Took a day trip over to AE on Saturday. Really love how rough that place is. Although they are resurfacing parts and it looks like a path through 18-19 rather than the nice rough open section it was.

[video]http://www.vimeo.com/32054663[/video]

Nice.

It’s ages since I’ve been to Ae and I keep promising myself to go back. That’s got me in the mood.

Really love how rough crap that place is

FTFY

What bob sed.

I like Ae, although I’ve never ridden the full red XC route.

Really enjoyed the Shredder, downhill tracks and the Omega Man even if one of the DH tracks did break me a wee bit.

Nice film! 😀

I quite liked Ae when I rode in in May, I don’t really understand why it gets so much stick.
My order of eastern Stanes preference:
Kiroughtree
Ae
Drumlandrig (I know it’s not a Stane)
Dalbeatie
Mabie

Nice vid Mickey. Goes to show how spoiled our brothers on the mainland are. We’d kill for a ‘crap’ place like AE over here.

nicely speeded up vid through the tight tree section there 🙂

Its actually not too bad, did it a few weeks ago and when detour disappears it’ll be better. On a 100mm xc H/T its quite tough going over some parts but the vid doesn’t include some of the gruelling climbs.
The only thing that bugged me was when i got to the end i never really fancied lap 2. not that i was tired or anything but i just couldn’t like it enough to do another lap. Mabie though you could do 3 or 4 laps before you get bored

why have you sped up the whole video??

To start Ae do the Shredder first and on the way back head up and do the DH. Suddenly it is pretty ace with a bit of a work out in the middle on the fire roads. It was a shame the edge lost the trees as it was nice in there. I also liked it without the resurfacing.

Nice vid

Not sure why Ae gets so much stick on here, its got a couple of decents that turn into climbs and then go back to decents but its also got some nice fast sections with lots of opportunities to get your wheels off the ground

The only part speeded up was as radoggair says through the trees and a bit of boardwalk. If you listen I left the sound in. It’s hardly fast riding but thanks for the compliment.

Cheers for the comments. I love AE nice and rough with nice descents for the climbing. The edge was brilliant through the trees but as they are commercial forests the trees are always going to go. The resurfacing is getting worse 18-19 is like a path they are working on it at the minute. It’s the rougher natural feel that is good about it.

Did the world slow down for your rad X-up and nose dive off the shore?

Ae is ****. 3 minutes of video shows just about all the bits that are even moderately fun. The other 95% is a boring fireroad or uphill rutted slog. And thats coming from someone who likes Dalby.

Nice video of Ae, didn’t need the speeding up of the wooded section – it is narrow and tight at that point which is where the enjoyment for that section comes from (for me anyway).

Ae used to get a lot of stick for being too rough, too long, not flowy enough, etc… but like all trails it has people who will like it and people who don’t. Interesting that those who called it too rough would never be seen at the dig days, but were quick to criticise any work that was being done. It was the first of the 7Stanes I ever rode up here, it is probably the one I have ridden the most in the few years I have lived here and I stil enjoy it. I would say it is one of the trail centres that is probably more enjoyable if you have some fitness- it doesn’t give you much for free, but the faster you go at it the more opportunities there are to enjoy sections.

The downhill trails definitely draw a crowd, but it is never rammed full of people so you can have your own space. Having the trails there gives it a different feel to the other SW 7 Stanes. It never used to have the same budget as the Peebles centres, but yet seemed to be able to keep going. If it didn’t work you wouldn’t have Tally running an uplift most weekends through the summer, the shop at the bottom of the hill would not exist, and no doubt the other trail centres in the locality would also suffer.

Mr Plow +1 with the Edge losing some of its character when the trees were felled.

I might go ride there this weekend, if anybody is around let me know?

Ae is brill anyone who says otherwise is ****!!

I hereby declare your choice of music ridiculous. But I like it.

I need to get back to Ae, just to check and see if it’s as ropey as I think it is.

Ae is brill anyone who says otherwise is ****!!

Now that is one convincing argument!

Only ridden it once, and thought it a study in mediocrity. Wasn’t even an ambient ride with all the forestry work and chopped down trees.

Seemed a good sort of trail if you were training for something. Leather it round a couple of times would be a good workout.

That’s my mate nose diving off the shore. He is learning and getting better his new bike the canyon nerve am 8.0 is a big step up for him but he is getting there.

If your unfit you will probably hate it. When you can hammer round it I find it’s
Class. We are limited to what we can ride when we come over on a day trip. Kirroughtree doesn’t have as much descents for the work you put in that’s why we drive past it to AE

Been 4 times and enjoyed it everytime. Its not perfect, the last section doesn’t really get going till too late, but if you ride up and finish with The Shredder you won’t care!

As for rough, have you not been to The Lakes?

I didn’t realise so many people hate the place. So the haters what would you guys rate as a better trail centre in that area?

Sorry, forgot to say, nice vid 😀

Haven’t ridden the lakes no.

I didn’t realise so many people hate the place. So the haters what would you guys rate as a better trail centre in that area?

2 weekends ago I battered round Ae then went down and did the same at Mabie. Despite the fact that I ended up going round Mabie in something along the lines of a monsoon it still rode considerably better*!

*imo, just to avoid upsetting the bed-wetters 😉

We have no sanctioned trails so everything is going to be better. Having said that we have some amazing natural stuff. It is always good to get onto the trail centre stuff.

[video]http://vimeo.com/26824386[/video]

Here is my favourite Scottish trails from the summer. Fortwilliam, Glentress, Inners and Laggan.

Rough – youre having a laugh. Did it a few weeks ago on a HT and flew round, including the orange line. A great TC – not a bad (or rough) bit on it. Great facilities too.

great vid btw

When I say rough I mean not totally smooth like some of the trails. It is through to the hard fill so yeah it’s rough. Now is
It rough compared to the DH at fortwilliam or the black at Laggan no not that kinda rough. No reason why you couldnt do it on a hardtail it isn’t a hard trail.

My order of eastern Stanes preference:
Kiroughtree
Ae

Are there any west of K’tree?

I don’t really get the slagging of trail centres. They’re free to ride aren’t they? You choose to ride them? All riding’s good isn’t it?

Haven’t ridden the lakes no

Not sure I have yet, and I’ve ridden/lived here for nigh on 20 years.
Give the slowed down bits a miss next time – not sure it adds much ( except when your mates plonks his front wheel 😆 Nice film though (for these oddly wide arms, chest cam jobs.

session88 – Member

I didn’t realise so many people hate the place. So the haters what would you guys rate as a better trail centre in that area?

It’s not that it’s terrible- it’s just close to Drumlanrig, Kirroughtree and Mabie, which are better. If you moved it somewhere with a lack of good trails it’d get a much better press I’m sure.

I’ve yet to do Ae, but that looks alright! less of the slo-mo action replays please!

I’ve yet to do Ae, but that looks alright!

If you dont mind a bit of climbing for you descents then this is a great spot. Get yourself over and see how good it is. There isnt that much fire road in it. Its got everything imo. Red XC/Enduro, The shredder a starter/Fun DH Trail and the DH trail. It is a good testing trail again with a bit of everything from open mountain to off cambre tree sections to the big step down and berms. If you ride mainly XC then kirroughtree will definitely rate higher than here. If you want a bit of everything then it definitely rates higher than Mabie imo.

Why did they label the first section on the Omega Man as a descent, when there’s more ascent?

Garry_Lager – Member
Only ridden it once, and thought it a study in mediocrity. Wasn’t even an ambient ride with all the forestry work and chopped down trees.

Oh well you should tell them to stop logging its not as if its a commercial forest. 🙄

It’s not that it’s terrible- it’s just close to Drumlanrig, Kirroughtree and Mabie, which are better. If you moved it somewhere with a lack of good trails it’d get a much better press I’m sure

Are you saying Drumlanrig is better than AE?
I have never ride the place but the videos I have seen must not be doing it justice if you reckon it’s better.

It is better, yeah. More trees 🙂 Beautiful spot in the autumn.

If you like DH than Drumlanrig definitley won’t be your thing. If you like lower speed techy woodsy stuff then its brilliant.

nicely speeded up vid through the tight tree section there

That’s just wrong! Get with it and ride faster! 😉

Are you saying Drumlanrig is better than AE?
I have never ride the place but the videos I have seen must not be doing it justice if you reckon it’s better.

Drumlanrig’s a million times better than Ae.