Hmm, I ride at glentress at the weekend a couple of times a month (after trailfairy sessions) and I've never felt it to be crowded, even at the choke points. You see other riders but not that many, and a little bit of common sense gets round most problems. If it's too busy for you, go and do the black.

that's coz it isn't crowded at all in the afternoon, no trail centre is.

We're out digging on the red often so we get a better look at the traffic in the morning than most people, it's still not busy. Lots of people sure, but spread out round the length of the place it still doesn't add up to bashing elbows.

er.. not really. wouldn't you generally get to watch riders passing ONE place on ONE trail?

there's a bizarre mentality at GT to get there early for a parking space and another to get to back to the Hub for "lunch time". I made a rule years ago to rarely ever ride before mid day (but may ride til dark) and whenever I've been there the place is absolutely dead by 4pm

same with inners (XC).

Lots of different point raised here:
Sorry to hear about any rider who hurts themself, especially a young beginner. however the bottom line is, until that point he didn't appreciate the skills needed to handle the terrain he was riding…a hard lesson..but one we've all had as kids and sometimes even now that we're "all growed up." I'm sure he will learn as he goes like we all did/do.
it's also reflective that the expansion of MTB is developing skills on "manufactured/manicured" trails…in terms of skills gained this is false ecomomy..it's like riding pavements…

However us growed up people need to realise that the investment in our hallowed trail centres is essentially for the younger "next growth" of riders…without them us "oldies" will get nothin..
Here's hoping the "wee man" gets stuck back in and forgets all about his "Sunday 22/8/10 snaughters".

etiquette : manners cost nothing and faster and slower riders need to realise it works both ways…but never forget that we're all out to enjoy riding bikes.

agree re "good" riders cutting up a storm on beginners blues…it's not big or smart if there's "weaker" riders about..

skills: it's not necessarily skidding that causes BB's…a sliding tyre cuts…a rolling but breaking wheel causes ripples..

"er.. not really. wouldn't you generally get to watch riders passing ONE place on ONE trail?"

If we were always on the same place on the same trail then yes. But as we're not, no. You get a better overall view of traffic standing still than you do moving

lolercopters at people moaning about bumps.

FFS get a grip will you.

Working on one bit of trail, usually a very popular bit of trail is an ideal way to get an idea of the amount of use it is getting. Yesterday it was falla brae black, within sight of the red option and didn't see that many folk, that was between 10am and 1pm. Before that we were working on Magic Mushroom and again didn't see that many folk. Two or three folk every ten minutes or so. Often you are keeping an eye out for folk to warn them and the fairies and its never so busy you need someone on permanent watch. Its surprising how few people stop and say hello or thanks. Or maybe not surprising at all.

magic mushroom? one of the last sections on the red? before 10am, not busy? really? 🙄

other than counting heads coming in the bottom to the car parks the only place to allow you to get any kind of even vaugely accurate idea of numbers of users would be at the road junction at the Buzzards car park, you'd see the mummys and daddys drop of the rad kids, the freeride yoofs, families heading to the green/blue/skills loop, and everyone heading to the red and black.

Great general advice for a motorised cycle with a gearbox riding on tarmac, but essentially useless on a bicycle fitted with a freehub on a twisty dirt trail.

I was reffering to reading the trail/road, and therefore maintaining a smoother and more progressive line through the section.

Riding a motorcycle or mountain bike the dynamics on how you approach the situation are the same and both relevant to avoid overbraking into a corner.

GW, read what he wrote again. "between 10am and 1pm" 🙄

Mountain bike trail has bumps shocker 😯

Mountain bike trail has bumps shocker 😯

See stutter bumps have caused me to post twice I wish I had a smoother sofa 😳

'magic mushroom? one of the last sections on the red? before 10am, not busy? really?' REALLY 🙄 Of course you could come to a fairy session and see for yourself.

i've never experienced much congestion at GT apart from if im just starting off a section behind a group. The carparks can be full and there will be loads of people out riding but it can still seem quiet. if i go out after 2 even on a saturday i can do the whole red without seeing another person after the buzzards nest or freeride park

Are braking bumps caused only by skidding or can hard braking do it as well. I've seen them on roads before sharp corners on fast roads and most drivers don't drift.

Otherwise I agree with singlespeedstu. You go mountain biking you exect rough terrain.

manners cost nothing and faster and slower riders need to realise it works both ways

Wholeheartedly agree, and I try desperately hard to yield to people coming up faster behind me; I'll get my heel down or bail off the track for a moment if there's space, and I'll happily drop back and pick my moment to pass in the uncommon times where a slower rider is in front of me.

Mostly people are courteous, but every now and again you'll get a couple of riders all suspension and elbows who come steaming through you like you're not there. It's not bloody hard to give a verbal warning first now, is it?! Asshats.

jonb – Member
Are braking bumps caused only by skidding or can hard braking do it as well. I've seen them on roads before sharp corners on fast roads and most drivers don't drift

adam5555 – Member
It is a mountain bike trail though a few small braking bumps are to be expected even on the blue and not necessarily caused by skids. There generally caused by braking, surprisingly. Skids do cut up the trails though and allow water erosion to worsen the trail

I'm glad to see someone has their eyes open. Braking causes braking bumps, skids rip up the surface. You can see it on a lot of tarmac roads, especially on the entrance to corners.
With high traffic trails like GT, you will get braking bumps, end of. So your all guilty of creating them. If you don't use your brakes at somewhere like GT, then you might as well not bother. Go home and get your road bike out.
While I sympathise with the OP about his boy hurting himself, whats to say he wouldn't have done something similar on a rock or root or anything else? Its mountain biking. I'd say sooner he learns about such things the better. Think of it this way, braking bumps show you where you should have your braking done and by then be off the brakes.

Working on one bit of trail, usually a very popular bit of trail is an ideal way to get an idea of the amount of use it is getting. Yesterday it was falla brae black, within sight of the red option and didn't see that many folk, that was between 10am and 1pm. Before that we were working on Magic Mushroom

no matter how many times I read it, it says…

fala brae between 10am and 1pm. before that we were working on magic mushroom. 😕

but the point is, what traffic the trailfairies see passing them on a saturday isn't really a good indication of numbers of riders on all the trails is it?

Steven – I have been at a trailfairy session and personally I think the trail maintenance at GT these days more often than not over sanitises everything. I rarely ride at GT at all these days as lots of it is pretty shit now IMO

By before that I meant in previous sessions. If you've been to a session then you'd know the chances of doing some work on Magic Mushroom and then loading up and going to Falla Brae and unloading and starting work again are about nil. Can't see how standing at the Buzzards nest junction is a better indicator of how crowded it is. Ok its busy there, with riders going in all directions. Once they are on the trails, with the exception of the freeride and skills areas it is pretty quiet. The trails have to be built the way they are to cope with the amount of use they get. This results in a trail being 'sanitised' for a bit then getting nicely worn in and riding well for a bit and then getting a bit rougher before the cycle starts again.

"Before that", ie a previous session. We don't do anything before 10am, we're all too busy oaning about how early it is 😆

"but the point is, what traffic the trailfairies see passing them on a saturday isn't really a good indication of numbers of riders on all the trails is it?"

Not on all the trails, of course not, but we work on the busiest trails the most since they're the ones that need the most work. The fact that we don't often see how many people are out on the black or the green isn't that relevant when most riders are on the blue and the red.

Still, obviously I can see why your opinion as someone who "rarely rides at Glentress" is going to be much more accurate than people who spend days working and riding there.

there's a bizarre mentality at GT to get there early for a parking space and another to get to back to the Hub for "lunch time".

Why is this bizarre? Surely it's more about getting out early and making the most of your day? As opposed to getting there for a parking space?

Personally I love nothing more than getting there early, bit of Red, some black, and shock-horror some blue trails (all at full tilt!), and back at the hub for breaky by half 9 / 10…. means I'm less likely to come across families at that time, which I find with a noisey bike can be a bit embarrassing when they feel they have to dive off the trails out the way.

I don't see this as being any different to the folks that head for a gym for a couple of hours first thing in the morning… and I'm sure they're not rushing to get a parking spot.

oh, ok. I thought you were mibbie just at magic mushroom for 20mins or so first to remove one of those "nasty roots" 😉

How exactly do you know what most riders are riding?

I don't, but then I never said I did.

Steven – I have been at a trailfairy session and personally I think the trail maintenance at GT these days more often than not over sanitises everything. I rarely ride at GT at all these days as lots of it is pretty shit now IMO

Are you trying to turn this thread into one that mostly just went in circles when it was active several weeks ago?

It seems that the 'fairies are arguing that from their experience the main trails themselves rarely seem that busy (as Falla Brae and Magic Mushroom are both on the red and black trails they surely qualify as main trails) while you're saying that at the car parks and other nexus points Glentress gets crowded on weekend mornings. It doesn't sound to me like these two points of view are necessarily mutually exclusive.

IME some people head to Glentress early on a Saturday or Sunday so that they can have a ride, maybe munch some cake and get back to their families and/or significant others in time for some quality time in the afternoon. It doesn't seem like a particularly bizarre mentality to me.

No Chris, not at all, simply giving a reason as to why I wouldn't join you lot.

you know fine well Glentress has such a large network of trails and it's so easy to chop and change routes that by standing at one point for a few hours every second saturday you will only see a very small proportion of the trail users that day.

it is perfectly acceptable to spend quality time with your family in the morning too you know (or maybe you don't). Our mentalities are very different so our different view on things is only to be expected 😉

Pity about the kid falling off but its a learning process – hopefully he will take it into account next trip and ride over them or around them (or just take it a bit slower).

As for GT at the weekend, I dont go near it in the morning unless very early and even then would only do the black. Far too many people who dont get out of the way or think its acceptable to stop in the middle of the trail. GT can be great fun as a night ride or very early morning or as Gary mentioned later in the afternoon, just not for me on a weekend morning. Anyway, you have Innerleithen XC, 3B/Yair, Gypsy Glen all nearby with almost no one on them on a weekend morning, much more fun.

Ride the black route and you never see anyone. Fact/IME/Simples/etc. Why does this discussion always crop up?

Funny, watching the Lopes vid in another thread, he skids before some corners – are we jumping on his rad dood ass?

Thinking about it, most times I actually ride the black I end up seeing quite a few people on it and we all end up commenting that we never usually see anyone else on it! The last time I rode it the hut at the top of the big switchback climb was packed when I got there.