Mad-laners Megathread

Originally Posted by speedplay

Sounds like a plan!

Looks like I'll be fitting the towball I got from old git today just in case then.

You mean you wont ride it to the dirt?
Thats cheating.

Mines an offroad bike, with dirty great knobbly tyres, no indicators or mirrors and just a headlight, tail light and a
numberplate.

Not like you guys with your nice comfy road tyres, soft seats and heated grips ect.

Originally Posted by specialone

Well Rob, if it is crap on sunday then i wont be going either so if you fancy getting dirty and need some company let me know.

NOOOOOOoooooooo!

Can't get out on Easter Sunday! In a huff now.

That's a good idea actually, 'cos your gonna get wet and filthy anyway. The rain didn't bother me yesterday at all.

You want us to take pictures if we go col?

Originally Posted by speedplay

Mines an offroad bike, with dirty great knobbly tyres, no indicators or mirrors and just a headlight, tail light and a
numberplate.

Not like you guys with your nice comfy road tyres, soft seats and heated grips ect.

I have got knobblies for mine but i have to ride mine to wherever we go, so road use is not good.
Road tyres on 6 inch deep mud dont work to well either.
BTW my seat cannot be called comfy and i aint got heated grips

Originally Posted by speedplay

You want us to take pictures if we go col?

Only if you fall off

Originally Posted by specialone

BTW my seat cannot be called comfy and i aint got heated grips

Mine is comfy and it has got heated grips (they are just not actually fitted yet)

Originally Posted by specialone

I have got knobblies for mine but i have to ride mine to wherever we go, so road use is not good.

These are what mine are getting

http://www.conti-online.com/generato...tkc_80_en.html

Going to drop my gearing by 1 tooth on front sprocket too, 1st gear is too tall

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

These are what mine are getting

http://www.conti-online.com/generato...tkc_80_en.html

Going to drop my gearing by 1 tooth on front sprocket too, 1st gear is too tall

I probably will eventually, but them tyres Mike put on are almost new so aint changing them yet.

Just having an offline conversation with Specialone about some lanes we are doing this afternoon.

There are a couple at Lea Marston which are marked on the TrailWise as BOATS



and on the OS map as a bridleway and a BOAT

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=52....2&lvl=15&sty=s

The bridleways have official prohibition notices at each end (give google maps time to load streetwise, it takes a few seconds after displaying the map)

http://maps.google.co.uk/...

http://maps.google.co.uk/...

So these are obvious no go routes.

The BOAT however, requires that you go through this gate

http://maps.google.co.uk/...

which looks kind of like a private entrance, and is actually a fish farm, but is shown on the map as a right of way. We will recce on foot and see if there is somebody we can ask if we can get access to the BOAT. We can also go and look at it from the other end.

The other one that I noticed is this,

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=52....5&lvl=14&sty=s

From Ratcliffe Ho to Upton Park, clearly shown as a "other route with public access" on the map and on trailwise as an "unclassisfied unsealed road", but in the middle of it where it crosses the A444, a farmer has put a gate.

http://maps.google.co.uk/...

It wouldn't worry me to ride through a closed gate at the entrance to a field, so long as we were sure it was a right of way (ie: marked as such on an O/S map), we closed it properly behind us, and there was no prohibition sign. There are lots of green lanes where gates are up, not to prevent access, but to keep animals in or out. If farmers specifically want to prevent access because they get annoyed by green laners they will padlock the gate, which would probably be illegal, but they would just lock it anyway knowing that the police and council will not do anything about it.

I can see the farmers point when bikes start tearing across fields. The lanes across private land are actually only legal rights of way, so that other farmers can get access to their land, then guys like us take advantage of the law for our recreational fun, but that's the way the law is and we all have to abide by laws that we don't like. When a farmer gets ****ed off with us, when we are respecting the law and causing no damage, simply because it's his land so he doesn't like us being there, my sympathy for them starts to wane.

Walkers hate mountain bikers, mountain bikers hate biking green laners, biking and 4x4 laners blame each other for getting lanes closed, and farmers hate all of us, but at the end of the day we pay our road tax and we are riding on legal lanes and everyone has a right to use the lanes and byways. Obviously you shouldn't do anything to invite problems, but I don't think you can do green laning without having "gerrof my land" shouted at you by the odd farmer. I think the best you can do is ensure that if a copper turned up, that your bike is legal and you can demonstrate that to the best of your knowledge the track is legal too.

I know Speedplay has commented that the TRF can be a funny bunch, but would it be worth becoming a member just to get access to more info? Doesn't mean you have to go and do every ride-out. They may just be able to tell you what the law is and stop you from getting reported by the police one day because you are able to demonstrate you know the law and you are legal.

Discuss...

I look forward to seeing how you get on as I'm hoping to get my CRM on the road soon. I've been looking at the lanes near Bridgnorth but these are a bit closer to home, might give them a try.