Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)
  • the "new" Swinley.
  • manitou
    Free Member

    Only just got out to see the new trails at Swinley.. well impressed.Thanks to the guys that let me follow them from Martin’s Heron Station.

    rootes1
    Full Member

    Rode across from Woking today, was expecting it to be busy… quietness I have seen it, lovely.

    gee
    Free Member

    And whilst this might be contentious… The improvements made this week are excellent. The jumps are a lot more achievable.

    ashleydwsmith
    Free Member

    Oooooh where are the new jumps? On the red? Haven’t been up for a while as was getting bored of the red route.

    gee
    Free Member

    They have resculpted red 26 (the bit that ends by the old Gorrick race start). They have also redone the double double on the last bit of the blue so it’s now one big tabletop. The 2 doubles on the first section of the blue have been filled in so they are now tabletops. Other bits have also been repaired.

    GB

    DT78
    Free Member

    Is it quieting down at all? Fancy another visit

    rootes1
    Full Member

    Yesterday afternoon was the quietest I have seen it.. only one other person on the first half of blue… think due to the heat not many people biking? Perhaps having bbq etc

    notmyrealname
    Free Member

    There were quite a few out Saturday and Sunday mornings about 9-ish but no doubt it quitened down as the weather warmed up. Generally it seems quieter than when it first reopened.

    As for the improvements, I’m with Gee on this. It seems to run better than it did previously.

    dashed
    Free Member

    gee – Member
    And whilst this might be contentious… The improvements made this week are excellent. The jumps are a lot more achievable.

    I was really disappointed with them to be honest. Everything was previously rollable anyway and the only challenging bits have now gone. There are plenty of other progressive jumps (all those whoops in section 26 for starters) and it seems a shame to tame it down already. That double into the right hander and then the table in section 26 just flowed so nicely – horrid now 🙁

    mattbee
    Full Member

    The only challenging bits for you, maybe. I would imagine there are reasons for the reshaping that go beyond winding you up.
    Most likely frequency of accidents at thos points, or accelerated wear meaning they needed to be reworked. If a table still has a takeoff and landing it is far better than a double. With gnarrcore skills they can be cleared and it doesn’t matter what’s in the middle, dirt, a gap or even giant angry badgers with ninja throwing stars. Mere mortals will be able to roll them, or give jumping a go without the fee of coming up short and dropping into a gap or being eaten by a badger…
    Glad to hear it seems to be quiet ending down a bit too, was putting off driving up from Pompey as I thought it might be too busy.

    gee
    Free Member

    The major reason was safety – the amount of ambulances and helicopters called out was unsustainable. They had to change it.

    GB

    dashed
    Free Member

    mattbee – Member
    I would imagine there are reasons for the reshaping that go beyond winding you up.

    No, I suspect they spent a lot of money changing it just to disappoint me 😉

    Mere mortals will be able to roll them, or give jumping a go without the fee of coming up short and dropping into a gap or being eaten by a badger…

    Everything was totally rollable. There were no “gaps”, just pairs of rollers that could be linked into a double.

    was putting off driving up from Pompey

    Have you actually ridden it then?

    gee – Member
    The major reason was safety – the amount of ambulances and helicopters called out was unsustainable. They had to change it.

    Yeah, totally agree. But I’m not sure it will actually help. Section 26 now has a big berm rather than the previous loose, offcamber corner which slowed you down, so you can carry loads more speed into the tabletop. Speeds are way higher through there now.

    I’m pretty sure there will be other changes too. Suspect the tabletop on section 15 (down from the reservoir) will be reshaped too as that is easy to overshoot and is blind going in first time.

    coursemyhorse
    Free Member

    I haven’t got my head around which ones are which in terms of the numbers of each section. I know which one is Red15 though. From my point of view, there are a load of jumps I reckon I could link up but am always too scared to try. If they have filled in the middles with tables then I may be inclined to try to jump further so for someone like me, good. I hope they don’t tame the challenging bits though. It’s catch 22. Crashes if they exist, unhappy people if the challenging bits get removed. People should work up to the hard bits. I don’t chuck myself into jumps like a 14 year old until I have worked up to the point where I know I can clear it. In fact, I’m pretty much a girl. ;o)
    The table on Red15 I can clear. Overshoot it? I must be slow as duck!

    Have there really been loads of ambulances and copters? Where do you hear about this?

    mattbee
    Full Member

    Yeah, ridden it a few times but not in the current spell of sunny weather as given how busy it was on my last Tues am visit in the rain I expected to not be able to move on it ATM.

    As for gaps, yore right the doubles are more like rollers than the sort of thing yoot build in the local woods but for a relative novice (the friends of my wife she’s taken there) they can be scary, and for an intermediate rider who the trails seem to be tailored for the most (wife) the psychological benefit of a table over a double, even a rollable one can be the difference between clearing it and not.

    I always forget about smileys too, makes me come across as a right arse….

    rootes1
    Full Member

    Hi mattbee,

    yer I went yesterday afternoon as it was very quiet..

    one thing that is odd is that natural singletrack gives you a low centre of track and higher sides, – lots of the new swinley is the opposite i.e. crowned surface so this makes lots of corners off camber – this seems to affect some bits of the red more than the blue – I know they have done this a. to shed water, b as they have built it up away from the forest floor.. seems durable and seem is now harder than concrete!

    Si

    manitou
    Free Member

    what is this “jumping” thing you speak of?…..

    andrewh
    Free Member

    what is this “jumping” thing you speak of?…..

    It’s the bit between leaving the ground and being in a heap on the ground again bleeding.

    JohnClimber
    Free Member

    Look out there’s a northerner coming down to ride the proper Swinley trails with some locals tomorrow after work.

    No idea where if you ask, I just follow for miles and miles

    notmyrealname
    Free Member

    Look out there’s a northerner coming down to ride the proper Swinley trails with some locals tomorrow after work.

    No idea where if you ask, I just follow for miles and miles

    Are you taking the Fatty?
    Swinley’s a scream on a fatbike 😀

    JohnClimber
    Free Member

    Sure did it was ace as normal.

    But I can’t believe the number of numpties who think they are invincible and ride the trails without a lid. Even a guy on a full on DH rig blasting down the off piste stuff without a helmet.

    I would guess there were 1 in 5 riders from 5pm to 8.30 riding without helmets.

    What is it with you 1 in 5 Southerners?

    Legoman
    Free Member

    I generally go on Sat mornings, only ever seen 1 guy without a lid. He did have a woolly beanie hat through, which he seemed to think was a suitable substitute.

    martinh
    Free Member

    Sorry to have missed you JC. Nearly went out there this evening too

    theotherjonv
    Full Member

    Was out but didn’t see you and Boltonjon. Got biblically pissed on though. Needless to say, not a drop fell 8 miles away on my newly turfed front lawn (you realise this dry spell is all my doing, don’t you).

    mattg123
    Free Member

    I can understand why there are ambulances & helicopters there on a regular basis, the trail surface tears flesh from bone. I had an off due to a tire blow out, instant loss of pressure followed by instant loss of adhesion & had sheets of skin off my fore arm, ended up with an infection resulting in an arm like Popeye !! The kids thought it was well funny…

    deadkenny
    Free Member

    even giant angry badgers with ninja throwing stars

    With Brian May hiding in there probably.

Viewing 25 posts - 1 through 25 (of 25 total)

The topic ‘the "new" Swinley.’ is closed to new replies.