# can I use a cyclocross bike at swinley forest, nr Bracknell?



## cyberpete (12 Nov 2012)

sorry Swinley forest (useless spell checker)

I have a cyclocross bike and I'm thinking Having a ride in swinley Forest Bracknell. Is this a suitable place for a cyclocross bike or does it need to be more mountain bike orientated?

Obviously a cyclocross bike will go off-road pretty well ... up to a point !! but not hard-core off-road
Any advice appreciated thanks everybody

pete


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## Norm (12 Nov 2012)

It depends which of the trails you were thinking of riding. The main routes would be fine on a CX bike but, once you get amongst the trees and hit the more technical runs, there are a lot of tree roots which would be uncomfortable. And I'd steer well clear of the jump gulley. 

There are plenty of YouTube videos taken in Swinley, you can see the sort of surfaces offered.

I'd do it anyway, though, just to stick two fingers up to the dirt jockeys.

(hope that you don't mind, I've changed the thread title)


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## VamP (12 Nov 2012)

95% of the trails at Swinley are totally CX friendly. And the rest are rideable too


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## GrumpyGregry (13 Nov 2012)

You'll die if you ride a CX at Swinley.




















You'll die anyway if you don't.


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## Cubist (13 Nov 2012)

GregCollins said:


> You'll die if you ride a CX at Swinley.


You'll burst into flames first though. 

Our local MTB club has several members who ride CX bikes occasionally on rides out. There are very few places where they get off and carry.


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## cyberpete (13 Nov 2012)

Good to hear that some Cxers ride there "ok" (ie dont die) . You can't steamroller over tree trunks or just crash through the undergrowth like an MTB. I ditched my MTB for a CX last year as I wanted something faster lighter and more versatile. Which my cx is for my use. However it sounds like I should be ok for a fair bit of the place but I'll leave the techie parts to the mtbers as I've seen some of the surfaces on youtube and er yep a CX will be severely "tested"....


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## cyberpete (13 Nov 2012)

VamP said:


> 95% of the trails at Swinley are totally CX friendly. And the rest are rideable too


-- thanks!


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