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Got to laugh at people making out QECP is some tech fest where serious skills are required. It's just not very good.
andymc06 - Member
Got to laugh at people making out QECP is some tech fest where serious skills are required. It's just not very good.POSTED 8 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
I don't think anyone is!?! But it's different to a trail centre like Cannock, Afan Keilder, Hamsterly , I won't touch it in the wet, the climb is miserable and the chalk flint descents are interesting!!
But today is fast loose in some sections, and at its best!
Did the red route at QE for the first time two weeks ago. It has rained the day before making it a bit interesting. Racing Ralphs did not like it and neither did my ribs when I went down on the final descent. In general a good loop but as has already been said it is rather short.
Wookster. It is described above as rough and steep and needing a whole heap of skills. So yes people are making out it is technical, which it isn't particularly. I can only go off my own experience. It is the worst days riding I have done. I was borderline angry when I left due to the amount of time I wasted getting there and the lost opportunity to ride somewhere else. It is the only place i have ever ridden which I will never go back to.
Maybe you all need to learn to ride better . So its not a super smooth groomed trail center motorway , But QECP is a damn site better than it used to be
'Oh its so steep, and its so hard riding uphill . Cant we have an uplift truck and a steamroller to take out the ruts ? And those roots will simply have to go , they are so uncomfortable to ride over. Then lets make it all reelly wide so my 780mm bars will fit through easier. '
'And can we please cancel the rain , and put down an all weather surface so its easy peasy all year round, oh and some flood lights so its not as scary in the dark'
shakes head and mumbles and mutters
Sweet! I won't bump into you then, you miserable Berk.
Take it for what it is. An island of pretty good trail in a county of mainly double track downland riding that is a fast blast in the dry and a nightmare in the wet, therefore perfect to polish your skills with regards to bring light on the bike and appreciating other trails. Just because you didn't like it doesn't mean its shit.
well qecp is turning out to be a bit marmite! never really got on with it myself on a bike but its better to run round imo.
in fact im even going to say i prefer the even shorter trails at lordswood southampton than qecp. anyone share that opinion?
Sorry for having an opinion. Obviously I must be a poor rider if I don't like an over-hyped badly designed trail centre (and I use the term loosely). My opinion is objective and based on my own experience. I sense some of the comments here are from local fan-boys with a vested interest in getting people to visit QECP to keep it afloat.
Fair enough Andy, I think we can both agree its not Fort Bill!! I can see why in the wet it's a miserable experience ( Ill take my CX out on another loop than ride there in the rain)
(Edit I've not questioned your ability mate, It's just a trail that's not your bag, same as I'd rather ride The wall at Afan than Whites etc etc)
TBH I can lose as much time in lords wood as QE!
I think i was expecting a lot after all the hype after the recent work and was very disappointed. (Edit Wookster - Singletrackmind brought ability into it for some reason!)
I can't. Lords wood has no elevation.
And keep it afloat?. It's been there 20 years... It may be nearest for me but I mostly travel elsewhere.
If you're expecting llandegla you'll only be disappointed. But as a 40 minute loop its ok.
Really Jo? I enjoy linking all the bits up. But with a day to Kill I'm off to Wales too!!! 😈
Ridden QEP a few times and I doubt I'll ever go back, even if it's only 20mins away. In the wet it's awful and the dry not much better, to be fair there are some fun sections but overall far too much climbing Vs decent singletrack and it's all over far too quickly on the marked trails. There may be some good stuff off the beaten track as noted here but I would never recommend someone visit for a ride blind, would be a huge disappointment IMO.
Swinley on the other hand is much, much better. Not ridden the new trails but lots of positive comments and you can make a good ride of it. For me though it would be Surrey hills all the time but useful to have some idea of where you're going.
QECP is a real challenge to do flat out. Some hard short climbs. If you go on some 6" monster bike and aren't fit it will be slow and hurt you alot for the descents. My anthem rips round there, though if I push it too hard I puncture on the descent. Need to try some proper tyres there. In the wet it is very tough and a real test of your skills. Great place to learn to shift your weight about when climbing to avoid rear wheel slip / front wheel lift.
LW is fantastic, it has good elevation if you know how to link the trails together. My usual afterwork ride is approx 8mile 1000ft. I can easily spend 2hrs / 2000ft elevation in there not riding any of the same trails
And Swinley is great too, just a different type of great. Its all riding. For me variety is key.
The only bad things with QE is the amount of times I have almost run over idiot walkers / dogs on the final descent. It needs more signs and warnings
QECP will get better over time, the volunteers have only been there 2 years, its a lot better than it used to be.
It is what it is at the moment, a 6km waymarked blue trail and a 7km waymarked red trail with a natural feel to it and a couple of features chucked in.
I can't believe how far it has come in 2 years, from 2 basic trails and an XC race per year to having the new red and a gravity enduro, DH race and an XC race 2013.
I'm really looking forward to 2014 🙂
P.S I also like lordswoods. Good mix of trails.
I train on QECP on my SS29rigid, I love it, I love the climbs and techie stuff but will admit to make a day of it you do need to head out the back onto the SDW and into the woods behind (where the DH Comp was) and zip around there then do another loop of the Red.
I went a lot in the winter and yes it was claggy but from April onwards its been fast, dry and immense fun.
Is it worth travelling to? Depends on how far you travel 😉
Someone needs to show me Lordswood, I've not been! I think I know just the person though 🙂
As Scott says, take it for what it is (QECP). It takes a shed load of man power and effort to work with the chalk, let alone getting approval for anything from QECP/FC/SDNationalPark. Something that takes 1man, 2 hrs to make at SH, will take 4 people, 2 days at QE.
Theres only so much fun you can have with 1 (good) trail, so dont expect a SH mecca of singletrack. Both SH and Swinley are private and I'm sure a damn site easier to get permission to work on and of course dig on.
BTW QE in the wet can be a hoot! Its just after a month you get a bit tired of it 🙂
Come to aThurs eve ride At Lordswood Superfli.
I'm looking forward to my new job next week allowing me More free evenings, QE in the dark is lots of fun...
Was a bit grumpy last night but as Scott says, QE isn't a trailcentre, it's a couple of trails. Yes, there could be so much more there but that's up to the powers that be and they don't like change in Hants!
I would be up for that too Matt, One off Wednesday night special?Come to aThurs eve ride At Lordswood Superfli.
Working my last ever Wed eve tonight so yeah, that would be cool. Maybe a Lordswood/QE eve ride trail swap could be arranged...
Sounds good, Not been to LW since last Nov.
Swinley and Q.E are a bit like apples and oranges.
Swinley has had investment, resources and (I imagine) a decent number of people building the trails. The routes are marked and it is easy to find the majority of riding there. It is sandy and fairly flat. Rides pretty well all year.
Q.E is worked on by a few volunteers who build trails for free. Some of the trails are marked, but a lot aren't. Unless you know your way around the riding is somewhat limited. It is chalky and has a number of steep(ish) bits. Can turn into a bog in winter.
If you expect Q.E to be like a trail centre you will be dissapointed. Ideally it is best to try and get someone to show you around or download a route.
Mattbee, I'd be up for a LW ride too. Wed eve is the only eve I can cycle though.