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Manly Dam
Hello
I would really like to do the Manly Dam ride but I don’t have a clue about it – I know everyone says you can’t get lost but I think I could – would anyone be at all interested in doing a ride there on the weekend?
MEEE 
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... with these directions:
http://nobmob.com/rides/manlydam/circuit
I'm sure you've seen this before though, eh?
Sorry - but I'm taking it really easy for a while (you might have noticed me doing beginners rides last few weeks - doctors orders), but I'm sure there will be takers.
Christine,
Don't know how you are placed for work hours but I am thinking of doing a slow lap there Wednesday arvo, probably around 3ish if you want to tag along.
This will be a slowish lap as I have a new bike which I haven't yet ridden and will be stopping along the way to adjust set up.
Stuart
Christine,
Unless you plan to take your wireless laptop with you tuned to Rob’s photo's (which are very good I should add) then lost you could get.
I recommend tagging with someone, at least for your first lap.
Unfortunately, I'm out of town this weekend.
Catch you all in a fortnight.
Greg (Pikey)
Hello Stuart,
I would love to come riding on Wednesday, but we are right on deadline for the magazine so I can't see any time off in the day!
I can always wait until someone else is going to the Dam and I can ride at Terrey Hills or Oxford Falls this weekend - one of my friends is threatening to ride at Red Hill...
MEEE
Rode Manly dam this arvo and, well, its not quite the all weather track it once was. Loads of standing water on nearly all sections of trail, even the golf course single track had standing puddles but was probably the driest section of the lot.
The first section of fire trail behind the school is an absolute bog, actually got stuck here and had to wlk out of the puddle / small lake.
Every bit of dirt along the boardwalk section was under water, one of the unfortunate side effects of having the Koppers logs buried across the trail to "aid drainage". Water doesn't drain off a track that is lower than the surrounding bush no matter how many logs are placed across it. As a side note though the erosion behind the first log drop has been built up now so that the dirty big log is more of a roll over, definitely "doable" by anyone with balance.
All of the grassed fire trail areas behind the houses are water logged, almost like a rugby pitch at the end of a weeks rain.
My advise would be to stay away for atleast a week of fine weather before venturing near the dam, after all it is almost at the bottom of the catchment area and will take some time to drain.
All that said it was an absolute blast. Covered head to toe in mud and the bike will take a day to clean properly but hey you get that, besides I hear you are pretty good in the mud,,
Cheers
Stuart
Hey Stuart,
Rode Manly Dam yesterday, most of it is pretty good at the moment. The only tough spots are (if you park outside the hydraulics lab) where you first get on dirt track before the climb to the gate. That first section of white clay and dirt had me sinking in to my spokes and was impossible to get out of.
The part just before the playground and at the 6 foot drop has a huge section of mud where if you are going fast is very difficult to nogitate so be careful there.
There are still a few sections of standing water but tracks have already been made around these sections much to my discust. What was once a single track now has about ten other routes around obysticals. Really annoying stuff.
I know what you are talking about with the log. Much easier to ride now that it is more built up.
Overall heaps of fun however avoid some parts because of track erosion and deep mud.
Tim