Skelf Bike Park Edinburgh – Pump Track build this week

Anyone else heading along to help out with the tarmacing this week?

Skelf facebook post and signup[/url]

Photos from Claudio Calouri’s instagram[/url]

I’ve borrowed some steel toe caps and will be heading along to inexpertly lend a hand tomorrow.

Quite excited about having this just around the corner form work for lunchtime laps. 😀

I was hoping to but probably too busy but going to try and get along before the end of the day on Thursday.

Spent the morning helping to barrow 16 tonnes of tarmac up to the Velosolutions / Architrail crew who have been expertly sculpting the track.

Think it will probably be finished tomorrow morning/early afternoon.

It is going to be amazing 🙂

looks amazing!

Looks good – I’ll try to get down tomorrow – I forgot today

I’m thinking of going tomorrow, might depend how big the repair bill for my van is.

Decided I like barrowing tarmac more than my actual job, so went back to help again this morning.

Track was complete and landscaping work was about to get underway when I left.

Grand opening event with barbecue and bands is on Friday 31 March[/url], though I must admit it’s the quiet midweek mornings I’m most looking forward to.

Looks awesome.

it’s the quiet midweek mornings I’m most looking forward to.

it’s the only time I’ve ever braved the saughton skate park. Speaking of which hopefully the pump track won’t get the same classy graffiti!

Just been for a look, they were saying the fences might come down tomorrow. Tonight I shall mostly be finishing my new/old jump bike.

That looks awesome, I’d signed up for the original dig but couldn’t make it to these rescheduled ones. I look forward to flaying my skin off on that tarmac

bets on it being overrun with 8 yearolds on scooters within a month!

Cheers guys, it’s been a lot of work (I’m on the steering group), and the volunteers have been amazing.

So looking forward to the opening party. I’m bringing down the uuni pizza oven, my old hot dog cart and possibly a candy floss machine. Plus a massive PA and some guitar and bass stacks as my band is playing its first gig – no pressure then haha!

I bought knee and elbow pads once I saw the pump track

I thought skinny jeans and bawbag keks was the uniform?

I bought a new NS jump bike :p

Can’t. Wait.

What are the rest of the trails loooking like?

Been following and `liking’ this on Facebook from afar in Surrey after all the stick from a few individuals. Looks like its nearly there and wish it great success.

Bit like Berm Baby Berm – smooth, fast, decent height drop. Blue grade.

For now…. next phase is some red/black stuff, but we’re all taking a break for a few months after the opening to catch our breath and see how it develops naturally

Have BMX and skinny jeans ready to roll, but not sure I can carry off either look.

Interesting couple of days… impressed by the awesome Velosolutions crew and – quite frankly – blown away by the tenacity and long term efforts of the Braidwood Bike Park group in making this gallus plan a reality. Chapeau!

yourguitarhero – nice surprise when I put 2+2 together and figured out who you were in the real world this evening 🙂

Yeah, I get around 😉 Just remembered my first trip to Glentress was with yourself!

Looking forward to a summer of backflips*, beer and pizzas sitting against that massive stone wall in the sun

* I can’t backflip. Yet. End of summer?????

I have to say I take my hat off to you guys. Not only have you got this done in the face of nimbies but the timescale in which you have done it is great.

When you think about the other MTB projects that have been put forward in and around Edinburgh in the past to actually get this one done is great.

Nice one chaps! If you see an old duffer in Lycra on your track on a blue raleigh it might well be me. Might try the tandem on it as well – that should be funny!

“applauds”

that looks proper ace!

Mega excited about this, though also a bit apprehensive that i have a 3 year old also mega excited about it and maybe somewhat more than he can handle 😯

What a difference from when we did a dig day back in October. I say dig day, i was picking up needles and human turds.

yourguitarhero- Were you one of the Skelf guys we met when the Skyscanner group came down to dig?

So who went along to the opening? I’ve probably got a photo of you somewhere amongst the 2000 I took there 😆

More photos will be forthcoming, but meantime, anyone else see the community Bobby get air on his police bike?

Skelf-04703 by Kit Carruthers[/url], on Flickr

Ha! Saw that. Also had a good chat with the ace old dude on his speedway bike.

Managed to get some photos of him too 🙂

Did you ride the track? Bike and/or clothing description and I’ll try and find a photo of you.

Nope. I was being an envious spectator, unable to ride due to a broken wrist. Looks flippin ace though.

Ah that sucks. I didn’t ride it either, but one day soon!

I rode on the opening day from 4 onwards, sparkly purple jump bike. Although the chances of getting anywhere past the first straight with all the people, so if you were taking pictures on the far side! It’s great though, amazing facility.

pigyn, this you?

Skelf-05525 by Kit Carruthers[/url], on Flickr

Kit, were you flying a drone too? There were a couple floating around, and I’d like to see some of what was captured.

No, that wasn’t me. There was a tall guy who was there all day, and a wee chap showed up later. Both were doing general video stuff too. I was just taking photies.

All my photos from the day are now online for your perusal!

Full set: Flickr

Wee selection: Facebook

Alright lads. Tall guy with the drone here! Good effort to everyone that went down to help with the construction, you’ve got a right gem of a track now. I filmed most of the day and made a promo vid for the builders:

There’s also a full gimbal lap on my channel if you fancy watching.

I had a shot at the end of the day then face-planted into one of the rollers, that tar sure is solid!

I see from their FB feed they are having issues with nimby a holes, pathetic that people seem to be objecting to the re use of what would seem to have been a bit of a blight before

The remaining NIMBY issue is a real shame. I volunteered for site clearances, which basically involved clearing year’s of overgrown brambles, broken glass, empty beer cans and used needles

Yes we are.
Personally I don’t really see what their end game is. Originally they wanted to stop the park being built, however it’s there now. All they do now is take up our attention and energy which means less time to do productive things like the landscaping and community garden. Bit self-defeating really