Southern 4X - If I build it, will you come?

Good on you chap, I can't help but wish you good luck with the venture.

I’m happy to do a couple of days labouring (no experience of track building though)

You good wishes are appreciated

No experience required and I will post up here when the first official Dig Day will be. I think it will be after the inaugural Southern4X Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will be in 28 days time. There might be a few 'research and planning' days before then. PM me if you want to join my email list - promise not to spam you, just stuff about the 4X track.

Ideally you will bring gloves and a shovel/spade/rake although we do have some tools we can lend out. Any one who want to be alerted for dig days etc please PMN me their email. I won't use it for anything else, honest.

I'd love to help but I wouldn't bother with a 4x track to be honest. Just build an awesome jump line with progressively bigger jumps and side by side options etc.

Look what they've done with Bolehills. Turned a below average BMX track into a 'track' which is also one of the best jump spots in the country outside of secretive trail spots.

No one is going to start riding 4x again.

A 4x track can be great fun, Redhill was always awesome and had a few different line choices and different types of jumps so wasn't just for racing. Chicksands does really well too.

I'd love to help but unfortunately I'm about 4 hours away. It's great that you're doing it!

Shark - we have a lot of what you ask for in Southampton Bike Park. The track is mostly but not exclusively 4X and will be open to all. There will be off track 'practice areas' that you, in your naivety, might mistake for wall rides and big jumps. 🙂

Sounds good I just wasn't sure what you were trying to accomplish. I got the impression that you were trying to make a a venue for some kind of national 4X racing. That might have been useful 15 years ago.

A more general lumpy, pumpy arrangement sounds more fun for more users. There's a whole generation of riders now who know what a pump track is for example but have never seen a 4X race.

There are still 2 national 4-Cross series running so we may well host a couple of rounds from those but it won't be exclusively for 4X. Instead it will be a track with start gates, jumps, drops, berms etc that is also suitable for 4X racing.

On a side note, I am trying to get a decent length Pump Track put into the Sports Centre near the Southampton Bike Park bu that is part of the whole redevelopment so is painfully slow to move forward.

So this 'should' give you Southampton Bike Park, a 150m Pump Track circuit with various lines and the 4-cross track for direct short races and other such track buffoonery. And the Big Bike Bash is still running out in the New Forest of course.

Have dungarees, will travel.

BRING BACK 4X I say.

Addictively entertaining.

There are still 2 national 4-Cross series running

I am gobsmacked to discover this.

BRING BACK 4X I say.

Addictively entertaining.

I'm a believer. When it was good it was awesome. When it stopped being the Saturday night show at the World Cups it started fizzling out.

I thought the entire UK 4X scene these was days was probably Scott Beaumont racing against himself.

Have to share this classic clip...

I’d love to help but I wouldn’t bother with a 4x track to be honest. Just build an awesome jump line with progressively bigger jumps and side by side options etc.

Look what they’ve done with Bolehills. Turned a below average BMX track into a ‘track’ which is also one of the best jump spots in the country outside of secretive trail spots.

Got to say I would be tempted to do this as well. Look at the track in Cornwall for inspiration as well.

I know you say Southampton bike park has this but I would say it doesn't by a long shot and quite different (admittedly I didn't go last year so might have changed). No doubles, very mellow lips etc don't get me wrong it's fun and a good facility but very different from the track or bolehills

Got to say I would be tempted to do this as well. Look at the track in Cornwall for inspiration as well.

That place looks like an absolute dream. It's been on my list for ages but it's miiiiiles away and none of my mates like jumps.

Do it, in fact it's perfect for people who don't jump as it's very progressive. Roll it into a road trip and hit up Gawton near tavi, woodies near (ish) Bodmin and several other south west and south depending on where you're driving from

I know what you mean about Southampton Bike Park. What I meant was that was more jump focussed. Freespace has much less of a hill to use and is quite constraint in terms of area. the current middle line of the track is only about 400m. We plan to add another straight, probably 2 in the areas between the current track but that is for Phase 3 and beyond. We are currently focussing on Phase 1 & 2 which is get it cleared, rideable, fill the puddles, add the lips and make it flow. Once I have delivered that I should have a bit more freedom and will hopefully get outside money rather than just paying for it myself.

Is the Cornish one near Falmouth? If so, that is on the current 4X Nationals circuit. I might try and get down there this year depending when it is. I need to get Freespace finished by the end of March so I can have another foot/ankle operations with the hop ethat it will be healed up to let me ride again in the summer. Lets hope Falmouth is June or later

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The Cornish one is this one in Portreath

Annoyingly it's called 'The Track'

Would a 3t mini digger be helpful? Or overkill for what is actually needed to improve what is already there

The Track looks a bit bigger than the area we have but we can incorporate some of the features.

3T mini digger is always useful. Not for these first stages but definitely for the later stuff where we add 3 more berms and 2 straights. You got a licence to operate on that?

4x is cool and might work better. You know the site at the end of the day

Is there any drop on the land, 4X only works with some downhill otherwise it's too pedally and needs the efficiency of a BMX. I can't think of any flat 4X tracks.

Ahh the old Eastleigh bmx track, it was never good when it opened, very narrow and rutty if i remember correctly, they made improvenments to the skatepark but the track never had any love

Anything you can do with it will be an improvement

Now the Track at Portreath is amazing, if you could incorporate some of it features like the wall ride (maybe two wall rides for riders who ride from left to right and visa versa) that would be great

The track was originally for BMX and each straight is slightly downhill but basically runs across the slope. It is wide enough, when cleared, for 8 BMX apparently so plenty wide enough for 4 4X bikes. First plan is clean it and get it to flow.

Then I unleash my imagination!!!

We want to make it 5 straights instead of 3 so I reckon stick a wall ride at the end of the first straight to give a real sharp corner back to another wall ride that spits you out over the current berm 2 and then .....

Any idea how to find out who owns this land for free?

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It might be fun to add a bit of woodland riding to the area.

If it's only slightly downhill isn't that a bmx track rather than a 4x track? 4x was always much more about braking than pedalling

Cool project though either way

It is a failed BMX track that has been basically abandoned. I agree it is not ideal for 4X but that is a handy label that the council can understand rather than 'track for pissing about on with mates and doing dumb shit' which I thought was a harder sell. Having said that, we can make it suitable for 4X and certainly for training and learning the skills

That bit of woodland last time I saw was a ‘nature’ reserve. As you enter the freespace and walk right there’s a sign proclaiming as much.

the other side (road side) is what I know as hut hill. It’s got some brilliant old sandy quarry bombhole type features but has been fenced off for a long time. Occasionally I think it’s used for a motorcycle trial. I’m getting to old to trespass everywhere and keep my naughtiness for the woodland the other side as forestry England have just decided to cut off access after 20 years of riding there:

Im local to the project, would love to say I can offer time etc. Hope fully I will be able to.

is there any possibility of incorporating ‘wooden’ or similar features after the demise of the moors valley woodwork something like that could be cool as a side feature?

 I am trying to get a decent length Pump Track put into the Sports Centre near the Southampton Bike Park

Have a chat with Claudio Caulori / Velosolutions? They may have ideas on funding, grants etc etc. 

Who is your target audience for the track?  sounds like you are aiming at experienced riders, the area already has southampton bike park, a decent bmx track at knightwood and I recently had a look at a track at ashhurst which was quite good.

What is missing is proper peewee stuff.  Removing the pump track from southampton bike park really diminished its appeal to those with young families.  My youngest refuses to ride there now as he is too scared of the bigger lines, which means I can no longer take both my boys to the park when I'm looking after them.  Yes I know there are plans for something near the pleasure park but by the time thats built they will probably be teenagers, and to be honest I'm worried the damage has been done.    Even if it is built soon, it will give me the problem that one kid wants to be at one side of the sports ground and the other completely the other end.  Again not feasible.   I know some young kids do ride the dual track, and fair play to them, but not my 6 years old, and it took a fair bit of persuading to get my 8 year old to try it

So my suggestion is a peewee/ family orientated foremost, and a track for somehting niche like 4x second.   As much as I'd love to come along and watch a 4x race, its not what I think the area *needs*

Lummox - we are very carefully avoiding the nature reserve which is to the right of the skate park and track as you enter. The woodlands are not Hut Wood, which is just over the road, but are labelled Hut Hills Trials which are used by MX clubs. I was wondering whether we could get a permissive pathway through there to make it easier to get from Southampton to Freespace by bike. Probably not but there is no harm in asking. We will be looking to add as much variety as possible to the track, once we have it up and running. This might be wall rides, wooden features, see-saws, hot tub.....

Rickneister - The pump track is being funded out of the overall Sports Centre Refurb fund. I offered to raise some specific funding and run the whole project but was turned down, including the offer of free money to make it a better track!

lol- hot tubs! Now we’re talking 🤣

Qecp got £120k in grants to build the 3 new skillzz areas
Might be worth asking how to go about doing the same

No, no digger licence, my mate owns one and trailer for ease of transportation

singletrack - I will be looking at funding sources as soon as we have delivered Phase ! & 2 and the council are happy that we can deliver. If I need the digger then I will let you know. I am sure YouTube will show me enough to drive it.

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1st O F F I C I A L D I G D A Y
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Freespace : Stoney Croft Rise, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh SO53 3LD

Sunday February 11th from 11am

Just turn up, no special skills needed.

Bring a rake / spade / shovel / wheel barrow / flask of coffee if you can.

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We have to wait until we have had the first AGM which has to be announced 4 weeks earlier so that is announced today and held on Feb 10th. Dig day the morning after and I will be there from about 10am

Even if you can't come, PLEASE tell your friends, family, bike clubs, Instagram (Southern4X) and you MyFans follows. The more epeople we get the quicker we get to the riding bit.

Popped up for some pre-dig day fettling to clear the two drains.

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Interestingly they are both positioned at a jaunty angle about 4/5ths of the way down the inside of berms 1 & 3 so the water will have to fill up the bottom of the area until it reaches the level of the drains. I am sure there was a cunning plan when they made them like this. Also the drain coming out of the first drain bowl appears to run uphill initially which also seems strange.

OMG that is amazing - wish I was nearer.  Good luck with the project 😀

Trailbuilding is so therapeutic - I now live 50% of the year in the US and spend every waking hour outside digging/riding while Stateside.

Good luck I'm sure you'll pull it off given how amazing Southampton bike park looks. Wish there was something like this near me, I would be all over a decent 4x track.

Also got to share my fave 4x clip of Cedric Gracia giving it full send

I'd just like to echo mamadirt on wanting to be nearer.

I've just moved to a village in desperate need of a smallish pump track/ DJ section. Any tips on how to approach parish council. I mean are there any certai no no's as a football pitch is taking over our only real park here.

I'm fairly confident a half decent jump line or two with a mini pump track for lil uns to learn on will improve local kids from keeping outta mischief.