Best Trail Centre?

Angus Young

welshkev wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

They need something to improve the uplift. There's a three month wait to get on at the moment so they must be missing out on a fair amount of potential business.

I was amazed when I checked that out the other day. To not address that is a serious managerial oversight. What was it, a two million pounds or so development? And they can't spring for another mini bus when the waiting list is stretching into the months? Isn't one of the selling points of a bike park the convenience factor, the 'just turn up and go' thing? And, for many, not having to ride/push to the top?

That's the thing. It's not just turn up and ride. I've only been twice and it's 25 mind from me. Last time s friend of mind went it took him 40 mins of arseing around filling in forms etc before he could ride

Have they made any public response to any of this?

The Northern Monkey

Angus Young wrote:

welshkev wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

They need something to improve the uplift. There's a three month wait to get on at the moment so they must be missing out on a fair amount of potential business.

I was amazed when I checked that out the other day. To not address that is a serious managerial oversight. What was it, a two million pounds or so development? And they can't spring for another mini bus when the waiting list is stretching into the months? Isn't one of the selling points of a bike park the convenience factor, the 'just turn up and go' thing? And, for many, not having to ride/push to the top?

That's the thing. It's not just turn up and ride. I've only been twice and it's 25 mind from me. Last time s friend of mind went it took him 40 mins of arseing around filling in forms etc before he could ride

Have they made any public response to any of this?

If its going to be anything like thier response to people complaining about the price, I wouldnt expect anything that makes any sense!

rockmonkeysc

Im guessing they are a bit cautious about spending £30k (I guess) on a bus and trailer just incase the initial interest in the center dies down. It makes more financial sense to have full busses and a bit of a wait than to have busses sat doing nothing in the winter.
I'm not sure they could run more busses on the uplift road, it didn't work too well for the Welsh DH champs last year, there weren't enough passing places. I hope they have plans for something better for the BDS race later this year, hour waits like last year won't go down well.
I don't think their prices are expensive, £27 -£30 is pretty standard for uplifts.
Having to book months in advance is annoying though, I don't know what I'm going to be doing in three months time.

The Northern Monkey

Prices I was talking about the pay and ride (not uplift). People were complaining about paying a fiver for a hours ride after work and wanted a reduced rate if going later on in the day.

They proposed charging less to book online in advance, which turned out to be even worse as people wanting a last munute ride would have to pay more!

Basically, a fiver takes the piss a bit!

Angus Young

A fiver seems O.K. to me if the trails are good. £30 for a lift up a hill is mental. Makes trains look like good value.

The Northern Monkey

BPW isnt worth it unless youre on a bus...

rockmonkeysc

It's a private business. They have to make profit to stay open.

The Northern Monkey

I'm not arguing that...

I paid a quid to ride the Cafall today, which doesnt require an uplift.

welshkev

dusk wrote:

welshkev wrote:

Nant yr Arian? Are you drunk?

It is a nice ride but it's definitely not the best trail centre. All the loops pretty much use the same bits if singletrack with just more out on the moors for length.

I think it's great, aren't opinions wonderful.....

Did you read my post? I also said it was good. Just not the best trail centre as it lacks variety!

lawman

Nant has some decent sections, certainly not the best but far from awful! Hippity hop is an awesome section, super flowy and loads of stuff to pump or jump.

I don't think BPW is overly expensive tbh, I had a bloody awesome day there and I can't wait to go back. If the money from the uplift goes into making more awesome trails then I'm all for it, you have to give something to get something back and if paying £30 for an uplift day means there's more and better maintained trails then that's great value for money if you ask me! Far too many people expect something for nothing for these days imo.

Angus Young

lawman wrote:

Far too many people expect something for nothing for these days imo.

Did anyone say it should be free?

welshkev

Thus is an old argument that could keep going. My opinion (just my opinion) is that a fiver each is quite a lot when if, like me, I very rarely get a chance to ride all day. It's usually 2 or 3 hours max. So if 3 of us go its £15 to ride versus the quid to ride at cwmcarn (if we all went in the same car). A fiver for all day isn't bad at all.

My other gripe with them is opening hours, they only open late on a Thursday iirc. Also £30 for the uplift isn't over the top, but £4 for 1 run versus £2 at FoD is quite expensive

mrcoley

the last time I went to bpw they were only running 3 of the 4 busses and 2 busses were running one after the other which meant you had to wait nearly 20 mins for the 3rd bus to come down this happened all day long kind of annoyed us that the busses didn't run at separate times so in theory there would be hardly any wait if that makes sense

Angus Young

mrcoley wrote:

the last time I went to bpw they were only running 3 of the 4 busses and 2 busses were running one after the other which meant you had to wait nearly 20 mins for the 3rd bus to come down this happened all day long kind of annoyed us that the busses didn't run at separate times so in theory there would be hardly any wait if that makes sense

You might find the odd comma, capital or full stop come in handy if you expect people to give a sh!t about what you write.

rockmonkeysc

I believe they only open late one day a week because that's what the FC limits them to.

mrcoley

Angus Young wrote:

mrcoley wrote:

the last time I went to bpw they were only running 3 of the 4 busses and 2 busses were running one after the other which meant you had to wait nearly 20 mins for the 3rd bus to come down this happened all day long kind of annoyed us that the busses didn't run at separate times so in theory there would be hardly any wait if that makes sense

You might find the odd comma, capital or full stop come in handy if you expect people to give a sh!t about what you write.

oh im fucking sorry not all of us are perfect like you. I didn't realise the grammer police would be reading this

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I believe they only open late one day a week because that's what the FC limits them to.

FC? F**king Council?

rockmonkeysc

Angus Young wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I believe they only open late one day a week because that's what the FC limits them to.

FC? F**king Council?

Worse, Forestry Commission

Angus Young

mrcoley wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

mrcoley wrote:

the last time I went to bpw they were only running 3 of the 4 busses and 2 busses were running one after the other which meant you had to wait nearly 20 mins for the 3rd bus to come down this happened all day long kind of annoyed us that the busses didn't run at separate times so in theory there would be hardly any wait if that makes sense

You might find the odd comma, capital or full stop come in handy if you expect people to give a sh!t about what you write.

oh im ******* sorry not all of us are perfect like you. I didn't realise the grammer police would be reading this

They're not. But if you expect people to make the effort to read what you write you might do them the courtesy of putting some effort in when you write it. If I'm being unreasonable, just let me know.

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I believe they only open late one day a week because that's what the FC limits them to.

FC? F**king Council?

Worse, Forestry Commission

Ha, ha! Yes, of course.

The Northern Monkey

Angus Young wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Angus Young wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

I believe they only open late one day a week because that's what the FC limits them to.

FC? F**king Council?

Worse, Forestry Commission

Ha, ha! Yes, of course.

Although, there isnt much stopping you riding it at night. Quite a few local clubs park at the bottom gate and just ride up.

Angus Young

The Northern Monkey wrote:

Although, there isnt much stopping you riding it at night. Quite a few local clubs park at the bottom gate and just ride up.

Bear in mind that I've never been to a bike park, but what's to stop people just turning up on their bikes and riding for free any time of day, given that these things cover half a mountain. Are they surrounded by fifteen foot barbed wire fences and sentry posts?

rockmonkeysc

No but there are people out checking that you have the coloured band on your bars.

The Northern Monkey

Apart from on the bus, I've never been asked to show my band!

Ryan Jones

Funny how people are happy to drop ££££'s on a bike and £££££'s on a car yet "sneak" into places when they don't have to pay (and let's face it, that's going to be the main reason for showing up out of hours). I've heard the figure of £20 a metre to build trails professionally, so perhaps volunteer built places like Cannock could well be more technical and pleasing for all if they charged for trail use as bikepark do, or charged for parking like 'Degla etc.

I'd happily pay a fiver a time, when kids pay £3 a time to ride my local indoor skatepark (tiny place by the way) I'm sure that wouldn't be too much to ask. If it was being put back into the facilities anyway.....

Angus Young

Ryan Jones wrote:

I'd happily pay a fiver a time, when kids pay £3 a time to ride my local indoor skatepark (tiny place by the way)

It costs a fiver for an hour in my local swimming pool. And it's a crap pool. BPW sounds like storming value compared to that.

welshkev

Angus Young wrote:

Ryan Jones wrote:

I'd happily pay a fiver a time, when kids pay £3 a time to ride my local indoor skatepark (tiny place by the way)

It costs a fiver for an hour in my local swimming pool. And it's a crap pool. BPW sounds like storming value compared to that.

Perhaps us locals are cheap asses then

It's £2 for my local swimming pool though btw ha ha

Ryan Jones

Well like you said, you feel £5 for 2-3 hours riding is excessive and thats fair enough. I'd say though, that if everybody had paid £5 to use the trails then that would go a long way to improving them. Going back to the Chase, a report back in 2008 estimated nearly half a million people going there just for cycling (going to be a lot more now though), thats potentially £2.5 million a year before the post ride bacon bap and coffee are accounted for. At £20 per metre to build trails (seen this figure mentioned a few times), theoretically new trails could be funded and maintained even at £2.50 a go.

That's less than a pound an hour for great entertainment on easily accessed well maintained trails, and I'd be embarassed for anybody who'd moan especially given how much it would benefit everybody involved !

poah

Glentress is £5 per day or £3.50 for 3 hours per car not per person.

welshkev

POAH wrote:

Glentress is £5 per day or £3.50 for 3 hours per car not per person.

Yeah I think that's the issue people have. It's per person not per car.

But as I said previously, it's an old argument that'll rumble on for years