GT conditions and changes to the place in the last year or so?

I am considering taking a trip down there in the near future. Are we talking racing ralph conditions, or high roller conditions, or swampthing conditions here.

Also, any new bits opened in the last year or so worth exploring?

slicks 😛

Think the only new section in the last year is Berm Baby Berm, a bit of blue rollercoaster between the freeride area and pennel’s vennel. It’s fab, if you like berms and wee jumps and pumps and such.

I think the reroute on falla brae’s older than the year, can’t remember for sure- it doesn’t change that much, just got rid of the old rotten log step things in the black bit, and added in some root stuff instead. Nice but not massively different.

And yeah, it’s glentress, any sensible tyre accepted. Quite gravelly in places just now.

Black was a tad wet / muddy on Monday. I swapped out my Rocket Ron’s (2.25 F & 2.1 R) to DH Minions (2.35) F&R after running the Red the weekend before. Minions coped well with the glar.

Spooky wood has had a resurface during the “Summer” its still a bit gravelly in places but very smooth.

Bits of Super G and Hit Squad are pretty eroded from all the rain but not in a particularly bad way, rocky rather than muddy.

There is no mud to speak of on the red route – some puddles on Pennel Vennel. A tyre that doesnt mind wet rock – Racing Ralphs will be fine on the back my Nevegal is pretty threadbare and they are fine for Glentress, but soething a bit chunkier for the front HR would be ideal

We ride it most weeks and its definately getting rougher on the ‘unsealed’ bits, maybe a Ralph on the back would be fine but I’d run something bigger with more grip on the front. (XR4 front, Ardent rear for me).

Really George – a “what tyres for Glentress” thread?

* shakes head and wanders off muttering *

druidh – I wasn’t asking what tyres I should be using, i was asking what the conditions were on my patented tyre knobblyness scale. It’s a subtle difference, but a difference nonetheless.

The only significant change for me is that the coffee is now really really really bad, and you can’t get a tuna and tomato toastie, or date and banana loaf. Sadly, I just go there to ride my bike these days.

Yep the big change is the rubbish cafe, now more like a motorway services with a load of pram faces.

What is annoying is that the cafe does not open late at any time. You would think that a Friday night they would stay open for a few hrs more. There must be folk going up straight from work who would murder a cuppa and something at that time.

good to see the last 3 (now 4 i guess) posts are about the cafe. George, Glen T never changes. Conditions are perfectly rideable and ralphs are fine. Since i’m the strava KOM master i should know :*

Aye, but what about the good bits?

I have been twice in 6 months, because the weather was rubbish, the cafe really does make a difference, nice cup of cha, while trying to ponder the meaning of life and the pointless activity of the smug middle classes driving thier volvo’s out into the countryside, to ride in circles around a manmade forest 😀

get yersen a Minion and rrrrrrrrip the shit out of it RAWWWWR

and relax.

glupton1976 – Member

Aye, but what about the good bits?

Top of S&L’s still closed (brilliant sign “Secret trail closed”), but the middle bit (access off the blue) is open- just kinda wet. Troot wet but mostly in good nick- very start bit has bogged up a lot in places though

Oh yeah and that’s another thing – when was Secrets and Lies renamed Broon Troot ? Who then recycled the name and used it up the top of Spooky Woods there ? Bad form, and I WASN’T CONSULTED. Have had some very confusing conversations until I saw the sign. I know somebody carved a fireroad through the middle of Secrets and Lies a few years ago but that’s no excuse. There really should be a committee to sort this kind of thing out.

It’s always been Broon Troot and Secret and Lies has always been Secret and Lies.

Oh yeah and that’s another thing – when was Secrets and Lies renamed Broon Troot

Two different runs, on differing sides of the hill 😕

Well, then I have been giving people some very poor directions… I shall investigate forthwith.

Whatever you choose, make sure they’re tubeless. Otherwise you could die.

FTFY 😆

hels – Member

There really should be a committee to sort this kind of thing out.

I appoint Coogan 😆

I accept. No body armour at GT is my first new law.

We could hold some kind of ceremonial burning of that confounded coffee machine thing as our opening ceremony.

Now I’m confused with the names now.

S&L goes from spooky wood to deliverance climb?
BT from Ewok to the bottom ponds taking a pretty much straight line?

Those ^ are not what I think they are, but what you lot have made it sound like.

What is annoying is that the cafe does not open late at any time. You would think that a Friday night they would stay open for a few hrs more. There must be folk going up straight from work who would murder a cuppa and something at that time.

I think that they are trialling late opening on a Friday and Saturday night till 20:00. Not been up there that late to check for myself though.

Now I’m confused with the names now.

S&L goes from spooky wood to deliverance climb?
BT from Ewok to the bottom ponds taking a pretty much straight line?

Those ^ are not what I think they are, but what you lot have made it sound like.

SnL starts near the start of Spooky Wood. Pops out on the Blue which then leads to the start of BT which pops out on to Deliverence climb up near the top.

Thats what I thought.

JESUS CHRIST don’t tell people on a forum! CHRIST!

That’s my second new law.

Well, Back In The Day, When I Were A Young Un, Secrets and Lies was brand new and it started behind a tree just off the fireroad between the top of Deliverance and the bottom of Super G, and finished about half way up the Redemption climb. But clearly somebody has moved it.

And the straight line descent from Ewok Village to the ponds didn’t have a name, but I thought that was what was recently christened Broon Trout.

Some research required indeed.

Oh yeah and that’s another thing – when was Secrets and Lies renamed Broon Troot ? Who then recycled the name and used it up the top of Spooky Woods there ? Bad form, and I WASN’T CONSULTED. Have had some very confusing conversations until I saw the sign. I know somebody carved a fireroad through the middle of Secrets and Lies a few years ago but that’s no excuse. There really should be a committee to sort this kind of thing out.

Sorry, but I remember Pete Laing telling the origin of the name “Broon Troot” back in 2004/05 or so. The upper bit was called Secrets and Lies when it was being built at the same sort of time, too.

BT from Ewok to the bottom ponds taking a pretty much straight line?

That’s the A line.

Broon Troot is about as secret as a fart in a car. It was an enduro stage recently!

There are no secret bits at GT, its far too busy for that. There are just bits that the way marks don’t point to.

Most of the “secret” stuff is hard enough to put 95% of GT riders off anyway.

Wet Screams only these days

(please some idiot believe me)

Get some pics of Dust!

Most of the “secret” stuff is hard enough to put 95% of GT riders off anyway.

Even describing where they are I think 99.9% of GT traffic wouldn’t know where they are. Unless you see someone riding into BT it is going to be pretty hard to spot rolling along the fire road.

Given that most people do the red at GT they’ll never be anywhere near that part of the hillside. So even if there was a neon sign and 50 people with glad hands pointing the way traffic wouldnt increase on it by much.

Aye… S&L runs right beside the blue and even empties onto it but unless you know where to look, it’s not obvious.

Anyway- further trail forecast. The black is wet. Nice dry day today but still got absolutely soaked, some lakes on the trail. Doesn’t need specialist flotation tyres but I really wished I was wearing my waterproof shorts!