b-r I've just checked that trail out-looks great fun,I was last there around 7 years ago,I'm guessing things have changed a bit. 😀
Yep phenominal flow on Angry sheep, covered in slop a few weeks back but so addictive.
br sampled the R****Revenge on saturday, what can i say, the valley just keeps on giving, ta for that.
Been really lucky so far this winter as the trails on my local hill in this part of Aberdeenshire have been fairly dry-ish apart from a few days a couple of weeks ago when we had snow and sleet. All last week they were frozen so again no mud to speak of. Just hope I haven't jinxed them now
Was looking forward to riding Angry Sheep on Tuesday until a branch ripped two spokes out my back wheel.
When I lived in Bristol before the trails were surfaced i would go to a Welsh trail centre or the Quantocks mist weekends as the local trails were so muddy.
Now live in the flat east Thetford is my local trails and they drain pretty well so ride all year round, in fact they are often to dry and sandy in the summer. Today was frozen and very fast
I like it, although if it was always muddy might get narked off.
Been riding some curently muddy woods near me a lot recently and I've noticed I feel like I'm riding the descents much faster than normal, although strava says otherwise. I wonder if all the micro slides and recoveries give the impression of going fast even when your not? Either way its good fun!
Also I prefer wet mud to wet rock
I love it, mostly, but it can get tedious around this time of year.
Love it sometimes, when it's loose and sloppy rather than claggy and thick.
But my road bike has been getting a lot more use than usual lately, I must be honest.
Yes, we do like 🙂
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Cheers!
I.
Do I like riding muddy trails? No, not really, but if I didn't ride them I'd ride even less than I do now.
Sometimes it can be fun, especially downhill, but there's nothing worse than being defeated on a climb because it is too muddy for any traction.
Tends to be a lot of bridleways where I am which can be tricky in the mud and worse when they freeze over! It's all just riding though and fun whatever. Narrower tyres help, good mud clearance kept me going when mates have ground to a stop. I won't ride Stanmer or other popular trails in the winter because sheer numbers are ruining them. Hopefully more people offended by weather conditions will stick to turbo trainers, Zwift or whatever's hot.
don't mind riding them, however the bike washing gets tedious. Had to do mine and the 2 boys bikes Saturday after a muddy few hrs at Pollock, and then mine again yesterday after a morning at Mugdock.
The kids do help with theirs, but not to my level of fastidiousness 🙂
I'm not a big fan of muddy conditions, although apparently I can ride them half reasonably (or so I'm told...)
What I really don't like are steep downhill sections among trees that just become a "death slide". It's the proximity of the trees that spooks me, trees and I don't have a great history.
On balance, give me rocky, even wet rocks, over mud any day.
If I'm in the mood and haven't ridden for a while, I'm much more accepting of it!
This winter as Cannock local has been way better than last year where the trails were rubbish by November. Even after Christmas the off piste stuff wasn't too bad, It's struggling a bit now - I want the proper dry cold to return and dry it all up again. This damp, dank, moist cold is rubbish.
I can'r wait for the drier trails - not even dust because Cannock stuff is better slightly damp.
Local trails are at the Winchester end of the south downs way and can be very claggy which is not much fun. I ride with a few guys on a weekly night ride and we ride whatever the weather sometime if it's claggy we avoid the worst but most of the time we just embrace it and let the back wheel slide a bit which for 4 of the 6 of us is fun!
Isn't one of the trails from the mast Plan B??big long step rooty bugger of a trail,Its a belter,Kinda like Hush hush and brown trout combined in one trail.
C@nt of a climb back up to the mast
I had completely fallen out with mud last year so took up running instead. Fast forward to this winter and since buying my Dune I'm riding more than summer (floaters not Juggernauts).
Done 20 miles at Wharncliffe today, it was ace 🙂
Admittedly, this is a pretty dry winter in Yorkshire if you choose wisely.
I love the mud. Love the challenge of working out how to keep moving and picking the right lines and trails.
I used to live in Bristol and loved Ashton Court and Leigh Woods in the winter when it was several inches deep - pretty much had the trails to yourself as most stayed away. I went back for the Octoberfest and the surfaced trails - don't think I ever want to ride there again it was so unnatural and lacking in real dirt and mud. I find trail centres surfaces extremely slippery when damp and with no mud to slow the speeds I find it all a bit too sketchy. Loving the Southern edge of the Quantocks right now, away from some of the main Bridleways which were just about passable in Autumn let alone now. I ride a hard tail in the winter, narrower, spicier tyres and don't over wash it after each ride. Ceramic bearings in the BB are essential.