Shralp are a new local clothing company that have been brought up on the Sheffield scene and wanted to give a little back to their local trails. Their designs represent some of the best of our local rising and even better than that, some of the money from each t-shirt will go back into looking after the trails they promote. So if you are after an alternative to one of our t-shirts or want to show your allegience to your favourite trail, this could be for you.
More about Shralp, from Shralp below……
SHEFFIELD, UK – Shralp, a new Sheffield-based mountain biking clothing brand, has just launched. Created by 15 year old schoolboy Joel Blomfield, Shralp is aimed at the many mountain bikers who enjoy riding in the Peak District and is a unique celebration of the loyalty and pride all riders feel for their local trails.
The new range of artist-collab T-shirt designs showcases some of the most popular local mountain bike trails in and around Sheffield. Initially this includes 4 of Sheffield’s most recognisable mountain biking spots – Lady Cannings Plantation in Ringinglow, Parkwood Springs in Shirecliffe, Devils Elbow in Blacka Moor and Wharncliffe Woods near Grenoside. In realising these designs, Joel worked with a number of talented illustrators to re-imagine the essence of each trail as a graphic T-shirt.
Joel, who set up the company with the help of his dad while off school during the COVID19 lockdown period, said, “I love mountain biking and I love the Peak District. I wanted to do something creative around my interest in riding mountain bikes and so developing and launching Shralp has been perfect. I’ve really enjoyed working with these cool artists to turn my ideas into reality”.
Joel’s dad, Will, said, “I’m really proud of all the work Joel has put into making Shralp happen, especially during the challenges of lockdown. He’s had a very clear vision of how he wants the brand to evolve and this range is hopefully just the start. He’s already got more T-shirt ideas in the pipeline.”
All the designs are printed onto 100% organic, vegan approved and Fair Wear Foundation certified cotton T-shirts. In recognition of the hard work it takes to build and maintain these trails, Shralp are also making a donation from each sale to local trail groups, Ride Sheffield and Peak District MTB.
T shirts are now available to buy via the website or from Bike Garage bike shop in Hope Valley. For more details please visit:
10 years ago it would have ben hards to imagine quite what the MTB landscape would look like now. Back in 2010 long, low and slack was merely a whisper, 29 inch wheels were used by xc racers and weirdos and the idea of having a battery powered boost up and (occasionally) down the hills was unheard of.
But now it is pretty common place, with what feels like almost half the bikes now on the trails being E-Bikes, it is a booming market. But it is still an easily misunderstood and often maligned area of the sport. Fortunately we have couple of rather progressive universities in the city that understand the need for wide ranging research. Sheffield Hallam University has long been a supporter of the Outdoor City and is now conducting a body of research and here is a little more about it and how you can get get involved…..
Jim Cherrington, a researcher from Sheffield Hallam University, is looking to recruit participants for a study which examines people’s experience with e-mountain bikes, and the social, cultural, and political implications of this emerging technology. Throughout the study he will also be addressing wider environmental issues and concerns, as well as the impact of such technological developments on our relation both to and with our ‘natural’ environments.
In order to explore these issues he is inviting anyone who currently owns an e-mountain bike and lives in England, to take part in an informal interview either in person or over ‘Zoom’, depending on your preference and location (and subject to changing government guidelines regarding Covid-19). The interview will last approximately 45 minutes – 1 hour, although the length of interview is entirely dependent on the amount of time that you are willing to offer.
Anyone who is interested should contact Jim Cherrington directly at: j.cherrington@shu.ac.uk
It’s never good news to start the day with news that someone has been out to try and trash your trails. When you dig fun little trails hidden from view (or permission) this is often part of the game. Gutting, but part of the game. But it is pretty unusual to have sanctioned trails damaged. But that’s what happened up in Greno Woods the Sunday before last.
Greno Woods has been providing mountain biking good times for the past 30 years in different guises, from hand cut tracks with wild sketchy jumps, through some quite gnarly north shore and loamy natural runs, to the trails that we have now.
10 years ago, Sheffield and Rotherham, Wildlife Trust bought the woods and in part of the efforts to raise the money (and the profile of the plans) that was needed to buy the woods, we thought a (big) little race would be a good way of contributing to this.
The birth of Peaty’s Steel City DH on a damp cold day in March was the catalyst for further development the woods. Money from the first race went into building the Steel City DH track, funds from the next race went into formalising Pub Run and DH3.
Since the very beginning SCDH has been funding the trails in Greno woods from inception to new lines, refurbs and revamps, with Ride Sheffield managing and maintaining them.
The bikes and the way we ride has changed a lot over the past ten years and we have worked hard to keep the tracks as well running and relevant as possible.
Greno’s trails are some of the most ridden (and loved) across Yorkshire and while they have been built to a great standard by Bike Track, things wear out eventually.
We want the trails to remain a great experience for everyone, we want them to be progressive and to play an important role in the development of riders in the city. But that’s not something that is possible on just the money raised by the race.
Greno Woods Crowdfunder
So, here is where we need your help…. We are going to be crowdfunding for the next phase of planned work in Greno, we have some major repairs and redevelopments on Steel City and DH3, but we need your support to get them done!
Want the best berms this side of Whistler Bike Park? Want trail featured that can help progress your riding?
Want trails that run as well in the winter as they do in the summer……?
Well now is the time to contribute. As well as your money raised, SCDH will also be contributing with funds from the race, but the more you can donate the further we can make that money go
Below is a Brief description of the work we plan to do and how much we need to raise to complete each section…. We will have 2 months to raise the funds, with a deadline of the beginning of May and will keep you updated with a weekly totaliser.
Plans and costing
Steel City DH – £8,000
Red trail
The Red trail from the split down will be brought up to the same spec as the rest of the trail.
Build up and reshape all the turns on this section up to the pro jump.
Lift all low-lying areas to above ground level to improve drainage and reduce on maintenance.
A new corner will be built at the end of this section before the pro jump to separate the Red and Black trails better. The Red trail will now run to the right-hand side of the existing trail where a new tabletop jump will be created parallel to the pro jump.
The new jump will be a rollable tabletop that is similar in shape but shorter than the pro jump to help the progression up to the pro jump.
This jump will land and a new section created to keep riders separated from the pro jump right up until entering the existing corner. This will give riders plenty of time to be able to land and control speed before joining together just before the corner.
Black split
The existing Rollable double will be extended slightly on the landing and angled to suit the new line into the pro jump.
The corner after this will also be changed and built up to improve the line into the pro jump.
A new set up rollable jump will be created out of the turn to gain speed and reduce the need for pedalling into the pro jump.
The existing pro take off will be moved to the left so that it runs in a straight line, this will also open up a safe run off space in between that and the Red trail and will also help for races.
The existing pro landing will stay the same, we will also repair existing black trail to the left of pro jump as a chicken run in normal riding situations.
DH3 – £8,000
New rollable features on the top section as better trail qualifiers and to make the first bit more interesting.
The first jump will stay the same but the berm after will be built up and extended to stop riders cutting straight down the open.
The first rock garden will be removed, and a big berm will be made with a feature after it. A new corner will be made before the big rollable double this will help control speed into this feature,
The jump will be resurfaced and all the way into the next berm. The berm after the double will be built up and extended to stop riders needing to brake so much after the jump and also to stop riders going over it and cutting the track.
The first section on the second rock garden will stay but from where it drops, we will take the rest away and a new berm will be made to help maintain riders speed. So, you will have a berm then a straight rock garden then a berm so riders can hop from the rock garden into the berm.
The existing berm before the tabletops will be built up to help maintain speed and to the tabletops. Tabletops will stay same they will just be resurfaced and the landing right into the berm after them. After this point the track will all stay the same just general improvement works and surfacing in areas.
The last big left-hand corner will be redone to repair braking bumps and generally make it better at speed.
Additional Costs – £4000
As well as the direct trail work, there are additional costs in maintaining a safe and fun set of trails, so a little contingency and planning at the start goes a long way
We’d like to include new signage for new trail features and replacing missing/damaged ones.
While we’re getting material, it makes sense to stockpile extra to be used for future volunteer dig days, as borrow pits and material transport are more efficient while done at the same time.
How to Donate
Bank transfer
Direct transfers can be made to the Ride Sheffield account, details as follows;
Account name – Ride Sheffield Sort Code – 403102 Account number – 91574205 This account is with HSBC.
Paypal
Click the button to donate via Paypal.
Alternatively, send Paypal donations to ridesheffield@gmail.com using “Friends and Family” if possible please! Pop a note in the comments box “Greno 2020” and we’ll be sure to match your donation up.
Commercial donations
We welcome donations from businesses, along with offers for help other than just funding. Perhaps you can provide food or tooling for a dig day or can offer prizes for us to run a prize draw for people who’ve donated. Please contact ridesheffield@gmail.com to discuss any idea you or your company might have.
Looking After Greno
Beyond the Crowdfunder one of the best ways to keep the trails running sweetly well into the future is to get involved in the upkeep of the trails as part of a Ride Sheffield Trail Crew. We would like a dedicated trail crew for Greno and will be make sure that you are fully trained to carry out the work, so if that interests you, please get in touch.
But for now, donate, spread the word and make Greno great again!
“Walkers, horse riders, cyclists, however you get around, we all enjoy the beauty and serenity of our wild areas for the same reasons – stunning landscape, wonderful wildlife and fantastic flora. So Be Nice, Say Hi to everyone you meet!”
If you have ever flipped over a Be Nice Say Hi beermat and perused the back of it while you were waiting for your mate to return from the bar, that is what you would have read. It sums up not only how we feel about it, but its supported by the Sheffield Ramblers and Hallam Horse riders (not to mention the Outdoor City and Peak District National Park)
Parkwood is a perennial winter favourite, some may say its even better in the winter than the summer. Whatever your opinion is, it still need a bit of love from time to time. Our friends Bike Track are going to be heading up to the trail to give it a little bit of professional TLC, but to make their life a bit easier and so they can get more of the good stuff, we are going to do a little prep for them on the 12th of October in the from 1pm onward.
We need to do a bit of vegetation clearing as well as a bit of prep work on the trail surface as well as a little bit of a litter pick too.
It has been a great summer again and we have had some pretty prime trail conditions. But lots of prime riding in the dry and dust does tend to cut up the trails a wee bit. But hey, that all part of challenge and as long as we look after things then we get quality riding all year round.
So the time has come to put a little back into Lady Cannings on Sunday 29th September. We will be tidying up the loose material, pulling out the odd rock, a little bit of patching and building up a couple of the berms too and hopefully not too much litter picking.
And a Jam Session I hear you say? Well kind of! After a rather damp and cool start to summer we have a embarrassment of Blackberries and Bilberries lining the trail, so while trying to pick them on live trails is a bit of an extreme sport in itself, we figured we should make the most of closed trails by allowing a bit of fruit harvesting too.
It’s been another good summer for dusty trails this year, but the extra rain we have had has given us a bit of overgrown vegetation. (Parkwood will be sorted by the council team shortly)
So we will be heading upto Lady Cannings next Thursday the 25th for an evening session, cutting back vegetation and tidying up some of the loose sections too. Followed by post work pints in the Norfolk Arms (our sponsors may even buy you one 👊)
Dress appropriately for the work,don’t forget the midge spray and the water.
We will be meeting in the bottom car park on Sheephill Road at 6pm Thursday the 25th of July, or on the trails after 6pm.
Back in the days before our minds were continually melted by a non stop supply of shredits, we used to get the treat of a couple of times a year of heading down to the Showroom with a couple of hundred other riders to watch whatever feature length film was out at the time. As well as a cool communal experience, it was nice to be able to catch up with the MTB community too.
Last year we were treated to the World Premier of Gamble, but that was a rare treat. However we now have a couple of films coming up in the next month, if you like that sort of thing.
First up is The Moment, it’s about the history of free riding and how it has shaped our sport. Check out the trailer below. Its screened by Cycle to the Cinema at Decathlon on the 3rd of July
We were hoping to be up in Greno for our next trail day, but as some of the work up there is a bit more technical and we are not sure how much we will be getting the pro’s into, we thought we would have a little change of plans. We will be up in Greno soon and will be doing some Steel City DH prep in April too. If you have any thoughts on what you would to be seen done up there please let us know.
So for this month we will head up to Lady Cannings. It’s done pretty well this winter, but it could do with a little bit of love to keep things running sweet.
