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^^ TJ did say that.
(As well as the rubbish about mountains)
molgrips - MemberThere is more riding up north, for sure. But there is still plenty in parts of the South and it's good
Which is what I said
freeridenick - MemberWhen we venture out of this god forsaken place we tend to go and ride stuff like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/71958789@N00/sets/72157623770296923/show/
as its very different to what we normally ride - but we normally don't see many northerners/locals on this sort of stuff as they all seem to be juts blasting down rocky fireroads which seems pretty dull to me
It's more a case of there being so many options that you'll be hard pressed to come across a local (here in the north lakes anyway).
So we're all agreed then. It's good everywhere and any whiney northern clog-dancing "smooth" beer-drinking, lard guzzling spotty whey-faced fag smoking shouters of mangled English are just being a tad unreasonable...
Love the Dales and Cumbria, meself. 😉
but we normally don't see many northerners/locals on this sort of stuff as they all seem to be juts blasting down rocky fireroads which seems pretty dull to me
I don't understand how you can tell where people you can't see are riding ?
PP lives in Hampshire I believe
Indeed I do. 🙂
And I cut my MTB teeth in the Peak District nearly 20 years ago, had a rest for a few years and started up again after I moved darn sarf.
I like any riding, on any bike, anywhere. 🙂
I said there is a wider spread of good riding in the north
And I'm not so sure you're right. I think that's just becasue you know your area so well, just as I know my area. If/when I visit, I hoping you'll show me round, though. I know it'll be ace! 😀
simonfbarnes - Memberbut we normally don't see many northerners/locals on this sort of stuff as they all seem to be juts blasting down rocky fireroads which seems pretty dull to me
I don't understand how you can tell where people you can't see are riding ?
😆 😆 😆
Made me spit that mouthfull of tea I'd just taken in...
I don't understand how you can tell where people you can't see are riding ?
Becasue you take so many pics of them? 😀
As an aside, I've noticed Molgrips has an astonishing knack for starting mahoosive-long-running threads. Well done that man! 😀
Most of the riding in the UK is great fun, I like surrey as I live here and I'm sure those up North like their stuff for the same reason. Frankly all of our riding is utter crap in comparison to the French Alps, Pyrenees and other proper mountains in Europe. We all know this and for me this thread is like arguing about British "cuisine".
freeridenick - you're probably right, I would be surprised, but only because my expectations of southern riding are pretty low. To be fair, you look like you get out onto my kind of trails in the Lakes, but there's not much down south that offers that kind of riding on that kind of scale. Some folk love southern-style riding, that's fine, but up north it's way easier to get to bigger hills, longer descents and, I would argue, longer stretches of more challenging terrain - as far as I know that's beyond debate (although others here will still try to argue it).
Becasue you take so many pics of them?
ha ha Podster, however I only photograph that select group who are able to ride near me without extreme prejudice :o)
ha ha Podster, however I only photograph that select group who are able to ride near me without extreme prejudice :o)
Or do you need a longer lens? 😉
As an aside, I've noticed Molgrips has an astonishing knack for starting mahoosive-long-running threads. Well done that man!
Ah, it's a recent thing. There are also a few dead horses but they drop down the pages so fast no-one sees them 🙂
TJ - you seemed to imply that there was very little riding down here. There is plenty, although not as much up north.
Still I'm staying at the Bracknell Hilton next week which is across the road from Swinely - and I shall be enjoying hooning around the dry windy singletrack at breakneck speed very much 🙂
I would argue, longer stretches of more challenging terrain - as far as I know that's beyond debate
Depends what you mean by challenging. If you mean getting down in once piece, then perhaps. But I try and get down everything as fast as I can, and then Southern singletrack (and the above mentioned Swinley stuff) can be a great challenge. Whereas all it takes to do a lot of mountain stuff fast is just the balls to lay off the brakes and the arms to take the pounding.
Back on topic, I consider myself a hardy type but when I ventured past Watford Gap for last years 3 Peaks Cyclo X I discovered the real meaning of the word "Hills".
Damn that was tough!!!!
SFB - only from your photos which mainly seem to be rocky fireroads 😆
nice views, shame about a lot the trails....
wl - your right on most accounts, but our micro terrain has many many perfectly formed had made trails that are so much fun, built for riding bikes. Would glady show you around if your ever down here.
Plus its only really the Lakes that has the bigger descents.
Anyway its all riding and its all good - at least we don't live in Holland!
I'd quite like a few more man made trails with jumps etc up here - but I wouldn't like it if that was all there was.
There is loads of good trails in the Lakes in a pretty small area, the Dales has some nice stuff, North Wales and S Scotland are not far away - I'm sure there is good stuff down south but I struggle to see how it can be as good overall.
As said anyway, it's all relative and people in the Alps would probably look down their nose at most of the riding we have.
only from your photos which mainly seem to be rocky fireroads
we don't have much forest, so what you're seeing are ancient roads and packhorse trails, but I find them plenty rocky enough to make up for them not being narrow 🙂
"i get the impression that the north is filled with vast expanses of bleak moorland where no-one ever goes (except to bury/look for murder victims).
is this a generalisation? "
No..........It's what I can see out of my window now. If I had a telescope I probably could see people being buried, We've all done it.
Grum - is going up and down big hills all you enjoy about biking?
I think what we need is two STW rides where Northerners visit the South and vice versa.
Essentially a bloody silly thread - can't believe I have not only contributed to the nonsense, but am also adding to it again!
Just because an area might be regarded as not quite as good and varied, doesn't mean it is "crap". And as I pointed out before, you tend to grow to like what you've got (my point on that was predictably mis-quoted - I said that I preferred woodsy non-rocky stuff because that was what I was reared on, not that this added up to Surrey Hills being better - [b][i]I[/i][/b] prefer it because of my background).
As for all of the other bunkum about Southerners being less friendly and all that crap - well, its just bollocks, frankly. When you start with a shoulder-chipped prejudice you tend to remember only the encounters that confirm your original bias.
We've all done it.
"Are you [b]local [/b]??"
- is going up and down big hills all you enjoy about biking?
here's a clue: [b]mountain [/b]biking 🙂
If riding is so good down south why did they base singletrack towers UP NORTH ?
If riding is so good down south why did they base singletrack towers UP NORTH ?
Because that's where the bloke that had the idea lives? Long shot, I know.... 😉
MBR are in the South are they not? 🙂
Mbuk are from the south, Thats killed that arguement
What is this mbr and mbuk you speak of? Sorry I have heard children talk of these comics 😆
This argument is similar to that of some claiming that you don't need to eat meat because you can make some really delicious vegetarian meals (this, the good riding in the south argument) The thing is; there's no vegetarian meal that can't be made tastier by adding bacon, just like there's no ride in the south that doesn't have a bigger and better counterpart in the North.
Go North, Add Bacon.
Mbuk are from the south, Thats killed that arguement
but isn't that mainly about jumping off street furniture?
just like there's no ride in the south that doesn't have a bigger and better counterpart in the North.
Possibly not, but impossible to prove again. Just an opinion, that's all 🙂
I could say that there's no ride in the North that doesn't have a drier, twistier version in the South, which would be just as controversial! 😀
dasilva - Like almost everyone else you've gone with the same dumb logic.
The argument is not whether it would be made tastier with bacon, but if it is "crap" with no bacon at all.
Incidentally, I totally disagree with your example anyway, but even so I think I know what you mean, and even that is nonsense.
And just to get back to riding - I am not aware of any riding away from the south with the same blend of varied woodland (not pine forest), sandy well drained soil and smooth flowing singletrack, plus cracking views and very easy access. There may be plenty of riding elsewhere which is just as enjoyable for different reasons, but I don't think there is a "northern" counterpart to Surrey Hills.
Dasilva - nope - there is riding in the south that does not require bacon
glenp - I would be fairly sure you can find plenty of that sort of riding
Go South
get a suntan
and add falafel 8)
I agree glenp - possibly the quantocks.
Some real northerners
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And sometimes we ride the bikes as well
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2 things to add to this, as a Notherer living in London:
1 - Surrey Hills riding(no northern equivalent that I know of) is in the top 3 for me in England, Lakes is first
2 - Anyone who thinks that Londoners / Southerners are not as friendly as Northerners is just plain wrong in my experience, most of them are from the North anyway!. I've lived in West London for 7 years and I never had such friendly neighbours in the North. The simple reason for this is that all of them came to London for work, are open minded people with no preconceptions and really want to get to know other people in the area. Almost all my neighbours in the North (Pudsey, Darlington, Middlesbourough) were never as freindly, some were downright rude, even violent and several were just small minded small town people.
Great example kaya - that looks great fun. But it doesn't look better. All rocks, no trees - each to their own, but I likes me trees.
Add garlic - head South West.
just like there's no ride in the south that doesn't have a bigger and better counterpart in the North
That's just a stupid thing to say. The riding's different, you end up doing different things and having a different day. I don't think the South is better, or the North. If I won the lottery I'd move to Mid-Wales, but for a variety of reasons - biking being one 🙂
You might like Northern/Welsh/Scottish trails better, but riding in the South is definitely NOT CRAP. That's my point. Thanks for listening.
Add proper mountains - get on the Eurostar...
Where does Milton Keynes fit into north south scheme of things?? I would call it south but it's flaming miles to the south or north downs and the Quantocks is even further. We have a decent enough local woods here but it's always under threat of closure from the land owner due to the volume of riders etc...on this basis i would have to say that unless you live within a reasonably short drive from the surrey hills or the quanocks then the riding is quite limited (albeit with the exception of small local woods). I say keep the local woods untouched but find a few areas of land down south and build some centres for us southerners to use which dont anger the local landowner, this might make the local hotspots a little quieter as well.
Where does Milton Keynes fit into north south scheme of things??
If Britain was a body Milton Keynes is the arm pit, does that help?
Milton Keynes is 100% the south. if not its south midlands,
Milton keynes -its in the south for sure.
we have agreed I am going to redraw the map as anywhere that has decent riding is in the north by definition and all the crap places are in the south.
So the quantocks is relocated to the north and Doncaster to the south
I knew a lovely girl from Milton Keynes, fancied her a lot at Uni. She died a while back tho.. hmm..
I think we can all agree that's Lincolnshire