Went and did the red and black at Drumlanrig on Saturday. Is it just me or is it a bit, er, poor? I don't want to detract from the hard work that's gone into construction and it is undeniably 'natural' looking. However, it just seems hard work with no 'fun' to compensate. It doesn't flow – it seems like it has been made about twice as long as it should be …… Plus, it was dry on Saturday. Had it been wet, parts of it would be lethal. (what tyres for wet wood?) Come on then, tell me I'm talking sh*t …..

well i really liked it the few times i have ridden there.
just feels very natural like riding in a normal wood but more condensed not like riding on a roller coaster like a lot of man made trails( which are fun but very different types of trail)

When I rode there it was fun, not overtly technical (although Trekster will tell you there was one bit I failed, and failed and failed to clean) and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

you're talkin sh*t 😉

This is what happens when people are fed a diet of groomed trails, they expect everything to be the same.

Drumlanrig is very good, it's what mountain biking used to be like before all the theme parks were built.

what tyres for wet wood?

So you've never encountered roots before? Well it's about technique rather than 'what tyres'.

I've enjoyed it.

I guess any trail centre can become the victim of the "playstation generation" trail-centre rider.

poor rider in finds excellent natural track shite shocker ….

its not clouded in hype- it gets bigged up because its awesome only stane that gets close is kirroughtree

edit* in fact – you must be a friend of riks trolling 😉

Hold on folks…there's a helluva lot of riders who just don't 'get' Drumlanrig the first time they ride there, lets not be too harsh..

Drumlanrig kinda sneaks up on you the more you ride it, or if you ride it with peeps that are in the know.

It's just not the kinda trail that does it for you…..what you put in gets magnified by the trail.. Ride it flowey and there's not much flowyer; attack it and it'll bite back; sit back on your 120mm travel bike and pedal – it'll bore and frustrate you.

And at the end of the day you can't please everybody. Although it greives me to say this, some people think it's a bit pedally!!!

Its a superb place to ride whatever the conditions. It flows really well too – maybe you are not riding it quickly enough to experience the 'fun'?

poor rider in finds excellent natural track shite shocker

I'm not being argumentative, but how do you define it as a "natural trail"? Because it's purpose-built but not made out of aggregate?

I liked it a lot btw and there's a good chance I'll be back there this week.

🙂

rode it back at the NPS series in '08 and loved it… been waiting to make it back up there and ride the other trails

I'm not being argumentative, but how do you define it as a "natural trail"?

It's not covered in hardcore and it's not had all the roots cut out.

many sections are just rediscovered old paths from centurys ago ….. or was it just me that read the pamphlet ? compared to the roads at glentress its natural

there's only one section of 'rediscovered' Victorian path – the climbing traverse half way up the first black climb, the bit that kicks you into a rooty straight up climb. The rest has been built specifically for bikes either by shovels and hard graft (the first half) or mini digger (most of the second half but not all), usually with as dug mineral soil and no/very little imported aggregate (some barrowing in where the trail crosses clay but not much).

We were across in April and did Dalbeattie, Mabie and Drumlanrig.

For me it was a very close call between Dalbeattie and Drumlanrig as to which I preferred. Drumlanrig reminded me of many of our local trails and I thought it was superb.

But the bottom line was we had 3 days of simply fantastic riding,weather and craic!

See, I was right – it was just me :oops:. By the way, I'm not a 'trail centre' rider, most of my riding is in the Dales and Lakes and has been for nearly 20 years…… I have ridden all the Stanes and some of the Welsh ones, however and enjoyed them for what they are – play areas. The type of trails at Drumlanrig just don't do it for me. If any of you people ride it in the wet you are a better riders than me, that's for sure. Although I sometimes wonder just how good some of the people who post on here really are …..

The trails get plenty use all year round, I actually prefer them a bit damp as they're less gravelly and much more predictable. Book a skills session next time you come. it'll make all the difference.

first time i rode it was in the wet(as in pissing sodding soaking torrential wet) at sxc 2 years ago … loved it there and then – even if it did eat my brake pads , backing and rotors in 5 laps

those roots have alot more grip than you think they should – i was on a small block 8 as well all be it at low psi

I liked it, perfect for me, as a SS rider who loves fast twisty singletrack in my local woods. It was like that, only much much longer. And I swam in the river at the end which was a nice way to cool off. Its not "gnarly, Rad, or insane" but its good. bike museum is fun too!

Its one of my favourite trail centres, very natural feel and a much better ride than somewhere such as Glentress or Ae. Ridden it in various conditions and always found it excellent, if anything I prefer the trails to be wet over dry, more fun that way.

Loved the place when we rode there last year. A bit wet, a bit slippy, nice and technical and plenty to think about all the way round.

A real nice change from the standard 7-Stanes fare

Right, now which coat to get for heavy showers?

I like Drumlanrig. It feels more like a ride in the woods if you know what I mean.

Am I still correct in assuming new bits get cleared pre races, then raced on to bed them in? good tactic IMO.

carry on the good work.

GT and the Stanes have their place, you know what you are going to get.

That place, well, if it rains a lot, it's going to get claggy, and fun. If it's not rained a lot, it'll be dry and fun, the closer those two are together the bumpier it'll be, but fun nonetheless.

Failedengineer – Of the people I know that have posted in this thread I would put two of them in the "greased jobbies off a teflon shovel" category and 3 of them in the "pretty bloody rapid" category. So basically most of the people who have posted on this thread can ride bikes to a very high standard, there are a lot of podium places and race wins amongst them.

slowjo – Member
When I rode there it was fun, not overtly technical (although Trekster will tell you there was one bit I failed, and failed and failed to clean) and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I will resist posting a pic 😉 Been back up yet? Have not been back there since btw 😕
Also remember your first foray at Dalbeattie 😳 😆 Flatlanders, boulders and a mix of lightwieght bike did not go well together 😛

You could give your impressions of the D&G area to chakaping underneath. He is thinking about a relocation to the area or South Lakes

chakaping – Member

I liked it a lot btw and there's a good chance I'll be back there this week.

You still fancy a Mabie (13th) ride at the weekend chaka? Can do Sunday and have got my net connection working for now 😆

Yes please Trekster, my email's in my profile if you'd like to drop me a line?

Hey Failedengineer, make room for one more in your club cause I dont get Drumlanrig either.

Oh, and before it starts, its not due to some insistance on riding groomed trails, I live on the edge of Dartmoor and grew up on the Quantocks so natural trails are my daily bread. I just didnt find myself enjoying Drumlanrig that much when I rode it thats all.

Horse's for course's I guess.

I like Drumlanrig. It feels more like a ride in the woods if you know what I mean.

Perfect description of my reaction too. Really good ride to do with mates.

Ahh. No Mates, that'll be my problem then. That and the fact that I can't ride very well. And I'm 55 with failing eyesight. And hearing. And bbladder control.

Bets enjoyed in the wet. With semi-slicks. Fact.

failedengineer – Member
…I'm 55 with failing eyesight…

That explains more than you think 🙂

I have great trouble in the variable light in woods these days. My eyes don't adjust quick enough to the differences between shade and light, so I am continually whanging into roots and the like, simply because I am not seeing the obstacles in time to take a better line.

Not that many years ago I was riding motorbikes at high speed through very similar stuff without a problem.

Of the people I know that have posted in this thread ….most of the people who have posted on this thread can ride bikes to a very high standard

And a few others wouldn't be looking to use age, eyesight or bladder as an excuse despite being mid 50s or older 😀

I like Drumlanrig, its a larf. Rode it on Sunday for the first time in a while, nice and dry. First time I rode it was in the wet. Made it interesting, but by the end of it, you get used to it. Certainly helps your wet root phobia. Or worsens it…

You're just a wee bag full of larf aren't you Coogan!

You are talking rubbish 🙂

You know's it.

Funny thing, coz i think drumlanrigs better in the wet…no pint in all those roots if they arent slippy.
Rik, get a watering can strapped to the back of your bike!

SSUK 08 – took me up that way. Hard work. Good fun.

Check out the flickr pool to see how much!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/ssuk08/pool/

You're doing it without your son on the bike…

when I first started going to Drumlanrig, I struggled to get it too.. I almost nearly gave up on it..

I used to try and blast through every thing like on other trail centers, but this approach just didn't work at drum,(for me anyways).. I used to get really frustrated and I just didn't get it… I asked my self how can this be fun.. to many **** roots.. Then one Saturday last summer I decided to give the place another try, I took a step back and took a different approach..

Basically slowed things down a bit.. then things started to click into place.. took things at a different pace.. before i new it I was at then end of the red trail feeling like I had a blast and thinking I need to go around again.. now I go nearly every two weeks and tackle most of the black to boot.. It took me a while but I eventually found the flow of the place.. I recone my skills on my bike have defo. improved with going there.. because of the drum.. i'm tackling much more techy stuff around my local trails..

It's good to have another place to go to that isn't just your usual hi speed crazyness… not to mention the fact its one of the best surroundings you can take your bike around…

the only gripe I have… is the pointless or should I say in the wrong place.. the new jumps and berms they put in… surely it would have been better to put them on a part of trail that was pointing on a decend…