I see that there as many experts in the business of running bike parks here as there are experts in the business of running a bike shop.

With so much expertise, I’m surprised there isn’t a thriving bike park round every corner.

Just a thought: maybe the people who run BPW actually understand the economics better than the average punter on both the supply side (what they need to charge) and the demand side (what people will pay, in sufficient numbers)?

Crazy thought, I know.

As the uplifts getting booked out months in advance seems to be a big bone of contention, why don’t they just stagger the release of passes and make some available closer to the day (but still beyond the useful weather forecast window) to placate the disorganised element of their customer base?

And yeah £30 for three hours of uplift seems a bit rich, and a bit insensitive if it’s primarily targeted at the local South Wales-based riders – who’ll likely be on lower incomes than the full day pass customers driving over from Surrey in their Audis. You could even say it was a regressive pricing system in that regard.

a new executive chef

And obviously that means getting a load of slates to serve the burgers on, and the cost of foraging pea shoots, wild garlic and mushrooms from around the site. None of that shit comes cheap.

The local proles simply don’t understand the kind of standards that the modern mountain-biker demands.

And obviously that means getting a load of slates to serve the burgers on, and the cost of foraging pea shoots, wild garlic and mushrooms from around the site. None of that shit comes cheap.

Or just the job title for somebody who can deliver good quality food, variety and at speed for the right price.

With no more EU funding (thanks Brexit) on the horizon it has to start paying for itself (and future expansion).And they ain’t cheap to run.

On the plus side.Revolution is still only £33 (but you’ll need to bring your big boy pants) and Antur is £34.50.

It’s steep for a half day but if they continue to make money then surely they’re happy, it’s a business after all

I’ve only been there once and if I go again it’s a long trip so the fuel cost would be more than the ticket anyway.

I’m 30mins away so used to go there quite a bit, few pedal ups then end with a couple of uplifts. I can handle the pass going to £10 but the half day system is awful idea.

What are the future expansion plans for BPW?

I know they’ve opened several new trails over the last year but I seem to remember hearing that they might carry the park over to the Mountain Ash side at some point…

I remember being trucked up there sat on hay bales in the back of Dumper trucks probably ~15 years ago now at Dragons… There must be some scope to operate a second carpark/cafe/uplift and set of trails from the next valley over IIRC both are FCW operated forrests….

Then they could become a two executive Chef business…

It seems like they’re trying to control numbers on site, which is entirely understandable, but there must be a better way of doing that.

Maybe better social media/smartphone app that would still enable you to PAYG but, would also tell you when they’re up to capacity & then only able to PAYG by booking back in?

Another idea – extra evening sessions in the lighter months, allowing locals to pop in after work and get 2.5 hours uplift for £15.

Satisfying local demand and creating an additional revenue stream at the same time.

Personally, the number of times one of “us” have not managed to get booked on the uplift, and come along anyway to go on the pay as you go has been useful, and no-one is going to travel on the off chance they can get a half day ticket so that’s a step backwards to me.

Yeah the ad-hoc riders must be a bit of a pain for them to manage, Im sure the pre-booked uplift riders are where its at for them.

I don’t have an issue with the price increases generally, they are planning a large expansion and improvements, so they need to be paid for, and its not like they are struggling to fill the slots at the moment! they clearly dont really want the come along for a couple of runs lot anymore.

I hope this actually pushed a few more to the other uplift options around and has a effect of benefiting them.

The sheer audacity! As John Lydgate said ” You can please some of the people all of the time……”

I’ve taken my son there a few times – he loves it. We’d still only go 2-3 times a year, and it’d cost me £80 a time, which is pretty crazy, but I’d still pay it for the joy I get from riding with my kid. Looks like we still have to book months in advance, which is a shame. Cost of BPW is balanced by the Merthyr cinema being so cheap for our evening entertainment 🙂

They’re not exactly short of cash.

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06919030

What are the future expansion plans for BPW?

An uplift driver told us 20 new trails in the next 2 / 3 years utilizing the other side of the hill, plus the current widening of the road to allow two way traffic.

With no more EU funding (thanks Brexit) on the horizon it has to start paying for itself

Beat me to it. It’s Brexit, innit 😜

But as said earlier, going “on grid” and the upgrade of the road plus busses may be part of it. Though would have thought they must be making a fair amount of profit given the success of the place and the numbers. 8 busses at times I think, 200ish? people there a day on busy days, both uplift and ride up. A fair size take of money. Though okay, running costs may be fairly high for all those drivers, busses, fuel, rent on the land, building, equipment, staff, etc.

Antur Stiniog have also gone up, from £27 to £31 midweek and from £30 to £35 for the weekend

Ski lift passes in Europe seem much better value, I believe at £20 a day ?

£200 start price at Silverstone

Only £200, that’s bloody cheap compared to the car day costs!

its all layed out on the HMRC tax return 

Ski lift passes in Europe seem much better value, I believe at £20 a day ?

Surprised at the prices out there recently having been used to the sharp increase in North American prices, especially Vail Resort run places (Park City especially since it merged with Canyons and doubled the price).

Top ski resorts in Europe are £40+ per day.

If they’re marketing themselves as a top biking venue then the prices are going to match – quality costs.

It’s not an uncommon tactic for companies to set their pricing to attract the customers they want.  If you want riders there for a full day rather than half a day then set the prices so that a half day is almost the same price as a full day.  You might lose some half day riders but a significant chunk of them will become full day riders (but probably less often) which also gives you more chance to sell them other stuff in the cafe / shop.

Seems an illogical change. Considering they say they keep the blues smooth enough fro 20″ wheels, how much value will a family with young kids get from a full or half day pass, as children that small won’t manage more than a few runs before they get wobbly?

Good luck to them, I won’t be there much anymore, I quite often work that way and can squeeze in a few hours if I’m passing.

A couple of pedal ups and  catch the odd uplift, then home. Not really worth it with the new prices.

It wont stop me going for full days but casual visits on the way past would need excellent weather and a whole afternoon.

Im more bothered about my favourite trails closing down – 50 shades, route manoeuvres and hot Stepper all going (I think). I love it there but if they go it wont be worth the trip anymore.

I certainly wont be paying £10 to ride anymore anyhow

I wonder if they can legally boot you out – I haven’t checked on the OS – are there any public rights of way across that land?

50 shades, route manoeuvres and hot Stepper all going (I think). I love it there but if they go it wont be worth the trip anymore.

Surely ‘new tracks’ has got to be better than re-riding ‘old faves’!

Actually, my maths in my previous post was incorrect.

Heres the text from the BPW website:

A couple of weeks back we announced some of the exciting plans that we have for the future of the park, all of which are designed to provide an even better experience here at BPW. In this announcement we mentioned that we’d be trying out a new ticketing system for the uplift.

As many of you will be aware there are currently two ways to use the uplift at BPW, pre booked priority passes and the PAYG multi ride card system. The aim of the multi ride card was to add some flexibility and allow riders to turn up on the day and get a few runs on the uplift as it can be difficult to pre-book a day pass during busy months. Initially the system worked well but more recently a growing number of PAYG customers have not been experiencing the great service that we strive to deliver.

We have been analysing the uplift for over a year and worked through multiple different scenarios with the aim of providing a ticketing system that works for as many of our customers as possible.  The outcome is that as of the 1^st of May we will be removing the multi ride card from service….Before you panic please continue reading and we’ll explain exactly what this means and how we believe it’s a good thing for everyone!

We are aware that not everyone is able to, or wants to pre book their uplift pass in advance and that not everyone has a full day to spare to ride. With this in mind we will be introducing morning and afternoon half day passes that can only be purchased at reception on the day, there will be no online booking option for these passes. The number of half day tickets will be limited which allows us to have ultimate control of how many riders are using the uplift on a given day and avoid the long PAYG queues that have happened in the past on some very busy days.  Half day pass holders will stand in the same priority queue as pre booked day pass riders so no more annoying long waits to try and fill empty spaces on a bus.

We believe we’ve come up with a system that means every customer who has paid to use the uplift will get great service and a maximum number of runs on the hill.  We’ve tried to accommodate all user groups in our decision and feel this system suits the greatest number of riders.  Couple this with our newly widened road and our soon to be announced secret vehicle and we know we will be offering a better service than ever before.

Below are a few answers to questions that will no doubt be frequently asked to help everyone understand the new ticketing system

What does this mean for my old multi ride card with runs still on it?

Multi ride cards will be valid until the 31^st of July 2018 and can be exchanged or discounted toward a half day pass or pedal pass beyond that date.

What about season pass holders?

Season pass holders will receive a £5 discount on the half day uplift pass.

What about priority and non-priority queuing?

The two queues will be condensed into one single queue of day pass holders and half day pass holders.    Until July 31^st any remaining PAYG cards out in the “wild” will remain in the secondary queue, after that date the non-priority queue will no longer exist.

If I buy a half day pass can I pedal for the other half of the day?

Yes of course, half day uplift passes include a full day pedal pass

What times are the morning and afternoon sessions?

Summer:  Morning – 9.30 to 12.30  Afternoon – 1.30 to 4.30

Winter: Morning – 9 to 12 Afternoon – 1 to 4

How much will half day passes cost?

£28 weekdays

£30 weekends

Remember, this includes your full day pedal pass!

The new system will take effect on May 1^st and we will be closely monitoring the uplift, we are confident this will result in a faster service and more runs on the trails for more riders.

Happy trails!

The BikePark Wales team.

So, for my son & i, instead of £56 for a full days pedaling & 5 uplifts each, it’ll be £60 for 1/2 a day & as many uplifts as we can squeeze in. For us, our only issue will be the limited amount of 1/2 day passes only available on the day, its a long way to go to not be able to buy a ticket.

Don’t forget – it is a trial, feedback could progress the system.

Their FB comments don’t seem to support the change.

The future: https://www.bikeparkwales.com/the-next-steps-for-bikepark-wales

Sounds good 🙂

Surely ‘new tracks’ has got to be better than re-riding ‘old faves’!

Depends if they are as good as those three I guess 🙂

I much preferred the trails on that side of the hill and that is clearly where the work is taking place.

50 shades and route manoeuvres have a more natural sort of old school downhill track feel about them – steep Rooty and full on. The others felt a bit more generic and bike-parky for my tastes (although still a lot of fun).

I hope they are suitably replaced!

Both here and the facebook comments does seem like the issue is to a vocal minority. Bad for the locals wanting a casual few runs in the afternoon; and those with incredibly complex routes of combination ride up and uplift.

However from memory of people when I’ve been, there are very few people riding up and/or queuing in the day pass queue. The vast majority (95% at a completely empirical guess) are there on full day passes. If they know that an extra 30 people won’t (can’t) show up with a ticket strip on a sunny day that’s 30 more day passes they can put up for sale every day (not just the sunny weekends) as they know what the buses can handle.

Is there any actual evidence that the drivers are throttling the runs? I’ve never done fewer than 10, best is 12 on a mechanical free day with staggered lunch breaks.

Only issues I’ve seen is they sometimes appear a little lethargic, but I put that down to them doing a repetitive, low paid job, while I’m pumped full of adrenaline. Oh, and the idiots that cant put their bikes on the trailer properly.

50 shades, route manoeuvres and hot Stepper all going (I think). I love it there but if they go it wont be worth the trip anymore.

Surely ‘new tracks’ has got to be better than re-riding ‘old faves’!

they are just closed while the National Grid do their work aren’t they?

https://www.bikeparkwales.com/uplift-ticketing-trial-cancelled

Interesting, company responds to customer feedback, it’ll never catch on…

Trial has been cancelled according to Facebook

**EDIT** Too Slow

It’s problem is, it has no competition.

Is there any actual evidence that the drivers are throttling the runs?

definitely not something I’ve ever experienced!

I assume we’ll see the owners driving their 911 Turbo’s to the coast and razzing round on their SunSeekers what with all the extra money they’ll be making!

(or perhaps not….)

Still putting in the price increases though, £10 to pedal up is a joke.

I see that there as many experts in the business of running bike parks here as there are experts in the business of running a bike shop.

Genuine LOL

Still putting in the price increases though, £10 to pedal up is a joke.

It’s harsh, but Aston Hill is £7 for non-members. As a former committee member I know where all that cash went, and the Hill got about £1 of it while the CTC were involved (not sure how much it is now).

The Committee is volunteer-run but the FC still charge for land the insurance eats up loads. Surface to Air cost thousands in materials and equipment rental, even if the skilled labour was ‘free’; S2A is used year-round and a huge MTB asset to the region.

Because it’s an FC site all the materials have to be PH-sensitive and weather-proof, which isn’t cheap. Tools don’t buy themselves. The Portaloo doesn’t  rent itself, empty itself or replace itself. The parking machine didn’t install itself and doesn’t rent or empty itself. Running a ‘small’ bike park with very limited facilities ain’t cheap, and Aston Hill isn’t a business with wages and other overheads.

I emailed them to say Great work for listening. It’s all well and good us giving them crap for the changes, but if they then fix it…. It’s nice to be nice and say “well done”.

Fair play to them for listening to feedback, I don’t think £10 is too bad really especially considering the investment. I also come over the Bridge and with the tolls going will balance out the cost.