Hi STW’ers. Im the silent type that lurks in the background and generally doesn’t post up.

I had an idea a we while ago to do a MTB Treasure hunt. The idea is simple, on a Saturday morning, I post up a picture of a bike or bike frame. The frame will be in the typical pose, leaning against a trig point or some other recognizable landmark. At that point the race begins. The first person to reach the treasure takes it home.

Simple.

What I need to get it started is lots of like on the facebook page, then on the 30th of April, the first Treasure hunt will take place.

Here is the page, please feel free to share it widely, the larger the audience, the better the treasure will be!

https://www.facebook.com/MTBtreasurehunt/

MTB Treasure Hunt

Bump

I like this idea! The chances of me ever being able to be in for a chance is slim but great concept.

Cheers mate, it’ll only work if we get quite a few likes on facebook, as I hope to get some decent prizes donated….

How will you ensure the finder is from the FB page and not just a passer by?

where in the country will this take place?
coz I might take part if it’s in the midlands but if it was in scotland for eg I’m oot.

but if it was in scotland for eg I’m oot.

I can’t see why not, you drive for 6 hours eager to get on the chase step out of the car only to discover it’s already been claimed by a local… sounds like a grand idea. 🙄

I’ll personally sit beside the Treasure until someone turns up to collect it, then take a photo of them for the Facebook page.

I plan to run them monthly at different locations around the UK, which will change each month but I’m not planning to pre-publish where they are though.

will entry be free?

I can’t see why not, you drive for 6 hours eager to get on the chase step out of the car only to discover it’s already been claimed by a local… sounds like a grand idea.

MBR used to run something like this many years ago, and I don’t remember reports of their hidden stuff getting taken by locals.

But then, maybe they were buried under too many Specialized reviews.

In any case, geocaching works on the same principle, does it not?

In any case, geocaching works on the same principle, does it not?

yes if you put the goodies back once you’ve found them 😉

Entry will be free of charge, just Like the facebook page and that gives you access to the location…..

I’m not overly concerned about theft or locals picking it up who are not involved… I have a cunning plan!

Lock it up with a hefty combination lock, with my mobile number attached. Give my number a text and I will give the winner the code to unlock??

The MBR competition was a bottle (with the prize voucher in it) wasn’t it? So unless you knew what the competition was it was just a bottle.

Seem to remember it taking months to be found sometimes though. You’d be banking on a local recognizing the location, and having the free time to ride to it.

Lock it up with a hefty combination lock, with my mobile number attached. Give my number a text and I will give the winner the code to unlock??

Or just post the code on the FB page.

Sounds like fun. If it was in my area and I wasn’t tied up with something else, I’d be watching with interest.

At risk of sounding cynical, can I ask what’s in it for you? Are you offering your own personal stuff up or aiming to get sponsors to donate?

I like the idea, I’d have a go if it was nearby!

Whats in it for me? well, I hope to get sponsors to donate the prizes, in return for a bit of publicity. I’m willing to put the first prize up out of my own (shallow) pockets, but I would hope that it will be self funding from then on.

I just thought it sounded like a fun, slightly altruistic idea…!

Bump

Done
APF

GOod idea

Not on FB though, and I live in North London so there’s zero chance of it ending up near me!

Cheers guys… for now you can take part on here….

If I put a bike frame in the photo below, how long would it take you to get there and where is it?

32 hours and Galloway Forest Park.

don’t fancy my chances vs a rider from Newton Stewart, what with his/her 6 hr head start.

7 staines

bloody hours (7)

So the fastest on arsebook is 5.5 hours so far.. Any advances on that?

I really like the idea, and applaud the community spirit…

But why should you have to come up with a new prize and traipse around the country finding new interesting places to hide goodies for strangers OP?

The “prize” is almost irrelevant IMO, being the first to navigate to the location is surely the primary reward, you get to show off your “outdoorsmanship” in a non-stravaey way…

So why not run it on a “pay it on” type basis, getting there first and claiming the trophy means you have to come up with the next spot in a month’s time, and it has to be a minimum distance from the previous spot, say 120 miles? Meaning the whole thing (hopefully) migrates round the country of its own accord, and doesn’t just rely on one person to keep on going…

Oh and don’t run it through Facebook, set up a website…

That sounds like a good idea cookeaa, Im well up for suggestions. At first I was thinking about trying to get local bike shops around the UK involved, they put up the prize and hide it… Only reason I’ve started on Facebook is the easy set up…. I might get a simple website up and running too, just need some time! I’ve had loads of positive feedback, so I now feel like it’s gonna be worthwhile…

I’m in…but I hate FB so I vote for website operations!

It’s a good idea if you can get it running. I think you’d need to be a bit more cryptic with a combination of very obscure picture detail and verbal clue. I’m sure most riders, myself included, would identify pretty much every trig point or suchlike in their patch instantly…and, because of this, unless it is hard to work out, no-one is going to drive more than an half an hour to try to nab it.

Unless of course you don’t want to be camped up on a hillside for a week waiting for someone to work it out and turn up for a picture!

I like the pay-it-on idea! First to get a photo at said location gets to pick the next one, and so on. I think it might be a bit sketchy leaving new shiny things out in the middle of no where.

This ain’t a frickin democracy, but I vote for leaving shiney things in the middle of nowhere for strangers to find!

TBH I mainly like the idea of bicycle based geocaching (not that I have ever done it)… To me that would be worth development as a different, separate thing… Bet it already exists though.

Prizes and shiny stuff are for winning races, but then the OP’s idea is sort of a race so I suppose a prize or trophy fits…

I can see all sorts of ‘rules’ developing to try and keep to the spirit of it being a bike based treasure hunt, rather than a race to rock up in the nearest carpark and having a brief trundle down a track to claim your prize for getting out of bed first…
Complications ensue whenever someone has a good idea…