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  • FoD Uplift…. trails on STW video look a little tame?
  • Digger90
    Free Member

    Just watched the Matt & Benji at FoD Uplift video on the STW homepage.

    The trails look quite tame really – not Downhill bike territory. More like stuff I could do on my 5 Spot.

    Are there any proper DH runs at FoD?

    zangolin
    Free Member

    Video missed out all of the DH type trails. Sheep Skull, Ski Run, Flat Land, Cork Screw etc. There is plenty to get your DH bike out for.

    phildowling
    Free Member

    Looks like good fun on an XC type bike, thinking of more of an explore next time i'm up there.

    I'm aware there's a few more proper type courses about

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    Obi_Twa
    Free Member

    Uplift at FoD?- Cannae be right surely. There is some truly superb riding there, but not sure if there is much that could be described as DH. Well not that I saw anyway.

    dasnut
    Free Member

    yes your clearly right obi_twa, the person who has put the uplift on didn't look to see what the trails were like. whoops.

    or is it the fact that you are as uniformed as the majority on here?

    Well not that I saw anyway

    hard to see the DH trails from the fireroads and B roads you were on.

    Its where DIRT do a lot of testing BTW (in fact their office is in the FoD)

    Obi_Twa
    Free Member

    Dasnut – how is the backflip coming along?

    zangolin
    Free Member

    Yep as dasnut says not always obvious were all the good DH stuff is – but it is there.
    Sheeps Skull is one of my favs – plenty of roots, jumps and a nice little tabletop to finish it off.

    LoCo
    Free Member

    DH trails are pretty good that at FoD do able on a hardtail too , but the hill isn't that big, so you'd get lots of runs in. If you want a longer run head over to Cwmcarn with http://www.cwmdown.co.uk/

    geetee1972
    Free Member

    Just posted this on the actual story itself, but relevant here.

    If your typical run down Cwmcarn is say 4-5 minutes then the runs down FOD will be around 2-3 minutes tops.
    It’s a completely different type of venue to Cwmcarn. There are many more lines down and more options for mixing those up. The feel is mostly smooth and mellow, the surface is mostly natural, loamy soil, rooty singletrack, some techy rooty sections, a few rock gardens but nothing you couldn’t ride fast on a HT.
    It’s the perfect beginners DH venue or the perfect, ‘messing about in the woods with mates in a chilled fun atmosphere here you’re never likely to really hurt yourself unless you get really lairy’ venue.
    I love FOD for that reason. You can ride a DH bike, trail bike, HT, **** in a unicyle. You can go explore some seriously steep sections, or just keep it pinned on the lovely bermed and swoopy jumpy top sections.
    Now is DEFINITELY the time to go; i.e. when it’s dry, dusty smooth and fast. In the wet and mud, it gets a little less fun.
    On a typical push to the top day, you could happily do 10 complete runs and some small change messing on the jumpy bits.
    On an uplift, who knows, maybe 15-20?
    Go. You won’t regret it.

    LoCo
    Free Member

    😆 unicycle

    geetee1972
    Free Member

    Don't laugh – some guy mailed me wanting to know about trails around the surrey hills. He showed me a link of him riding a unicycle around leith hill! I thought there was only one nutter out there doing that sort of thing but it turns out there are enough to populate an instiution!

    LoCo
    Free Member

    Fair play, watching a team of them do a muddy Mayhem a few years back impressed me with their staying power one guy face planted in a muddy bit got up and did it 4 more times before he gave up and walked the section. Proper hardcore.

    Rickos
    Free Member

    I use a 4 inch travel Kona 4X bike on the DH runs there. It's good fun, but nothing too gnarrr although there are lots of different runs, so it keeps you interested with the variety. You'd get a lot of runs in on a van uplift, so £20 well spent.

    dasnut
    Free Member

    good review geetee

    so whose pet troll is obi_twa then?

    Member Since
    May 17, 2010 (1 week)
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    Dundee

    _tom_
    Free Member

    FOD downhills are quite short but fun. Dunno if an uplift is really needed but I suppose if it gives you more time having fun then it's a good thing.

    I did most of the main runs on my Rockhopper with 100mm recons, albeit very slowly. Would love to give it another go this summer!

    mattsccm
    Free Member

    You can ride up as quick. No you don't need a DH bike or even really want one. I've done most of the established runs on my cross bike. Don't like the steep 10 foot drops onto the gravel though! The downhills really come into their own in the dark.

    CourtHMP
    Free Member

    Digger, theres a shed load of DHs at the cycle centre – most are pretty short but they're laid out so you can join them up to make longer rides.

    The Fountain Inn map includes videos of the DHs – some are better that others but theyre all worth doing at least once. I haven't used the uplift yet, but they reccon youll get in 20 rides in a day.

    FOUNTAIN INN MAP

    bullroar
    Free Member

    geetee, that makes it sound very inviting, you said:

    It’s the perfect beginners DH venue or the perfect, ‘messing about in the woods with mates in a chilled fun atmosphere

    Does that mean that (in general) people are not going to get the hump with someone trying to introduce their 13 year old son to the fun? Not a complete beginner having been round places like Whinlatter & Nant y Arian without too many problems, if a little slow. Also from what is said on this thread I assume a combination of a Orange sub 5 and Rockhopper would be ok, we tend to swap bikes (I'am short arse, he has long legs).

    Cheers

    geetee1972
    Free Member

    It would be perfect for that Bullroar. You see a lot of younger riders there doing just that thing. It's very relaxed precisely because it's not a gnarl fest like Gawton or some of the tracks in south wales.

    bintangman
    Free Member

    does anyone know which trails they are in the video? I've done 'sheepskull' and a few of the others round that part, but never seem to have ridden the ones in the vid, which seem to be a bit more flowy. As good as the more DH ones are, the vid looks like great fun.

    Rickos
    Free Member

    bullroar – the Mini DH races have a category for the Rippers aged 10 to 12, so your son is ripe for mucking about on the DH runs.

    bintangman – if you scroll down on the left of the google maps screen the colours show which is which.

    CourtHMP
    Free Member

    bintangman
    does anyone know which trails they are in the video? I've done 'sheepskull' and a few of the others round that part, but never seem to have ridden the ones in the vid, which seem to be a bit more flowy. As good as the more DH ones are, the vid looks like great fun.

    The vid is shot on the Corkscrew trail, although for a short section (shown before the step-up) they seem to be riding it in the opposite direction. It's a great trail, very smooth and fast flowing, but the Ski run, flatlands and sheepskull are probably a little more technical.

    Incidently, there's a decent Wikipedia page on Cannop Cycle Centre;

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannop_Cycle_Centre

    bullroar
    Free Member

    geetee1972 & Rickos, thanks sounds perfect we'll try and head down during playtime next week.

    Any suggestions for a boozer or other place for an evening feed before heading home?

    Cheers

    bintangman
    Free Member

    oh, ok, thanks – will have to have more of an explore next time.
    Heres a vid from earlier this month from a quick ride – bit of the FODCA trail (v slow!) and some of sheepskull and a couple of other bits. I've got to find a day to have a proper explore round there…

    CourtHMP
    Free Member

    bullroar –

    Any suggestions for a boozer or other place for an evening feed before heading home?

    I'd reccommend the Fountain Inn, at Parkend (my local!) – Great food and real ales, and only 3 miles from the cycle centre.

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