t but this should give you an idea

    Rusty-Shackleford
    Free Member

    What have they done to the first section after the campsite!

    I know…looks awesome, doesn’t it!

    That bit was one of the very fastest sections even though it was a little rough it was ridiculously gripy flowed so damn well.

    So now it’ll be more fasterer and more gripperer 😛

    Should be great after 12 months of weather and ham-fisted-heavy-breaking-noobs…

    rocketman
    Free Member

    Yup I saw that frosty but I thought maybe you’d been round today and it was open

    When the braking bumps re-appear it’ll be just like it was 🙂

    fr0sty125
    Free Member

    I really loved the feel of the speed and bike skating over the rocks.

    Well I guess on the plus side if the jump is still there we should be able to get more air on it.

    almightydutch
    Free Member

    Evolution, embrace it!!!

    pk13
    Full Member

    Dry as a bone today only 2 dog walkers going up snow white today. Not bad considering how many family’s where there

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    my body may be at work behind 2 pc monitors but my head is swerving down pot of gold. Love the trails at Cannock, always a treat.

    wobbliscott
    Free Member

    I hope they’re not going to sanitise the trail too much. I thought Cannock had a good balance between some more bumpy but fast and flowy sections and smooth flowy stuff, not forgetting the challenging skippy pebbles. All adds to the variety and enhances your skills. That section after the campsite was a great section. If it’s super smooth singletrack it’s not going to be anywhere near as fun.

    Is this what MTBers really want or are trail centers having to pander to the H&S ‘no win no fee’ brigade and create safe and smooth risk-free trails?

    st
    Full Member

    It’s about balancing the trail experience with the provision of well maintained trails.

    Funding to support contractor executed maintenance work to bolster volunteer time has now at long last been secured and it’s being spent. It gives our volunteers a much needed boost but inevitably will not suit some.

    Likewise we have a week of contractor time up on the downhill trails at Stile Cop. I’ve just got back from day 1 and it’s going really well although unsuprisingly the haters are giving their keyboards some hammer.

    satchm00
    Free Member

    Can’t please everyone!

    Rusty-Shackleford
    Free Member

    Is this what MTBers really want or are trail centers having to pander to the H&S ‘no win no fee’ brigade and create safe and smooth risk-free trails?

    I’d say neither; due to its central location and lack of ‘competition’, Cannock takes a huge amount of traffic and this, along with weather erosion, takes its toll on the sandy/pebbly substrate.

    Chase Trails have always said that they’d like to keep the trails as natural as possible, but due to its popularity and with a limited volunteer workforce (up until now, at least) just keeping on top of basic maintenance must feel like an uphill battle.

    I’m pleased that they’ve tried some different surfacing material…it’ll bed in, it’ll weather…but hopefully it will mean that particular section needs less frequent maintenance. If it pans out, other sections may get the same treatment…then CT could focus their efforts on building new sections instead of repairing the existing.

    st
    Full Member

    Amen etc.

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    Looking forward to seeing what happens at Stile Cop.

    Was up there last week and the red seems to have had some work and was better than I remembered it being. There was also a huge pile of rocks which will hopefully find their way onto the trails.

    I liked son of chain slapper as it was, but I can see as a trail for all abilities that it may not have been fun.

    bamboo
    Free Member

    Seems to be a fair bit of work recently, and for the £3 car park fee, what you get at Cannock is brilliant. Yes it’s a trail centre which may not suit everybody, but it makes off road riding very accessible to loads of people which can only be a good thing.

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    I love how sometimes when you’re on the stegosaurus people pause to watch you like you’re some sort of mountain biking god.

    tacopowell
    Free Member

    I ended up at Cannock today, Planned to head to Edale but was running short of time and I guessed the good weather during the easter holidays would equal gridlock.

    I have to say Cannock Chase is unlike most Trail Centres that I’ve visited in the sense that every time I go (maybe one or twice a month) there seems to be vast improvement’s,
    Credit to the trail builders there, excellent work always!

    itsallgood
    Full Member

    Cannock is the best thing about Birmingham.

    snakebite
    Free Member

    Best thing about Birmingham is the road out..

    pk13
    Full Member

    It cost 3 pounds today. Bargintastic I even love the slippy shiny pebbles.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 49 total)

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