Sherwood Pines - Your thoughts on the new Kitchener Trail

big_tex_uk

I have been riding this new XC route for about 4 months now and was just wondering what everyone else who has ridden it thought of it.

Generally i think it flows very well and makes good use of the areas around the Pines.

However, i have just spent this afternoon up there in the mud. Much of the route rides well as it has a new surface on it.

I am not one for getting rid of all the natural parts of the trail but i really think some of the sections could do with either some decking or digging out and resurfacing. The main bits i feel could do with some TLC are after the switch back climb about 15 mins in when you come off the man made trail back onto the natural. It is so muddy there and already starting to churn up horribly. Also about half was round you go through a nice swoopy man made section and then back up through some trees. The uphill bit is all natural and again in a really poor condition.

Not sure if Clixbys are planning to do anymore work on the route as i have not seen any work up there now for a while, last place they were working on was the dual descender but that seems done now.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers

Ben

altern_8

so is it wise to give it a miss mate and try to find a ride somewhere else this weekend????

hoochylala

Starting to ride the Pines with a local chap I met first time down there now on a weekly basis. Must say, really enjoy it - have tried out the new trail, but also having the ability to use his local knowledge to allow us to find some cheeky bits of singletrack etc.. whilst linking in with the new trail.

Will agree about the mud though, especially on the mentioned sections after the witch back climb - really boggy last time I went I hope they are going to do some more work on the trail, if only it was to the way markers - I'd get very lost I think if i tried to ride around on my own! I would be up for doing so maintenance? No sure if anything is organised like this through the lbs there?

Not been riding 'properly' for long myself but cant take smile off my face when I'm there! If anyone fancies a ride some time that would be great. No whippets mid you

KnightofCydonia

I'm hoping to get there later on this year or early next depending how good I get at riding. how accessible is it from the stations, eg mansfield, retford, nottingham ?

big_tex_uk

Knightsofcydonia - Access is easiest from Mansfield station and it is about a 20 min ride from there.

Altern 8 - If you dont mind a bit of mud then i would still give it a go as the majority of the route has a new surface which is all weather. Just a few sections that get very muddy.

Hoochylala - I am up there at least once a week, you cant miss me i am on a bright green Commencal Meta 5.5 VIP, say hello if you spot me.

altern_8

Altern 8 - If you dont mind a bit of mud then i would still give it a go as the majority of the route has a new surface which is all weather. Just a few sections that get very muddy.


cheers mate,we have decided on going to peaks on sunday.......

big_tex_uk

The Peaks is MTB Heaven!

stevebrock

today i rode the Kitchener trail today and bumped into big_tex_uk who was very helpful. I still got lost about 2/3rds the way round even though its now way marked, so I headed for the bike park had a little play about then picked up the rest of the trail.

It would be good to hook up with someone local as Im sure there are some great sections that are hard to find - if Im being cheeky then sorry, if you don't ask you don't get.

Cant' wait to get back as I seemed to really enjoy myself exploring!

abductee

edited

alisdairh

I rode this trail for the first time on Sunday and I really enjoyed it.

For the first half of it I was concerned that it was all a bit too easy but it got progressively harder. (Still didn't terrify me like some red trails do though!)

There was plenty of flowing single track and some good fast sections.

I found it to be quite well sign posted (apart from when one small section was closed for maintenance - Diversion signs weren't clear)

My only criticisms are no drop offs and no board walk sections. And if you don't know the area, don't expect to do too much climbing. Sherwood Pines simply doesn't have the hills that Dalby, Whinlatter, Grizedale etc do.

baccodaddy

okay this might sound a bit harsh but did the route twice yesterday.first time as a sighter and then gave it the beans and this is what i found. if you do this track quickish around 20k/ph and above you will find that the racing line is eroded which i found dangerous.as i hit one section i took a left hand turn at 32kph and found the corner disappeared into a ditch.this is the norm i found , so what i would say is if you want to pootle along then fine but poor course ,poor signage(dont put the sign at the turn its too late i,m already committed.)and for god sake dont repair the course with sand as it just doesnt hold up .and whilst i,m ranting how the hell do they grade that red when brechfa is red and can scare the shit out of you.

abductee

Well, if you fall off on an easy red then you had better avoid the hard ones

Seriously though your comments are not unique. Most people seem a bit perplexed by some of the design decisions. As more people slip off into the gutter the trail edge breaks away and it is getting worse.

To put it into context though it is a nice bit of singletrack that is tame at low speed but gets more challenging the faster you go. I don't doubt that there are better trails but you would have to travel a long way to get to them so if you're local it ticks the box but if you travelled from Wales past the peak district to get to it then you might be disappointed.

jaycmoore

Had a five day break over the past week with the family at Center Parcs... bit disappointed they didn't do the 'MTB Trek' they do a Longleat (although it's fairly restrained it's quite a good social event and you can usually hook up with other riders for other unguided rides in the forest ).

However, took a quick spin over on the Tuesday morning to recce the 'family trail' as that's all I thought I'd find - ok so I was a bit slack and did no previous on the net - as it was mentioned on CP literature. Followed to the centre where I picked up the 'red' graded route and gave that a go - bearing in mind I'm local to Cwmcarn and ride regularly there, although I prefer more natural trails which we're blessed with in South Wales.

Anyway, I digress...

I can appreciate what some other posts have mentioned about the trail edges breaking up if you're giving it some around a few of the sections, however it does make it interesting - I'm not saying maintenance should be forgone though!

Overall I thought it was an excelllent ride. About 10 miles of mostly nice singletrack. Not a lot of real techie stuff but I still came away with a grin and feelgood factor. Flow was pretty good, mixed up with some slower more oppressive darker forestry bit that challenged slow speed skills.

As an option on the doorstep of CP... top notch. Now, if I can only get the kids interested...

jonotron

Don't know if it was down to recent poor weather, but there appears to be some kind of drainage problem going on at this trail. About half of the ten mile length was so muddy it was like riding over snow. Contrary to other views here the signage is ok, although I did have to ask where the trail started.
Don't kid yourselves, this is not close to the standard I'd expect of a red grade route. There is nothing here that offers any kind of challenge to a rider with any experience other than not sliding off the trail in the mud. Could be fun to blast round after a 3 week dry spell but my experience was more like riding my bike round a pig farm. Don't bother travelling any distance to check it out.

Reddwarf1972

I cycle here a lot, but with recent weather conditions been avoid it .
Its ment to be a fast flowing circuit, brilliant for a quick blast round after work, but it's like a swamp at moment.
Last time i went round i spent my time avoiding Lakes forming on the trail some of them quite deep.
I do find the red route grading quite strange :?: , I cycle Dalby Forest as well and find the difference massive.
My seven year old easily manages the red route at Sherwood Pines, but i would'nt dream of taking him round Dalby till he's older.

miss notax

baccodaddy wrote:

okay this might sound a bit harsh but did the route twice yesterday.first time as a sighter and then gave it the beans and this is what i found. if you do this track quickish around 20k/ph and above you will find that the racing line is eroded which i found dangerous.as i hit one section i took a left hand turn at 32kph and found the corner disappeared into a ditch.

I would agree with this actually, Notax and I absolutely blasted around here and on one corner I suddenly found myself flying off the bike and was left with a buckled wheel :? Obviously I should have taken the corner slower / a different line blah blah, but I would certainly ride it a bit more cautiously next time

cameronb

Whats sherwood like at the mnute? Thinking of doing the red one day this week just wondered what tyres I'm going to need to use?

gloves007uk

Any body been here recently ?
Looking at taking a trip up with a couple of mates this weekend for a blast around, but with all this wet weather we have just had wondered if it was all swamped up :shock:

ben11

I went Saturday... It was muddy, but not as bad as i expected. Its fine to ride. I'm going again tomorrow and with the 3 days of sun we've had I'd imagine its dried up a lot.

tangoman19

Went friday night - Near enough bone dry now... Just watch the sandy bits that catch you out.

I ride it regular and when its dry its great fun, simple flowing singletrack. Yes, there are no hills.. Yes, its not that challenging... BUT, like my mate says, "if you don't come away from Pines with a smile on your face, then you've not been pedalling fast enough."

gloves007uk

tangoman19 wrote:

Went friday night - Near enough bone dry now... Just watch the sandy bits that catch you out.
"if you don't come away from Pines with a smile on your face, then you've not been pedalling fast enough."

Agree mate went last Saturday with my brother and a mate and with them being both new to all this mountain bike riding they enjoyed it even though both of them were hanging out of their arses by the end of it did 2 laps of the red and blue route.
Nice simple riding with nothing too taxing even at speed

ben11

I see they are re surfacing section errrrr...... somewhere between 8-10 i think, complete guess, but if you have been you will know where i mean. looks like it could be good!

willy b

It's riding well at the moment, went on Saturday and then again on Monday and it's drying out well. With the nice weather this week I think it will be nice a dry (in most places) at the weekend.

I'll certainly be going up again to try and better my lap time. 8)

andhr

Yup, went Tuesday - dry as a bone, except the big puddle just after the small jumpy bit about halfway around (that's not very helpful - i'll remember the marker post number next time).

@Willy b - you must not get pedestrians wandering around on the trail when you go mate! :-)

Cogsly

Ive been today and its dry sept for a few 'puddles ' here and there. Im still a newbie to all this but i found the trail very nice . Having said that its the only place ive been so far. Blue route last week and red today. Will be back there early sunday morning and now i know where the trail runs i can ride harder. Must admit by the end my legs were coughing but like i said im new to this. Would have done another lap if i hadnt had to fetch the kids from school.

willy b

Andhr - going early is the only real way to ensure a quick run, before everybody else arrives.

Cogsly

Ive now done the red route a few times but im finding im going a bit slow. I am a MTB newbie i must admit. Took me about 1hr 5mins yesterday ( 15 mins better than last weeks run). I let a few people pass me who where much quicker than me and they all said thankyou which was nice!
I was wondering what is the time goal for a 'good run' on this track?
I always seem to feel the pain right at the bit where u drive uphill over the roots . Im not sure what bit that is called but by the time im over that section my legs are beggin for mercy.I do need to work on my approach gear selection more as i do find im constantly flicking due to being in the wrong gear at inapropriate moments.
I go to the gym 2 times a week and try and do a mtb session 2 or 3 times (although this is fairly recent) , does this leg muscle pain get easier during uphills? I do feel ive finaly overcome saddle sore and once i get some gel grips ill be even more comfy.
Any thoughts?

ctrlaltdel

heh I was wondering if anyone was going to reply to this thread today since there were a lot of bikers out at the pines yesterday!
A 15 minute improvement from last week suggests your knowledge of the route and your mtb skills are definitely improving
I don't know what counts as a good run around the kitchener but I'd guess anything in the 45-50 minute range would be pretty good going. I did a 39 minute lap yesterday on my stumpy fsr which was a personal best, but I've heard of people doing 34-35 minute laps which seems pretty incredible. Certainly something to aim for next time I'm back in nottinghamshire - time to break out the old xc bike again!
With regard to the legs burning when biking up the incline with all the roots - it doesn't feel much better as you get fitter, you just get faster

willy b

ctrlaltdel wrote:

I don't know what counts as a good run around the kitchener but I'd guess anything in the 45-50 minute range would be pretty good going. I did a 39 minute lap yesterday on my stumpy fsr which was a personal best, but I've heard of people doing 34-35 minute laps which seems pretty incredible.

34:59 yesterday 8)
http://app.strava.com/segments/1391641

Aiming for sub 34 :?

Having said that a good time is personal. I'd just have a goal to aim for and stick to it, for example a sub hour lap would be a good target to aim for, then just keep getting quicker and quicker. One thing i'll say though, go early. 7am is ideal as you can start before anybody else is on the trail.

ctrlaltdel

Jealous! Sounds like a good target to aim for

Cogsly

Thanks for the thumbs up guys. yeh ill a<1hr when im up there friday and sunday. I did go early. I was there at 8am on sunday morning (i dont think they open car park till 8am do they?) and it wasnt so bad with people on the trail...not that anyone got in my way more like the other way around lol.
Anyways if u see a 40+ guy out of breath on a black/green scott aspect 20 say hi and tell me to peddle faster!