Hi all
I've had the most fun on trail centres where there are nice smooth flowy jumpy and bermy sections.
Lots of safe-ish tabletops with no surprises and just the right amount of space between them.
e.g.
Most of Innerleithen Red descent
End of Laggan Red
Jumpy bit at Black Isle
Some of Whinlatter (I've only ever done the first loop).
Jump section halfway around Llandegla (although this is bit different).
I'd love to go and practice trying to do slight whips and slight tabletops.
Where do more like this exist?
Brechfa FTW! 😀
Glentress Blue
Woburn has some stuff you can practice on.
The Npower section half way down Whites at Afan.
Brechfa +1
Lee Quarry?
Lee quarry was somewhere I thought would be perfect. I was very disappointed. There's almost nowhere you can just take a lazy easy jump.
The only one I like is the very last one before you cross the fireroad to the skills area on the normal red. I've seen loads of people try to take a big runup to the one before it and still not manage to clear it in a comfortable way.
All three pump tracks are very similarly difficult. Very tight and severe on a 'normal' mountain bike. No fun for me.
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Glentress Blue is really nice. But it's a long way for me to go (from the peak district).
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I've never done the south Wales trails, so I'm hoping to do a visit this year. I'll make sure Brechfa is on the list. Thanks for that. I think Whites at Afan is already on the list, but I'll check.
Any more?
Do you mean the final run down to the car park AS? The one which starts with the gate/cattle grid? Certainly my favourite section of LQ.
Quite like the old pump track too. The original one (as I've not been since they've added to it).
Llandegla is possibly the closest. As you are Peaks based have you tried Dalby?
The new Adam and Eve section at Coed y Brenin sounds about right and had me grinning like a loon;
http://www.extremetrack.co.uk/gallery/coed-y-brenin
Llandegla - lots of fast, smooth stuff, lots of little kickers, some dirt jump areas, skills areas, all sorts.
KoB - actually, i'd forgotten about that bit. It's a good bit, but it's still on the uncomfortable side for trying new stuff on the jumps. I'm struggling to remember but there's a couple of awkward bits on the runup.
I've been to Dalby - really enjoyed the skinnies, but can't remember liking the jumps as much.
timmys - I was going to ask about Coed-y. Does that ride as good as it looks?
honourablegeorge - yep, I already really enjoy Llandegla. Although I find the jumps section in the skills area a bit of a disappointment. The easy route jumps are too short to land on a transition and the harder line is a bit vertical. It takes all my energy and effort to clear them - no chance to try anything new. The first two on the freeride course are great though.
I guess I'm really fussy!
I've never done the blue at Llandegla. Is there fun to be had there?
If you want to practise jumping, avoid trail centres and find jump sites and BMX tracks. There will be loads within a few miles of you.
Of course, there will be loads of kids there ready to take the piss out of you too.
Just pretend you're an 80's jump legend recovering from a spinal injury. That worked for me.
bolehills BMX track, walkley, Sheffield
New FoD though it's more rollery and bermy than jumpy, there are no tabletops as such but you can definitely get air off a lot of the bits down the last section 🙂
If you're near Leicester then Western Park has a great tabletop/jumps/drops area with a few doubles if you're so inclined.
@AlexSimon - fair point on the skills area. I'm not much of a jumper, technique wise - found myself wanting something in between - or for the larger ones to be tabletops rather than the sort-of-doubles they are now.
cant believe no ones said this: cwm rhaeader!
a bit out of town from the main s.wales trail centers but its definitely worth it.
Also the dual slalom at Chicksands is basically one massive swooping berm with jumps now 😆
How much fun does that new bit at CyB look! Where is it and is it open? Feel a weekend mission over to Wales coming on...
How much fun does that new bit at CyB look! Where is it and is it open? Feel a weekend mission over to Wales coming on...
It's between the "Cain" and "Slated" single track sections on MBR/Beast routes. Its super smoothness comes a compete contrast between those two rather rocky sections which I think really adds to the grin factor. Not sure when it opened as last week was my first trip to CyB.
My own pic of the new bit;
[img] 
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The same people built the new blue section which is similar but obviously the jumps are toned down a lot. On the plus side it is a 10 min loop from the visitors centre rather than half way up a mountain like the Adam and Eve section!
Blue trail;
[img] 
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(Apologies to the random Yeti rider in the pic if he sees this!)
Section 13 and Transmission at Hamsterley would probably fit your description. A few table tops and doubles mixed in with bermed corners and steps/small drops.
CyB in a few weeks then I think...
mmmm - they look good.
CyB here I come. We're camping in Betwys one of the next 3 weekends, so I'll be off for a play I think.
[b]samuri[/b] a couple of years ago I bought myself a 24" wheel jump bike and went to all the local BMX places. They were great for teaching me to pump, but I found them all really challenging to get reliable air on. Most of the full-on BMX tracks need you to be 6 feet high to clear the doubles. Pretty intimidating.
Platt Fields, Manchester for example. I could clear the first jump, and then jump into the middle of the next triple, then there was one on the 3rd straight, then one on the last straight. + you're absolutely knackered by the time you get to it.
The examples in the first post are completely different to that. Easy air, easy landings. Great fun and I'm sure I'd be able to try new things on them because my confidence of a normal jump is high. Shame there aren't any closer. There are a few bits in Delamere that I like, but they still don't go back-to-back like the ones listed above.
I've just thought of another good one. At the bottom of the Mabie forest 4x track.
Which route is that new bit on at CyB? I'm up that way next weekend so may go for a blast...
float - cwm rhaeader looks great (just watched helmet cam footage). I didn't see any jump training bits like those in the first post, but it still looked great fun.
Which route is that new bit on at CyB? I'm up that way next weekend so may go for a blast...
* cough*
It's between the "Cain" and "Slated" single track sections on MBR/Beast routes.
Learnie's not exactly convenient for most people but it does have a lovely jump line. Gradient's maybe not quite enough so it's hard work getting the speed up but otherwise excellent.
Doh. Thank you timmys!
Brechfa, Glentress Blue, last bit of Kirroughtree Red (prob the best bit of trail centre ever IMO!)
LOL @ samuri, the injured 80's BMX legend. 😉
Freight Train into Dirt Merchant into Lower A-line.
I love cwm rhaeder, because its short you can session it a few times. Theres a few little bits where you can ride differently as you get better at it. In one place theres a sort of natural berm which if you want you can hit with speed and fly round the corner. Good fun 😀 Few little jumps/drops you can go off. Probably not a 'training' ride for jumpin though. Dunno!
JonEdwards - if you'll subsidise a flight - I'm there. I have friends in vancouver too!
Freight Train into Dirt Merchant into Lower A-line.
Got any other tips for runs that link up well together? Preferably without big/steep rock drop offs 😛
We (SingletrAction) built a skills spot at Thackley / Buck Woods (between Bradford and Leeds).
It isn't perfect but it might be worth a shot if you're "local". Nice pump track there as well and some good old ragging round the woods trails too 😎
Thanks Cheeky Monkey - I'm passing that way reasonably often (I'm originally from Skipton), so I might drop in for a look.
No worries, info on the site:
[url] http://www.singletraction.co.uk/projects.php?page=Buck%20Wood [/url]
There's always Stainburn. The Descent Line has been tweaked in places (nearer the top) to be a little more flowing and has the odd jump.
I doubt anyone would say it meets your original criteria but then I approach stuff like this with the idea that just being out with my bike is good, even if the trail isn't exactly my bag 😉
Is that a dig 🙂
Don't worry - there's plenty of 'normal' riding going on the rest of the time. I'm pretty spoilt living on the edge of the Peak District.
I just feel like I'd love to spend a good couple of hours repeating jumps until I've made some improvement.
The new Adam and Eve section at Coed y Brenin sounds about right and had me grinning like a loon;
WTF, they have built a pump track in Waterlooville, just round the corner from me! must visit!
Is that a dig
Not at all. I was just struck that, as I started writing about the DL, how very un "flowy" the trail is compared to more "mainstream" trail centres (is Stainburn even a trail centre?).
At the very least iut would be ironic to recommend trails there for someone looking for smooth flow and floaty jumps.
Lets agree that all riding's good 😎
I've just seen this in Leighton Buzzard.
http://www.extremetrack.co.uk/gallery/leighton-buzzard
I'd like one of these local to me please Mr Councilman
Here's a video I made of the new Blue Trail, the Verderer's Trail to give it it's real name, in the FOD. It rocks for a blue.
http://www.trailcrew.biz/movies/verderer_trail/verderer_trail.html
That looks absolutely brilliant! Great video too!
What's Llandegla Blue like? I've never done it.
cwmcarn downhill red run
and for £25 a day a nice chap in a van drives you back to the top so you can have lots of goes at it. well recommended
What's Llandegla Blue like? I've never done it.
very tame with no jumps to speak of. The skills areas are fun though.
Did anyone already recommend the DH trails at the FOD to the OP?
Great tracks for getting in the air a little bit.
HSD at Gawton.