Has anyone ridden the Marin Trail recently?

Not been for 4 years, how’s it running? Is it still rigid friendly or do I need a bit of bounce?

Fat bikes only I’m afraid 😀

Not ridden for about 4 months. Its all rigid friendly but you would want a FS for the final section.

Its all rigid friendly but you would want a FS for the final section.

total bunkum

you can rag it flat out rigid, or fat, or even fixie cyclocross

unless you are one of these newfangled riders who didn’t learn to ride with wildly oscillating eyeballsin the 80’s, in which case, without at least 5″ of skill compensation you will die and the badgers and welsh doggers will play with your mangled corpse

I did eye ball rattling in the 1980. I’m very glad I don’t have to do it any more

My niece was on a very nearly rigid bike and got very left behind and beaten up on the final descent

But in the end its personal choice

I’ve not ridden the Marin on anything but a rigid for years, IMO it’s a better ride but I do like to smash the final section with some bounce sometimes.

last time I was there they had tamed the trail quite a lot.

My niece was on a very nearly rigid bike and got very left behind and beaten up on the final descent

whereas we on SS rigid niche machines smash the hell out of it ride over the top of geared boingy storm troopers for being ATGNI.

but that’s because we are hardcore and nasty and mean and spit in the face of conformity and wee on the gear danglers of the weak limbed little darlings that need to harden the fluff up and grrrrr

Be interesting to know what your times for final decent is tazzymtb 😉

its all rideable rigid, just a different experience

Cheers all.

Full Fat and Rigid it is then.

I rode steel hardtails, no helmet, and nil boing in the 80’s why any one would want to do it it nowadays is beyond me ?

I’ve got a hardtail and I hate it, its just not a pleasant experience, a bit like owning a range rover then choosing to go everywhere in a Morris minor because you can ?

There’s no disputing that a HT is easier to peddle than a FS but I’d rather put the extra effort in and be rewarded on the downs,

Just my opinion of course, others are entitled to theirs,

last time I was up at the Marin (2-3 years back) they had done a lot of work tidying it up. Last few sections looked like they would be good HT just need to know how to do it right. Rigid on the other hand sounds just a bit weird.

you can rag it flat out rigid, or fat, or even fixie cyclocross

But you wouldn’t want to.

Short-travel full-sus ftw. Orrr whatever you have.

Rode it for the first time in April, loved it… Was on my hardtail, couldn’t think of a better bike for it really. I’d like to do it on my rigid, would be fun.

Thank you Llandegla and thank you CYB for your lovely trail centres with your cafe’s, groomed trails, bike shops, bike washes and toilets for taking riders of all abilities and keeping them to yourselves.

Today I fell back in love with The Marin Trail, yes it has more fire roads than single track and yes it climbs more height on fire roads than any other trail centre and yes I got a Fat tyre pinch flat on the very last section that was quicker to push back to the car than fix it on the trail.

But for a quiet loop out in the wilds, which rides so well now that it doesn’t get used like it used to, one which drains really well, with no braking bumps, one that feels so nice, with plenty of things to test you, places to jump and no other riders* & dog walkers blocking your flow it’s now my favourite trail centre, If you want more single track simply do the first climb again and head down the final downhill bit a few times. Plus it’s free car parking = Perfect

Give it a go if you’ve not been for a couple of years**

* I passed a couple on the first climb and that was all I saw.

** there are a couple of markers missing, at these points turn left and you should be OK [fingerscrossedicon]

here here! I love it.
long live the Marin Trail, etc.

The last descent is great fun. But the remainder of the trail is 90% fire road – it really is just a bimble about in the countryside.

I’d say 60% fire road, but as you are using them for going up hill you spend 75% of your time on them.

Still the single track is worth it now it’s so little used.

it really is just a bimble about in the countryside.

that’s all that mountain biking really was back then… a bimble in the countryside with some descending

Love the Marin for chatty and sociable rides. Yes, lots of forestry road, but look around, it ain’t a bad place to be riding bikes. Great drainage too and ace for snowy rides.

I was there on Saturday and really enjoyed it – lovely views, some fun singletrack and really quiet. Loads of fire road but doesn’t bother me too much.

My mate was on a hardtail and I was demo-ing the new Trek Fuel 29er which was fun 😀

Still managed a comedy over the bars crash on the most innocuous non tech bit of trail, my own fault for not paying attention.

Fatty goes to Wales

But you wouldn’t want to.

hahahahaha cock off! ridden it on all manner of big wheel, little wheel, full sus, front sus, no sus bike related contraptions..out of all of them i enjoy it most when it’s a challenge, which is flat out rigid for me, full sus flat out is just not as exciting. (in the same way that doing a circuit in a race prepared historic car on original spec rubber is much more exciting than a modern track car. you can do the same speed, but needs a hell of a lot of input and skill to get the same results and a mediocre diver will always get a better result with a modern car)

timc I’ll make sure next time we ride it, one of the groups little SS strava monkeys does it with us ( i hate the whole stave thing) I’m sure we can post a nice time for you. 😀

oh and it is a lovely old school little soul ride the marin, just one of those places that feels good to be at

The second trail i ever rode and still one i return to the most.

slight exaggeration there

90% fire road, you’re having a laugh… Sure, there is a lot of fire road climbing, and even a wee bit of fire road descending, but there’s also more than enough singletrack to make it worthwhile, and some of it is bloomin brilliant.

JohnClimber – Member

out in the wilds

I am aware this makes me a dick, but still, LOLZ.

First (official) trail I ever biked, I’m into XC so didn’t mind the long fire road ascents, in fact I enjoyed them. The views are lovely and the trail is great organic fun.

All done on a hard-tail with ease.

The Penmachno however provided a good bout of arm pump 🙂

mikewsmith – Member

slight exaggeration there

Maybe slight. But not that far off. What sticks in my head is a long fire road climb getting towards the end, after a long period without much singletrack at all, and at last getting to a singletrack descent off the side of th ehill to the right – tore into it flat out, thinking “nice one, this is mor elike it” and then getting spat out ontp the fire road again after 100 yds and back to the slog.

I think what bothered me most was the potential. That long fire road descent, with a big forest to your left that could have all sorts of fun singletrack routes through it. Loads of places where there could be loads more fun had, but for whatever reason (and I’m sure budget, planning, land ownership and all manner of similar things are contraints there) you’re on the fire road.

As people have said, there’s a nice day out in the countryside to be had, but if I found myself back there, I’d just ride the last descent ten times.

In the style of Alan Partridge…. Penmachno, the trail The Marin could have been 😉

some awesome views from the marin, love the sections around the lake, my first trail centre too back when there wasn’t much choice, found it tough when unfit with the climbing but have a long lasting fondness for it

but that’s because we are hardcore and nasty and mean and spit in the face of conformity

very conformist that

(Marin trail is fun)