If it was already charging before the LRA, it could continue to charge.

It would be a problem to charge for ‘access’ after the LRA, however it could be possible to charge for a ‘facility’.

The difference between a stalkers path which people can ride on but it isn’t it’s only function, compared to a skills park which is specifically and solely built and maintained for riding.

I actually don’t think that paying for the use of trail centres will put off newbies. They’re generally coming from a mindset where you pay for stuff you use.

It’s the folks who have an expectation that someone else will provide, at significant capital cost and then maintain at significant revenue cost a brilliant facility for everyone to use for free that are the problem.

I just don’t think that the current model is terribly sustainable.

As for thegman67 – sorry mate your a nob; and a selfish nob at that! You obviuosly like the trail, so just have a wee think about who does all the work to put it there; and who keeps it rideable all year round before you tell ‘them’ to piss off. Mate I hope you never get anything but puntures and bent mechs when you ride at Drum without paying. Seriously it’s £20 for a season ticket you tightwad..

DT swiss with the fork top lever is good, I don’t use the bar mounted lever. It locks where it is too so you can lock short or tall..

The twin shot system works very very well for climbing too.

Drumlanrig has always been an individual charge for use of the facilities. If you park outside all you are doing is jeopardising the development of the trail network.

Drumlanrig is as far as I know the only trail centre in the UK which is completely stand alone and sustainable, having not benefitted from massive public funding or grants funded from the tax paying public.

None of the trails would exist without the charge at the gate so if you want to ride there pay up or go somewhere else please.

Those that park at the bridge are always noted and when the ranger service that I work with in partnership on the trails try to justify new trails to the powers that be, it’s the free loading cheapskates that get brought up time and time again.

Seriously if you don’t want to pay a fiver for a whole days riding on great natural feeling (but totally manmade) trail: then either buy a season ticket, join the Drumlanrig/Rik’s Bike Shed club and do some trail maintenance days or p1ss off somewhere else where you’re not spoiling all my hard work thank you very much.

Are you building the trails yourself ?

What are the underlying ground conditions?

Bump

Are any of the spokes actually broken?

Take the wheel to a proper bikes FF$!

looks like a handsome dog or one of the many unbranded but identical frames you can pick up for £50. Great bikes for the buck but it’s no M5, that’s for sure..

Trigony House Hotel
Thornhill

or the Blackaddie House Hotel
Sanquhar

you can ride into Drumlanrig, Ae is about 10 miles Mabie about 20….

Or I can do a guided ride up on the Lowthers…

Just been out with Andy Mac taking pictures for What Mountain Bike’s local trails feature. I took my Ginger (geared) Swift for the monster climb up Green Lowther and my mate Gordon took his SS Swift on a just as monstrous ride on Scawd Law and others….

So Sam; you might owe me a pint or two for all the ‘non-niche’ mag pages covered with Singular bikes…

Selle Italia Flite Ti, the best bit of kit ever. The one that came on my Orange Evo II (along with a set of Girvin forks) has only just died (heavy landing as foot unclipped in mid air, leading to a very near miss incident with much bruising to the inner thigh, and snapped saddle – DOH!).

No other saddle comes close altho’ I am trying a Silverado it seems a bit ‘flat and wide at the back’.

Has anybody ever had a saddle re – covered with fresh leather?

I do have another old flite but it’s lost the leather at the front.

It’ll be an awesome jumping night…

Saw the Skatalites a few years ago in Inverness and it was one of the best nights music ever, quality showmanship and playing.

Wish I was closer..

Also camping at Glen Midge.

penpont campsite is ace and you can ride to Drumlanrig.

where did you get the Klipsch’s at that price? Care to post a link?

Any one got any experience of over ear cans to be used with an iphone, preferably noise cancelling as I’m sat on a mini digger and I don’t want to deafen my self competing tunes with engine noise..

Ta Rik

2 – 4 – 6 – 8 motorway by The Tom Robisnon band has to be on any road trip play list.

I remember driving down to Cham many years ago …..blah…..blah…… drifts off into a misty past…..blah

Also Bucket Seat by Cake is good for driving..

There’s a local business network website here

http://www.7stanes.com/
and
http://eat-sleep-ride.com/

which has contact numbers for all the local businesses that are biker friendly

Don’t forget Drumlanrig as a great family day with a mix of country hoose and awesome trails

Rik

Wooden floors, rugs, carpet, hairy dug – don’t regret paying up for the Meile.

kids asking?

All these guys are racing most weekends (you have no idea how competitive they are).

SPDs do far more than ‘the extra 10%’ of which you speak. There’s a huge improvement in control when rattling over harsh and bumpy trails and on steep, slippery climbs. Have you ridden up here?

Significantly more than 5% riding in SPDs round here. Not sure why you’d be more likely to have an accident riding in SPDs, I don’t.

I ride with the tension wound a fair way out so very easy to get in and out of my pedals.

Frontline last about a month for ticks and has fewer side affects for the dog according to my vet.

Just about to give Ifor his second wee vial this year as pulled two off him just now with the o-tom tick twisler ( which is so good I’m gonna get some to sell in the shop)

LOL at the ,performance’ product comment!!

Now I understand why parents make their kids ride 42lb, heavy steel full suspension pogo sticks with bendy plastic brakes.

It’s all cos we can’t give the kids anything to improve ‘performance’.

Fair comment about flats etc; most of these wee guys are riding with significantly better technique than the average visitor to Drum by the way.

Out of interest what age would the ST massive be comfortable with kids using SPDs. My eldest is 12 I’d have no problem with her using them so long as she could demonstrate she could click out easily.

Yup +1 for the flows

He’s surely not suggesting that our esteemed PM is a bit of a c ck. I can’t believe it.

I’ve been a fan for years. Nothing subtle about The If chronicles. excellent !

bring them up to Drumlanrig, the trails are a stacked loop system which means you can do the blue and pick and choose bits of red.

I usually recomend that for a first lap, use the blue to get up to the top, then do the ‘Whirley Birley’ and Farthingbank Loch loops, you can then choose whether to stick on the blue or opt in to more red as you descend to the River Nith. If they find that easy then head back out and do the the first half of the red (more rooty and technical) followed by the the half way bail out to bring you back to the castle on our XC race route finish.

Pop into the shop for a map and a blether and all will become clear.

The Castle has a whole lot more to offer a family visit than your average midgy ridden FE car park, with an adventure playground, vistor centre, bike museum, nature walks and a big old stately hoose to wander round if it takes yer fancy…

I like mine lots!

Balblair and Carbisdale Castle trails have a wee ‘one or two trains a day’ station nestled in between them. An awesome nights accomadation at the finest youth hostel ever at Carbisdale; and there’s a footbridge under the railway bridge that’ll take you to the Balblair side of the firth and Invershin Inn for B&B.

The original design for the trails was to start and finish at the pub/bridge so that both sides could be used as a figure of 8 instead of two seperate trails. This is also why there is so much fire road from the Bonar bridge end of the Balblair trails, ah well, cheers FE.

As far as I can see Upgrade are the importers for x Fusion now.

bump

I have a 2.2 UST on the back and a on old 2.3 speed king on the front, i ride what most people on here seem to think is the slippiest place on earth (damp rooty Drumlanrig) and they don’t seem to slow me down any.

They roll fast and are predictable, I can’t fault them myself.

ha hum…..
Not sure if Northwind’s been to the same Drumlanrig I ride on a weekly basis, but I’m quite often ‘in the air’ at Drumlanrig.

Just cos it’s not laid on and obvious doesn’t mean that there are no jumps.

Mind you if you’re gonna ride the lines almost every one else does (and I don’t mean making up short cuts or straight lining sections – which makes my blood boil!!!!!!) then you’re missing out on most of it.. The commonly ridden, lower line of the trail (around th root plates etc) misses out on most of the entertainment. I guess most folks just don’t look far enough ahead… Their loss!’

If anyone would like a guided session on how to ride the place like a local, I’m sure I could organise something…

I enjoyed the show! I talked to loads of folks who had never heard of or never thought of riding their bikes at Drumlanrig, (and we’ve had a load of them coming down and using the 2 for 1 vouchers at the gate and in the coffee shop). And, caught up with a load of peeps I’ve not seen for a while; and met plenty of like minded people too.

It was a big old learning experience for us and I think for the organisers. There are only so many ‘industry’ types active in Scotland and ost of them were up at Lagan so I think expectations were set way too high.

I know that the retailers who were there did really well and that the big brands interest will be piqued for next year given the attendance and the feedback from the more ordinary folks (not the S/T prima dona’s) coming thru the door.

If you visited the Drumlanrig stand you could have walked off with vouchers that would save you plenty on entrance to the estate and 2 for 1 deals in the snack bar.

Can you take someone along?

A relative, friend or just someone level headed you know who can just sit on your side of the table. If it all gets a bit quick and confusing that someone could be a useful calming influence.

Good luck!

knee pain may not be bike fit but could be worth getting a sport physio to look at whether you need inserts in your shoes.

no
over

Raliegh 20

You might not need the rim strip, try just the yellow tape. It’s working for me.

140 will handle horribley,you’ll be wrestling to keep it straight

I like my Middleburn Rs7s, still on a square taper and loverly

Avira free seems to work quietly/quickly in the background.

My daughters Norton trail ran out so on went the free Avira and found a whole pile of malware and trojans that were lurking.

that looks just like my 12 year old USE ti post, which is still good after much abuse