I’ve seen a few notes on twitter about logs being placed across the tracks and people waiting nearby in the bushes – I guess to nick the bikes of those who stop to shift the obstacles. All sounds a bit wild West, but worth keeping an eye out and your wits about you if you’re riding there (and anywhere I guess).

Don’t know about this report but Parkwood always used to be a centre for the nicked motorbike crowd so it wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination for them to move on to mtbs.

Sorry to say I’ve been expecting this news. Parkwood Springs is a five minute ride from one of the city’s most deprived areas.

Springs is a five minute ride from one of the city’s most deprived areas.

Which city?

Sheffield

one of the city’s most deprived areas.

Isn’t that like saying “one of the Titanic’s wettest cabins” 😉

Isn’t that like saying “one of the Titanic’s wettest cabins”

Although I did LOL at this, the Sheffield Hallam constituency covers some of the most affluent areas in the UK, so not really.

I have been expecting a pay rise as we have always lived in Sheffield Central constituency but in 2010 we were moved to Hallam. I thought I was too poor to have his Cleggness for an MP!
A government report a few years ago ‘proved’ with statistics that Sheffield was the most socially divided city in the UK.

Have to say it’s not somewhere I go at night, but I’ve not seen any suspicious behaviour when I’ve been there during the day

I was tempted to go for a night ride at some point. Maybe a group ride where a few go up together would flush out the sods?

I’ve done a fair few night laps without incident.

Not a soul up there last night….wouldn’t fancy it on my own though not at night anyway

The bit about stopping for a log confused me????

Outside toilets up here still innit.

The bit about stopping for a log confused me????

Why? Rider happens upon large log blocking trail, stops, leans bike against tree to move said log out of the way. Hooded reprobate ne’er-do-wells emerge from the shadows and remove bike from rider.

Wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve only been there once and really enjoyed it but it is pretty close to some not very nice areas.

The scroates at Cannock have tried something similar pretending to be injured / have a mechanical…normallythree of them and two bikes.

Are we to assume people are going up there on their road bikes, ‘stop to move log off track’ just ride over the fecker.

To be honest Parkwood Springs isn’t in a great area but its not that bad.

I think it attracts scroats from other parts of the city as well as maybe the more immediate situation but I gather they are far more interested in ripping off the cars as they are a much easier target – afterall there are usually a number of riders up there and the risk of ambushing one and getting caught is quite high.

Plenty of dog walkers around as well.

At the moment though it is too cold and wet for tealeaves to be lurking around.

Usual rules apply – don’t ride on your own and don’t shout your head off about how much your bike cost and if you see a log across the track ride over it.

There isn’t actually anywhere for someone to hide on the downhilly bits really only on the ride back up.

I haven’t actually heard any confirmed reports of anyone being mugged for their bikes.

EDIT – I live about 5 minutes drive from there and have passed it countless times so know the area well.

In *slightly* related news, I noticed whilst out running last week that a route fairly local to Pook (that featured in one of his videos):

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/a-dull-video-of-me-riding-down-a-hill-slowly

has received the attention of the local ‘friends of the cemetery’ once more!

Take care if dropping in blind chaps, as some logs and stones have been placed across the trail again …

Are we to assume people are going up there on their road bikes, ‘stop to move log off track’ just ride over the fecker.

If I were riding a random trail in some woods, or a trail centre, or a bridleway out in the Peaks, and i came up to a log, I’d ride over it. If I were riding on a BMX track and there was a log, I’d get off and move it.

Parkwood is somewhere in between.

Life is too full of greys to ever be cleanly discussed on the Internet.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-gun-for-mtbing 😈

as some logs and stones have been placed across the trail again

I think what’s actually happened is that the cemetery folk have redirected the path so it now goes right along the bottom of that berm. As a result, they’ve put a ‘wall’ in I guess to stop super fast Gee Atherton lookalikes like the chap in that video up there obliterating the dog walkers avoiding the washed out former path. There were loads of signs redirecting things when i last went down anyway.

Shame though, that’s one of the best bits

As a result, they’ve put a ‘wall’ in I guess to stop super fast Gee Atherton lookalikes like the chap in that video up there

lol! 😉

Yeah – I’d noticed the ‘re-route’ and signs to by-pass the raised boardwalk section.

I haven’t ridden that route since the start of the monsoon season, but thought I’d mention it as it might ‘surprise’ anyone on a night ride or similar …

I thought all of Sheffield was the Full Monty and Brants bikeshops?

Don’t forget Cy’s big bike factory and the workshop where they make purple hard tails with slack head angles but not for southerners who ride trail centres. 😀

That wall will be moved in the next week! It’s bollocks they put it there in the first place.

Oh, I hope your faster than two years ago…..

Nope. I did put that kicker slab in though.

Lol. I popped up to Parkwood for a ride over Christmas and it was fun and has potential … I can see why it might be a fun place without going out as far as Ladybower/Hope/Edale etc but yep, I can see the potential for bikejacking. I’m not sure I’d go there after dark solo or possibly even too late in lighter months.

I approached from the bottom of the hill out the back of the old scrappies of Mowbray Street (cautiously) up what looked like it might be a fast fun muddy descent and noted a tent of in the trees that looked like someone living off the radar – seemed to be a bit entrenched and in an odd place being within minutes of an industrial estate…

Plenty of dog walkers and the like around but the loops of the actual course are out of sight of where any sane dog walker would be