Trails// What we offer

Cross country (also known as XC or trail riding) is the traditional form of mountain biking where riders ride up, down and along, typically on single track trails (wide enough for a single rider), often tackling technical features in their path. Whilst XC is the oldest form of mountain biking, the discipline is still evolving, driven by advances in bikes' technology alongside creative trail building.

Downhill (DH) trails descend with jumps, turns, technical features and often steep gradients, which are typically designed for racing, taking the fastest riders 1-5 minutes to complete. DH tracks vary in gradient, technicality and length but they are usually of red, black or unclassified grade and typically necessitate long travel suspension bikes and good bike handling skills. The tracks are often accompanied by a facility to uplift riders to the top of the track, in the form of either a modified chairlift or gondola, or a vehicle on a road or track.

Four Cross tracks are designed to accommodate four riders at a time, these riders descend in a head-to-head format starting out of a BMX style start gate. The tracks are typically 6m wide with various large technical features, jumps and turns. 4X tracks normally take 30-60 seconds to complete and are built as both one off competition tracks and permanent features of a cycle hub or centre. Architrail have been at the forefront of the evolution of these tracks, distancing themselves from BMX over the years, primarily due to the work of Phil Saxena (Architrail MD) in his role as UCI 4X Track Designer from 2003-2010.

This type of trail is a relatively new phenomenon, consisting of a loop of berms, rollers and other trail features that are used to generate speed without pedalling (by a technique known as pumping). This type of track is not only fun to ride, but can also teach riders skills that can be applied to all mountain bike disciplines. Pump tracks are extremely versatile and can be tailored to your requirements, be it to compliment other trails, or to fit in small urban spaces.

Skills areas contain all the technical features that are likely to be encountered on a mountain bike track, such as rollers, jumps, berms, drop offs, rock sections and boardwalk. Typically located adjacent to existing mountain bike trails, they are an ideal place to learn fundamental mountain bike skills, or simply to warm up before tackling the main trails.

Freeride Areas can contain a variety of features, often of a higher technical level than skills areas. They can contain Jumps, Wall-rides, Drop-offs and Elevated wooden boardwalks though often mixtures of other creative designs are also produced.

This is an exciting and innovative new trail concept, which can be built around school grounds, often in redundant land, such as around the edges of playing fields. The trails are tailored specifically for children, allowing them to get their first taste of mountain biking in a safe and controlled environment, with small features to add excitement and teach bike handling skills as well as building self-confidence. These skills can be applied to both off and on road environments, encouraging a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle from an early age. Whilst being an asset to the school, this facility can also be used to build links with the local community.