Slieve Bloom trail centre

xxyyzz

iwillhtfu wrote: »

I didn't see any up there but it's been a while. As for there being no drops or similar features that would be the main problem in my opinion and the reason most think it's a waste of money. They're basically building access routes to trails that will be built by clubs outside of the centre.

Well they aren't exactly Mont St Anne style rock gardens but there are a number of them put in on the section that is open. To be honest they'd hardly slow you down. Look, it is what it is. Coillte were never going to build a bike park and the BPI lads who are designing it are treading a fine line between what is fun to ride and keeping it rideable for beginners. What is there is a lot of fun as I said, it is very fast and flowy like the original blue trail at BPI, it's definitely a lot better than the pictures. It's a beautiful area and the trail centre combined with the natural stuff that's already there will make it a great day out.

Claude Burgundy

I'm happy as its close to me and an ideal way to get my 5 year old on trails.

prunudo

Its a shame Coillte don't even allow for little drops or jumps just off the main trail. I've seen it on video's from various other places where they have a blue trail with small jumps but also have chicken lines for the less confident riders, it seems to work well.

Tenzor07

prunudo wrote: »

Its a shame Coillte don't even allow for little drops or jumps just off the main trail. I've seen it on video's from various other places where they have a blue trail with small jumps but also have chicken lines for the less confident riders, it seems to work well.

All I can think of is that for insurance reasons they don't want to leave themselves liable for injuries sustained while on their land.

Also they want to ensure complete beginners can use the trails as with Ticknock and Ballinastoe..

prunudo

Tenzor07 wrote: »

All I can think of is that for insurance reasons they don't want to leave themselves liable for injuries sustained while on their land.

Also they want to ensure complete beginners can use the trails as with Ticknock and Ballinastoe..

Yep, no doubt they'll hide behind insurance whether its true or not. Only thing I've found, the so called beginner friendly trials can lull you into a false sense of security. The faster you go the more likely they are going to bite. Some of the doubles and a triple on the lower metro or whatever its called now spring to mind.

covey123

xxyyzz wrote: »

. What is there is a lot of fun as I said, it is very fast and flowy like the original blue trail at BPI

Is it a steep enough gradient or a case using momentum to get the most out of it?any sneaky features built next to a more obvious chicken run?

xxyyzz

covey123 wrote: »

Is it a steep enough gradient or a case using momentum to get the most out of it?any sneaky features built next to a more obvious chicken run?

Bear in mind all that was open was a small 4km loop with a climb and a descent. There's loads of elevation there, the descent that is open is only half of what will be open in the next few months. In terms of steepness, as I said it's like the original blue in BPI, not super steep but plenty of dips and rollers to pump for free speed, speed won't be an issue if you know what you are doing. No sneaky features, no road gaps, no step-ups, no wall rides. It's a Coillte trail centre, not rampage

covey123

xxyyzz wrote: »

Bear in mind all that was open was a small 4km loop with a climb and a descent. There's loads of elevation there, the descent that is open is only half of what will be open in the next few months. In terms of steepness, as I said it's like the original blue in BPI, not super steep but plenty of dips and rollers to pump for free speed, speed won't be an issue if you know what you are doing. No sneaky features, no road gaps, no step-ups, no wall ride's. It's a Coillte trail centre, not rampage

What?not even skinnys or blind drops?? 😜

iwillhtfu

Are davagh/castlewellan/rostrevor not trail centres also? Somehow they manage to throw in something a bit interesting on ther official trails. No one is asking for rampage but if they are indeed intended for tourism they will not attract those looking for mtb trips.

Hopefully the bigger picture looks a lot better but if actual mtb trails and features are not incorporated into the design then I can't see it standing the test of time.

Peter T

All those mentioned are Northern Ireland so might not have to deal with the hand holding we have in the republic

bogmanfan

So does anyone know if the 21km is actually open? Such terrible communications from them. Heading to that neck of the woods over Christmas, so wondering if it's worth bringing the bike.

wellboss

I was there at the weekend with my local club, you need to know the woods to get the most out of it as not all the signs are up yet. The "trail closed" signs were removed from 90% of whats there so far compared to a visit a few weeks ago. You can still see ongoing development for the next batch of trails which will help link them all up. We often do 25-30 km over 2-3 hours with a mix of firetrack and trail but again you need to know how to find the sections further out into the wood. There are about 10 different trails sections open to date with good free flowing speed, you can get some small air if you want but no red level features yet. I am only a moderate level rider and it has enough for me and you can go fast enough to mess yourself up if you come off. Depending on what you want I think it is definitely worth a trip down but if your looking for reds and blacks you wont find them here.

Here is a Garmin link to all the stuff that is open plus some that are not :O. Best to stay off them so we don't destroy them before they settle. If you zoom in you will see the red line leave the firetrack and may help people to locate the the trails. There is a few trails missing after 2:25:00 mark as we took another route down but they are open and you can continue down through the wood.

Hope this helps

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4242258590#.XfpKi3qfyMI.gmail

Click on satellite view if it doesn't come on automatically

GiantRosa

wellboss wrote: »

I was there at the weekend with my local club, you need to know the woods to get the most out of it as not all the signs are up yet. The "trail closed" signs were removed from 90% of whats there so far compared to a visit a few weeks ago. You can still see ongoing development for the next batch of trails which will help link them all up. We often do 25-30 km over 2-3 hours with a mix of firetrack and trail but again you need to know how to find the sections further out into the wood. There are about 10 different trails sections open to date with good free flowing speed, you can get some small air if you want but no red level features yet. I am only a moderate level rider and it has enough for me and you can go fast enough to mess yourself up if you come off. Depending on what you want I think it is definitely worth a trip down but if your looking for reds and blacks you wont find them here.

Here is a Garmin link to all the stuff that is open plus some that are not :O. Best to stay off them so we don't destroy them before they settle. If you zoom in you will see the red line leave the firetrack and may help people to locate the the trails. There is a few trails missing after 2:25:00 mark as we took another route down but they are open and you can continue down through the wood.

Hope this helps

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4242258590#.XfpKi3qfyMI.gmail

Click on satellite view if it doesn't come on automatically

Thanks for sharing the link!
I can open it in Garmin but can't download it.......any suggestions?
Plan on going up there on Friday.

iwillhtfu

bogmanfan wrote: »

So does anyone know if the 21km is actually open? Such terrible communications from them. Heading to that neck of the woods over Christmas, so wondering if it's worth bringing the bike.

It's worth bringing the bike if you're heading that way but I'd head out off the trail to the top of the hill and you'll find more trails built by local clubs. It's a nice place for a walk/cycle.

xxyyzz

It's official now https://www.coillte.ie/site/slieve-bloom-mtb-trails-offaly/

Peter T

Could be ideal location for a boards.ie mtb meet

Tenzor07

xxyyzz wrote: »

It's official now https://www.coillte.ie/site/slieve-bloom-mtb-trails-offaly/

Don't forget Laois!

https://www.coillte.ie/site/slieve-bloom-mtb-trails-laois/

Although the Laois trail is a mere 6km.

I'd say it will be good for locals to get out and about and try something different, hire a nice bicycle...get the family out to burn off the Xmas dinner in the fresh air..

xxyyzz

The laois side is a 6km red loop and the Offaly side is a 14km blue loop. The 2 loops meet in the middle, you just cross the road so you can do a 20km spin in total.

GiantRosa

xxyyzz wrote: »

The laois side is a 6km red loop and the Offaly side is a 14km blue loop. The 2 loops meet in the middle, you just cross the road so you can do a 20km spin in total.

Is it obvious where this point is?!
Using Wellboss's Garmin link

Joe1919

xxyyzz wrote: »

The laois side is a 6km red loop and the Offaly side is a 14km blue loop. The 2 loops meet in the middle, you just cross the road so you can do a 20km spin in total.

They are on two different sides of the mountain with nearly 6 miles and a 200 meter ascent/descent 'Wolftrap climb' between them, which is a nice road spin in itself.

xxyyzz

GiantRosa wrote: »

Is it obvious where this point is?!
Using Wellboss's Garmin link

Actually my apologies, I was looking at an old map, I think in the future they will meet but at the moment there is a bit of a distance between the 2 loops.

covey123

This guy has a couple of videos up

https://youtu.be/TmZAddLvaTQ

Tenzor07

covey123 wrote: »

This guy has a couple of videos up
https://youtu.be/TmZAddLvaTQ

Looks like he ran out of Coillte track after 2mins22 and went onto natural trails.

Biopace

Was up there Saturday, I thought the trails were great, especially the last three, fast and flowey, v like BPI blue trails. Did some of the natural trails too. The place will be excellent when done, beautiful part of the country too. Going up again in a few days for a bit of an explore.

xxyyzz

Biopace wrote: »

Was up there Saturday, I thought the trails were great, especially the last three, fast and flowey, v like BPI blue trails. Did some of the natural trails too. The place will be excellent when done, beautiful part of the country too. Going up again in a few days for a bit of an explore.

And there are those on here who will tell you that you're wrong, you can't have fun on Coillte trails.

iwillhtfu

xxyyzz wrote: »

And there are those on here who will tell you that you're wrong, you can't have fun on Coillte trails.

I don't think anyone said that to be honest.

prunudo

Anyone been down yet, see Greg Callaghan had an Instagram video up, seemed to be getting decent pace with plenty of flow.

bogmanfan

Went down today with my wife and we did the 14km loop from Kinnitty. It's quite short but seriously good fun. It's a case of climb straight to the top, and then descend straight to the bottom so all the climbing is at the start. But when you start descending, the flow and speed are fantastic. Can't wait for the rest of the trails to open.

ravydavygravy

We took a trip down the other day as well, enjoyed it a lot. We put up some video of the downhill bits also. The climb up is 90% forest roads, but fairly gradual climb to the top - maybe 5km, with 300m ascent? There's one other short uphill (1km) between the first and second downhill sections.

https://youtu.be/fX-CLmvTBwU

ravydavygravy

Here's a vid of the other trails, the red ones in Baunreagh - I hadn't seen any other videos of them.

https://youtu.be/DtqqYCGa6PA