I used to live in North Yorkshire my riding did not begin at trail centres, i have riden and do ride all over the place. When i say Glentress is the best its the trail centres i'm on about, the thread is started about cannock.

Was in the peaks on the weekend after going to cannock and you could spend years there and not ride the same trail.

i've riden in France, Spain, Italy and Germany all on natural trails but you've got to admit you dont get the huge grin factor that some trail centres can leave you with?

I've obviously offended the locals by giving my opinion about cannock trails, which has led to all of this but i was just putting it out there. It seems the locals should spread there wings a little themselves rather than shooting me down for saying something..

I think this has to end here really. All people (including me) were saying was that we appreciated what volunteers and the FC had done with what they had to work with, in fact more than that they had created something that was worth talking about 😉

the more trails we have to ride the better, surely you agree with that 8)

It's the negativity towards Cannock of your first post. Slagging a trail off cos it's boring and hasn't got enough jumps is purely based on what you would like from a man made trail. Cannock is great cos you can ride it as a loop or dip in and out of it whilst riding the cheeky stuff in between. I'm biased tho cos I live within 3 miles of the place. I've ridden the Chase seriously for 8 years and before that as a kid over 30 years ago and I am still discovering new trails.

I like Cannock, and think with the new Monkey trail it certainly works well.

Like most trail centres I find to get the most out of them you really have to ride fast/on your limit or they are just boring. If that makes sence…

_tom_ – Member

iain, what bit of fire road is temporary? The long one on the way back up to where the Monkey rejoins FTD?

No the bit 3/4 way along Monkey, bit of an up then up and down a kind of fireroad bombhole before turning left into a clearing and heading up the s/t climb to Lower Cliffe descent
A new link is being constructed to take this bit out, has some shore on it and looks really good actually (there is already a great little cheeky shortcut to bypass some of the fireroad but I couldnt tell you about it, locals only ;))

Scruff, you been in Snakey's wardrobe again….

Just got back after a couple of glorious early morning hours over the chase.

The sun on the purple heather was breathtaking and I ran out of fingers counting the number of times I got airborne. Didn't get near the Dog or Monkey – we stayed on the Milford side of the road, where the good stuff is.

Shame that King Willy's is gone, but I'm sure it'll get resurrected.

What a unt(c).

Because you paid a fortune to ride it, didn't you? Oh, wait, no you didn't, it was put together by volunteers.

For what it is, Cannock Chase is great. It's not mountainous, it's not vertiginous – it's flat. I think the trail pixes have done a great job with what they've got.

And as for all the "why ride it on a full suss" brigade, why not? Shirley riding a bike is supposed to be fun. None of you *need* your carbon HTs or 853 nichemobiles, but it's fun.

I'm lucky enough to have HT and FS bikes, but he HT is presently in bits. I'm trying to get it built up for my next trip to Cannock, but if I don't I'm going to ride my Intense 6.6 there, spank the nuts off it, and enjoy myself immensely.

its more fun on my HT but the benefit of the full suss is I get fitter hauling it round the switchback climbs and it gives me more confidence to head over Style Cop or on some of the 'off piste' stuff

I actually find the HT quicker (and way more fun) down the 2 last sections of Monkey before the rail crossing though

I will ride anywhere on whatever bike is more easily to hand / clean / has pedals attached etc at the time.
Don't generally subscribe to this certain bike for a certain place mentality

Pity that the werewolf dropped was dumbed down for the novices.

When i was packing up to leave in was all first timers by the looks of it hiring helmets for the day and buying clothes for a single ride out..

Idiots

What sought of attitude is that?

Jesus, a fella just says he didn't think the Chase was all that great, he didn't insult anyone's mother did he?
FWIW, I found Cannock a bit boring as well. We met a local and paid him to show us round who was a bit of a knob (which did spoil things slightly), but he did take us to some nice natural bits, and parts of the new trail are definitely fun. However the cool bits are all too short lived, and most of the natural stuff was slow, flat bombhole stuff, which got boring very quickly.
Sorry if anyone is mortally offended by this.

Let me get this straight you paid somebody to show you the crap parts of cannock WOW. I'm in the wrong business

i just dont think the op had the skills to pay the bills on t monkey
he obviously wasnt rad enough to seriously enjoy it
sometimes when the locals are on there game over there parachutes are needed theres that much "air" 😆

is paying someone to go for a ride in secret parts of the woods even legal? 😆

(I thought similar about GT Red actually, alot of fireroad climb to get to a couple of really good sections)

That's odd. When I first rode at the welsh trail centres I felt that they were far more heavily reliant on fire road climbs than Glentress. Since then the red at GT has replaced some more of its fire road climbs with singletrack sections.

I've ridden at Cannock a couple of times and I enjoyed it. I've enjoyed it more than my trips to Llandegla, which has generally been the alternative. On neither visit was I in search of epic climbs or mighty gnar so that maybe helped but there was definitely plenty of fun potential there. One of those times I rode a full sus because I'd also been riding in the Peaks and I could only take one bike with me. 🙂

I am not great at exploration or navigation-by-OS-map so when I travel beyond my local trails guide books and trail centres are very handy.

good point potter!! 😆

If anyone thinks cannock is boring they must just be those granny ring spinners, you know the type, all the kit still shit types!
It needs to be ridden fast like a whore!

johnnywhitesox – Member
It needs to be ridden fast like a whore!

I don't get this (granted my experience with hookers is confined to watching the Six Nations) but – shirely you would want to take things slow, to enjoy your money's worth?

iain1775 – is paying someone to go for a ride in secret parts of the woods even legal?

probably not but why pay, after midnight it's free 😳

johnnywhitesox – Pity that the werewolf drop was dumbed down for the novices.

and the rollers 🙁

Mind you, if you pay for the permit you get to see much more,

johnnywhitesox –
Member
Mind you, if you pay for the permit you get to see much more,

We still on about hookers here john 😀

Yes John!

Argh..I had a stinker of a ride there on Monday….I normally really like the Chase but monday was sopping wet, (i hate the wet) my poxy summer tyres got **** all traction, I left the glasses in the car and got continual globs of mud in the eye, and to top it all off my newly aquired forks popped their wiper seal twice and lost loads of presure and got filled with shite so all in all not a good visit……but I do quite like the chase trails.

Is there a map?

What tyres do you guys use at Cannock?

I rode on there the other day,there's some really quick SS guys on there,awesome !

Can't be anyone you know Eamonn!

What tyres do you guys use at Cannock?

Nobby Nic and ralph combo. Well draining land and little rock means you can get away with most slick stuff i'd have thought although some sections with `cobbles' can get pretty slippery in the wet.

I have been using SB8's in the dry and they were good but monday was a nightmare.

Semi slicks at 55 psi.

So what's the current laptime record for FTD and Monkey combined. ??

Dry or wet times

I'd got the impression close to an hour, although i struggle to see than myself. 1hr 30 seems to be a pretty good solid time for those who are pretty fit.

Takes me about 2 1/2 hours to plod around :\

wet… full lap…. about 1 hr 2 mins… on a full suss with body armour….

donks – Argh..I had a stinker of a ride there on Monday….I normally really like the Chase but monday was sopping wet, (i hate the wet) my poxy summer tyres got **** all traction

now if i'd have gone up there sunday which clearly i wouldn't have done cos i can't stand the place, i would have had a few traction problems, a bit of cheery banter with the rest of the guys and carrot cake and sweet tea (or sweat tea if i left my helmet on) at the end…. if i'd have gone 😉

Trouble is Stu, 29" wheels, gears and orange paintwork is totally the wrong combo for the Monkey.

johnnywhitesox – Member

Trouble is Stu, 29" wheels, gears and orange paintwork is totally the wrong combo for the Monkey.

Gears,Gears ! you mean some people have more than one…….