Trail Centre: Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire, UK

[The Hodge]

Defo car park for me, I’ll bring plenty of bait nd drinks to offset the parking costs…….if it goes back back into trail maintenance then fair play.

Hang on ..are you seriously considering setting up a stall on the car park selling sarnies & broon dog ..?

 

[Tubby G]

Back to original plan then, park at Adderstone Field / Dixon’s Hollow and begrudgingly pay the £9 on exit, out of the profit EMF makes on his broon dogs!

 

[Tubby G]

broon dog

Newcastle Brown Ale ?

 

[The EMF]

Hang on ..are you seriously considering setting up a stall on the car park selling sarnies & broon dog ..?

Can be arranged….from the back of a Golf SV ??

 

[Rahr85]

not a chance it is doable under 2 hours if photos need to be taken. ? plus i tend to want the travelling time to not be much greater than riding time.

 

[Tubby G]

not a chance it is doable under 2 hours if photos need to be taken. ? plus i tend to want the travelling time to not be much greater than riding time.

don’t worry, a two hour ride at Kielder on Saturday took us four and a half hours with banter, coffee break, picking up fallen riders, fighting midges etc

 

[The Hodge]

not a chance it is doable under 2 hours if photos need to be taken. ? plus i tend to want the travelling time to not be much greater than riding time.

It wont be done in under 2hrs..those times quoted were as a solo rider going for it..
The Kielder ride last Saturday was 24 miles / 3000ftwith a riding time of 2.5 hours ..however we started at approx 10.20 and finished at around 2.15pm ..
It is a social ride after all ..
Edit : oops you got in there slightly ahead of me while I was writing ?

 

[Rahr85]

 

[j3ayy]

I should be good for the 2nd ? I am always in there & got a parking pass. Best place is main car park but you want to be there before 10 on a Saturday

 

[j3ayy]

I am usually in there every other week, so get my money's worth out of a season pass (£50)

At £9 a car, it really isn't worth folk dicking about up the narrow lanes trying to park for free.
Especially if already coming a distance.
Meet in either the main visitor car park, or up at Dixon's Hollow



1h 43m is my quickest full red e-lap. (Turbo mode up the fire road climbs)
It shouldn't be too difficult to beat.
1h 50m is a comfortable entertaining e-pace.
I can get my 60 year old asthmatic fat lump round 20 - 25 minutes slower on the push bike.
But that is as the usual Billy-no-mates, not stopping for banter after every section.
You guys will be yacking for Britain after every section, so I reckon I should be able to catch up.

Oh, and there are a couple of rock drops I no longer ride after running out of ability, but you competent guys, fill yer boots.

I have done it in 1hr 50 & NOT touched turbo ?

 

[The Hodge]

I have done it in 1hr 50 & NOT touched turbo ?

Yeah but to be fair you must be at least 30 years younger than Kilham ..and if you are using emtb ..you will have been in turbo mode for at least some of the ride ?

 

[j3ayy]

Yeah but to be fair you must be at least 30 years younger than Kilham ..and if you are using emtb ..you will have been in turbo mode for at least some of the ride ?

44 pal ?? Only just started going round Dalby so needing some more confidence ?

 

[The Hodge]

Well if knocking 14 years off your actual age isnt a confidence booster ..then I dont know what is ..?

 

[j3ayy]

Well if knocking 14 years off your actual age isnt a confidence booster ..then I dont know what is ..?

??

 

[Tubby G]

I should be good for the 2nd ? I am always in there & got a parking pass. Best place is main car park but you want to be there before 10 on a Saturday

yeah the main car park is ok mid week but trying to get six or seven parking spaces close to each other for 10am on a Saturday will be virtually impossible

I actually prefer starting the red route at Dixon’s hollow too, as you get the nice techie fun parts, and then the long xc fire road / easy trails out of the way before entering bomb holes, where it’s then decent forest trails all the way past the start and back to Dixon’s

we could stop off at the cafe behind the bike shop for a coffee mid route, and then climb back to the official start of red section 1, but depends if everyone is happy to pay £3.50+ for a brew!

 

[j3ayy]

yeah the main car park is ok mid week but trying to get six or seven parking spaces close to each other for 10am on a Saturday will be virtually impossible

I actually prefer starting the red route at Dixon’s hollow too, as you get the nice techie fun parts, and then the long xc fire road / easy trails out of the way before entering bomb holes, where it’s then decent forest trails all the way past the start and back to Dixon’s

we could stop off at the cafe behind the bike shop for a coffee mid route, and then climb back to the official start of red section 1, but depends if everyone is happy to pay £3.50+ for a brew!

I’ll take a flask ??

 

[Tubby G]

Trying to improve my red route lap time is nothing more than a bit of a nobble to myself.
In normal riding I actually never use Turbo and can knock out 1h 50m's without Turbo, no problem.

My mediocre lap time is ultimately limited by my ability in the technical and downhill sections (or rather lack of )
So any half competent rider (or armour clad hero) should obliterate that time.

My 1h 43m personal best was down to two factors.
1. Experimenting with Turbo on the long uphill fire roads.
Theoretically EMTB mode puts out the same power, but only when matching your effort and cadence.
My theory, right or wrong, was that if I put it in Turbo for those sections, it would provide maximum assistance at minimum effort leaving me fresher to attack the next section.
2. I reckon the bigger factor on a regular lap was wind.
I am riding above the motor assistance threshold speed for the two long flat fire road sections, and it is a big effort.
On that PB day I had a massive tail wind on the long gravel transition road at the top. I knew it, I could feel it.

The reason my push bike time is only 20-30 min slower than assisted, is down to the speed I can maintain on those flat sections.
My hardtail is 15kg lighter than my Whyte

TBH I could probably manage 95% of Dalby Red on my semi slick shod Gravel/Road bike (The remaining 5% would defo kill me though)

PS I will take a flask too

You can tell this is a Yorkshire meet up as the main points of discussion have been whether we should be paying £9 to park and £3.50 for a coffee ?

 

[Tubby G]

Yup. A good few £k in bikes, but buggered if I am paying £3.50 for a coffee in a paper cup.
I will bring a flask and a pasty.
I can recommend the pasties and flapjack from the bakers in Thornton le Dale

Oh yes, a visit to Dalby isn't complete without a Baldersons' take out on the way home

 

[The Hodge]

I'll fill me Camelbak with a couple of bottles of broon from EMF's stall ..and bring some Ham & Pease Pudding Stotties for me bait ..maybe a couple of spares should any of you gents / ladies wish to try a Geordie delicacy ?..?

 

[The Hodge]

With all this talk of bringing a flask ..Im assuming we pass the cars at some point again on the way round ..and that you arent carrying them with you ?

 

[Tubby G]

With all this talk of bringing a flask ..Im assuming we pass the cars at some point again on the way round ..and that you arent carrying them with you ?

No sorry Hodge, coffee at end of ride only when back at car, unless that is, £3.50!

 

[The EMF]

I'll fill me Camelbak with a couple of bottles of broon from EMF's stall ..and bring some Ham & Pease Pudding Stotties for me bait ..maybe a couple of spares should any of you gents / ladies wish to try a Geordie delicacy ?..?

Pease Pudding……..?

 

[The Hodge]

...(mumbles )...bloody Yorkshiremen..tight as ducks arses..?..?

 

[The Hodge]

Pease Pudding……..?

..Mate ..even though you have been in the area for over 30 years you cant hope to call yourself an adopted Geordie until its part of your staple diet..now man up and get some down yer neck ..

 

[Tubby G]

Pease Pudding……..?

I’m tempted to try a Hodge Pease Pudding special, it’d be rude not too!

 

[j3ayy]

Yup. A good few £k in bikes, but buggered if I am paying £3.50 for a coffee in a paper cup.

Yep thats about right

 

[The Hodge]

Your on ..?
Anymore unsuspec...err I mean fine folks like to try ?

 

[emtbPhil]

I did my first ever Dalby red route last weekend.
Quite fun but I definitely need a bit more experience on the big drops

£9 for the car park, £8.50 for a sandwich and flapjack... urgh
Also I don't know if I misunderstood the red route but at one point there was an old woman walking a dog in the middle of the single track... and further along I was flying down a downhill section and nearly ate a tree dodging a Karen and her 2 kids walking on the single track.
I was under the impression it was a bike route? but it seems to have random idiots walking it

 

[The Hodge]

Probably escaped from the loony bin for the day ..
Unfortunately it sometime happens ..trying to tell them they could suffer serious injury usually falls on deaf ears ..I will give them the benefit of the doubt up to the point of if they start yapping back when I try to tell them they have gone wrong ..

 

[j3ayy]

I did my first ever Dalby red route last weekend.
Quite fun but I definitely need a bit more experience on the big drops

£9 for the car park, £8.50 for a sandwich and flapjack... urgh
Also I don't know if I misunderstood the red route but at one point there was an old woman walking a dog in the middle of the single track... and further along I was flying down a downhill section and nearly ate a tree dodging a Karen and her 2 kids walking on the single track.
I was under the impression it was a bike route? but it seems to have random idiots walking it

Yea i had it last week nearly cleaned somebody up on a downhill section. Luckily i was on the ball or it could of been very messy