Sherwood Pines......... WTF...???????

Cheshley

I have only recently discovered the red route at Sherwood pines and yes, I know some of you are going to say that it's a bit tame, but it suits me and my numerous spare tyres just fine. I have one particularly favourite section (along with the sweet, if short, sections of singletrack that wind through the trees) and that is a nice uphill section just after the sandy berms. Those of you who know the route will know where I'm talking about, the bit where the tree stumps have been pulled out to make the path through the trees, leaving small bombholes that fill up with water when it rains leaving you to pick a route around them or splash your way through as you climb up the hill...

Or at least it was like that.....

I've been down with a few mates this evening and was disappointed to find that someone has been through with the digger and this section is now completely FLAT!!!!!!!!!

Come on Mr/Mrs Forestry Commission, there are signs along the trail that warn you that it's a red graded route and that means it's supposed top be DIFFUCULT, so why is it being sanitized?

I fully expect to find on my next visit to find it coated in tarmac!!!!!

Rant over (for now)

Discuss....

lastwords

I have been there a few times recently but bot sure where you mean have been off the bike for four weeks as it was stolen but the insurance have paid out .

I have heard rumours that they have got round to laying the rocks down that were piled up by the side of the route.

I would assume they have smoothed it out to stop water collecting and prevent it getting messy in bad weather conditions

rob_mafia

Yet to ride it yet (looking forward toit though) so haven't seen it before but I can understand your frustration Chesley, why would they do that????

Cheshley

Rob Mafia wrote:

Yet to ride it yet (looking forward toit though) so haven't seen it before but I can understand your frustration Chesley, why would they do that????

Let me know when you fancy it Rob

Cheshley

lastwords wrote:

I have been there a few times recently but bot sure where you mean have been off the bike for four weeks as it was stolen but the insurance have paid out .

I have heard rumours that they have got round to laying the rocks down that were piled up by the side of the route.

I would assume they have smoothed it out to stop water collecting and prevent it getting messy in bad weather conditions

I appreciate that this may be why they have done it, but surely it defeats the object of having a Red graded route...?

lastwords

The drop offs, jumps, berms and switchbacks go to making it a red graded route until i see what they have done myself it is hard to comment though. I like it where it drains well and the surface is such that it lets you flow along the trail. Surprisingly though for a forest trail there are very little technical rooty sections to keep you on your toes.

Cheshley

Rode it a couple of weeks ago in the dry and the outside edges of the corners were disintegrating into a fine powdery sand. I prefer it when there's a bit of moisture in the ground cos there's more grip.

If you see a tall bloke gasping and wheezing his way around on a Spesh XC Comp sometime, say hi, it's probably me!!!

abductee

That section was really muddy last winter and now the trail is gaining popularity it would have become very bad next winter. I do agree that it the Kitchener needs more challenging features but it also needs to be able to survive the traffic. I Think its for the best really.

Besides if you want a challenge you can always try and get round the off camber corners with a ditch at the side without falling off.

If you want something a bit more natural you could give this route a try. The bits at the oppose side of the railway made by motorbikes have a very different surface to the Kitchener.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Black-Hill-2

rob_mafia

Cheshley wrote:

Rob Mafia wrote:

Yet to ride it yet (looking forward toit though) so haven't seen it before but I can understand your frustration Chesley, why would they do that????

Let me know when you fancy it Rob

Getting my new rota this week so I'll let you know dude

YIMan

I rode it on Saturday and struggle to see how it justifies RED grading. I don't particularly remember any drop-offs apart from if you take a diversion through the downhill/dirt jumps area (which I did and had 3 or 4 nice runs through).

I reckon that my girlfriend, who is very much a novice rider, could do the vast majority of it without getting off the bike. It's hardly technical at all, I thought.

Nice ride though, I would go back and do it again as it's fairly local to me in Nottingham, and is longer than "Follow the Dog" at Cannock.

thefallguy

If it was given a blue grade it would frustrate the local xc whippets that fly round! Its only graded red to keep it in context with the other family orientated blue and green routes. Saying that though Pines is one place I fall off on a regular basis - i think because its so flat and 'easy' I try to ride it harder and faster than if i'm in the peaks or lakes.

OH NO Dan

I discovered this place a few weeks ago, i reckon it greats, plus its only really down the road from me (25 mins in the car)

First time i did it was in the pouring rain all the way round and it was the best laugh ive had on a bike

Dont think ive been since they flattened that section, theres no need though cause its easy as it is. I can do the red route now with an average speed of 10mph which i think is good for a chubby guy!

PS Its worth checking their website if you do head to the pines, i went on Saturday and there was a McFly concert so the car park closed at 3pm. This attracted lots of schoolgirls...

angrymeerkat

Well, I've just come back from a sunny ride (flexi-time at work - don't you just love it) and was mortified when I saw the hack job they've done with that section.

They might was well have f..g kitty-littered it, you could drive a bus through that!
What also worries me is, today I had great fun on the following technical, bomb-holed and muddy section - which has the same suspicious yellow tags on all of the trees...


All that really needs doing is some work on drainage, and to add camber to high-speed turns... not a wholesale bulldoze and fire-road conversion! I think somewhere along the line in this "cycling centre of excellence" thing they're going for, they may have lost sight of the target audience. You know, just a little.

Edit: also, major kudos to the teacher who was leading, what appeared to be, a class from a local girls' school on hired bikes! Maybe the red route isn't the best place to start them off (blue might be better for that), but respect for giving it a go. Wish they did that sort of thing in P.E. in my day.

YIMan

thefallguy wrote:

If it was given a blue grade it would frustrate the local xc whippets that fly round! Its only graded red to keep it in context with the other family orientated blue and green routes. Saying that though Pines is one place I fall off on a regular basis - i think because its so flat and 'easy' I try to ride it harder and faster than if i'm in the peaks or lakes.

Lol I fell off too...the tyres just slid off a sandy kerb in the track and over I went.

Cheshley

YIMan wrote:

thefallguy wrote:

If it was given a blue grade it would frustrate the local xc whippets that fly round! Its only graded red to keep it in context with the other family orientated blue and green routes. Saying that though Pines is one place I fall off on a regular basis - i think because its so flat and 'easy' I try to ride it harder and faster than if i'm in the peaks or lakes.

Lol I fell off too...the tyres just slid off a sandy kerb in the track and over I went.

I have yet to fall off but then again I'm a fat bloke with no skills so I tend to ride it slower than most of you guys would..... :oops:

YIMan

I doubt it mate, I'm a tall nearly 15 stone myself.