Hey All,
Long time watcher of this thread to keep up with what is being said about Bruce Ridge.
I live nearby and have taken people up there riding a few times over the years. That said, we never seem to really get into it and end up going back to Stromlo.
We like riding big bikes, and there just isn't enough up at Bruce to warrant pushing them up there.
It would be awesome to change this - I would love to be able to use my DH rig of a weeknight after work for a quick few runs up there.
That said, I also like riding route two at Stromlo on smaller trail bikes... There are some good features on that trail which may not be obvious to a new rider, and don't pose a challenge unless they are specifically targeted - like humps and rocks exploited for air time etc. The Stromlo promotional video of Jared Rando riding these 'beginner' trails does a better job of showing the fun that can be had with the right features.
http://www.stromloforestpark.com.au/news/current-news/item/stromlo-is-calling
The previous poster's suggestions about striking a balance between challenging trail features and a ridable track is hard, but one which I think has been achieved in Canberra at Stromlo, both for an easy trail - skyline and luge, and DH - I think the new(ish) part of the B line dh track at Stromlo is another good example - there are some decent jumps, but all are rollable and you always see people coming down it on cross county hard tails. I have taken some beginners down this track and they do enjoy rolling down it (on their bike, not their a$$) They even start to learn to get airborne on this track, due to the design of the jumps.
If these types of tracks is what is meant when people refer to a gravity or enduro track, then it is a concept that could work really well at Bruce with minimal change to track difficulty.
I also agree with the previous posters - if these types of obstacles are not considered, they will end up being built illegally.
Whomever built that large gap jump at the bottom of the DH track at Bruce clearly thought that something was missing from the track
I would be happy to spend some time behind a shovel getting something up and running which caters for this type of riding (will be back in Canberra in August), however if the level of tracks remains the same as it currently is, then I guess it will continue to be Stromlo for me...
All that said, I appreciate the work that has been done to date and the efforts of those to turn the trails into a sustainable solution. If nothing else, I know the trails will be there for a quick cross country ride.
Cheers,
Matt