[Closed] Quantock hills

When are you planning to go?

Rocky horror has now been smoothed out by FC traffic.

There are (at least) two descents known as Rocky Horror on the Quantocks.
One starts at ST 16834 36499 and the other if I recall correctly starts at ST 15841 38714 (10 figure grid refs via Memory Map 1:25000). HTH.

Two of us are going out for the day in search for technical XC and novice jump fun and were told the quantocks would be a good shout

then you were given the wrong information.

quantocks are excellent fun but aside from the manmade stuff in triscombe, none of it is approaching technical.

Don't listen to anyone who says anything bad about the Quantocks, The riding is the best in the UK imo. Their are steep, rocky, rooty and twisty or flat out natural descents all over the Quantock hills. You will not be disappointed, and worth while riding dosen't have to be man made. Look for Stert combe, Frog combe (both descents) Bicknoller, Weacombe, The chimney and other downhills/single track around their, also the man made stuff is good over at Triscombe stone, also Five lords on the map is a good one, concrete block and I enjoyed the descent off of fort hill. You need Sharki to show you around if he was going to be in the area, he may pick up on this thread at some point. Enjoy.

Don't listen to anyone who says anything bad about the Quantocks

i didn't say the were bad, i actually said they were excellent, just not technical. if you think that....................

Stert combe, Frog combe (both descents) Bicknoller, Weacombe,

...........are technical, then we've obviously got different interpretations of the term.

oh, go on then, i'll give you that rooty bit on frog combe but it hardly makes for a technical day out.

I agree that those descents are not the most technical, but their are some naturally technical descents on the Quantocks, also depends on a persons level of riding, mine is the level of " I'm happy to still be on the bike at the bottom" !!

When are you planning to go?

We hope to go Wednesday for the day.

I think on your sliding scale of biking ability Ruscle, I would be classed "lucky to be on the bike at the bottom" so most stuff can be technical if we go fast enough. Is there a map with these trail names on, or would it be on an OS.

When I google the names I get more information from STW forum than if I search for Quantock/s which is odd.

Thanks for all the information so far. Much more than I could find. We'll check out the grid references Dibbs cheers.

One more question, how serious a tyre would be advised?

 

The steep rooty stuff in Triscombe will have you using your piles as a rear brake and then coughing up a lung as you winch back up for another go.

Stick E nano compound with gnarr edges is the only way to go, anything less is ghey

I use Conti Rubber Queens. A lot of the combes are named on a OS map.

http://www.sharemyroutes.com/routes/United-Kingdom/Holford-Somerset-England/Quantock-Hills-MTB/elevationOSmap.aspx

This map is ok to look at as can zoom in as well giving the combes names which may not be on the original OS map. My favourite descent is the Stert/somerton and Bin combe (five lords). I don't live local to the Quantocks unfortunately other wise would gladly come out. Probably their on the weekend or the following one.

I have to agree with trailmonkey(longtime no see), expect fast flowing singletrack not techie stuff examples can be found here http://photobucket.com/qscamp and loads of Qs stuff here http://s1107.photobucket.com/home/knottie

I'm back to work on Wednesday otherwise I would have offered to guide, as for tyres I really wouldn't worry too much I'm currently using a Panaracer Dart front Maxxis Larsen rear combination on my FS and HT and I manage to keep up most of the time 😉

Look on youtube for videos, theirs plenty their.

Just turn the sound down if you find the Sharki/Jambo one (frikin Ballroom Blitz).

+1 on Ballroom Blitz!

Excellent stuff. I was wondering how light I could go tyre wise, Ralphs look like they might be lacking in the teeth department so it'll have to be Nics.
The map makes things a lot clearer. There seem to be a lot of videos of the chimney.
We are looking at the killer loop which looks and sounds ok.

Don't listen to anyone who says anything bad about the Quantocks, The riding is the best in the UK imo.

Never seen a photo or video that would substantiate that claim, have you ever ridden outside the Q's?

The Quantocks does take some beating for the amount of legal riding in such a small area, if you add the not so legal and the grey area stuff you really are spoilt for choice. Trouble is you need a local guide to sort out the good from the not so good.

Never seen a photo or video that would substantiate that claim, have you ever ridden outside the Q's?

I would not be so bold to say it the "the best" as it depends on your preferences and expectations. But as a location for both XC trails and also for DH, it is very good indeed. One could not design a better trail centre for £millions.

I miss the quantocks. Dartmoor is alright but you really can't beat the q's for smiles per mile.

Trailmonkey - I think I'm right in saying you're based on Dartmoor? Do you want to shout out some "technical" trails in that area?

Not so that I can critisise, but because I'm genuinely interested. These things are all a matter of degree and experience. Please dont compare Nutcracker etc with , eg, Chamonix.

I love riding Dartmoor and have "found" some good stuff recently with the help of a mate who is from Buckfastleigh, but in terms of technicality, overall it is hardly a step up from parts of the Quantocks.

PS - Exorcist, you might want to take a sniff around Horner Wood and Porlock, 20 mins on from Holford...

ps - dont worry about tyres, just spend 30 minutes longer riding instead.

agentdagnammit - i'm hardly going to compare dartmoor with the alps, but if you've found anything on the q's that compares to the bovey valley then i'd really like to see it and i could include it in my riding there.

Cheers for the back up Dibbs, Partyboy, I've been riding for 2 decades+ and not just in 1 spot, get yourself down their with a local then come back to me on your views of the Quantocks, oh and its not a way marked trail centre FYI!

Trailmonkey - as I said, I'm genuinely interested in finding the most technical parts of Dartmoor. Can you share any more details?

And just pointing out that some might find the Quantocks technical in places, we were all beginners once. I wouldnt consider it my place to tell the OP what "approaching technical" was. Others would consider them a walk in the park (in which case, ride faster...).

no need to bicker about wheres best . I love the Qs as its my home turf , I love Dartmoor too , Oh and exmoor , I love there aswell. This ride was fun tho

(Dibbs, was it really that long ago). Local guide for the Qs is your best option , expect plenty of smiles per mile.

Bickering over! It's all riding, so all good.

But there really is no "best" or "technical / non-technical", this just goes to show. it's all subjective.

BTW. Has anyone yet ridden that newly built trail mentioned recently, nr J+S's trail? Anything to report?

"Partyboys" quiet ain't he ???

BTW. Has anyone yet ridden that newly built trail mentioned recently, nr J+S's trail? Anything to report?

I've been down it a couple times, but.........

I rode the one it crosses over yesterday and there's forestry commission notices on the new one asking the people who built it to remove it as it crosses a public footpath or right of way. It basically said all trace of it needs to be removed and the trail builders should contact the forestry commission to discuss the ground rules of building new trails, or words to that effect.

darn those trail pixies !

I've been to the Quantocks. It was rubbish. Its so rubbish I have to keep going back to check how rubbish it is. Sure enough, when I get there, you know what?

Its rubbish.

Don't go there. Horrible place. Theres not even a cafe at the top.

"Partyboys" quiet ain't he ???

Some of us ride our bikes instead talking about it on the net 😉

its not a way marked trail centre FYI!

Er, where did I suggest that?

I was just questioning the bold claim of best riding in the UK, surely that would belong to somewhere with mountains or the right to roam freely?

[IMG] [/IMG]
one of the techie bits of the Qs.
[IMG] [/IMG]
not techie but FUN !
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See?

Rubbish!

who said it was rubbish ?

new bike knottie ?

[IMG] [/IMG]
way marked trails !

Nooooo same old Inbreds (SS and 456) the full susser has gone !

the full susser has gone !

me and sharki were talking about your trusty marin today, has it bitten the dust 😯

Is that a woman in your photo knottie? She doesn't look very alienated! In fact I'd say she was making a fine job of cycling down the chimney 😉

just to balance it up a bit ........
[IMG] [/IMG]
dartmoor.
and
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Exmoor

The marin ...
[IMG] [/IMG]
is still going fine but in new ownership , seen above keeping warm by the radiator.

##edit . yes its you Anna !

##### edit .. note mud on tyres .

My original claim was only my opinion and if i had a choice of only being able to ride in 1 place till the end of my riding life, the Quantocks would be it, where's yours Partyboy?