DIY DOWNHILL
Mountain Bike Rider|August 2023
Sheffield riders have funded, planned and reworked two of the city’s most iconic trails
Jamie Darlow
DIY DOWNHILL

Sheffield is a city that just gets things done. New trails and jumps grow with amazing regularity, seemingly due to the sheer will of the riders, regardless of whether the powers that be are on side, or the funds available.

This is the punk ethos that put Sheffield - a relatively small Yorkshire city on the map. And this DIY attitude permeates into Sheffield's mtb scene too, where it runs so deep that many (almost all) of the tracks and trails developed over the last 15 years or so stem directly from a proactive community of riders and advocates. With Ride Sheffield close to the heart of it all, locals have essentially built up an ever-more effective culture of fundraising and action.

Unsurprisingly then, the two newest trails Sheffield has produced are organic, rider-funded and generated. This being egalitarian, unflashy, Sheffield, both spots are also completely free for riders to use, in terms of parking and access, and represent the good things that can be achieved when riders work together and play nicely with local councils and landowners like the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

None of this would be possible without physical and financial support of local riders in numbers though, so make sure to get involved if you're based in the vicinity and donate at ridesheffield.org.uk and bolehills.com to help out.

THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GRENOSIDE

The DH3 trail up at Grenoside on the northern fringes of the city has been completely reworked. It's one of the most iconic downhill trails in the Greno area. There have been DH trails of various levels on this hill since the infancy of mountain biking, and it's even where local legend Steve Peat cut his chops as a kid growing up hustling sketchy, steep-angled, fully rigid bikes.

Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Mountain Bike Rider.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra August 2023-utgaven av Mountain Bike Rider.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDERSe alt
Best places to ride with your kids
Mountain Bike Rider

Best places to ride with your kids

Five top venues to keep the nippers entertained this summer

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2
Mountain Bike Rider

CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2

It’s got more suspension tunes than a Hitchcock movie, but will this Moterra thrill us or chill us?

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2023
100% GLENDALE GLASSES
Mountain Bike Rider

100% GLENDALE GLASSES

When it comes to eyewear, having a large lens not only offers a lot more protection from trail splatter, it puts the frames further out from your field of view, allowing you to focus on the terrain in front of you. The Glendale is absolutely vast, and actually has a lens size akin to a full downhill goggle, so you literally can’t see the top or sides of the frame.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE
Mountain Bike Rider

DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE

DMR's new Stage 2 MTB Rail is one of those new/old products. The shape and construction are identical to the existing Oi Oi saddle, but the company has wrapped it in a new skin and added some harder-wearing reinforcement to the edges. It's also toned down the lairy graphics; this saddle only comes in plain black.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN
Mountain Bike Rider

STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN

Has tech taken the hard work and fun out of mountain biking, or should we embrace evolution and roll with it?

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023
STORM FORCE
Mountain Bike Rider

STORM FORCE

Manon Carpenter may have retired from downhill competition, but her new role as a trail advocate is achieving results far beyond the race track

time-read
8 mins  |
September 2023
SWEAT AND SLATE
Mountain Bike Rider

SWEAT AND SLATE

We ride 140 miles through Snowdonia on Cycling UK's newest and gnarliest long-distance trail

time-read
9 mins  |
September 2023
HEAD SPACE
Mountain Bike Rider

HEAD SPACE

New guidance reveals how to spot concussion, and how best to treat it

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2023
LATE SUMMER LOVIN'
Mountain Bike Rider

LATE SUMMER LOVIN'

Classic UK holiday hotspots that really shine when the crowds have gone

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
HOT STUFF
Mountain Bike Rider

HOT STUFF

WHAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023