Hi. Greetings from Finland

Im 25, still agile, kind of in situtation that i would like to do some changes in my life. I have always been fascinated about Uk BMX and MTB scene. Also the fact that there are loads of national parks and nice hilly areas near decent size citys seems great. And yes, british deciduous forests and loam. It just seems that the country has alot to offer for my riding style.

I have been riding bmx for years. Now bigger wheels, downhills and singletracks have been the thing in my life. Hardtail (still) 26″ wheels. Just having fun! Trying to ride loose, go big and ride fast as hard as possible.

So where to move? North or south? Sheffield seems to be place to be for mountain biker, but is it?

Getting work etc, may be hard.It may be a problem BUT… Atleast im superb bicycle mechanic. Maybe tht will help, or maybe not.

Tell me your suggestions. Im pretty shure it would be worth everything

-A

This was done not long back and it seems that yes Sheffield does have the most to offer in terms of biking & work/social opportunities whereas the riding is likely better and more varied in some parts of the Scotland but the work opportunities and proximity to decent trails isn’t as good.

The other thing to consider is finding employment & cost of living
If you want to move here for the cycling I’d say the best areas to move to would be near Sheffield or Manchester,also consider the Tweed valley in Scotland.
You get all sorts of mountainbiking over here,from DH to XC,& big days out in the hills to trailcentre stuff.We also ride all year so I hope you like mud!!

I live in Cardiff and a Finnish friend of mine, was over in May. He comes over to the Uk a couple of times a year and always tries to get a couple of rides in either North or South Wales. In May we did 2 days of natural trails rideable from Cardiff City centre. He couldn’t believe the quality/steepness of the trails on offer without having to jump in a car to get there. You also have big mountains and the trail centres nearby. You’ll more than likely get a job in Cardiff and if you chose to live say 10-15min train ride away the cost of living is cheap. I’m sure he’ll give you a Finnish perspective of our trails. Give me you details and I’ll pass them on to him.

I would agree if you are moving for mtb on Cardiff, Manchester or Sheffield as well. Manchester or Sheffield or more central to the uk to travel around. Of the three cities I prefer Cardiff slightly over Manchester but they are both cool cities IMO, can’t comment on Sheffield as I have not spent any time there.

On the BMX side Bristol always had a good BMX scene when I was riding BMX regularly but Bristol is more expensive.

You will need a car to get around for riding, commuting to work by bike is fine and works well in many uk cities but to get to riding spots it can be very time consuming taking the train around the country.

And don’t let the photos/videos of the UK’s MTB fool you – 99% of them were taken in the Week Of Summer, which happen to end about 2 months ago… 😆

North West UK has a really strong BMX race scene, as does London and the south East – in fact BMX racing is pretty strong everywhere in the UK now although tracks are quite well spaced out. You can find mountain biking oppotunities pretty much anywhere but the best place I lived was New Mills in the Peak district. Close to Manchester, in the the peak district, good travel connections etc. I also liked Worcester, the Cotswolds, the South East (Surrey area). In fact the only place i’ve lived thats been crap for mountain biking is Northampton (get me the hell out of here). Moving just for mountain biking though and I think it would be Scottish borders or the Lakes

I live in Cardiff, and LOVE it. The biking of all types from here is fantastic.

That said, some of my family live just north of Manchester, and I have learnt that what is available up there is equally good.

And like Cardiff, you only have to take a brief jaunt out of the city to find very affordable properties.

OP, i’ve just moved to London from Helsinki. Before that, I was living in Sheffield and the North York Moors. My email address is in my profile, if you’d like to get in touch. Regarding the logistics of such a move, I’m pretty up to date.

Sheffield is a great city for mountain biking. London seems good for bmx. Sheffield has some good DJ tracks and it’s all quite accessible.

Do you like Ice Hockey?
Cos It’s crap over here!

London’s great for work opportunities and access to riding, although cost of living is higher.

I live in NW1 and can go mountain biking each morning before work. I can go to Queen Elizabeth Olympic park within 25 minutes ride, 15 minutes onto trains to Aston hills, woburn sands, porc, chicksands, Surrey hills, Swinley, etc.

Road riding straight out the door…Surrey within 25 minutes through West London. Easy train access to Herts, Kent and Bucks

Easy European and international flights from Gatwick and Heathrow

Bmx? Olympic bmx track, numerous pump track, bmx track, skatepark, trails in surrey

You won’t need a car, it’s super easy to get around by bike/train

It ain’t bad 😉

Will you qualify for a visa 😉
If you can do anything then lakes way is awesome, probably work as a bike mechanic going but it’s not going to pay that we’ll.

Hi!

Im reallly thankfull for all your answers. And thank you for the Finnish-uk contacts. Ill be in touch to you/them after my tour ends.

im well aware about british weather conditions! That’s one of the reasons why im interested. Dry conditions does not inspirate me that much. “winterseason” here in Turku is also really long. Its almost the same weather from october to april. Wet and cold, snow and too many minus degrees for suspension fork in the middle. Alaways have been riding year around for shure!

And about the money. Been living on a low budget for years. Now im working as a foodie, and it hardly gets my rent payed. Most important thing is to eat strong and pretty healthy and keep my bikes dialled and trässin

esselgruntfuttock: Im a total hockey outsider. I dont have that team spirit to understand all ize hockey hype here in finland. Im more of a punk kid.. always been into non team related sports 🙂 Style is more important!

-A

again! Big thanks for you all

trässin

Not quite sure what this means, but it sounds like a new STW buzzword.