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As I was blathered in mud and slowly getting frostbite this morning, I got to wondering why isn't this more of a thing? I'm sure I've read somewhere of underground trails in Europe in old coal mines etc, and living near Barnsley would be thrilled if they did something similar here. Even an indoor dirt track would be OK for those days when you don't want to get wet and cold! Lunacy or gap in the market??
Indoor mountains? I suppose you could repurpose old mines,. Start with the descent and use the old elevators for uplift 😂
Was there not something planned at one of the cornish tin mines a while back?
I think there is a surprising amount of elevation in old mine tunnels 🤣
There was the Indoor Dream in Ecclesfield but it shut down.
Same with the more recent Dirt Factory over Manchester way.
https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/trail_news/indoor-bike-park-369345
US has Rays which seems really popular.
I think the issue is space and cost. There are not many huge empty buildings with space enough for MTB that would also be a reasonable cost in this relatively small island.
A roof over a tarmac pumptrack would be a good start!
US is a far bigger country and lower cost buildings.
Pick one of dirtjump/bmx/street trials and go to indoor skate park and learn how to ride that bike/discipline.
iirc, years ago, before he started trans Provence, Ash Smith tried to organise on here a trip to ride in some disused mine in one of the ex-Eastern bloc countries, don't think it ended up going ahead, but it looked like it would have been a great experience.
There's a planning application underway in Merthyr to build an indoor skiing site with a 500m slope- with a building that size you'd surely be able to build a few decent trails
I often daydream about this when I'm sitting in Sheffield with rain lashing the windows. I'd settle for an indoor pump track with a couple of jump lines.
I'm thinking of the lighting and ventilation/dust extraction requirements and how much electricity that would need.
I thought about this with an old mills in Leeds. Thought it could be possible to have a big hole in the floor to get down to the next level and then round and down again. Have berms and some jumps and drops as you go round a floor before the next slope through the floors.
Can't see it working without a shit loads of money and additional engineering though....
That's what I thought/hoped they'd done with F51 in Folkstone, three interlinked skate floors you could skate/ride between. Unfortunately not, stairs/lift required. The concrete skate bowls on the 1st floor are quite impressive though.
Any multi storey car parks for sale?
fasthaggis
Full MemberWas there not something planned at one of the cornish tin mines a while back?
Don’t ever remember that being a proposal
Any multi storey car parks for sale?
I’m pretty sure NCP car parks have a good profit model already!
Any multi storey car parks for sale?
We tried to get permission to use a multi story for winter crits/training(evenings), the top 5 floor were always empty after 6.00.Their insurance wouldn't accept our pitch/risk assessment so it was non starter 😢,shame as it would have been great fun.
I’m pretty sure NCP car parks have a good profit model already!
Arent shopping centres really feeling the downturn? Could be an opportunity there.
Sadly though I cant see the economics making sense beyond the current bmx stuff.
I kind of agree about the economics not adding up. But would it really be much more to run than a go karting place which seem to do alright? Or these small urban bike parks?
FlyUp417 Bike Park have a covered Pump Track - but I've often wondered why a bigger, indoor, mountain bike track (like "Rays" linked above) has never taken hold in the UK.
Like TomZesty I imagine the economics would be like running an indoor Karting venue - my only concern would be getting enough people to 'pay-to-play' I think it would probably end up being family biased, to generate footfall, and that it would probably not be of interest to most on here.
Adrenaline Alley in Corby is indoor, it's a jumpy place rather than a trail place.. but looks like even mincers could have fun.
The old Barr's factory in Camelon is still sitting empty, I've often thought that would be an ideal place once it was converted...no idea of costs though.
Isn't the part of the US where Ray's park is under 4ft of snow for a few months at a time? Thats probably why that works (although I'd seen the videos and to be honest, it'd bore me silly riding around at walking pace in a warehouse).
A friend of mine looked at doing something like it in the UK about 10/15 years ago and the maths just didn't work out.
Dirt Factory in Manchester I went to a couple of times and actually thought it was pretty good with pretty limited space but looking at their website it looks like they're currently homeless (?) and looking for bigger premises (or at least thats what the last update nearly 18 months ago was saying). That was definitely more jump orientated as well rather than "trails".
I think with the rise of the trail centre in the UK, theres no need for indoor biking as they offer an "all weather" riding option. Yes you might get wet, thats what waterproofs are for.
Repurposed factory units might be more accessible to an urban population though. Especially to those who can't drive. Whether that same group could afford to pay for them is a question.
A group of us off here did an evening session at Dirt Factory in Manchester a few years ago, was good fun.
Enough lines and options to keep you engaged for 2-3hrs.
Repurposed factory units might be more accessible to an urban population though. Especially to those who can’t drive. Whether that same group could afford to pay for them is a question.
Possibly a problem with Dirt Factory then - driving there was dodgy enough, let alone riding a bike there 😀
There used to be Indoor Dream in Sheffield too. Just a big empty factory unit and a few thousand tons of subsoil.
Isn’t the part of the US where Ray’s park is under 4ft of snow for a few months at a time? Thats probably why that works
Is the stumbling block I suspect. For the cost of an indoor facility you could probably build and floodlight several outdoor tracks, and the actual number of rainy days is fairly minimal. The local roadie club does velodrome sessions all winter at the outdoor track and I'd guestimate 90% of them go ahead, they won't ride in the rain or ice otherwise it's just a case of wrapping up warm.
rays looks fun, but similar to the bike park in lyon, its mostly a pump track/skate park rather than dirt. Hard surfaces don't mess up as much in the wet and cold, so you can ride those outside all year round anyway
I often daydream about this when I’m sitting in Sheffield with rain lashing the windows. I’d settle for an indoor pump track with a couple of jump lines.
@sharkattack - you tried Onboard Skatepark ?
I did once a few years ago and it looks like it's been redesigned since then. To be honest I'm a crap skatepark rider because I could never be bothered to learn tricks. That new jump line looks alright though.
Dirt Factory was good - went a few times. Unfortunately, they only had a temporary lease as the whole of Mayfield is being re-developed - it's an Urban Park now where the old warehouse was. As far as I'm aware, they have yet to find somewhere suitable. They are still hiring out the mobile pump track and air bag.