I used to do the Merida Marathon Series, Rough Ride and HONC, but gave up because it’s not a proper race and I couldn’t really see what I was getting for the money compared to just going to a camp site and going for a ride on my own.

There’s a few people lamenting the end of Rough Ride, so why not just turn up at the usual place and time next year and go for a ride together ?

Same with HONC. It sells out within three hours, so why not meet up the weekend before or after unofficially and follow the same route ?

SSUK has been a bit hit and miss over the last few years. If it’s hard to get someone to organise it then why not just have a disorganised event ?

It works well for Critical Mass, so why not for mountain biking ?

I could “organise” a marathon round here.
Be at the Wyre Forest Visitor Centre for 9am on a specific date.
Make your own camping arrangements.
Bring your own food and drink.
I’ll supply a GPX track in advance so you can print your own map.
Clee Hill and back for those who want a challenge, Kinver and back for those who want an easier ride.
Both routes mostly off road or country lanes.
That’s it. No entry fee. No insurance. No T shirt. No skips or toilets.
Just an “I’m going for a ride, who wants to come with me ?” event.

It would be good if this became a nationwide thing, with people all over the country “not organising” rides in their area.
Fancy a weekend away riding in a new area ? See if there’s a ride being not organised that you can not enter.

I see your point Sir, but the main problem with that is folks structure “events” around family/other commitments and hobbies.
SSUK was a fantastic event with this forum stimulating the interest combined with Charlie’s enviable enthusiasm equated to a very handy group of SS’ers hacking the Perbecks.
Would that have worked the weekend before the event? Doubt it, folks doing other stuff see.

But you could have the start of a grass roots type turn up & go rideout. Could work.

I have seen much more interest around my way for lads getting together and just riding out, certainly this year has been well attended.

So, when’s your “non event”?

Did you follow any of the Highland 400 threads? That’s basically how that was “organised”.

Now you mention it, Highland 400 and that England Wales Scotland thing are pretty much what I had in mind, except that they are both a bit extreme for most of us.
Same idea, but a shorter, one day route is what I had in mind.

..folks structure “events” around family/other commitments and hobbies…

No reason why there couldn’t be a calendar with events “not organised” in advance.

At the moment, group rides are a choice between a forum ride, where everyone sticks together, and big organised events, with a mass start, then everyone riding at there own pace and many treating it as a race.
I’m thinking of a cross between the two.

so pretty much a STW pootle then? but with camping and moe drinking. I could organise one in staffs, I know loads of great routes.

Just an “I’m going for a ride, who wants to come with me ?” event.

They exist, they’re called Pootles.

The Merida series provided a valuable public service. Where else would you get the opportunity to stay up all night in a field, drinking excessively, possibly while bike jousting and shouting at each other, blasting house music out of your car stereo, all the time knowing that you’re annoying the **** out of the half of the field that are closet roadies, and went to bed at 9.30 after eating a load of pasta. Where eh? You tell me!

One of the possible issues with the rough ride is that parts of the route are not rights of way and they had an agreement for use for that ride only. Not an insurmountable problem of course but a consideration none the less.

I would agree though that unless you do take advantage of being able to camp the night before then most of these events seem to end up poor value for money.

Point 1. SSUK was brilliant this year, won’t hear a word against it, if you were there, you’ll agree.

Point 2. You’re right, but… I meet up with a group of mates at VW shows, we met through this interest, now it’s more about seeing each other. We keep saying we should bypass the entry fee and just meet up in a field, but it doesn’t happen. For some reason the momentum around an organised event fixes it in people’s calendars.

I’d be well up for local areas organising a SSUK style, hire a field and pub garden, pay a fee and print a map type event.

We’ll do one down South next year. I promise.

It would be good if this became a nationwide thing, with people all over the country “not organising” rides in their area.
Fancy a weekend away riding in a new area ? See if there’s a ride being not organised that you can not enter.

Will it be not insured, also?

SSUK has been a bit hit and miss over the last few years. If it’s hard to get someone to organise it then why not just have a disorganized event ?

SSUK 2011 was ace

SSUK last year was a cock up, but there was the Unofficial Midlands Single Speed Champs to replace it which was brilliant!

SSUK this year was tops- thanks Charlie

SSUK next year is already sorted, and we’ve got two groups bidding for 2015 already 😀

so really, there was a slight wobble in proceedings for 1 year for the uk champs that was rectified by some grass roots activists…

see beardy beer drinking niche whores can get their sht together

So you’re talking about an event like last year near Stourbridge? UMSSC (Unofficial Midlands Singlespeed Champs) as SSUK got cancelled there was an event that wasn’t an event ran by someone that opened their front door to anyone with a SS bike and in the know. Trouble with doing stuff like this if you advertise an event that isn’t an event and/or you lead or make a course you are liable for everyones safety, thus insurance is required, then with insurance comes RA H&S etc along with land owners permissions etc as you’re not allowed to race on public rights of way. Organising a proper event takes months and months of work and a heap of time and cost more than you may think.

Err not really sure what the OP is getting at, either have a non-competitive ride with mates or do an event like the ones mentioned mentioned? How was the Merida Marathon series not a race? OK HONC isn’t a race as such but can’t say that matters to the 99% of people that have no hope of getting a top 10, you can still race yourself/mates. HONC uses private land for some sections to so not an option to do the course (legally) outside of the event. Some of the bigger events also have half-decent even villages which you don’t get on an informal pootle.

I’d love to see one around the beautiful village of LLangollen, not far from degla.

Back to this “pootle” thingumybobs, wasn’t their a Swinley (cough) sex party last year with Mr Consequence? That was organised, I think, through here. No real route, no real organisation just follow Phil as far as I can recall…
Just saying like.

SSUK was brilliant this year, won’t hear a word against it, if you were there, you’ll agree.

That’s what I mean. 2013 was very much a hit, 2012 didn’t happen, which I would count as a miss.

…last year near Stourbridge? UMSSC (Unofficial Midlands Singlespeed Champs)

I wasn’t in the know. I could have ridden there from home.

…liable for everyones safety…insurance…RA H&S…not allowed to race on public rights of way…months and months of work and a heap of time…cost more than you may think…

How does all that work for Critical Mass ? Who writes the RA for example ?

It’s the “months and months of work” and “costs more than you think” bit that I’m trying to get away from.
I could post on here that I’m going for a 50km ride next Sunday, taking in some of the Worcester/Shropshire border’s best singletrack, linked up by quiet country lanes, with some spectacular views of the Severn Valley, Clee Hills, Malverns and Black Mountains in the distance. Who wants to come with me ?
As a riding experience, it would be comparable with HONC or Rough Ride.
I could post the GPX track and recommend local camp sites, but I know it would fall flat, because it’s not an established event.

…you lead or make a course you are liable for everyones safety…

How does that work in the real world ?

If I’m walking through town and someone asks me where the railway station is and I say “I’m going that way myself, follow me”, am I then liable if they get run over crossing the road ?

If I’m going for a bike ride and I say “Follow me and I’ll show you some good tracks and nice scenery”, am I then liable if they crash their bike ?

what like this surrey hills thingy

As soon as you go down the road of booking places you’re into deposits, commitment and an outlay you’ll be hoping to recoup with some sort of entry fee. That’s nothing like the OP has in mind.

Exactly, scotroutes.
MB Swindon had a weekend in the Wyre Forest a while ago. As far as I know a camp site was agreed, then everyone made their own bookings.
A couple of us locals then met them at the camp site and showed them around.
No need for an entry fee at all.

That Surrey Hills thing looks good. A nice, simple, “I’m going for a ride, who wants to come with me ?” offer.

That’s much like the Fatbike UK meetings have gone. Folk opt for whatever accommodation suits them (or none). Rides are of the “follow the local” variety and other activities are just made up on the spot.

Mass isn’t organised,or invite only,every one is welcome ! there are no official leaders….. 😉

The HONC event is good, if oversubscribed. But the route isn’t that fun on a trail bike IMO (it’s an ideal cross-bike/rough-ride route); I would only ride it on a trail bike as part of the HONC event.

I did something similar for another forum, its as complicated as you want to make it.

http://www.groupaccomodation.com has loads of suitable self catering places and camp sites are easy enough to find. A campsite owner may even find a corner for you so you are aware from the others and dont annoy anyone after a few beers.

I made the booking on the gentlemens promise that those who had said “aye” on the forum thread were coming and committed to paying the costs even if they dropped out. No ifs, no buts. Two nights accomodation was £25 so it wasnt like people would lose out if they couldnt make it.

They transferred the cash and I used OS maps, google earth and then mapmyride to create the routes. There are loads of routes already on websites like MMR and the person uploading it is not liable for any accidents or damage!! Circular routes are best with the luxury of cut off points if people are flagging.

End result was 18 people had a great weekend and an annual event was born.

Fundamentally, accomodation will always be an issue as folk will be travelling to the ride so some will want to get there the night before, then you want a few beers that night! So they either take responsibility for that themselves or you give them some suggestions so you are all together post-ride. The internet has made all this sort of thing dead easy.

I appreciate People like organised events because there is a breakdown wagon, a safety net if its cancelled or something similar. We just made sure there were enough in the group with enough gear/spares to cover most eventualities so we had a few pumps and tubes, spare chain etc between the lot of us. Alternatively you just say, be self sufficient etc. If everyone is CTC or BC, then insurance is sorted too.

Most people can find amusing ways to keep themselves occupied after a few beers so I’m sure there will be some impromptu bike-related games in the night etc, as I said everyone likes organised events but people are starting to baulk at paying £30-40 for a sportive on a route that they can ride the week after using a gpx download.

Honestly, its not hard, one person needs to take a modicum of ownership but not to the extent that there is piles of paperwork and liabilities flying around!

Surely these sort of rides have been happening for years, you just need to be ‘in the loop’ as it were. Loads have been put together on STW . Social networking, various ‘groups’ on the likes of Faceb00k, work groups, etc., all arrange get-togethers of various sorts. It’s already happening.

The commercial events (I know they’re not necessarily all profit making endeavours) become focal points in the yearly calendar for a lot of people but take a lot more organising and have a lot of legal niceties to consider.

In both cases all it takes if for someone to undertake to do the organising, however formal/informal 8)

Alternatively everyone could ride on their own at a designated time and place, or not.

That would take some organising qwerty; BUT with each person starting at a totally different spot, all at the same time, and each doing a different route and never actually meeting up at all… 😆