On Sat 13th March local mountain bikers http://settingascene.com/ are having a ride and trail building event. Join their forum and discuss here.
We also have this as a Facebook event and on this site here.
We have 6 trail build days planned for March. The aim is to make some serious progress on the new start layout. The new route will re-use several existing bits of Blue and Red trail but in a new order with some new sections added. When finished it will offer a common Red/Blue route with a more difficult Red extension loop. The two will join in a cunning crossover junction. This will allow Blue riders to avoid the difficult section and takes the Red section down the steep hill and back up the easy hill. The wood board walk sections will be moved into the new Red loop.
The aim is to complete the basic loop by the end of March.
We’re using a more weather-proof building technique in the boggy areas. This involves building up the trail with a base layer of rubble followed by crushed concrete and finally a layer of surface chippings. Multiple sources of rubble have been sourced, but we’re always on the look out for more. One of our regulars (Pete) has managed to obtain the crushed concrete for us at a very good rate (the first delivery was free).
We’ve sourced two collections of rocks and several supplies of rubble for free.
The probation service have been booked for two of the build days and they’ll be used to move material into position. On our list of jobs for them is surfacing several areas (section that we call motorway2, corner after the pond on the outward loop, area near the pond on the return loop, a few other patches). Also mud moving for berms (outward pond area “Ian’s berms”, return pond berm, Piper’s hill mud pile and jump, berms in the new start).
If you can’t make any build days then you can still help. Ask around to see if anyone has rubble,bricks,slabs,concrete or rocks that they want to get rid of. We collect it. We hope to build some more features in the Red area, so we are on the look out for decent timber too.
Do you work for or own a company that would be interested in offering a discount to club members? In return we provide free marketing. The more discounts we can offer then the more members we can attract. A big club gives us more chance of obtaining grant funding for trail development.
If you shop online at Wiggle, Evan’s Cycles, Halfords, John Lewis, Maplin, Play or Screwfix then you can help us by using our affiliate links at:
http://www.mbswindon.co.uk/shops/.
Affiliate money is put into the club accounts. We all work on the trail and MBSwindon for free.
As always, we do have a lot of plans, but we need to get the basic trail up to scratch first.
I’ve found out that Spirithill trails don’t open until April. We’ll be going for a ride there when they do open.
Tom.