Bike Park Ireland closed this weekend

Trickling down to the kids play grounds now and insurers refusing to cover certain sections.


Nore Valley Park

"It is with regret that we have to announce that our maze and the straw bounce are now closed until further notice.

Our insurers are no longer willing to cover it, and while we are trying our best to come to a resolution with them, it will remain closed for the foreseeable."

Why can't this just be nipped in the bud and some legislation brought in that makes people culpable for their own actions.

QueenMTBee wrote: »

I get that judges and insurance companies are partly to blame but why aren't you putting any blame at the door of the people claiming these exaggerating injuries? They don't have a gun to their head. They aren't all scrotes and scobies, they are "normal" people who see a way to make a quick buck. If people didn't make exaggerated claims and claim for dumb stuff they do then there would be no court case and no massive payout. The Joe Soap chancing their arm for some "free" money are equally at fault here.

Very true,the system in place at the moment does nothing to discourage these claims,but equally the onus is on the public to use a bit of cop on,the whole of society suffers when these claims are made

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Trickling down to the kids play grounds now and insurers refusing to cover certain sections.


Nore Valley Park

"It is with regret that we have to announce that our maze and the straw bounce are now closed until further notice.

Our insurers are no longer willing to cover it, and while we are trying our best to come to a resolution with them, it will remain closed for the foreseeable."

Why can't this just be nipped in the bud and some legislation brought in that makes people culpable for their own actions.

Jesus, its been a while since I was in a Maze, I must have subconsciously blocked out how treacherous they can be!

smacl wrote: »

Five and a half thousand signatures now. Time the folks at BPI started waving it at a couple of local TDs and radio commentators.

Signed and I'll ask a couple more MTBers to sign too.

What I cant understand is why The PIAB (Personal Injuries Assment Board) was supposed to be the silver bullet. I'm not up to speed on why it was'nt but clearly it did not do much.

prunudo wrote: »

I was in a shop the other day, there was a stack of boxes waiting to be packed on the shelves in the aisle. The people in front of me commented that it was a bit 'dangerous' and half jokingly said something about the claim you could put in if you tripped up.
This is the shıte we're up against, people out for a quick buck. When and how did this sense of entitlement to money for your own clumsiness become the norm. Whether they were serious or not doesn't really matter, its the fact that it was first thing that sprung to their mind.
So while we can criticise the judges, lawyers and insurance companies all we want, a lot of the blame also rests on the general public, it needs a major reset of the mindset before there'll be any real changes.

Agreed. But surely the best way to change the general publics' mindset is to change judicial behaviour which will trickle down to insurance companies and legal firms. How else can you change the public mindset? Ad campaigns etc will only do so much. Deny claims in court - problem will soon go away.

Totally agree,but many people are opportunists,and when the system in place says "here, have some free cash,if you can forget decency and cop on for just a bit....."well, there can only be one outcome unfortunately

c montgomery wrote:

Busy season is over now so would they even open for the winter?

I truly can't see them opening again, hopefully I'm wrong though

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Ah it will open again alright it's their business and there's not much else to be done with the land. You'll find there will a year or two of this insurance nonsense and some companies will bare the tough times better than others. I'm sure The Gap are being dragged over the coals by the insurance companies also but they would have a higher turn over than BPI so can suffer it for a certain duration.

im hoping you re right, but the longer this goes on, my gut is telling me otherwise, id say theyre sitting on a lot of debt there, and the banks wont wait

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Yeah possibly but I don't believe the land was bought purposely for the bike park though I assume it was land already in their possession and their over heads would have been quite low obviously with the exception of insurance. did they have many hire bikes they would've been bought out right, machinery diggers, up lift trucks etc.

Personally I think they could look at opening up a campsite there in the interim if they can get coverage as it's becoming more and more popular. Turn the bike trails into walking trails for the short term.

id imagine they 'own' the land outright, but obviously all the equipment, including bikes, would need to have been purchased, and that money was probably borrowed. money for developing the park since its opening, may also have been borrowed. i realise im making a lot of assumptions there, as i dont have access to that information, but with trails costing roughly 50k each to create, id say theyre sitting on a lot of debt, i could be wrong of course

prunudo wrote: »

True, I don't really know what the answer is though. It can't keep going on the way it is. You'd think after the embarrassment of the Marie Bailey case that the government would start taking note, but like everything its done at snails pace.

There's the new judicial council. A handy summary of it here.

https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2019/0717/1063526-how-the-judicial-council-bill-changes-the-irish-justice-system/
The main change will be the recalibration of awards. In addition Gardai are planning to investigate fraudsters more aggressively and generate stats in Pulse.

Wanderer78 wrote: »

according to bike park owners, thats how much it cost them, id say they have no reason to lie to me about it. they were extremely impressed by the company they got in to build originally, sounded very professional, they turned up with men and equipment needed for the job.

Ah right yeah I guess that's the case when you get designers etc involved to used to just heading up the hill with a mattock,saw and barrow myself

I believe The Gap used a guy from bike park wales and inside scoop is they're planning another jump line or two in the near future.

I presume that unless they are riding the trails themselves it won't be long till nature starts taking over. Could take a bit of work to get them in a ridable state again if they end up being closed for a lengthy period.

Wanderer78 wrote: »

im hoping you re right, but the longer this goes on, my gut is telling me otherwise, id say theyre sitting on a lot of debt there, and the banks wont wait

Looks as though you were right a post on Facebook from BPI

DISPERSAL BIKE AND GEAR SALE.

Hi Everyone.
As I'm sure you are all aware, we are unfortunately still closed.
And with time passing by and with ongoing commitments to the banks etc and with no income from the Bike Park we must sell off all our bikes straightaway - new and ex rental. Please spread the word as all the new bikes need to be sold this weekend and all the ex rentals must be gone by the 28th.
All new bikes are being sold at cost price. Everything must go so there is some great bargains to be had.

Various sizes, specs and conditions listed below.

IT'S POSSIBLE TO VIEW THESE BIKES (BY APPOINTMENT ONLY) THIS SATURDAY BETWEEN 10AM - 2PM, by calling Graham on 0872831454 or send us a fb message.

Bikes Available are as follows:

Kona Bikes 2019
New Hei Hei Trail 27.5 (M) €1600
New Big Honzo 27.5 (M) €800
New Honzo 20" kids €350
New Honzo 24" kids €450
New Kahuna 29 (M/L) €700
New Lanai 27.5 (XS) €450
New Blast 27.5 (L) €650
New/Demo Satori DL 29" (M) €2000
New/Demo Process 153 AL/DL (M) €2000

Trek Bikes 2019
New/Demo Rosco 7 (Size 18.5) €700
New/Demo Remedy 7 (Size 18.5) €1600
New Rosco 6 (Size 19.5) SOLD
New Marlin 5 (Size 13.5) SOLD

All X-rental bikes below are fully serviced and come with a brand new dropper post. Most of the Bikes were bought earlier in the year and haven't been used much - certainly not since mid May as we've been closed since then.

Kona Bikes 2019
X-rental Process 153 Al 29" (M /L) €1750
X-rental Process 153 Al 27.5 (M/L/XL) €1750
X-rental Process 153 SE 27.5 ( L) €1400
X-rental Process 134 (XS) €1400

Also new full face/open helmets, shorts, gloves etc that must also go.

Ah f***

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Ah I can't see them cost 50k each :eek: but then judging by the money being pissed away in Coolaney and the blooms it wouldn't surprise me.

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Ah right yeah I guess that's the case when you get designers etc involved to used to just heading up the hill with a mattock,saw and barrow myself

Bit late but from the volunteer trail group building/maintenance stuff I have been around here in Sheffield, I've heard numbers that easily reach £30k+ (and that'd be for trails that aren't at crazy elevations either so not awkward to build) so €50K doesn't seem like that much of a stretch accounting for differing terrain, etc. So much more involved in it than getting a wheelbarrow and a few spades alas, from plant-hire to legal fees involved regards submissions/planning permission, etc.

xxyyzz wrote: »

BPI was built by the same guys, Rowan Sorrel's back on track solutions

He could be doing a lot more work in Ireland too if the powers that be had any sense instead of using the crowds they're using for years who don't have a clue.

Incidentally, there was a fatal accident at the park in 2017. Is it possible that this is connected with the closure?

http://tippfm.com/news/investigations_are_underway_following_a_fatal_mountain_bike_accident_in_nor/

Joe1919 wrote: »

Incidentally, there was a fatal accident at the park in 2017. Is it possible that this is connected with the closure?

http://tippfm.com/news/investigations_are_underway_following_a_fatal_mountain_bike_accident_in_nor/

The issue is the same for adventure tourism businesses across the country, nobody will even provide them with a quote. They were all insured with an English company which has pulled out of the Irish market this year due to brexit uncertainty. Irish insurers won't touch them.

BPI selling off more stuff today folks,If in the area or fancy a drive and need anything,give them a shout and help them out.Not just bikes going, they are clearing accessories and gear too,pics up on FB

It's a long way to go for a bargain, and I didn't think there were any real bargains were to be had when I looked at the stock and their prices, considering it's all secondhand, to varying extents.