Trails - So..............how long have we got left?

[[email protected]]

Our Scottish and NI members may disagree with you there as would our members based in countries outside England & Wales

Regards

[MikeIrving]

where do i start?

Yes our website is not as it should and we are working towards bringing the current one up to date and ultimately replacing it with a new one. Yes it does say UK but we have connections everywhere nad help where we can. England and wales is the area we concentrate on and well......

The TRF fights the battles it can but the odds are stacked against us and when we win like we did at Chaplegate they don't pay us our costs. when we win the buggers look to see how they lost and come at us again having learnt the lesson. Its almost like a computer game where the enemy is constantly learning by its mistakes and has bigger pockets. As a ROW organisation we are the biggest and have probably spent the most out of all the groups except the ramblers by a country mile. Ramblers have 100's of thousands members we have less than 3500.

Yes there are some lanes that need management and where that applies in some area's we are actively helping in the management but the ignorant puppets in the Peaks know better. All Byways are sustainable if managed correctly bearing in mind most were laid down in the early 1800's to take strings of pack horses. overladen carts, steam powered vehicles and if you dig down through the mud, especially in the Peaks there is a hard surface.

The TRF is a voluntary organisation run by about 50 or 100 people up and down the country working their Bollocks off backed up by another 500 or so who help out as when they can, using the money raised through fundraising and the subscriptions of the 3500 members. we do not have enough people to do the work, like look after the website, raise the money etc and we do not have enough subscriptions. the result is we have to pick our fights carefully and nearly always in court "Right" has nothing to do with "winning" and justice rarely come cheap. Those that want us to go away have links in every corner of the establishment and aristocracy and all the funds it needs.

We only can ever scratch at the surface until something changes. We have changed in the last year and a half. we are now fighting back on many fronts including through the courts. Rightly or wrongly we are turning up on peoples doorsteps and making our point and we will be doing more ofit.

The "New" directors of the TRF are making the organisation more inclusive, we want to embrace All Trail Users irrespective of the bike they ride provided they and their bike is road legal and its being ridden in a considerate manner. ( Don't get hung up on this one, i am not trying to preach but there is an element who use the lanes to practice on when really they should use the pay and play because they do not help our cause) We are looking to expand the role of the groups to make them more of a Rider Club with activities and events organised and the funds raised plus the increased subs will go towards the legal fights.

If we represent more people we will have more power which means we will have greater effect which makes it all the more worthwhile which wins back more lanes which bring in more members....simples.

So give us a fresh look, give us another chance, give us enough time to make the changes, give us some credit when we do it and join up.

the alternative is the apathy we currently have and almost certain banishment to tarmac and i for one don't want it.

See you out on the lanes

Mike Irving
Communications Director TRF
[email protected]

[flyinwalrus]

my personal view has prob been echoed before but think we need to join forces with all vehicle groups as one voice together not trying to shift blame between ourselves. because we are a minority gropu using a minority of lanes we are easy to be pushed about. whats annoying (and i walk and climb a bit) is the countless damage done to enviroments by the feet of walkers being irrresponsible by cutting across areas off track..... but finacially they are more viable and appear less intrusive. but one things for certain we@ve definately got a BIG fight on ! :dry:

[MikeIrving]

If you look at what we are doing in the Peaks you will see we are working with and actively supporting the Peak & Derbyshire Vehicle users Group, along with Glass ( Green Lane association) the local Laf ( Land Access forum)Lara ( cant remember this one too late in the day) and its beginning to have an effect.

If reelected as a Director of the TRF next year i will be looking to talk to ALL the users including Ramblers to see if we cannot come to a common accord ( might be a waste of time but until we do we will always be on a back foot)

This battle is never going to be won lane by lane. All the money wasted by the Government will not be enough to see the Anti's off. We can only achieve a workable outcome by either linking up with other user groups and taking the authorities on collectively or by going the other way with mass demonstrations and civil disobedience along the lines of the Poll Tax riots of the 80's......and i am making preparations to do both if necessary.

You guys can sit and talk about it on here all you want but i have started where others have said No ( albeit in a small way) and i mean to see it through. I think we have delayed implementation of TRO's in the Peaks for more than a year and the Peak Puppets are treading Carefully.

Mike Irving

[[email protected]]

Nice one Mike

By the way that nice Johhnyboxer pointed out to me that Tapatalk is enabled on the ABR forum which somehow missed me and has spurred on my activity on this forum

Did you manage to install it ok on your Samsung Note 2?

If not happy to set it up for you and we can continue to help other fellow paying ABR subscribers like ourselves that real positive action can be taken to keep lanes open and perhaps encourage them to visit TRF.org.uk and give a bit to the fighting fund.

There must be lots of ABR subscribers (one of my favourite reads) who would join you on your peak protest for instance.

Or perhaps do one of the big bike trial rides that Trevor leads in www.HertsTRF.org.uk?



Regards

Mario

[MikeIrving]

Hi Mario,

I have enabled Tapatalk for the TRF forum on my Note 2. Its very handy for travelling and now you have reminded me i will have a look at the ABR forum also. Mind you i do prefer to sit in front of my lap top with its big screen and nice fat keys......uuuuummh

First time i have been on ABR and i think i will get to like it.

I think long term that the future of trail riding will be around Adventure bikes and with a lot of the trails you do not need to have a serious off roader to be able to enjoy them and i would be happy to take people out to give it a try.

This Sunday, Tony Lacey, Steve Nicholl and i are off t'north with the Manchester TRF to ride the York Moors for the day. Round trip of 350 miles plus whatever we do on the lanes....you cannot do that on a 400 and its a lot less hassle than loading a van or trailer. And my experience the big bikes appear more acceptable ( or maybe the Rambliars think we are lost Road Bikers.

It was suggested some time ago about having a "Big Trailee" section both in the TRF and on the TRF forum. I am not sure thats necessary as i think we can all join in together.

Last year Tony and i did the BMW offroad skills day course 1 and we quickly learnt our GS will go most places a 400 will and towards the end of the 2 days actually tackled climbs that we might not have done on a 400. We are doing the 2nd course 31st/1st sept on the new GS and both looking forward to it. My GSA is in for service today and i have one of the new GS's as a loan.....its magic and i have a feeling when we get back from wales we will be less than satisfied with our current bikes and want a change.

i suppose the big issue is the cost of bike and the potential damage /weight if we drop it. Riding a big Trailee makes you do the job properly without taking risks/ going too fast / looking further ahead and in fact ( touchwood ) rarely drop 'em.

Trail Riding / ABR/ TRF there is definitely a synergy.

Mike

[[email protected]]

Sounds like words of wisdom from you as ever Mike

That settles it for me and I will plump for ORS1 this time and move on despite the pressure from the organisers to skip a level

Stephen Crowther at SBW called me a day or 2 ago with news on the GSA with water in. Bearing in mind the only reason I could find to change my 2010 twin cam was the excellent new windscreen tilt adjuster thingie and possible the duo tone cream topping on Gorringo's seat maybe this is the what I have been waiting for

Still a bit sceptical about big bikes on trails though

My thoughts are

[ul]
[li]Love my CRF250l as a big bike off road that isn't a big bike - but love my CRF230 better [/li]

[li]I can see why they are seen as friendlier as they do seem to move slower in non expert hands- however Tony Woodams who bought my 2010 650 twin could certainly handle a GS in the dirt and HertsTRF member and BMW challenge winner mark Kinnard is amazing[/li]

[li]Not much noise from ABR riders on big bikes who made it to the achievable top on the Stella this year[/li]
[/ul]


Btw the Stella is possibly the best all round trail ride I have done

Photos of my Stella trip on the TRF forum and a full write up with maps and travel tips in progress and plans for next years ascent



Regards


Mario


PS Mike we better watch our Ps & Qs on this forum - they even have a thread on etiquette -
Spellings pretty good too.


Have a great weekend on the trails

[MikeIrving]

Yes i saw the thread.....the angry farmer story moved onto the TRF forum if i recall....history now.

I have just picked my GSA up from Balderstons Peterborough ( Nice people and they know how to look after you) having had one of the new water cooled GS 1200 on loan.........Totally different bike and it makes mine feel like a tractor now and i want a new one....Pity it p!$$ed down with rain this morning as i might have had a better go on it. Can't wait to next week when we do the ORS2 on one.

mike

[[email protected]]

Thanks Mike will look it up on the TRF Forum www.trf.org.uk/forum I think is the address for it? Did we ban the AngryFarmer from our forum too? Seems strange to send a fellow biker into the lap of the Antis.

Apart from that - Yes it is a nice place on this forum and I even have found a couple of riders who promise to become TRF members if you take over from me on promoting the TRF on this site as I am so crap at it

One of them claims poverty but another forum member told me in a PM he works in IT sales on his public profile !! Must be minted :whistle:

This bad cop / good cop PR strategy from the Art of War business strategy MBA seems to be seems to be working really well at getting our point across. They even seem to think we are genuinely inept and nasty and don't have to work at it.

Now we have got their attention I might just take a back seat and watch you be good cop and close the membership deals. Our membership revenues are only up by 12% since we took over Mike and I really want to push for 30% growth if we can do it.

They will come round to realise we only have everyone's best interests at heart and giving everyone somewhere to ride.

PS ... mums the word and keep this on a PM between us and don't press the wrong button or it will be a PR disaster and blow my cover!!


PPS Watch out for that Manchester TRF lot. I heard they lurk on this site too. Still feeling battered from when they sent Pico, Gorringo and myself with that charming lady TRFer got sent up that bloody steep hill in the peak district when they were all going down it. What was it Pico said - rocks like TV sets!! You wait - I'll get my revenge when we organise a green lane ride round Hyde Park in April, meanwhile I actually had a few inquiries from them over the M25 Green Lane run. Gullible or what ! Meanwhile I met someone who works with Phil the MCR TRF Chairman last week - the stories he told me!!

Regards

Mario

[picos mestizo]

Mario you & Mike are on full Duplex with this thread.
Better go back to PM's so the thread can re-trench to the heading.
By the way there's lots of pasionate TRF'ers on these threads. Regs Brian.