almost a fair point, however if your closing on a walker / rider whilst descending the combined speed is much much less than Motorbike….Speed = seconds to decide/avoid.

I’m not too sure about this speed issue, the whole riding within your limits comes into play, one of the complaints about motorbikes is that they are too loud and you can hear them for miles, another complaint is that they surprise people by appearing out of nowhere. They kind of contradict each other, I’ve had more problems with dog walkers or other cyclists walking straight up the tracks chatting away not taking any notice.

As for threats, every summer I get threatened with being stabbed by a group weekly because we break up their game of football that takes up 3 pitches so we can use one. Much to some people’s disappointment, I still have the same number of holes in me that I’m supposed to. I don’t suggest people get themselves into trouble but much of this stuff is just BS and bullying.

Motorbikes are getting cheaper, mountain bikes are getting motors, rights of way are getting closed down, it’s an issue we need to deal with properly because it’s only going to get more crowded and we’ll most likely have to work with them all not against them.

another complaint is that they surprise people by appearing out of nowhere

Due to there speed 😉

This is all beating around the main point though.

Walkers, Horse Riders and Mountain bikers ARE allowed to ride in Wharncliffe.
I spent many many many hours ensuring that MTBing was officially allowed in Wharncliffe.

Motorbikers / Crosser have done f’all to get approval to ride in there….and therefore they are out. full stop.

And… I’d be suprised if ANYONE in this thread actually advocates this in any way shape or form…

http://www.ridesheffield.org.uk/2012/10/motocrossers-in-greno/

Trails built for MTbers, by Volunteers and charitable donations of time and money..ripped up by motorbikes…

I’m not too sure about this speed issue, the whole riding within your limits comes into play, one of the complaints about motorbikes is that they are too loud and you can hear them for miles, another complaint is that they surprise people by appearing out of nowhere. They kind of contradict each other,

Wind a bike upto 60 on a farm track and from amile away they’d be on top of you in a minute.

I’m pro motorbikes, anti yobb’s. And anti off-road motrobikes on ‘rights of way’ (or cheeky). The errosion, noise, potential for injury and resultant confrontation with other user groups is so vastly off the scale compared to other user groups (pedal bikes, walkers, horses) that it really should be contained and upto the landowner whether he wants motorbikes on his land. and if he does then fair enough, build an MX track or enduro course.

Bikes, horses, wakers are all comparable speeds, noise, errosion generators so we can play nicely together.

Good point Simon, current rules say they should not be there so they are in the wrong and should be dealt with appropriately.

I was just trying to suggest that maybe in some instances they should perhaps enjoy similar under the radar access to us.

I’m sure we’ve all seen stuff we shouldn’t ride but have given it a go anyway.

As for walkers being similar to horses, not too sure on that. I wouldn’t like to be hit by a horse or be too close to a nervous one, but wouldn’t want them banned from anywhere.

I would like idiots banned whatever mode of transport they use but you can’t do that

I know podge has agreed with us before and will respond by agreeing with him. Idiots make up a percentage of society. From us being a bit of an idiot because we are having a bad day, to people who are full time! Bikes, horses, cars, dogs, etc can all be piloted by then too. We also have a tendency to remember the bad experiences and forget the good ones. We suffer from this in the eyes of other users too and we must appeciate the irony of MX’rs being on our trails!
Also the more anti social user does not care about legal/illegal trails or about what you think, they do not listen to the advice the NGB of thier sport, so they operate outside of the law

But, they can and will (intentionally or not) rip a trail to shreds, particularly as thee trails get damper (just like MTBers have done to the OX Stones/ Top of burbage etc, but thats for another day)

Its a shame given all the work that has gone into Greno and it is nearly complete that we will spend days repairing the damage, not building new trails. There is also the issue that they tend to go up the trails rather than down, so there is a more of a chance of collision. From what it says on our website, the WT tell us that in both Wharncliffe and Greno there are going to be increase the patrols and that the best thing to do is keep reporting it. The same message has gone out to walker and horse riders etc

Best to get out there, ride the trails and show how visable we are up there. The orienteers might put a few off this weekend too!

Is there any value in trying to make the Greno stuff more resistant?

Accepting the inevitable and minimising the revisits to repair.

Tarmac trails 😉

Maybe not quite that extreme

Down here in Portsmouth one of my airsoft sites is underneath a hill just to the North of the town. It is chalk downland with a very thin/poor top cover of meadow grasses etc & is a SSSI. You do get lads on motorbikes on it but rather than tell them to leave or be confrontational I usually approach them and tell them I’ve just been asked by the Police if I’ve seen anyone riding m’bikes on the hill. They usually thnk me for tipping them off and scarper. gets them off the land they shouldn’t be on, makes them think the Police are aware so helps keep them away & they think I’m on their side.x

Hold on here just because you do a bit of trail work and you managed to kiss enough arse to get access for biking legitimately up there , it was never needed in the first place I have been riding up there since 91-92 and over the years have seen what a mess that place has transitioned to the problem is the place became too popular

Tbh honest I think there are some right bell ends using that wood I kept quiet for a long time on this hoping one day to drop on the kid who hit my daughters pram when he was blasting down the fire road but never have ,in all honesty I think they should restrict the access or shut it to mtbs altogether ,further thoughts in fact I know several users of MX bikes who don’t ride like nobs but do frequent areas where the MTB gnarr do far more damage / risk

SimonM spent the best part of his time for a fair few years trying to get official MTB trails built in Wharncliffe. Even more time and effort, when most people would have given up long ago, trying to negotiate properly with FC Yorkshire and local FC peeps on these proposed trails, doing it all properly and by the book. FC (local or regional) just didn’t appear interested or willing to support. Or rather, FC were keen at first and then goal posts were constantly changed, FC didn’t give the support, volunteers eventually got fed up with being messed around.

What SimonM does with his time is up to him but for years and years there was no problem with horses walkers or mtbs in wharncliffe or high green till people became problematic with their differing use of the place

Hold on here just because you do a bit of trail work and you managed to kiss enough arse to get access for biking legitimately up there , it was never needed in the first place I have been riding up there since 91-92

hehe, thanks, ignorance is bliss. I’d dig out the emails from the FE where they were days away from bulldozing the hill repeatedly..But I really can’t be bothered.

thanks for your thanks ! that attitude is pretty much why I gave up and wharncliffe is what it is today.
You wouldnt have stopped the explosion in mountain biking since 1991/92, and wharncliffe today is a result of that..not because of what anyone did at that time.

how the hell did we get on to this though, we stopped working there 4 years ago !

BTW Mike, the FE approached the MTB riders of Sheffield to be representedd in Wharncliffe. We didnt approach them, I happend to be part of the group who stood up and wanted to help represent, like Ride Sheffield, this is Sheffield and Steve did (who helped on the dig days BTW).

Simon I don’t have anything to thank anyone for in wharncliffe if you think your efforts have made a difference kudos to you ,it’s not a personal attack on you wharncliffe or the FC placation i bet those emails are interesting my opinion is it’s changed for the worse its my choice not to ride their anymore , doesn’t effect me

we were told we couldn’t ride their a long time ago (wharncliffe) if we did we did it illegally ,that changed and it seems because of this change some group feels they have the right to look down upon another group of users and is now on the defensive regards mx riders in the wood , sounds a bit red sock brigade IMHE the MX guys I meet are fair enuff guys the ones I meet up langsett even know they sure as hell shouldn’t be there but they don’t cause any bother in fact even when it’s lamb time they stick to the rules way more than certain other groups that frequent yes ignorance is bliss
Think there are folks who also work to keep cut gate and langsett open to biking too

As far as I’m concerned I will ride where I like and if someone else thinks the same then fair enough all this cheeky trail riding shit is also bollocks, if your going to ride somewhere your not supposed to and get caught MTFU and hold your head up I don’t need anyone working for years on my behalf to gain access to somewhere if I need anything it will be a defence solicitor if I get prosecuted

While I very much agree with Mike’s sentiment of a more live and let live attitude, I do think Simon & co did a bloody good job that unfortunately never had it’s potential realised.

Yes wharncliffe probably is too popular for its own good but that’s not really anyone’s fault

thepodge – Member

It’s not a cosy little habitat for cyclists, bloody dog walkers have done more to wreck the place than motorbikes and the forestser is just as bad

Erm, what? Dog walkers have done more damage than motorbikes? What a ridiculous thing to say. Can’t comment on the “forestser” as I’ve no idea what one of those is.

Not quite sure what your point is Mike, but you say it wasn’t a personal attack just after saying I was an ass kisser some how got my back up!

Not to mention demeaning all the time and effort put in by many volunteers up there….. Your words should be chosen more carefully as those were personal attacks.

User removed, the locals basically forced the demise of wharncliffe turning into anything official through complaints that it was their forest, they had been going there for years and didn’t like all these yobbo mountain bikers flying around and wrecking their paths.

The forester (he’s like a forestser but with better spelling) is well known for not liking cyclists

Damage isn’t just physical

Thanks podge, I think your right, there were many other reasons wharncliffe got busy, the inclusion in guide books, the massive amount xplosion in mountain biking, a certain Steve peat living/riding there may have had something to do with it rather than the “bit” of work we did nfour years ago, in fact given nothing official has happened for four years and yet wharncliffe continues to get busier proves that point.

I guess Mike is upset as his local spot got popular, but I really can’t see how we’re to blame for that.
Remember what happened at the time, horse riders At wharncliffe got organised and approached the forestry to stop there blasting out on to plank gate, a group stepped forward to liaise. Team forestry wanted to put a lot of constraints in place so that group asked for items in return such as agreeing to legitimately allowing mtb riding here. It’s as simple as that.

Mike, call me old fashioned but I believe hard work SHOULD be rewarded, mtbers put the hard work in so should be rewarded, crosses didn’t and therefore shouldn’t get the reward. Mike, those that know me will know kudos and ego are not me at all.

Simon take it how you want It’s no skin off my nose and I certainly don’t really give a shit if your back is up or not your going to have to deal with that or get a group hug from your building or riding buddies who I’m sure will be happy to jump to your defenc

defend what you did or tried to achieve in wharncliffe ,its your perogotive as far as im concerned (and this is only my opinion)popularising it through magazine articles and this where steve rides articles in the comics was the start
as such trailbuilding played a part in advertising wharncliffe to the masses (were you and the building groups expecting thanks for building trails or outsiders not from the area to give you a pat on the back? )Now yet another group is using it regardless of if its legality there’s a thread on a forum complaining about how much work got put in and how another group is using it folks were using the woods a long time before it became known or folk had an actual friend at the FC who said you can build there

As for me thinking your an ass kisser I know how you have to jump through hoops to get anywhere but an alternative might be to say F you we don’t need your approval I would certainly have got behind a group with backbone but not one that basically is at the mercy of the FC saying that’s it now we don’t want mtbs in there

I have no need or association with any group that represents the riders of sheffield as I don’t need to be in the in crowd and certainly as said previously don’t need their representation as I find it pretty **** insulting that any group is going to tell me which trail I will be riding …. They wont

I don’t have an axe to grind I gave up on wharncliffe 6-7 years ago its not my local spot but as mentioned previously MTB riders also use the area in a dangerous way it seems MTB riders are often the first to jump to their defence and can do no wrong

As an aside Simon like I said I now live up langsett an area equally as popular with the MTB crowd it suffers the same moto x use and quads , the difference here however is we didn’t have to agree to a load of points set out in an email to ride trails that already exist

I know where your coming from Mike, were from the same generation where we don’t like adhering to all the bloody rules of today. Most of my riding is “cheeky”, its more fun, and I’m not a great fan of trail centers (not what we ever wanted for wharncliffe).

To be honest, jumping through the hoops with the FE got us no where in the end, and why I gave up knowing full well as soon as there was no legit representation up there building would go wild and it has done.

Anyway, not sure what were even arguing about anymore, and there is riding to be done. Happy riding Mike.

Ok chap have a good day wherever you end up

Mike

Anyone riding wharney today?? I have some new lines to show!! 😆

What i have noticed over the past year or so is the lack of young uns riding the downhills like they used to,or even the lack of riders downhilling in the right spots at all now.

used to be right popular for em,now it seems it aint,now its either the X-Box has taken over or the Greno Steel City is the place for em now.. 😯

A bunch of them have recently trashed our local DH spot. I asked them nicely to not come back as the land is private and we have permission to ride and build on the basis that there are no motorbikes. They seemed okay and some left but others were more persistent. The last time this happened the police nabbed them in the car park and they were never heard of again. This may be the case again if they keep coming back…

The irony (?) was that they were slow and couldn’t ride any of the proper jumps.

There was a few motorbikes in Wharncliffe again last night, two maybe three but its hard to tell at night,

They were on the trails going the wrong way by the looks of things, when they got close to the group i was out with they just left the area

I can’t believe what I am reading.

chav scum ride use MXers to ride dangerously, illegally and ruin tracks that people have spent a long time building, and they get defended, on here, really? am I on the wrong forum?

by the way call the police, MXers are banned from wharnecliffe and the police do come out to try and catch them (on MX bikes ironically but there you go)

Well said nosedive, absolutely appalling it is (both riding mx bikes in there in the first place and anyone that tries to defend it).

i was told yesterday that they have carved a 1.5ft-2ft rut up one of the unofficial downhill tracks.
yes i know unofficial but still

Not familiar with the route/area and I haven’t read the entire thread.

From the OP it appears that these are not trailriders. Trailriders don’t stick to one area, they use legal routes to journey through the countryside.

If the bikes have plates then getting numbers can be difficult. Plates get covered with mud. This happens to all bikes legal or not.

MX bikes have very limited range and illegal bikers tend to avoid tarmac roads where they can be more readily apprehended. This means they van their bikes in. Get the reg numbers of the vans and report them to police.

Please don’t confuse these illegal riders with trailbikers. Trailbikers are keen to rid the countryside of illegal riders as we’re unjustly blamed for their actions.

Good luck!

Have all the non way marked tracks that have been created in the area by cyclists got the approval of the land owner (Forestry Commission ?) as there seem to be an awful lot? and has this always been the case?

What’s wrong with giving motorbikes some use of he woods. I’d think the offroad motorbikers are a lot more local to the area than most of the cyclists who come from elsewhere and park off woodhead road, etc and think they should have exclusive access to the facilities?

The FC do give motorbikes use of FC land in some circumstances.

This is usually by allowing organised competitions of practice days for competitions to be held on FC land.

The FC also allows motorbike trailriding via a permit system in some areas of South Wales.