tom what is the material you use for the surfacing?

I agree, the OP ws stating a fact rather than bitching at/about anyone. he’s right too when it comes to the waymarked trail.
Mind you, people mention avoiding the Red Route or that they’ve just had a 5 hr ride in other dryer bits of the park. Which bits are they then? My understanding was that there weren’t that many trails we were allowed on & I’ve avoided exploring for fear of jeopardising the sanctioned stuff. If people who are hevily involved in the trailbuilding are riding off piste regularly does that meaan I can too?….

Sorry mate I missed you post first time round, Smiff’s 5h ride included His ride to and from petersfield and about 2 to 3 hours with us in and out of the park.

It was at night and only we were the only user in the park. probably spent most of the in the park climbing up fireroad and then bits of the red and purple and a couple of other new bits that aren’t open to the public yet. I don’t like spending so much time climbing up fire road but it’s not muddy and not many users.

The rest of the time was spent outside of the park on other trails. Hope this answers you question. Sorry if the answer all over the place 😕

I would be interested to know what those of you who put all this great work into these trails think of them being used when the conditions are like they are presently. Are you happy for them to get “trashed” in the winter or would you rather people stayed away? Do you see the damage caused by riding in the gloop as sustainable – i.e. have you noticed if it “fixes itself” once dry or does it just continue to erode without intervention?

Red Trail

That trails at qe need to be ridden, the muddier trail
are the newer ones or flat ones, The ones that are best are the chalky ones. so the process we have been using is. It gets muddy, scrap of the mad and this is done eventually we get down to the hard chalk base (Like final descent) This is not a fast prosses but we can have trail with natural feel that don’t get “too” muddy. The worst bits we will take the mud out and fill with chalk or rock (we have a stash of limestone donate form someone’s rockery). This is the general plan for the red trail, I’m sure there will be areas we will use a bit of imported scalping(bits we can’t fix will local or donated materials)

Blue Trail

We are going throw the planning stages with FC, HCC, CTC and collective about scraping the purple family trail and putting in a blue grade trail. this will be 80% imported scalping, all year around trail. BUT and its a big but it is only at the planning stage and will require lots of money/investment. Watch this space. It properly would not be started till next winter. lead on t the next bit.

so till next winter we will be working on the red and setting up for our two races in June and July.

“summer”.

😯 what is this you speak of? 😕

Looks Great 😀

@Scottifitz

In all honestly mate my reply was not aimed at you. Your reply was constructive and well worded. It was with the earlier ones that I highlighted and felt brought nothing to the discussion other that antagonising comments that were placed even after the Op complimented the teams work.

I did also used to live nr Qe2 Park and used to ride there often so while I am not emotionally attached I still know the area you guys are referring to.

All the best,

Lee.

Yep that’s why i thought i would post to defuse it a bit.

When i was reading it from the top i though it was all a bit silly when at the end of the day we all want the same thing, better trails and more of them.

I still can’t believe what start as a bit of tidy up the trails at the park has lead to where we are at today and how bright to future look if we all stick together.

And as a bonus meeting some great guys(and a couple of gals) along the way. Smiff Being one 😉

Do a couple of laps, its great fun, the builder have done a great job.

Give the bloke a break.

enerallevi that’s what I was trying to do with my post. Constructive comments are great the keep us all pointed in the right direction.

Benmotogp46 OP just shows he is interested in the future of the trails in the park, and surfacing is a big part of that. It will all take time and if anyone wants to chat about poss plans and project, I’m more than happy to go out for a ride and have a chat or I will be at the QEcycleFEST at the QECP Trail collective stand, happy to chat and try and answer any questions.

just got back from 5 hour ride there with superfli and a few others, it’s great if you go with right people and right attitude.. snow, rain, low cloud, worst conditions ever there. but yeah i understand, would usually avoid it over winter.

This, we never ride the red route in the winter(Apart from the final descent) Just like we didn’t ride the orange in the winter, its always been bad.

Smiff was a great ride last night. Really had some fun, it was hard to lead in the fog though, I had a couple of times when I though am I still on the trail. 😀 Anyway top ride with some top guys.

look at QE winter as a challenge/skills thing.. as Scott said if you can do it now, you can do anywhere, and come summer you’ll be flying there

8)

Thank for all the support that everyone has given over that past 16 months (When we started) Its doesn’t matter if people have time to dig or not just spreading the word about what we are trying to achieve is enough, From the start we wanted to be mountain bike trails for mountain bikers, and we want to include everyone that why we chose collective in the name.

How many dig days do you hold during the week?

We sometimes go up of fridays to clear puddle and leaves out of berm. But every time i have posted them up there has been not takers so don’t bother now. But if your onyour way round and a bike puddle has formed free to drain it with a big stick or something 😉

———–

One of the hardest things was to get the park management to trust us, it was frosty to say the least between biker and them at the start. Now it’s great, they are really impressed with how the local mountain bike community have rally round. The trails are for all of us and if anyone wants to help out big or small, then it will be great for the trails and the local seine in general.

Sorry for the essay guy 😳

Final bit THE PLUG, A way everyone can help this year is spread the word about the QECP Gravity Enduro we are having (12st July) and the DH race on 1st & 2nd June. The gravity enduro will be run by us and all the money raised will be going back in to future trail work and materials.

Also the QEcyclefest 18th & 19th (Not that we have much to do with it) Its Hargrove’s cycles that run it.

And this time I’m going to wait in line for the Pivot Mach 5.7 carbon… one day the wife may win the lottery!

If Pivot are there this year, I hope salsa are there again, i will have another go on the fat bike 😕

Oops! Probably should of put that in my OP

bradley – Member
Sorry mtbfix, but what is QECP?

Some info – http://www.qecptrailcollective.co.uk/

Me and Superfli will be riding at QECP tonight, Really looking forwards to riding the same route as last week as we didn’t get muddy. Heavy rain over the weekend to washout the steeper trails and a couple of dry days, just have to avoid the flat bits 🙂

All in all a pretty good event I thought especially as a percentage of your entry fee has been earmarked for trail maintenance.

That great news!

Enjoyed Vallnord but preferred Grandvalira.

Me too!

also went to La Molina and Les Angles which are relatively nearby.

Me too both worth a visit if you have a car.

That’s the one we built in Southampton Bike Park. We slightly changed the line through the middle but it works really well.

Ours is not under cover and we built it on the Easter weekend last year. I got sunburn on the Friday and Saturday and then it rained for the rest of the year.
I Have ridden yours WCA, its fun. Still got a stick on my frame too 😉 I think in right in saying its on made up ground so bit of building mineral in there too, that mush help the drainage etc…

Sorry but new member in alarmist warning thread just sounds like a moan or attempt to get something from [whatever company disputing with]

or old members moaning about new members posts 😉

but with a 60mm stem.

+1 50mm or 60mm

Pics?

From the Pumptrack race last weekend 🙂

[/url]
Gravity Project Pumptrack[/url] by scottgolfgti[/url], on Flickr

There’s only really 3 ways to do it, either police the transitions (really pretty impractical, there’ll never be enough marshalls), rely on the riders (to not shortcut, and to self-marshall people who do) or just peg out a good, direct transition and then don’t worry too much about it.

or at least put it in the rule that you have to follow the transitions.

Fixed start times and stopwatches would bring the costs down too. 😉

Out of interest how are the Italian ones timed?

looking at the rules: http://minienduro.tv/2013/01/rules/

shortcuts between stages aren’t mention so I suppose it allowed(unless I missed it in the rules)

Also if you don’t want to carry a bag just leave bits and bobs conveniently placed on the trail and scoop it up with your mouth on the way past: http://www.rootsandrain.com/photos/408105

No kimbers, DQ them all till you get top 3 😉

Good venue and the stages were good fun, but poorly marked out in places. For example, I didn’t realise there was more to stage 1 when you hit the fire road.
Also, noticed a lot of guys riding the stages without rucksacks …what’s with that? I thought you were supposed to be carrying all your gear all the time!

Some people carried around a spare bike.

Hi has anyone seen the results from this yet ?

Haldon Results 10th Feb 2013

Lots of a-line type stuff at Chatel bike park
http://www.mountainbikeparkchatel.com/

I love living in this areas, I live next to bartimaeus and you can see from his map how much local riding there is. Kingley is great, XC and DH trails. QECP is going to get better and better. Trail builder have only been working there for 14months, lots has been done but there is load more to do. There will be 3 races at QECP this year an XC race, a DH race and a gravity enduro. We have so much bridleway in the southdown could easy do a 100mile plus loop all offroad, viva la trail revolution!

Think I will go for my forks at 140. Cheers everyone for your help.
Mk3 alpine sound good too 🙂

Scott, the PA Classic frames are now £425 (the £295 was a pre-order special).

Most people tend to run 110mm – 140mm travel on Prince Alberts. OK thanks I’m going to buy thorlz.
P.S I have a holeshot too and i love it, the most fun i have ever had on a bike 😀

Ok next Question I have a set of 150mm fox floats spaced to 110mm what should I space then to for Aggressive XC, 130mm, 140mm, or back to 150mm?
What’s everyone got and at what height?

Thanks for the info mike. Is the 853 Classic still £295?

thorlz YGM

Thanks- Yetiman & dyna-ti 17″ it is then

depends how big yer willy is..

Like a Amanita jacksonii

Aston Hill?

Pila

The bee knees!!! Loved it.

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/209366/ Not my vid but you get the idea.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/86323/661-Mini-Downhill-Forest-of-Dean-February-24

3 week i think