Viewing 33 posts - 1 through 33 (of 33 total)
  • Black Mountain Cycle Centre is extremely awesome
  • Northwind
    Full Member

    Just back from a week in Wales… We weren’t planning on doing BMCC but ChrisL cunningly crashed within about 20 metres of the start of the holiday so we booked in a last minute uplift, in the pub. And what a place! I was skeptical because the vids are so jumpy and I’m really not into big jumps but the BERMS, zomfg. Absolute works of art. Good variety of other stuff but really it’s the berms that I’ll remember. And the tractors, tractor uplifts are cool.

    I love the Forest of Dean, I had the best day at Bike Park Wales I’ve ever had, and Flyup 417 is worth a visit too but BMCC was the ride. Highly recommended. Just don’t expect facilities, they have trails and tractors and a portaloo and that’s it.

    (we didn’t just do uplifts, 2 days at Afan too but they pale a bit)

    kayak23
    Full Member

    It looks wicked. Defo been on my to do list a while but not made it yet.

    markshires
    Free Member

    We went a couple of weeks ago and had a really good time,
    As above there’s not much in the way of facilities but its a really chilled out place. It was slightly intimidating when we first pulled up and everyone seemed to have full on downhill bikes, there are some really big jump lines but you’ll see them a mile off. I stuck to the blues and reds and you can mix different sections up all the way down to get a different run together. My only criticism is that the signage in the middle part could be a bit clearer, but after a couple of runs it’s fine.

    [video]https://youtu.be/m00pvYCHx1s[/video]

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    I’m not much of a jumper either and was sceptical I’d get much out of it but I loved it! I really liked the steep black immediately on the right at the top and then taking the red or blue also rightwards further down. Had so much fun. Tractor uplift a nice change from mini buses!

    roastdinner
    Free Member

    There’s enough there to keep a non-jumper entertained all day then? Interesting!

    kayak23
    Full Member

    ^^^ Bad Brains without Bad Brains music? I is disappoint. 🙂

    Northwind
    Full Member

    More a beer review than a band maybe?

    roastdinner – Member

    There’s enough there to keep a non-jumper entertained all day then? Interesting!

    Absolutely! They’ve been really smart about it, frinstance there’s a section on moto which is all at the same time, a jump line and a set of completely perfect bowled berms- you either jump it or ride it. And mostly the sections are either one thing or the other, unlike say bikepark wales which is a wee bit schitzophrenic and sometimes a trail changes character halfway down. The blues are some of the flowiest things I’ve ever ridden, it’s really pretty close to perfect and tbf makes it really obvious what’s wrong with say spooky wood at glentress.

    There’s not a lot of wheels-on-ground tech, but that’s not a loss really, it’s just not what they do.

    frogstomp
    Full Member

    Off there in a couple of weeks.. good to hear the positive feedback! 8)

    Any recommendations for accommodation nearby?

    Earl
    Free Member

    Is it uplift only?

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Earl – Member

    Is it uplift only?

    No, they sell push tickets too but it’d be a bollocks to push up, I’d definitely do the uplift.

    mark88
    Full Member

    Amazing spot. As above, I don’t hit the big jump line but there’s still enough for a good days riding. Good to tie in with another day at BPW or FoD

    Is it uplift only?

    I wouldn’t bother going without uplift to be honest. Uplift is pretty efficient so even without pre booked, you should get plenty of lifts up. The push up is a steep muddy farm track with 3 tractors and trailers running uplift with little passing space.

    sprinter2139
    Free Member

    I’m so glad I crashed earlier in the week and broke a collar bone and missed riding there on Saturday… *cries in the corner*

    markshires
    Free Member

    ^^^ Bad Brains without Bad Brains music? I is disappoint.

    I’m saving them for a special occasion!

    ChrisL
    Full Member

    markshires – Member
    We went a couple of weeks ago and had a really good time,
    As above there’s not much in the way of facilities but its a really chilled out place. It was slightly intimidating when we first pulled up and everyone seemed to have full on downhill bikes, there are some really big jump lines but you’ll see them a mile off. I stuck to the blues and reds and you can mix different sections up all the way down to get a different run together. My only criticism is that the signage in the middle part could be a bit clearer, but after a couple of runs it’s fine.

    There were a lot of DH bikes there when I was there with Northwind and mc. However there was also a fairly cool family (parents and 3 kids) all on trail/enduro bikes which perhaps helped make it look a little less intimidating!

    There were a few bits where the trails split without signs saying what the subsequent trails were. Our first run down a blue ended up with a wrong turning and finished off going down some red trails. Thankfully I never ended up on any of the scary jump lines by accident.

    I mostly stayed on the blue and red trails but I rode Brown Pow, the black bit of Outback and Ninja Alley without dying.

    Remember to bring your own drinks and food!

    bigjim
    Full Member

    There’s a really good video of this place, I think this is it but can’t check for sure as at work, I thought it looked awesome. I’ve never heard my tyres making these sounds…

    Jill Kintner and Bryn Atkinson – a match made in dirt

    MadPierre
    Full Member

    Mods can you please delete this thread?

    We don’t want everyone knowing its good else it’ll be like bike park Wales where you can”t book on without 3 months notice! 😉

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I forgot the most important thing, it’s run by Bill Nighy’s twin.

    mindmap3
    Free Member

    Really enjoyed my day there earlier this month – so much so that I’m back there in a few weeks time.

    When we went it was dry, dusty and mega fast – which took a wee bit to tune into being more used to tighter trails. There were some super good riders too – a dude throwing suicides over the jumps and another lad doing massive whips.

    I think the only place that betters it for me is Revo although that’s ttoally different.

    ChrisL
    Full Member

    I’m not sure I’d enjoy the tractor-and-trailer uplift in the wet!

    Earl
    Free Member

    As frogstomp above – accommodation recommendations?

    markshires
    Free Member

    As we were leaving we past a big campsite just down the road and opposite there was a big pub that looked like it might have had accommodation too. No idea what it was called but have a look on Google maps and you should see it.

    It was this one old Pandy inn no idea what it’s like we didn’t stop there

    deanfbm
    Free Member

    Fave place in the uk

    ChrisL
    Full Member

    We were staying near Afan so can’t really recommend accommodation that’s near BMCC.

    welshfarmer
    Full Member

    I shall mention that to Jo next time I see him 🙂

    A really interesting character who has recently (at age 60) started hang-gliding again. If you go there ask him about the time he was a stunt double in a hang-gliding scene in a Bollywood movie when he was out there on the hippy trail. He also flies birds of prey.

    People asking about accommodation. Depends what you want. There is everything pretty much within a 15 minute drive of the place.
    Nice farmhouse B&B at Lower Stanton
    Hotels & Inns with B&B in Pandy/Llanfihangel or come up the valley to Llanthony (6 miles) and try the Halfmoon hotel or the Abbey Hotel inside an old priory.
    Campsites? There is caravan-club type campsites at the Rising Sun in Pandy or behind the Pandy Inn or once again try coming up the Llanthony Valley for secluded “wild” camping on a simple field. There are a number of options for a few quid a night. We have 2 bunkhouses in Llanthony too though often booked well in advance. Finally, if you are a responsible group of MTBers and want a field next to a river as a place to camp/chill, then drop me a PM and if the field is free I am sure we can come to an arrangement. There are simple loos in the field and a large fire pit to use so it is not that uncivilised. I am about 5 miles from BMCC and a half mile walk across the fields to 2 pubs 🙂

    Cheers

    WF

    crashrash
    Full Member

    other accoms – if you want hot water and a great breakfast my sister has B&B about 10mins away – https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/921342?location=abergavenny&s=EJD_p0jP
    They also have a caravan if you want to be more independant.

    Bucko
    Full Member

    I went to the BMCC yesterday purely on this recommendation…and I dislocated my shoulder following an argument with a tree on the last run of the day.

    Apart from that unfortunate event I have to say that the place is amazing, the endless berms on the blue runs singletrack through the woods are just amazing. We just pushed up as it was a weekday so it was a bit of a slog but I still recommend going if you fancy a weekday, we pretty much had the place to ourselves all morning.

    If there’s any chance the guys who helped me when I came off are reading this then I just want to say thanks again for getting my bike and gear down the hill. Cheers

    markshires
    Free Member

    Oh no bucko, heal up soon.

    One of the things with BMCC was knowing when to reign it in a bit after smashing run after run as you get to know the trails pretty well by the end of the day.

    kayak23
    Full Member

    Just back from a day at Bmcc.
    Great day had. Was expecting just big jumps but there’s some great woodland sections, roots and bends and fast and all sorts.
    Good place and will return.

    The tracks are nice and flowy and use what hill there is really well.

    Unfortunately a tractor broke down going up the steep section on the last run of the day and so most of us pushed up to the bridge and started from there.

    There’s good scope to build up your bottle there. 🙂

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    The legendary Dave Jenvey has a BMCC vid up in the last day, I’ll watch later.

    frogstomp
    Full Member

    Great day there on Saturday.. dry and dusty in the morning then greasy in the afternoon after a downpour at lunchtime made for a different experience on the same trails! 8)

    Only criticism really was the trail convergence/signage near the bottom where people deciding which way to go were potentially in the way of people “making progress” (© STW 😉 ) to make the big jumps on the Moto line.

    pedlad
    Full Member

    Great day here on Saturday. As with a few other posters not a big jumper so a bit wary, but what a blast.  Blues and reds are a fantastic combination of a bit of steep at the top, some beautifully built smaller jumps and the lower down berms give speed through the woods that have you buzzing by the end.  V efficient uplift – far better engineered trailers than BPW with all that faffing with straps.  It was a cold day but fine on the open uplift with the right kit on- rain would be a bit miserable.

    Milkie
    Free Member

    Shhhhhh!!!

    Markend
    Free Member

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kOqfop2VWw

    Love it there! A little video from last weekend mixed in with a bit of BPW

Viewing 33 posts - 1 through 33 (of 33 total)

The topic ‘Black Mountain Cycle Centre is extremely awesome’ is closed to new replies.