Where to Ride Canberra in the Wet

niftydog

niftydog

Likes Dirt
Thanks for the insight, astroboy and FR drew. Seems like the arrangements re. contractors and management has a few flaws. Is a revised management strategy a likelihood? Anyone know?

Clearly they didn't properly assess how much work was required, and didn't see the boom in popularity coming. (I've heard on the rumor mill that they're also getting in trouble for not completing their bush fire management, which is ironic.)

I have to disagree with astroboy about that gravel mix though! Sure, it's quick and easy, and so far seems pretty durable, but I can't help but think of the nice hard, smooth, dusty trail that used to be under there and lament. :(
 
crank1979

crank1979

Likes Bikes and Dirt
niftydog said:
I have to disagree with astroboy about that gravel mix though! Sure, it's quick and easy, and so far seems pretty durable, but I can't help but think of the nice hard, smooth, dusty trail that used to be under there and lament. :(
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I don't ride Stromlo as often as most but I noticed straight away the sections where the gravel base had been added between rides. I'm glad it works, but it looks odd, suddenly riding up to a section of foreign gravel added to the singletrack or other parts of the trail.
 
M

malallen

Cannon Fodder
I would much prefer we didn't have to sink to the gravel solution. It is slower and distracts from the flow of Stromlo. Guessing it has to be tolerated in the interests of getting a sustainable track given the slope of the mountain, the high use levels and (now) the new water flows it is getting even outside the higher rainfall events.
 
FR Drew

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
I think you'll find the gravel is more to do with the appalling quality of the soil at Stromlo, more than anything else. Very fine powder with no organic material makes the natural stromlo earth very easy to damage.
 
J

jean5614

Likes Dirt
Hmmm, I remember when working bees undertaken by CORC members did a lot too construct what were supposed to be state of the art trails, with the aid of an imported 'guru'. Whilst proven local trail builders did not get a look in. I also remember Australian Conservation Volunteers cutting down trees on now naked slopes. I see trails constructed by local builders withstand torrents of rain in shady woodland settings where riders are screened from harmful ultraviolet rays, on tracks that are able to recover from the worst abuse that private promoters can throw at them. Is it too late get some of this right at Stromlo? Now the locals are doing working bees down the coast whilst Stromlo is left to languish.:confused:
 
W

WildWassa

Banned
Jean, the bloke that you called "irrelevant to mountain biking" is replying to your post. So please don't feel offended by me posting here old Mate. Just view my comments as coming down to your level ... OK?

It is amazing here in the ACT when the shit actually hits the fan how the ACT Administration capitulates and the rules go out the door.

I rang a government department and said I was going to make changes to a trail that is maintained by the ACT Government and I was told, "Just do it, if we know that you are doing it it will require liability insurance and much paper work. Just do it."

So I just did it ... there are still people in the system who are realists who do cut through the ACT Nanny State bullshit.

I also see that you enjoy the Bruce Ridge trails ... Drew will tell you who made those trails when I was in my teens with others kids from Turner, Lyneham and O'Connor. I'm most happy with my irrelevance and now approaching my 60th year of cycling irrelevance. What have you been relevant for again Mate?

Sorry, I must have missed it ... MTB racing support? Well done old son!

Warren.
 
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J3$$3

J3$$3

Likes Dirt
it is amazing how much more can be done, as many have said, a working bee would have the place atleast twice as good,
i mean if some-one were to hold a bee, it wouldn't be to hard to get going, get a sponsor of some sort behind us, give forward notice over sites like these, go down for a day of work, close off the trails that need workin on,
get some team leaders and teams together, give out istructions at the start of the day, go through trail by trail, and fix them up to the worldclass trails they were...
im sure that we'd have close on a third of canberra there to help, so many people, including myself, would gladly give up a day to fix our beloved trails...
 
R

RichJS

Likes Dirt
jean5614 said:
I see trails constructed by local builders withstand torrents of rain in shady woodland settings where riders are screened from harmful ultraviolet rays, on tracks that are able to recover from the worst abuse that private promoters can throw at them.
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Bushfires don't just kill the trees - they kill the soil. The falling foliage from the trees re-growing at stromlo will make the soil more like the soil elsewhere, which doesn't withstand the rain quite as well as you suggest - particularly if ridden on when wet.

Stromlo needs work but all of our trails do. During the infamous Capital Punishment the trails at Mt Stromlo withstood being ridden on far better than anywhere else that day, so it's swings and roundabouts.
 
J

jean5614

Likes Dirt
WildWassa said:
Jean, the bloke that you called "irrelevant to mountain biking" is replying to your post. So please don't feel offended by me posting here old Mate. Just view my comments as coming down to your level ... OK?

It is amazing here in the ACT when the shit actually hits the fan how the ACT Administration capitulates and the rules go out the door.

I rang a government department and said I was going to make changes to a trail that is maintained by the ACT Government and I was told, "Just do it, if we know that you are doing it it will require liability insurance and much paper work. Just do it."

So I just did it ... there are still people in the system who are realists who do cut through the ACT Nanny State bullshit.

I also see that you enjoy the Bruce Ridge trails ... Drew will tell you who made those trails when I was in my teens with others kids from Turner, Lyneham and O'Connor. I'm most happy with my irrelevance and now approaching my 60th year of cycling irrelevance. What have you been relevant for again Mate?

Sorry, I must have missed it ... MTB racing support? Well done old son!

Warren.
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Gibber gibber, what's your point, is it relevant to this thread? However the Bruce/O'Connor trails are wonderful, well done. Oh and it's Jack.:cool:
 
J

jean5614

Likes Dirt
RichJS said:
Bushfires don't just kill the trees - they kill the soil. The falling foliage from the trees re-growing at stromlo will make the soil more like the soil elsewhere, which doesn't withstand the rain quite as well as you suggest - particularly if ridden on when wet.

Stromlo needs work but all of our trails do. During the infamous Capital Punishment the trails at Mt Stromlo withstood being ridden on far better than anywhere else that day, so it's swings and roundabouts.
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The removal of so many trees removed during the building phase has contributed to the demise of the trails, through not giving the earth any binding structure. Majura tracks have recovered, mostly from CP. We have some excellent trail builders here it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some of them involved in getting Stromlo up and running again.
 
F

frensham

Likes Dirt
WildWassa said:
Jean, the bloke that you called "irrelevant to mountain biking" is replying to your post. So please don't feel offended by me posting here old Mate. Just view my comments as coming down to your level ... OK?

It is amazing here in the ACT when the shit actually hits the fan how the ACT Administration capitulates and the rules go out the door.

I rang a government department and said I was going to make changes to a trail that is maintained by the ACT Government and I was told, "Just do it, if we know that you are doing it it will require liability insurance and much paper work. Just do it."

So I just did it ... there are still people in the system who are realists who do cut through the ACT Nanny State bullshit.

I also see that you enjoy the Bruce Ridge trails ... Drew will tell you who made those trails when I was in my teens with others kids from Turner, Lyneham and O'Connor. I'm most happy with my irrelevance and now approaching my 60th year of cycling irrelevance. What have you been relevant for again Mate?

Sorry, I must have missed it ... MTB racing support? Well done old son!

Warren.
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??????? WTF? What is this all about? I can't see anywhere in this thread where Jean calls WildWassa irrelevant. Is this from another thread? What is the point being made? I am confused.
 
D

dinosaur_mtb

Likes Dirt
Just a few observations, comments and questions.

  1. I am unfamiliar with the management plan for Stromlo MTB Park - can someone fill us all in as to chain of command and maintenance responsibilities.
  2. Where does Glen Jacobs sit wrt Stromlo MTB now? Does he have any ongoing input into design, maintenance and any input into redesign? We are now cognizant of the changes rain has brought to a track designed and built during drought conditions. Maybe we need to have tracks with more flat rock bases, and not rely on soil that changes under different hydration states. This is a learning curve lets see the track come back in better shape than it has been.
  3. Does the ACT government collect any monies from event organizers or CORC, per rider? eg Wingello Forests (NSW State Forests) collects I think about $5/head for any events run at their forest.
  4. Would riders be prepared to pay an annual fee (eg if local) or a per use ride (for casual visitors)? This would form the basis of a fund for additional track maintenance.
  5. It is a great a great shame to see the tracks as they have become in the last 12months and indeed it is to the authorities shame that they have been allowed to arrive at this state. This is meant to be the showcase MTB park of Australia. Having ridden some of UKs tracks, I see the government and land managers taking far greater care of their resources. I would have no problem in paying an entry fee per rider - event or casual - IF I knew there was a properly managed track maintenance and upgrade fund.
  6. Maybe Julia can find some dollars now that the BER is nearing completion. (Now how much was thrown at the failed bid for the soccer world cup??)
  7. Anyone found riding the track during closures should have their MTBA number taken and banned for a time for riding any events and non MTBA members should likewise be placed on a black list of banned entry to future events at Stromlo (say for 6-12mths).
 
FR Drew

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
dinosaur_mtb said:
Just a few observations, comments and questions.

  1. I am unfamiliar with the management plan for Stromlo MTB Park - can someone fill us all in as to chain of command and maintenance responsibilities.
  2. Where does Glen Jacobs sit wrt Stromlo MTB now? Does he have any ongoing input into design, maintenance and any input into redesign? We are now cognizant of the changes rain has brought to a track designed and built during drought conditions. Maybe we need to have tracks with more flat rock bases, and not rely on soil that changes under different hydration states. This is a learning curve lets see the track come back in better shape than it has been.
  3. Does the ACT government collect any monies from event organizers or CORC, per rider? eg Wingello Forests (NSW State Forests) collects I think about $5/head for any events run at their forest.
  4. Would riders be prepared to pay an annual fee (eg if local) or a per use ride (for casual visitors)? This would form the basis of a fund for additional track maintenance.
  5. It is a great a great shame to see the tracks as they have become in the last 12months and indeed it is to the authorities shame that they have been allowed to arrive at this state. This is meant to be the showcase MTB park of Australia. Having ridden some of UKs tracks, I see the government and land managers taking far greater care of their resources. I would have no problem in paying an entry fee per rider - event or casual - IF I knew there was a properly managed track maintenance and upgrade fund.
  6. Maybe Julia can find some dollars now that the BER is nearing completion. (Now how much was thrown at the failed bid for the soccer world cup??)
  7. Anyone found riding the track during closures should have their MTBA number taken and banned for a time for riding any events and non MTBA members should likewise be placed on a black list of banned entry to future events at Stromlo (say for 6-12mths).
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1) Territory Venue and Events controls Stromlo. If there are issues with course conditions, TVE should be notified. If they deem the problem requires fixing, they will alert their contractors (currently Makin Trax) and pay them to carry out work (if there's money left in the budget). Riders are not to make any changes to trails in any way whatsoever without TVE approval.

2) World Trails (Glen Jacobs) designed the main trunk trail and the DH and 4X tracks, not sure how much subsequent design work is World Trails and how much is Makin Trax. As far as I'm aware, World Trail no longer has input over the Stromlo site.

3) Trails with rock base largely cannot be built at Stromlo without extensive (costly) armouring, and not everyone wants to ride pure rock surfaces anyway.

4) My understanding is that TVE gets paid per rider for any event held at Stromlo be it by CORC or private promoters. How much, depends upon the size of event and what if any infrastructure is used and how much other park users are affected.

5) Policing a charge for use would be difficult and the management of such a scheme could well cost more than the revenue take that resulted from it, but yes, most folks would be happy to pay for use if Stromlo was well maintained.

6) Yes it's a great shame

7) Good luck getting more money for Stromlo, people already have "issues" about how much the place cost to create.

8) See point 5 regarding cost to police a scheme on the mountain.
 
72Fury

72Fury

Likes Dirt
WildWassa said:
I also see that you enjoy the Bruce Ridge trails ... Drew will tell you who made those trails when I was in my teens with others kids from Turner, Lyneham and O'Connor.
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And Ainslie. I spent alot of my pre and early teens riding the ridge in the 70's. Rode the odd moto in there as well.
 
Ba55

Ba55

Likes Bikes
Rode Stromlo the last two days, sure there are a few interesting ruts and some sand, just made it more of a challenge on a rigid single speed. HTFU and ride people:).
 
rideabike

rideabike

Likes Bikes
Isaacs Ridge

Bit of a thread digg, but does anyone know if corc are thinking about re establishing any of the old cross country trails up at Isaacs ridge? There's already the downhill course (as well as a couple of old ones) and plenty of pine forest available. With the reduction of Sparrow and Majura, it could absorb some of the lost trail..
 
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