being forced to push out something my granny would ( at a push – she had good taste) like.

That has just caused one of the vilest images to spring up in my mind.

Cheeky Monkey
Hope you don't mind, I put your name forward to Martin Colledge as a point of contact for help and advice on building a pump track at Gisburn.

Feel free, happy to help. We're on our second now (not including the laying out we did for the STW one).

chairman@singletraction.org.uk

Always worth getting the "bible":

http://www.leelikesbikes.com/ebook-welcome-to-pump-track-nation

Tells you a lot of what you need to know. McCormack's book deals more with building them of dirt which is fine if you live somewhere with low rainfall / less mud / less bikers with knobbly tyres ;-) Over here I think you need to go a bit more "hardcore" with your construction otherwise it can wear down too fast.

Stainburn for something a bit different and to hone some technical skills / get p1shed off with the "unrideability" of it all*

*insert whichever fits your experience ;-)

I got a few pairs of the On One ones that they were selling a while (years?) ago. Comfy, cosy and about as durable as a few sheets of Lidl bog roll ;-)

Alpkit do some good fairly cheap socks in various flavours to suit your podiatary needs.

Bontrager Big Earl lock ons (IIRC the name).

LOL, I wasn't being serious. However, a trail through a badger sett should definitely be one of those "no go" areas ;-)

Having spent an awful lot of time and effort building Stainburn and being very familiar with the "developing" nature of trials (and the fact you can't please all the people, all the time) I won't comment much on individual bits of the trail. Sunday was my first visit and I was unfit plus the weather was cold and soggy, not exactly "showcase" conditions ;-)

However, what seem like siginificant sections have taken a huge battering and are rapidly deteriorating into quagmires. I can't really point to them as I don't know the trail but e.g. bits leading to the crag / slab etc.

Other sections were lovely.

I think the place will suffer badly from its popularity (what an oxymoron) without a significant second injection of cash / load of volunteer time etc. Having seen the quarry I think they've got a fair bit of material ;-)

Design and construction is always a learning experience and I'm sure the guys involved are taking that in all the time. Good luck to them and congratulations on the successes so far 8-)

Lets hope you don't follow them all the way back to the sett and do anything illegal then ;-)

Build a bit broader than you might imagine, trails naturally get narrower (usually) over time, and whilst a bike can ride something 6" wide when you start adding speed and bends it's nice (and more durable) to have some trail width to use (different people take different lines for the same bends etc).

Don't go too tight unless the trail is definitely going to be slow speed.

Berms are fine but there's an art and skill to riding corners well, try and keep some of them small and get plenty of flat ones in there.

Flagging tape and canes can really help when you're planning a line. It's fairly cheap. Pick it up when you're done though.

It's really easy to carry speed on even a gentle slope so long as riders get off the brakes. Braking and water are the two things that really erode a trail. Go shallow and avoid fall lines. Grade reversal is good.

Trail planning is usually a combo of squinting and thinking the trail could "kinda go there" (overall topography, maximising space and avoiding any no-go bits) then look for the features along the "kinda go there" line and do a bit of dot-to-dot to refine the line. All the while during both stages bearing in mind how much time, effort and materials it will take to build where you're thinking.

Oh, and TBH there's still a far bit of guess work / trial and error ;-)

Work with the land rather than against it (how very zen ;-). Digging big drainage channels, berms and ramps can take a disproportionate amount of time and effort. Better to work with what you've got sympathetically. E.g. if the land already has boggy spots don't try and solve them, just avoid.

IMBA guidance is great but don't forget it's generic, don't be afraid to deviate a bit but admit when it goes wrong and learn from experience. Lee McCormacks book "Pump Track Nation" has some useful info on berms, rollers, spacing etc.

double glazed windows and double glazed frecnh doors

IME (burgled the house at 3 am with us all in) french doors are sh1te. Make sure you have very beefy handles and "snap safe" euro locks at least. Cast handles and standard locks were worse than useless when the scrotes broke in using only a screwdriver and mole grips. Insanely easy. Dog was toss all use as well, just didn't like the draft and came upstairs to sleep on the landing.

IME UPVC double glazing can be pretty poor as well. Next doors side window was jemmied open at the same time. Better steel mesh / grill fixed into the wall on the inside. Old sheet over the window so they can't see in.

Screws are crap fixings in comparison to coach bolts but it all depends on how you can fix things, the surrouding structure etc.

Just invested in one of the 11mm Pragmasis chains plus a closed shackle lock. Just shy of £140 for 5m (boggelingly expensive but still cheaper than the cheapest frame). There's two timber beams stopping the up and over door opening and all the bikes hanging from hooks off them. Seven of them chained together with 5m of hardened steel is about as far as I am prepared to go.

Security is only any good if you use it. If it's too time-consuming or awkward then you're less likely to bother with it. Plus, whilst I don't want to gift it to the thieving sh1ts I don't want to live in Fort Knox and have it dictate my life.

Saying that there are now 3 mortice locks on the garage side door and I intend to metal plate / grill / mesh the inside of it so they can't just kick it through. That and said chain should be enough I hope. No ground anchor but with the chain through both frame triangles I doubt they'll bother cutting the frames to free them. All of the bikes chained together should be an absolute 'mare to get them out through the door.

Being a gun dog they would be faced with all sorts of terrain and water/swimming should come natural

Sadly not IME.

Black lab/retriever cross – can't swim for toffee. On the occasions he's ended up in water too deep to paddle in (feet on the bottom) he has done a remarkable impression of Jesus, or possibly one of those lizards where speed and weight don't quite overcome the water's surface tension.

Anything wrong with using two spacers on the BB on the driveside btw?

I did on mine and it seemed to work OK.

Bike upside down, measure from centre of BB shell to centre of middle ring = chainline dimension (stands to be corrected, look on Sheldon's site for far better info than my paraphrasing).

IME, 50mm chainline with a Summer Season 456 and a 36T middle ring was too tight. Well, it wasn't but when the chain did come off / shucked the resulting wedge was a f&*king nightmare. Happened a few times. The wedging problem was mostly due (IMO) to the fag paper clearance between middle ring and chainstay.

And before anyone shouts, yes, I know chainschuck isn't a direct result of frame design etc etc etc.

Brant did recommend a bodge of crimping / crushing the chainstay to increase clearance. Know someone that did it on a regular 456 and thinks it was worth it.

LBS, 2 m of whatever they have on a reel (or 3 m ish if F and R mechs). Any old inner. Whack it on, get on with riding. You seem to be thinking about it too much ;-)

A noticeable difference in resistance between continuous and interupted outers? Pfffft, not IME. Or maybe I just have manly thumbs ;-)

With respect, this:

I think on FC land you have the permissive right to ride on any of the made up roads, e.g. fireroads but you do not have the inherent right to ride where you like on FC land.

Is fundmentally at odds with the statement made to me by a senior environmental/recreational bod from FE. I admit I could well have it a bit arse about face and would be happy to be corrected / pointed to something definitive. Which raises the age old point, how come none of us (unless Colin P is around ;-) really know what we're "entitled" to on FE managed land?

As for log man I think a number of people have given good advice in how to deal with him. However, in one instance of threats to MTBing etc in a Yorkshire Wood FE asked the legitimate volunteer trail builders to stop work rather than (IMO) what they should have done and taken the NIMBY to one side and explained pointedly just how out of order he was.

fc land is owned by the people therefore its yours to be in

That's is utter gibberish.

I accept it's not practically possible but sometimes I think our land managers should bear the possiblities and opportunites for the wider recreational and social uses of the public forest estatemore more in mind (than I think they do). Whilst I don't exactly agree with the wording I agree with the (perceived) sentiment. Disclaimer – land in private ownership but managed by FE is quite probably different.

My understanding is that on FC/E managed land of the public forest estate you have a free right of access so long as you don't build trails. I could be wrong, it might matter if it's part of the public estate or not.

Whatever, riding around is a civil issue for damages, being a cock with logs with the intent to cause harm is most likely to be some form of criminal offence (or have I read the OP wrong?).

I have absolutely no need to replace the lovely purple number I picked up for a ridiculously good price a little while ago but I do so like that green number Ash has posted :-)

I like mine. The fit is a bit quirky (have to hoik the rear strap down at the back) but it's stable and comfy, only notice when first putting on.

Very light and cool (as in cold). Think mine is the UL and haven't had any real concerns about it's durability so far.

Went from a large Bell Variant (where I found the medium way too small). Sadly the Bell was just that bit too loose in Large and the retention system wouldn't go any smaller. Found it slipping down at the front, especially with a headtorch lashed on.

Check CRC as I got mine through them cheap-ish. Oh, and they are still a bit quirky / odd in the looks department but better than old Met styles (IMO).

TBH helmets are incredibly personal choices and the only thing that might really be convincing is I'd buy another.

I've got similar concerns to Cookeaa – the classic risk where the Forestry Commission get in a "civil engineer" who thinks in classic CE fashion, and draws from a toolbox of CE "solutions" that miss the whole point about sustainable trail-building – so we'll see things built in the same way as a forest road, with drainage ditches being dug everywhere and lots of hardcore being laid in to make a hardwearing surface with minimal maintenance, but which makes a dull, dull trail thats unsustainable

Whilst it is most unlike me to stick up for FE I would have to point out the FE Civil Engineer behind / part of the team responsible for the trails at Dalby with SingletrAction was Martin O'Vaster. And given the vast majority of these trails are built using soil inversion techniques (fancy name for digging up the local sand ;-)) then I would suggest your fears are less likely to be realised.

Admittedly Martin does not always get things right e.g. the stainburn car park with a continuous bund around the the lowest sides = swimming pool :rollseyes: Final payment to contractors without snagging inspections and some peculiar line / feature choices ;-)

I understand though that he's just about the only Engineer working on trails through most of England. I think FE have been pretty short staffed in that department.

However, reading the blurb I think the Engineering element is secondary. Like someone else said, it's more about project management, volunteer liaison etc. Fingers crossed they get someone decent with a passion and insight into biking and trails, not some one size fits nothing very well ranger :-(

…. and breathe … ;-)

I couldn't stomache the pay cut and it'd mean moving from God's-own-country to some hippy backwater ;-)

Good luck to whoever gets it though, sounds like it could be fun.

Yes, I've got a howies snowboarding jacket.

AFAIK it's a very densely woven cotten which stops a lot of wind. When it gets wet the fibres swell (absorbing water) and it sheds much more water and becomes even more waterproof.

IME (snowboarding) it makes the jacket stiff and wet which was less comfortable (not a major thing) but was also cold (I'm not one for being bothered by the cold usually). This is a major flaw as far as I'm concerned. Sitting on a windy lift in a wet jacket getting colder and colder is no fun. I'll be replacing it before I go again.

I suspect it'd be a similar to riding a bike in the rain i.e. lots of airflow creating a windchill effect with the wet fabric. It also holds water for quite a while which also makes it heavier. I suspect it's also going to be heavier and bulkier than equivalent synthetic fabrics commonly used for riding jackets. Whether and how much that might be a pain is up to you, personally I wouldn't.

So in summary, wouldn't bother. Using ventile for a biking jacket seems like a crap idea, IMO. If you were only ever going to use it as a windproof then maybe, just. But given we live in the UK a solely windproof jacket is getting close to the mythical chocolate fireguard.

I still wear my boarding jacket as I like it. But as a piece of kit to be worn in the hills it's pretty crap. In hindsight my curiousity about ventile landed me woth something that seems to be fashion over function (oh aye, I know it's Howies ;-) at least it wasn't full price!

Chimptastic – I asked the same thing on a fram trip in the Borders (I was there with the kids, honest ;-) Got a similar answer that Merino weren't suitable to the UK though can't remember why. It might have been something to do with the very low value of wool (even if it is Merino) but can't really remember.

Lovely helpful lass at the farm tho' – Cream o'Galloway (around Dumfies-ish), well worth a visit with the kids ;-)

I wouldn't poke a video in his face but the RoW officer or the (good suggestion) "nod to the plod" sound positive ways to deal with it, rather than getting all hoity-toity.

ride somewhere else?

its not worth the agro surely?

Hardly shows any backbone or blighty spirit old chap ;-)

ROW officer in the local authority for the location of the bridleway.

Coppers I imagine ultimately if you think it's worth it and feel it's worth the hassle / waste of their time etc. Personally I wouldn't bother with the plod but hey ho …

but I find the posting of threads like this offensive and the "hang em high" lynch mob mentality more than a little distasteful as well.

Sanctimonious claptrap.

Sod being all nice about this.

TJ you are a total and utter cock IMO.

I spent most of my summer building (or organising, arguing, rallying, spending on, planning) this place:

And TBH that took the vast majority of my riding time, which makes me wonder whether I've got things quite right.

Very nearly finished, thank Christ ;-)

…. and a link is 3 rivets worth (and don't forget to allow for a powerlink if you're using one i.e. half a link).

I like mine.

On the Holeshot for pump track stuff in 2.35 and on the back of the kobe in 2.1 for schpeed.

I can imagien they are too closely packed for mud and typical UK XC hacking but haven't done it so can't say.

If anyone hates them and wants rid I will happily take them off your hands 8-)

Wouldn't bother with a course either. Each to their own but it's only a bike. Get a copy of Zinn or use all the on line resources and just work your way through it.

Generally what I did and I've been building my own bikes and maintaining for years without any horrendous mishaps or life endangering tragedies. Save the cash to buy tools and off set the odd cock up (that I suspect you'd encounter whether you went on a course or not).

Flailing machines, tree handlers, log haulers etc all present a significant risk. Coupled with the environment they're working in it can be even more hazardous. I doubt anyone other than a potential Darwin Award contender would fail to realise this.

However, with reference to what I think was the OP's question, FE/C can be quick (or woefully late!) to put up signs and even more tardy when it comes to taking them down. Deliberate? Who am I to know but it has / can certainly be due to a lack of planning and co-ordination (or to anyone in a semi-professional position just bloody incompetent ;-) )

And the operator had just turned it off moments ago:

As if ;-)

Very terminator-esque:

A Forester once told me the cabs on machines need to be effectively bullet proof in case bits of the chains let go. Doesn't bear thinking about :bleurgh:

Rode a SS and an Alpine.

*I* preferred the Alpine, significantly so. However, there's a significant price difference between the two. I sold the SS to a mate who loves it and several other guys have them and regular 456s. All think they're great. If money / budget is the deciding factor it would seem a no brainer – SS.

When the Evil Sov's first came into the country (ish) I test rode one (same one as STW tested). It was lovely but in the build / components etc it seemed a bit portly. The Alpine has come closest to the Sov, IMO. Oh, and the price of the Sov' was just insane.

I'm surprised at how well the Alpine rides in general, everyday sort of rides. In this respect I think it's a suprisingly good all rounder. I used to ride a 17 (17.5") MkI PA and I think the Alpine is quite different (to those also recommending it as a hardcore HT). Although fair play the Alpine is a 15.5/22 so quite different in sizing. I think the breakage rate on both is tiny to almost nothing so they're both plenty strong (Mike's site used to have some stuff about his 4X riders using small PAs for racing).

Currently though everything else is sitting unused and unloved in favour of the recently rebuilt mighty Kobe 8-)

It's likley to be illegal, if you're bothered tell the rozzers not us.

That shimano yumeya stuff. In my personal frame of reference it's just the ultimately in tosser-y.

Hey ho, it ain't my cash ;-)

:lol: @ Thora

Build a pump track (or two, or sections that are purely pump-track-esque).

Cheap, inclusive, low risk, fun for all ages, skill improving and fitness challenging.

Oh, and they're the key to world peace ;-)

2p

LOL

Always good to see a patronizing response in place of anything vaguely rationale.

Good way of doing logs/long skinnies from Stainburn:

Lots of details here:

http://www.singletraction.org.uk/news2/fullnews.php?id=52

One day we really musts all get together.

Tim, SingletrAction 8-)

But comedy and offensive-ness are subjective and intimately related to context.

And this is an internet forum. Just not worth getting worked up over (although there seems to be a nunber of folks who like to).

Hey ho 8-)

Some dead celebs deserve it,

Oh FFS, how would you know?