Boardinbob – you from Bearsden, Milngavie, or Newton Mearns? Which one is it?

The mean streets of Kilmarnock

What tyres for broken bottles? 😉

If I remember correctly, one of the reasons for choosing Cathkin Braes for the course was so that the city of Glasgow could be seen as the backdrop to the event on TV. I believe the other was to try to have a positive financial and social impact on some of the city’s more deprived areas. Which is admirable, but I wonder how much real value the trails would deliver in the long run. Based on the stereotypes of Castlemilk there may not be too many people stopping on the way through for coffee and cake.

If GCC are not planning to maintain the trails post games, it does seem like a waste of money that could otherwise have been used to shore up existing facilities elsewhere.

I really hope it’s a great trail, as it’s only 25 minutes from where I live. After the carry on with CV amongst others, I’ve become a cynic. Oh, and I’ll see boardinbobs Kilmarnock, and raise him a Saltcoats!. 😉

One of the reasons behind choosing the site was that by increasing the amount of “legitimate” users (see the amount of use the Pollok Park MTB trails get from normal kids and their parents) the less desirable users of the park are discouraged (and presumably go somewhere else, in East Ren….)
Also, the venue IS being paid for by GCC, unlike the majority of the games sites. SO it’s just the 500k of you that live in GCC paying for it.

Freeflow bikes are planning a big expansion of their facility up there. I’m thinking a hub-esque scenario which would go some way to keeping the trails sustainable beyond the games

SO it’s just the 500k of you that live in GCC paying for it.

Minus the 228,000 that don’t bother their arse paying their council tax

http://discuss.glasgowguide.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=20516

liking the idea of a fixed facility from Freeflow or others – I guess it’s Neil’s local trails so makes some sense..

Aye, but would it go the way of CV?

Who knows?

>I’m not sneering, I just think the places I listed have better potential for further expansion than Cathkin, and are nicer areas to go riding in. And as mr Salmond keeps telling us, these are Scotland’s games, not Glasgows. It’s us that are funding this, not GCC.<

Scotland’s full of better places to go riding in – I think you need to open your mind a little in terms of what this is all about.

I’m not from Castlemilk incidentally BB but I sure am having a laugh at you posh boys from Kili and Saltcoats 😉

>Aye, but would it go the way of CV?,

No – CV involved the Forestry Commission. Certain FC Managers would rather have burned in hell than see Glasgow use that as a venue.

As I said earlier, their nearest offer was GT.

Theblackmouth, You’re just looking for an argument. How does me not wanting to ride next to one of the worst areas of Glasgow make me ‘posh’?. Away an take yer face for a sh1te.

Heading up here tonight with pals, I may report back unless I get mugged by neds. You bunch of fearty, negative, middle class whiners 😀

Guys, has anyone heard from waderider, he went up the braes and now nothing. I fear the castle milk young team have him.

The trails at whitelees wind farm got planning permission. They are looking to start work in January 2013 and will take three months to complete.
Also they are going to do some work on the old weavers trail between carrot(just up from eaglesham) and darvel.

Cheers for your concern Johnbot, got an update on the state of the trails indicating 100% that other local trails are still a better bet…..so went there instead.

For the record, as of yesterday I heard a visit is still not worthwhile, not least because all the recent rainfall has meant plant and machinery has created a mud bath in the vicinity of unfinished trails.

Still, looking forward to it. Had a look at the plans for Whitelees, a bit underwhelming for a ‘serious’ mountain biker, but something is better than nothing.

Update, visited last night, still not really worth it. Unfinished sections that it is politer to avoid. Additionally, some of the sections that appear finished have soft aggregate that is unpleasant to cycle on. Some parts that are interesting and show potential, technical bits with chicken/intermediate/hard lines, but lots of pointless meandering berms just a smidge off straight.

Ive ridden up there a few times, never saw any shadyness, never felt under threat fae nae one, the thought of where it is in the city and the potential of being mugged never crossed my mind, the trail looks interesting, need to give it another visit, not been for a while, btw been attacked by local mugdock dogs more than once 😉

I’ve been up the last two weekends for a quick blast and I was very impressed, in my humble opinion the final loop will be loads more fun than Carron valley. I’m guessing it will be after Xmas before it’s finished.

Over the last few years I have rode cathkin loads and I have seen…
drunken neds
suspicious single men standing in the trees (not walking just… standing)
loads of big unfriendly dogs with rough as **** looking owners
burnt out cars wrapped around trees (I’m from Belfast so this stuff makes me feel very at home)

I’ve also spotted loads of what looked like NORMAL people, I even talked to some of them.

This could be a cracking little loop on our doorsteps, not Glentress but then again not an hours drive away.
I’ll was thinking of building a website that could be used to arrange group rides and record the muggings.

There is no point giving up on this before it has started.
BTW if anyone sees stranges lights in the woods above Glasgow at 6 in the morning, it may well be me in a ned free, dogging free Cathkin.

I’ll was thinking of building a website that could be used to arrange group rides muggings and record the muggings group rides.

Sorry – couldn’t resist.

The sad fact is that any facility in the West of Scotland that is relatively close to a residential area is going to attract the local young team. Having skated for many years before taking up mountain biking, ive had to deal with many a team of neds at various skate parks. No matter how much of a hard man you claim to be, its still annoying as hell and tends to take the shine off of an otherwise awesome day. Saying that, I’d still rather face the bams than get mistaken by some fruity characters while putting my mountain biking gear into the back of the car.

don’t flatter yourself, ducky.

Was up last night with pals, the trails are shaping up far better than I expected. Worth a visit now I would say. Maps are available if you google for them 😀

Also enjoyed ‘cycling’ one of the construction tracks which is literally knee deep mud for hundreds of yards.

Yeah why not Castlemilk? – nothing wrong with it. Glasgow Life, Urban Fox and the Various east end youth groups and cycle clubs will no doubt be heavy users of the bike course. The Value of the bike course is that some people not as lucky as the average singletrackrider might live a slightly longer more fulfilling life.

My Theatre in Easterhouse outclasses anything on offer in Milngavie or Bearsden. You’d think the locals wouldn’t use it but its jumping. We can take Full scale productions from Scottish opera and NTS.

progress on the trails is being slowed down due to the weather folks it will defo be after christmas before they are completed, the soft fine material which is on top of the trails and was referred to in previous posts is whin dust

areas where there isnt any bedrock to expose there is a need to top the trail off to make it last longer, the whin dust will settle down over time as it rains and as more and more riders run over it…..so all i can say is the more folk that get out and ride it the better the trail conditions will be, but please if areas looked blocked off or look unfinished or are just bare mud please do not ride on that section.

all of the construction tracks have to be returned to native grass etc

thanks for the updates – will get down again soon

I hope Cathkin is as promising as it sounds. The future seems to be these small trails, and hopefully volunteer efforts to maintain and add to the trails. There is enough space and height to sculpt some more runs up there, the cynic in me is softening 🙂

Linky for trail description with a few pics:

http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/FEEA5A8F-3717-4BC3-AD7D-62201BBE5A02/0/route.pdf

Good link Arrpee!

Great link arrpee!

Facebook group keen to gauge interest in the track and the (quite promising) potential for a Hub-style facility run as a community-based project:

https://www.facebook.com/CathkinBraesMoutainBiking

thread resurrection time 😆

sounds from the FB page like the trails are largely finished and riding well, anyone been there in the last week ?

Going to try and get round in the next few days; either early am or night ride to avoid disturbing the wildlife… 😛

Was up last week – almost done. Great trail, well worth a visit.
From what I hear it will be completed within the next 2-3 weeks.

Only bad bit at the moment is the access paths for the diggers etc. 80% rideable just now

theupsetter – sounds good 🙂

Was up there over the holidays. They’ve done a good job, I’d say.

It’s no Badaguish: definitely not ‘traditional’ XC, but obviously that type of course was neither possible nor desirable, given the location, intended use, volume of traffic, etc. Instead, what we’ve got is a nicely varied, all-weather XC race course, not too far from the city centre.

The exposed, pedally bedrock section running more or less parallel to the road will be pretty challenging for racers; can imagine it being very sapping, especially if most of the lines remain hidden under a foot of muddy rainwater (doubtless, some spoilsport will sort out the drainage, but I’m all for keeping it this way).

There’s a nice, flowy descent to follow with a wee sting in the tail if you’re not paying attention. After a bit of a meander onto the moor, this is followed by the dual descent: fun and fast with a couple of jumps at the bottom.

From this point, it’s a grind back up to the radio mast, largely following the old XC course. There’s a couple of steepish descents off the top of the hill with multiple line choices and big drops for those taking the A-line.

Criticisms? There are a few rock gardens which feel a bit tokenistic, i.e. a bit tame and not requiring much thought in terms of line choice.

There’s plenty of scope for race organisers to add in a few natural sections to mix it up a bit. Hope this happens.

I see there is a good piece in the MBR that has just landed so that should get some tyres on the trails 🙂

Rideable now?? Ie- open?
Edit- that’ll teach me to just read the last post!

anyone up for riding it this wed evening, 9th Jan. Should be a few GMBC folks out. Car park at the start of the trails, ready to ride 745pm

Biggest gripe i have with it at the moment is Malcoms site which is covering one of the large rock gardens/ decents that takes you back into the woods after the moor climb. Couple of wind turbines going in. Anyway, stick to the right of the heras fence on the foot path and skirt round it. Going to the left takes you into a boggy area with no decent link into the next section of trail.

Considering that a small amount of rain turns the Braes into a damp slog what we are ending up with is great. Everyone i meet up there is pleased with it as it is.

Raced my mate on the long dual slalom type bit the other day a few times, it was a hoot.

John – is there route signage/markers up yet ?