The Ride Sheffield team has decided it’s time to spread some Christmas cheer to all our Sheffield riders who have made it through 2020 with the all new ‘Anti-social Social’. About now we would usually be planning a ‘Winter Social’ with real people and real conversation, but this year we’re taking it digital with an online raffle, yes you heard it correctly, there is MTB merch up for grabs. There will also be a week of Ride Sheffield announcements to get you hyped for 2021.
Coming soon
The ‘Anti-social Social’ raffle will be kicking off on Wednesday, 9th December and be drawn on Sunday, 20th December. From Sunday, 13th there will be a weeks worth of activity where you will be hearing updates from our team about plans for next year, and some tips to hone your riding skills.
The Ride Sheffield Christmas raffle is always a crowd pleaser at the Winter Social, and this year it won’t disappoint. The full lowdown of prizes will be revealed on Wednesday, 9th December, but to whet your appetite we can tell you there are definitely Hope brakes and a Cotic voucher worth £500 up for grabs.
On Sunday, 20th December when we’ll be announcing which lucky riders have hit the jackpot by winning one of our raffle prizes.
If you want to get involved all you have to do is follow our social channels where we will be posting all you need to know about how you enter the raffle, what you could win, and the all important Ride Sheffield news for 2021. Take your pick from twitter, Facebook or Instagram , or fill your boots and follow all three!
At Ride Sheffield we are always keen for local
riders to come to us with good ideas, and this one from Nick Blaney is a
belter. As a Ride Sheffield supporter Nick has something for you all to
entertain yourselves during these soggy dark winter months. Over to Nick….
Nick Blaney
The Countryside Rights Of Way Act 2000
has set a deadline of January 2026 for rights of way claims to historic paths
which existed before 1949 but not currently registered as Public Rights Of
Way(PROW). What does this mean for mountain bikers, horse riders and
walkers? Well any ‘white lanes’ or unregistered tracks we currently use as part
of our routes could be blocked by landowners at any time.
The Ramblers Association and the British Horse
Society have started projects, ‘Don’t Lose Your Way’ and ‘Project 2026’
respectively, to help identify historic paths and lanes and make submissions to
have these legally registered as PROW’s through Definitive Map Modification
Orders (DMMO’s) applications. These usually require painstaking evidence
gathering and a good understanding of the process.
In addition the Sheffield Lakeland and
Landscape Partnership(SLLP), which covers the area inclusive of Redmires,
Rivelin, Derwent Edge, Langsett, Midhope and Underbank, Walkley and Worrall
(mainly S6, northern part of S10 and southern bits of S35 and S36), have a
Highways Heritage Project(HHP) which has made great progress in identifying
over 50 possible routes. These include DMMO applications for historic
tracks, ‘white lanes’ on your OS maps, options to upgrade suitable footpaths to
bridleways and potential for new bridleways through private land. These
require diligent research or building positive working relationships with
landowners such as Sheffield City Council, Yorkshire Water and estate owners.
Whirlow Byway
So what can we do as mountain bikers in
Sheffield? If you live outside the SLLP boundary (quite thoroughly researched
already) check your local OS maps to see if your local routes are official. If
not, are they ‘white lanes’ or potentially historic drovers paths of cart
tracks? Are any of your local footpaths good candidates for upgrade to
bridleway status? Do you know any horse riders in your local area who may
already be looking in to this? If so make contact.
I am now trained to record potential historic
rights of ways through the BHS Project 2026 website so let me know of any
candidates in your area. I can also provide some advice on how you may make a
start engaging with the right parties for other potential (non historic) rights
of ways changes.
If you are a bit of a map geek like myself the
National Library for Scotland has digitised copies of all OS maps from 1850
onwards. Unfortunately SCC does not have digitised copies of the local
Definitive Map or any local parish maps that predate 1850.
Some useful background information in the links below:
As we face another lockdown, what have we learnt as riders that can help us through the next one while preserving our physical and mental health and a positive outlook for the sport?
To say that this year has been a little bit odd would be understating things just a touch. But for many of us, bikes have been our salvation during the past seven months. It gave us an escape once a day during lockdown, a way of spending time with friends as things gradually ease (and now as we lockdown again). It has brought countless new riders into the sport (not to mention huge numbers of people out into the countryside). It has stripped shops of bikes but has also meant that so many more people are trying mountain biking for the first time or bringing lapsed riders back into the fold, not to mention all the kids that learned to ride during that time too.
So out of what is really quite a desperate situation, there can be some real positives. It’s not been easy, just the sheer number of people out in the Peak and beyond has at times proved to be a real challenge, but that does not mean that it’s a bad thing. This year has brought about a lot of change, but if there is something to take away from that, it’s that change happens, and the quicker we can get a handle on it the better.
So, after more than half a year of change and facing a winter of discontent and further restrictions, what has mountain biking learnt, what mistakes do we still keep on making and how do we work with this change to make the sport stronger on the other side?
We asked riders new and old, land managers and anyone else we have stopped and chatted to (formally and informally) along the way and here is what we found…..
Riding
Trying harder than usual to avoid a trip to A&E provided its own set of challenges and arguments. You could hurt yourself doing the most benign trail, gnar and speed is relative and riding at less than 50% often felt scarier and otb worthy than normal riding. For most, their own judgement got them by just fine. #nocarnognarnotfar was an effective stick to beat ourselves with that we maybe could have done without.
For those who were lucky enough to have trails on the doorstep, the prospect of a daily ride sounded great. But at a sedate pace it may have seemed less interesting. With a bit more repetition now was the chance to work on improving technique, tweaking setups and finding new lines through old trails. New trails were found closer to home. Routes were reversed, who knew your favourite descent could be an engaging climb too, not to mention the views you had been missing.
Being Nice and Saying Hi
Never has there been more of a need for this. Interactions in the outdoors were for many people the only time they encountered another person. That smile and hello you gave them could have been their sole interaction for days.
Saying hi can smooth the ride considerably (especially if you ride with kids) – We’ve all encountered , the person who suddenly and silently appears on your wheel, huffing under their breath until they find somewhere to squeeze past. Who would have thought that a friendly “hi, could I squeeze past when there is space” would make it easier and quicker for all (this is not just an MTB problem).
Some people can’t hear you – the elderly person who doesn’t seem to hear you or the person who refuses to move out of the way because their hearing isn’t what it was anymore, or they could be profoundly deaf. So next time, rather than buzzing them and scaring the Werther’s Original out of them, maybe give them the benefit of the doubt and slow down and pass wide.
2m passing space is not a bad idea – If giving everyone 2m as you passed by seemed a lot, maybe you have been passing a bit too closely all these years.
Brake checking or backpedalling is not how to let people know you want to pass– Next time you are on a stretch of road linking the trails, imagine a car or HGV locking up its wheels behind you (just to let you know it’s there!) nice eh!?
Say hi, pass wide, pass slow – try it on your next ride, you may be pleasantly surprised!
Lastly, being nice doesn’t just have to be reserved for the trails. We have a great riding community in Sheffield and even in the best of times our main interactions with one another are online. Just because someone doesn’t share the same view as you, doesn’t mean they are wrong. Just because we are united by mountain biking, doesn’t mean we will, or should have the same opinions. Embrace debate and if someone disagrees with you, deal with it or even reflect on their opinions. If you’re tempted to call out snowflake, you probably need to up your debate game!
Photo: Duncan Philpott
Access
Just because you aren’t at work, doesn’t mean that land managers are off too! – Lockdown saw an explosion of cheeky riding, less people out and no one to check meant that everywhere was fair game right? Well maybe not, reports of mountain bikers being in places that they were not meant to be, hit an all-time high during lockdown.
The hills and woodland surrounding Sheffield were not just a source of solace to riders, lots of people were suddenly out on the trails and who could blame them. Some people were more precious than others, unhappy that their spot was suddenly busy. I am sure some riders felt that too and could share a little empathy here. In more extreme cases we even saw trapping of trails as a sign of frustration. While never right, it does highlight how emotive people’s relationships to spaces they feel ownership of is.
So many new people out in the countryside has certainly created some headaches, from car parking to fires and lots of litter. But more people out in nature is overwhelmingly a positive thing. Just because they have not yet learned to respect it like more traditional users does not mean that they should be kept away. A delicate bit of education goes a lot further than shouting down someone’s mistakes.
There was (and still is) a big increase in the number of trails being carved into hillsides across the country. In some way this has to be applauded, it’s great to see riders with passion and dedication to create progressive riding. In some cases, these spots may well be adopted and become iconic destinations for riders. But for every well thought out and considerately constructed trail, there will be hundreds of others that will be forgotten scars in places that they maybe shouldn’t be, that cause friction between landowners and riders. A balance needs to be struck for sure.
There have been so many new riders entering the sport in the last eight months. So much so that it has caused a national (even global) shortage of bikes. More riders make our roads safer places to be and makes lobbying for increased access and other places to ride potentially easier. But they need to stay in the sport and the best way to do that (other than encouraging them to enjoy winter) is to show what a welcoming and inclusive sport it can be. Out on the trails and online, take the time to say hi and chat to people who are new to the sport (or just in general). Share hints and tips on setup and kit as well as riding skills (if they ask!). Chat to those colleagues who have just got bikes, take them out for a ride (on nice progressive trails), remember what it’s like to be a beginner again and feel how good it is to give a little back!
We still face a long winter of disruption, for many of us these are extremely difficult times, so what can you do to make it easier on yourself and others over the next few months and maybe even come out of the other end feeling good about something.
Look after your mental health
Winter can be trying at the best of times, Christmas is not always happy for everyone, so try and do what you can to promote good mental wellbeing and health in yourself and others…
Try to get outside and ride in daylight once a week, it will make you feel good and the body will appreciate the vitamin D (it’s worth taking extra this time of year too).
Any rider with depression will tell you that the biggest challenge is getting out of the house (depression is physically exhausting too), but is always worth it when they do. The clean up from a short ride may not seem the hassle, but develop good routines for bike cleaning, leave a hat and a flask (Tea, Coffee Whiskey) near your cleaning kit, as well as a towel and a bag for dirty kit by the door when you head out and it will make it that bit easier.
Check in on your friends, especially the ones skipping out on rides, they may need your help the most.
It’s ok not to be ok! Simple really, but you don’t need to kid yourself you are ok or tough it out. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 in this country. If you don’t want to talk to your friends call Samaritans on 116 123 (free call).
Be kind to yourself, give yourself a break and remember that one of the best things about riding a bike is that extra large cake allowance that it gives you!
Look after yourself and others
Give your riding buddy and other users the space they need when you are out on the trail (and elsewhere) especially in the busier areas
If you want to avoid the crowds, try and ride away from peak times
Say hi to others out on the trail, a two minute chat may be the only contact some people may have had that day!
Check in on your family and friends when you can
Consider what you post online, your amazing picture of a bit of freedom out on the trail with a friend, may heighten someone else’s isolation and despair at not being able to be doing the same.
Winter is never the time to be learning new tricks or hunting KoM’s. Take a read of the advice of Tested to Destruction if you want a little help on this. Now is probably not the time for a hospital visit either! http://testedtodestruction.blogspot.com/2020/02/go-outside-sit-down-wait.html
Look after the trails
Over the next month and possibly more we will not be able to get out and work on the trails (we have been working hard recently, but in restricted size groups) so please be considerate of where you ride.
Try and ride on sustainable surfaces where you can. We are lucky to have a lot of rocky and free draining trails to give you a lot of riding options for winter.
Now is not time to explore delicate footpaths or to start to try and form your own desire lines (especially down the fall line)
Kick out a drain, move some debris off the trail, report problems you see on the trail (info@ridesheffield.org.uk) and it will keep things moving a little easier.
Have a little Selfless Isolation and take a note from Trash Free Trails and have a litter pick at your favourite riding spot (some tips here…)
Share your thoughts or ideas of what you would like us to be doing more (or less) of. Or even better, get in touch and ask to join a mailing list for our trail teams when we can get back out again.
And finally…. Let your riding give you a constant, a chance to take your mind off things and return home feeling more like yourself. Take the time to share that good feeling when you are out on the trails and online.
Let the wind and rain sting your face and remember how good it is to feel strong and free and privileged to be out on a bike in the hills
LOCKDOWN 2 UPDATE – please bear in mind that this article was originally written when Sheffield had been moved into Tier 3, with Derbyshire in Tiers 1 and 2. As of November 5th, England is now in Lockdown, meaning slightly different guidelines yet again. Full details can be found here , but here’s a quick update;
While we should stay at home wherever possible, we are allowed to exercise outside with members of our own household, those we’ve formed a support bubble with, or one other person from another household.
Travel is now only allowed for a handful of purposes, although this does include travel for exercise. We’re aware that for many people driving to ride is the only option, but would suggest riding from home wherever possible. If you do travel, be considerate of others, especially in isolated villages with lower infection rates but higher numbers of elderly people. Ride well within your limits, but do get out there – riding is SO good for your mental and physical health!
As the announcement was made that Sheffield is heading into Tier 3 Covid restrictions we can’t deny one of our first thoughts was ‘can we still MTB with our mates?’, closely followed by ‘can we still go to the pub after a ride?’.
At Ride Sheffield we’re all about keeping you safe on and off the trails so here’s how we see it when it comes to riding in Sheffield under Tier 3. This is a helping hand to interpret the rules and understand what it means for us when it comes to shredding in Sheffield. Our focus here is on the restrictions for those people living within Sheffield not people travelling from other regions.
These were the first questions we asked, so based on the information we now have we’ll do our best to answer them.
Can I ride with friends outside of my household?
Tier 3 interpretation: The guidelines state you can ride as a group of six or under but you must adhere to the social distancing rules of 2 metres.
Ride Sheffield guidance: When on Bridleways try to keep your social distance from your riding group but also be aware of other trail users who perhaps are not as comfortable mixing outside of their household. Do the right thing if the trail is tight, stand aside and ‘be nice say hi’ to walkers or horse riders.
Can I ride on my local trails and Ride Sheffield trails?
Tier 3 interpretation: As Greno, Parkwood and Lady Cannings are all within the Sheffield boundary you can absolutely use these trails if you are keeping your social distance in place.
Ride Sheffield guidance: This is why we have invested so much in delivering sustainable local trails, so enjoy them and hone your skills for when we’re released back out of this tier. Please bear in mind that popular spots may get busy, particularly at weekends. Be prepared to head somewhere else!
Which mountain bike trails are within the Sheffield boundary?
Tier 3 interpretation: As outlined above you are allowed to ride local trails so knowing the boundary is important. You can check out OS maps or regional maps.
Ride Sheffield guidance: In addition to the obvious popular spots, please be willing to give something different a try. Maybe that local bridleway near your house isn’t as exciting as practicing your favourite berms, but it may well be a good bit quieter and help spread the load.
You can also take a look at the Trailforks map on our website to give you further ideas of loops to head for on the mountain bike.
Can I ride over the border into Derbyshire?
Tier 3 interpretation: This is not advisable as it is deemed as unnecessary travel and residents in Tier 3 are not supposed to visit areas in Tier 2, which would include most areas of Derbyshire bordering Sheffield. There’s a lot of confusion around the naming of areas, bearing in mind that Peak District doesn’t just mean Derbyshire – it’s far from straightforward and better to follow by County area.
Ride Sheffield guidance: At this time, we wouldn’t recommend riding in Derbyshire but if you do, consider avoiding local cafes and shops as this is where most of the animosity occurred during the first lockdown. We are conscious of thinking about the locals in villages of Derbyshire who will not be wanting an influx of people from Sheffield so we’re seeing this as a good time to stay local.
Can I go to the pub after my ride?
Unless you’re riding with your household or meeting them afterwards for food it’s a no.
Ride Sheffield guidance: Pack some good trail snacks and have a socially distanced stop and chat in the wilderness.
We understand everyone’s interpretations can be slightly different but under our ‘be nice say hi’ mantra, now doesn’t seem the time to push the boundaries. The more we all play the game and stick to the rules, the sooner we can be planning trips out of area, and who knows maybe even abroad – that’s our 2021 goals right there!
The Peak District National Park Foundation has awarded Ride Sheffield with a £500 grant towards trail maintenance projects, resulting in the purchase of a new leaf blower.
The newly formed charity, the Peak District National Park Foundation, has been fundraising to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Peak District in 2021. Thanks to their efforts the optimistic target of £70,000 is now well within reach, and as part of this project Ride Sheffield has been able to invest in this game changing piece of equipment.
Leaf blowers have proven really useful for clearing trails of muck and mulch, making everything even more rideable, and keeping the trails as clear as possible through autumn and winter. Getting rid of the organic matter that rots down into mud means that we don’t have to scrape it off later in the year.
We’ve been able to borrow Sheffield City Council’s machines, but demand being high meant that availability hasn’t been great over the last couple of years. An extra leaf blower will be a huge help.
“It’s the little things that matter! Maintenance isn’t sexy or good at creating news headlines, but is at the heart of good conservation management and sustaining a high quality landscape. A place where wildlife can thrive alongside the people who want to enjoy ‘blowing the cobwebs’ away, be it walking, riding, running or just enjoying being in nature” Jon Dallow, Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council are kindly testing and maintaining this blower for us and we’ll be sharing it with them to use when they have larger projects. Ride Sheffield will be getting out as much as we can to clear the trails we’ve built with the council at Parkwood and Lady Cannings, Sheffield Wildlife Trust sites like Greno, along with the bridleways dotted around the area.
Before…..
“We’re delighted to have the ongoing support of Ride Sheffield to help look after the network of public bridleways and footpaths at Blacka Moor nature reserve. The recent purchase of a leaf blower with funding from the Peak Park Foundation will really help the volunteers keep the routes clear and in good condition over the autumn and winter.” Nabil Abbas, Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust
After!
We’re chuffed to have the support of the land managers we work alongside, along with the Peak District National Park Foundation and their grant money. Team work as it should be!
You can read more about the work of the Peak District Foundation and their work here
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:
We like to keep it positive at Ride Sheffield and if ever we
were looking for a silver lining through the pandemic madness we think we’ve
found it – we’ve witnessed lots of new riders joining the Ride Sheffield fold
and getting into mountain biking (MTB) during lockdown.
Under normal circumstances we’d be welcoming you all with a summer social, as we love a good natter over a cold one, but for now it’s a virtual introduction. We wanted to give new riders an insight into mountain biking in Sheffield and how you can embrace the Ride Sheffield trails.
Direction of travel
Ride Sheffield in a nutshell…
10 years in the making.
Ride Sheffield has been working for 10 years to improve trails for mountain bikers in and around the city and the Peaks. Key has been building relationships with land owners and managers, Peak District National Park Authority and Sheffield City Council.
The guidelines we
live by – be nice say hi.
If you’ve been out on Bridleways and Ride Sheffield trails you will have seen our nifty little ‘be nice say hi’ signs which are the very essence of the group – we strongly promote good relations with all trail users. Our riding community is renowned as being a friendly bunch which makes our job much easier.
This every time
Explore the Trails
The result of Ride Sheffield fundraising and development over the years is a mix of awesome trails for you to shred and challenge your riding.
Here we outline for you some of the purpose built trails, those made solely for mountain biking, which Ride Sheffield has invested time in funding, planning and developing. We also invest a lot of energies into maintaining Public Bridleways with dig days at locations such as Blacka Moor. Over the last few years we have forged relationships with Eastern Moors Partnerships to bring Bridleway access to Barbrook Valley, Curbar and Froggatt Edges – this has been a great success!
Purpose built
All Ride Sheffield purpose built trails are graded which will help you work out the right level for your riding ability:
MTBGrading
Blue – Moderate
Skills: Off-road riding skills to cope with uneven surfaces and small obstacles. Singletrack sections and small obstacles of roots and rocks.
Red – Difficult
Skills: Proficient mountain bikers with good off-road skills. Tricky descents and technical features such as drop offs and large drops.
Black – Severe
Skills: Expert mountain biker with high level of fitness. Greater riding challenge and difficulty, expect large and unavoidable features.
Ride Sheffield Trails
Lady Cannings Blue
Parkwood Springs Blue/Red
Greno Woods Red/Black
Lady Cannings
Singletrack through Lady Cannings
If you’re new to MTBing Lady Cannings is a great place to start as there are no surprises such as drops or jumps – you can build up your confidence on flowy trails. With two trails, ‘Cooking on Gas’ and ‘Blue Steel’, there is nothing a novice can’t handle – it is a great place to hone your skills as a beginner or an intermediate rider.
Riding Tip: Depending on your physical strength and riding ability, there are lots of options to make a visit up to Lady Cannings a loop or a few hours in the saddle.
From Endcliffe Park you can ride out taking in Bingham Park, Forge Dam and Porters Clough, and then on to Lady Cannings
Incorporating the Houndkirk trail into your route is a good way to build stamina and push the miles
If you want to take in more technical riding, and you have good technical skills, check out the Blackamoor descents
Parkwood Springs
Inner city trail
On a clear day you’ll be whipping down Parkwood Springs with the city as your back drop. Thanks to Bike Track, and the input of Steve Peat, this trail packs a punch with great features in a relatively small space. This is mainly a blue trail with red opt-in sections but everything is rollable so no nasty surprises to deal with.
Riding Tip: It may be small but this is the trail that keeps
giving
Challenge yourself to loops of Parkwood
Build up to take on the red sections
This is a great place for a wet day when
everything else is a mudfest
Greno Woods
Peaty’s Steel City Downhill
This is the home to Sheffield’s ‘Peaty’s Steel City Downhill’ so by its very nature there is more hardcore riding to be had. Greno Woods has been used from year dot in the mountain biking world and today boasts two red trails, with black options.
The loop consists of 2 red grade descents, Pub Run and Steel City (which has a Black opt in) and one black grade descent DH3 (this has several large but rollable jumps and a steep section towards the end). The whole loop is connected by red grade bridleway accessed by the top bridleway over the road from the car park.
Riding tip: Only consider Greno if you feel you are very
comfortable on blue trails and more technical terrain.
Watch out for the ‘bowl’ on the Steel City track and the opt in blacks, study the trail map first to make yourself familiar of where these are located
Both start at the top bridleway and you will find many riders sessioning the tracks
Don’t let this put you off as mountain bikers are generally an encouraging bunch and you may even tap into some local knowledge along the way
Back to Basics
We’re no trail police but we do like to keep our riders safe. Whether you are just getting into biking or been MTBing for years, the tracks often feel so close to home you think you could easily get out of trouble. From experience it is always better to be prepared – here’s some back to basics tips as a friendly reminder:
Wear a helmet
This is possibly a no brainer but in case you’re wondering
with trees, stones, compact trails, bikes to get in the way you’re never in for
a soft landing so always protect your noggin!
Puncture Repair Kit
Nothing worse than having to make an ‘SOS’ for a taxi home because you forgot your puncture repair kit or pump. Even if you’re running tubeless there are various hacks to fix your tyres but if it’s not salvageable an old fashioned inner tube can come in handy.
First Aid
You don’t need a full on St John Ambulance kit but you’ll not
regret carrying some basic first aid – whether this is for yourself or a fellow
trail user one day you’ll be glad to find it buried in your backpack. A
bandage, wound wipes, steri strips, survival bag (particularly during the cold
season) are worth considering.
Pads
Not everyone wears pads but they do give you confidence on more technical trails, and will save your skin if you do fall off. In MTBing wearing knee or arm pads is totally normal, people often become a convert after taking layers of skin off and thinking ‘if only I’d had knee pads on!’. You don’t need to look like a storm trooper as there are plenty of light weight options around.
Sessioning
While we mainly encourage riding, don’t ever be afraid to get off and walk, seriously. If you’re unsure of your technical ability session the track. Step back and walk the line so you can map it out mentally before you tackle anything you’re unsure of, try that piece of track again and again to gain your confidence. There is no judging in MTBing and you’ll probably get more respect for being cautious than ploughing down something blindly and coming a cropper!
Layers
Ambassadors at work in the rain
Layers are your friend, you may set off in perfect
conditions but mother nature has a habit of playing tricks on you – a
waterproof or windproof layer will ensure you don’t have to head in early when
the weather closes in.
Heading away from Cannings on Houndkirk
Like what you ride?
We love seeing riders brimming with happiness and on adrenaline fuelled highs. If you want to know how you can give back to our trails and Ride Sheffield future fundraising efforts take a look at RAD Tax to make your contribution.
Back at the start of March when the world was still a slightly different place we launched a crowd funding campaign to allow us to do a lot of needed refurb work in Greno (original story here https://ridesheffield.org.uk/greno-woods-crowdfunder/ ), with all that happened around that time we didn’t feel it was right to be asking for funds when a lot of people were uncertain about what the future might hold.
While things are still long way from normal (whatever that is) we are heading in that direction and the lockdown period has got lots of new folks involved in the sport and meant that many trails have been busier than ever so it feels like a good time to give the crowd funding campaign a bit of a relaunch.
If you ride at Greno you’ll know that some spots need some love and we hope you can help us to make that happen.
We are hoping to raise a total of £20k to allow work to happen on all 3 tracks and also update signage and other bits. So far we have raised around £2.5k of this.
The trails are all free to use, free parking etc so please consider donating a few quid if you ride up there, possibly even a few quid per trip in place of paying to park as you would at many other places.
We know that right now may not be the best time for everyone to donate so if you can’t afford to donate any money, help us spread the word, tell your friends about what we’re doing, talk to other folks when you’re riding up there etc and let them know that we need everyone to help us out!
Thanks everyone and happy trails!
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
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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.
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
As part of our involvement on the Cut Gate Mend our Mountains project, we’ve been included by Moors for the Future in site meetings and discussions around repair works to the North America bridleway. Apologies for not getting updates out sooner, things haven’t quite gone to plan…
North America
Tool envy.
The works on North America should have run concurrently with the planned drainage work on Cut Gate, but landowner permissions didn’t happen in time for Cut Gate works to begin. We’ll update on that when we know more.
Weather delayed the start of the North America works, setting a precedent for what would prove to be a battle against both weather and time. The landowner/estate insisted on the contractor being off site mid March, so it was a bit of a battle to get done what they could.
We were invited to a couple of site visits, both early on and towards the end of the works. It may take some remembering, but back in February and March the weather was much much wetter. It didn’t make for the most pleasant site visits – I was envious of the machinery and tools, but I didn’t envy them working on a cold exposed hilltop in Winter!
Wellies required.
The work on North America is much more intrusive than that planned for Cut Gate – with new build track for much of the section. This has been made by digging alongside the bridleway route for material, making sure that no materials need to be imported to site.
Terra Firma began work at the North end of the track, knowing that this was likely where the poorer quality material would be. Their suspicions were proved correct, with high clay content. The contrast between this first section and the next bit they worked on was quite stark – the second section had dried and begun to bed in, while the clay stayed soft. The plan was to return to the lower section with material from further up the hill, where the higher mineral content was obvious.
Firmer material, almost immediately after being laid.The softer clay further down the hill
Further up the track towards Cut Gate, the bigger work has been on drainage – with stone lined gulleys taking water off and down the hill. Water management is absolutely vital in path repairs, so we see this making a huge difference over time. The crossings have been sensibly designed, without too much gradient either side, rather a wider/smoother dip.
Much of the reason for the repairs is moorland restoration – bringing back the natural habitat. Now we have a narrower, sustainable track, the heather should recover and hide the braiding and erosion from before. Terra Firma also spread heather brash and seed to encourage this and hide the tracks from their machinery.
The new track winding its way up the hill
Wet weather and even snow meant several missed days for the contractor, on top of the delayed start. This means that the works aren’t yet complete, so are likely to be rolled in with the start of the drainage work on Cut Gate.
The works may come as something of a shock to people, but as we mentioned before – given time for the vegatation to grow back, the track to weather a little and at least a few freeze/thaw cycles – we’ll soon have another year round option to include in our Langsett/Cut Gate rides. We now see North America as a climb option too, opening out different choices for a loop at the end of an out and back ride of Cut Gate.
The clay section in particular will need more work, we’re discussing this with Moors for the Future. Once we have more news on this and Cut Gate, we’ll update you all again.
