Ive been there a few times, but always been following the crowd.
havning spent around 4 hours last weekend, getting further and further away from it looking for the illusive bugger, this weekend we are going to go with Plan B.

If in doubt, read the instructions.

Does someone have a grid reference for the top of it, or even just a pointy pin on google maps or something please?

i know approximatly what side of the chase it is on now, but cant be bothered with another day of spirograph navigation.

x

I hate the monkey anyway, spend all my time on my arse.
Join the chase trails forum, get on an organised ride and the monkey will come to meet you

the monkey has turned into a minkey since “someone” decided to put a climb in half way through 😐

If anyone put grids refs on here they may find a pick-axe through their spokes.

that would be a precision swing to split a spoke with a pick axe. GR 09876732 😯

Bide your time. The Monkey is about to be closed so that it can be upgraded as part of Phase 2 so come Autumn of this year everyone will be able to ride the monkey as part of a new trail.

Please don’t post up grid refs and the like.

Stu

http://www.chasetrails.co.uk

i’ve just found a guide to getting there with merely a cursory search. try harder!

i can understand not putting GRs up for cheeky or quiet natural trails, but its part of the PII development of a major trail centre, its not THAT likely to get a sudden influx of unwelcome people, as the people who would ride it already know its there.
its open to the public, have i missed something?

i realise its about to close, which is why we want to go and ride it before it gets that hideous cannock hardcore dumped on it.

yes i could look it up flatboy, but when your holding an OS map, and no wanting to start at the Centre, a GR is much more useful.

I would reccomend a Matock for spoke damage, but youd have to catch me first, neowmmm.

Thanks Snakebite

that’s the problem with the instant-gratification society of today, nobody wants to put any effort in they just expect to get things like grid references handed to them on a forum.

No Cannock hardcore on many of the new trails in Phase 2, the lie of the land is allowing pure bench cut :o)

Is Cannock a major trail centre? It’s funny how that’s developed over the last few years.

Encouraging more riding of the trail now is going to make it even harder for us to keep the trail closed. We’ve just has a problem with one of the brand new trails being opened up and ridden heavily despite extensive brashing and signage politely asking people to let the trails bed in. This is going to add to the time it takes to get the trails open and is extremely selfish of the few who can’t wait to ride the trail.

true, but, if you KNOW where it is already, all it takes is a click onto streetmap.co.uk, and you get a grid reference generated.
its a 20 second job if you know topographicaly what your looking at.
GPS users might even have it noted down!

less of an instant gratification shortcut, and more just “the [easiest] way” of doing it.
if that fails, try the next easiest way, and if that fails, the next easiest.
and so on and so on.

sorry to piss on your finger pointing, im afraid im not one of those people st
the diversion around the first section provided use with a cracking oppertunity to bed in our new pads on the last visit.

if its closed when we get there, we wont ride it.
if its closed already, then that would have been the first reply i would have thought? or is helpful advice to much to ask for?
about to be closed, it not the same as closed.

And I would say cannock is a major trail centre, as it has hire, a shop a cafe and a cafe,
I couldnt name 5 bigger better equipped ones myself.
certainly not within 150 miles

never mind concentrating on phase 2, phase 1 needs fixing !

there is no monkey trail

scruff told me

Its taped and brashed off anyway.

Olly, its STs call. Do as your asked by the person in charge of the volunteer trailbuilders FFS.

Peed off that I missed your build day on Sunday ST.
I’m way way overdue putting something back into the trails.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on the website for the next one.
Be good to get involved & do some digging.

Olly, not finger pointing, merely using a current example to reinforce my point. At the moment the Monkey is an official unofficial trail (if that makes sense) which people are free to ride as they wish until such time as we need to close it to progress Phase 2.

Goog, feel free to pick up a spade and come and help us volunteers on the trails that people get to ride (and berrate) for free.

Taki, we’ll be announcing the next big build day over the coming days.

Not bad going really, we don’t charge people to ride the trails (nor would we ever want to) and we even give people free food and prizes to come along and build. 80 people turned up on Sunday for this so presumably that means there at least 80 people out there who appreciate what we do.

I’ll gladly come along with my bucket and spade !

“if”

you can tell me where all the money goes for parking a car/van ? it obviously doesn’t go towards the upkeep of the car park ?

Better ask the FC where all the money goes as I dont think its got anything to do with Chasetrails. Stu, I’m sure will confirm or deny this… 🙂

The FC offices are all lined with mink fur and each desk has a Faberge egg as a paper weight. And they built a big learning centre, which has a Constable hung in every room.

Olly, its STs call. Do as your asked by the person in charge of the volunteer trailbuilders FFS.

See now ive worked out for myself who-tf ST actually IS as it seems to be assumed im part of this clique, im a little better off.
I understand the point, and anyone spending thier time maintaining and building the trails i/we love to play on get a thumbs up and pints bought in my book, but the plan, is/was to go and ride this weekend and having inquired in a polite and curteous manner, ive got a certain proportion of shitty comments and some totally non quantative “titbits”

free to ride as they wish until such time as we need to close it to progress Phase 2.

The Monkey is about to be closed

would

its going to be closed by this time, so please save yourself the trip, it should hopefully be reopening…..

or

it will be technically open, but would help us if it wasnt ridden on in the run up to it closing

not be easier?

no offence intended to anyone, cheers for being your usual helpful selves.
good luck with the build ST
bored of trying to get a straight answer.

Out

We got to the monkey on Sunday & then everything went all blurry & weird music started playing & we ended up back in the car park.I don’t think it exists…..

I attempted the ride The Monkey on Sunday and it was closed off I guess due to preperation for Phase 2.

However, if you head in the general direction of The Monkey (there are directions to it on the web) there are a whole lot of other trails around that are equally good and very much open. Have an explore, you’ll certainly fins something of interest.

Sorry, I can’t be arsed to read all that.

Where is it exactly.

I guess if you are a builder developing trails, the last thing you want is a busy forum pinpointing where you are currently developing trails..

I still think Llandegla is the best anyway

Olly, I’m not haing a dig at anyone whos not having a dig at us. It’s always been quite cool that the Monkey has an aire of mystery surrounding it’s location and it’s been great keeping it that way as long as possible.

There are loads of people around who do know where it is an again it’s cool to hear about riders hooking up with those in the know to be shown the trail. Much nicer than the show and tell of the internerd that’s been mentioned already.

If you can find your way there or find a guide then please enjoy the trail, I gyuess the point I’ve been trying to make is please try to keep the current status quo as is (albeit I accpet it’s location may be just a Google away).

To be fair you might ride it and decide it’s sheet and overrated, it is only one trail afterall.

Goog, indeed the money from the car park goes to keeping Chase Trails’ volunteers in BMWs and nice shiny bikes ;o). But serisouly the money is used by the FC and to be fair the FC offer a heck of a lot of unseen support to the trails. The car park could be better of course but as I recall the worst bits were sorted a couple of months ago and as I drove through last weekend seemed alright to me.

Olly stop upsetting the locals!

Willing to show ya but only on a singlespeed,will do a little circuit first to see if your worthy or not! 😉

splitter.

ive ridden the trail a few times, its awesome, which is why im looking to take a friend whos not been shown it,
not taken my trance though, only done it on the SS-XtC, but it is indeed the perfect mix of tight twists with hard fast flow and a few bits of airborne potential.
hope it doesnt change when its rebuilt…

we will indeed have to sort something Rich, though im probably moving away in the next few weeks so could be tricky,