Rides in the NW / lancs

Neilio
Neilio Posts: 60
edited March 2008 in MTB rides
Anybody up for doing a few leisurely rides in the northwest / lancs area?

Just easy stuff, nothing too complicated, no mahoosive hills, just fun rides getting abit fitter and more skillfull.
Kona Caldera 08, hope, easton, SLX parts.

Kona Kilauea carbon, deciding spec.

Comments

  • sparrowlegs78
    sparrowlegs78 Posts: 2,583
    Me and the hubby are in the NW..blackburn ...we are only at the getting fit stage as well :D .
    Usually ride round witton park thru Billinge woods..or Rivington and Gisburn forest. :D
  • Neilio
    Neilio Posts: 60
    I think gisburn will be a good one to start on and rivington is close enough.
    Kona Caldera 08, hope, easton, SLX parts.

    Kona Kilauea carbon, deciding spec.
  • southlakes
    southlakes Posts: 474
    You can checkout http://www.southlakesgroup.org.uk which is the website of the South Lakes Group of the Rough-Stuff Fellowship. The Rough-Stuff Fellowship is the oldest off-road cycle touring club in the UK and was started in 1955.
  • Sikora
    Sikora Posts: 519
    edited March 2008
    Whats up at Rivington exactly?
    A friend of mine from Bolton is getting a bike and has mentioned going up there one weekend.
  • dgould
    dgould Posts: 66
    Rivington has a wealth of goodies!!!

    Start at the to barn and work your way to the tower (victorian folly) at the very top. There's a great section of Dh at the front of the tower.

    You can go up to the mast and back down a series of trails - alternatively go down the long fast section at the back end, towards belmont - but it's a drag to get back over to the front side.

    Make sure you tackle the Dh behind the pigeon tower - trust me, stay left!!!!

    Enjoy.
    It\'s a bit steep for my liking
  • Sikora
    Sikora Posts: 519
    So heading up to this mast and down the trails would be best for my novice friend?
  • marika
    marika Posts: 392
    rivington is pretty good but a bit bitty if you know what i mean,the downhill near the tower is pretty scary to a novice,but round the gardens is good for building some confidence,if you peddle from the carpark to the tower in one go your fitness is ok trust me :wink:
  • Sikora
    Sikora Posts: 519
    We're not into DH, just general trail riding really - well i am anyway, can't see my mate wanting to hit a DH track so soon after getting in biking.
  • Its not a downhill track just a few ruts that you could ride really slowly down. Rivington has a bit of everything and is great to build up your fitness levels and confidence. Your best buying a os map and having a explore around. OS 287 West Pennine Moors. If your really serious they do mountain bike skills courses up there, these are great and you can gain confidence really quickly. They break tasks down into small sections and teach you about the trails, bike positioning and bike setup etc. I have just done the mountain leader course there and Ray and Mike are absolutley great and you can really gain alot no matter how experienced you are. The web site is http://www.mountainbikeinstruction.co.u ... 1310120721
    So good luck and dont be affraid,
    Regards Simon
  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    Rivington's great for practicing and building your skills up, but it has two distinct problems -

    1. It's a public park so it gets full of walkers/kids/out-of-control dogs and other assorted numpties.

    2. It's a bit limited - once you've been round it a few times it gets very "samey".

    Sure, use it to build your skill levels up and get fit, then start branching out. Now the weather's likely to get a bit less crap and the days are longer, there's more scope for getting out. If you'll PM me your e-mail addy I'll add you to my mailing list - there's several members on here who I'm in contact with regularly, you're welcome to join us. We should be able to start getting some good runs in now!

    Gisburn Forest is also good for building skill levels and fitness, but again it does get very busy, especially on a Sunday. That said I've heard rumours that they're building some new trails so watch this space...

    Whereabouts in Lancs are you?
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  • beccalily
    beccalily Posts: 310
    Neilio is in Hindley in Wigan and works in Bolton.

    I'm Preston.

    8)
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