Fast & swoopy - what's not to like?
Some on here must be really boring to ride with!
😉
Sooty&Jim. no real offence taken but it pisses me off when people just write trail centres off.
There are a lot of ubercyclists on here though.
Who says I'm writing 'trail centres' off? I love Dalby, have had some great times at CyB and many of the Scottish centres are absolutely cracking. I just find Llandegla particularly over-rated and am baffled at how riders with a fairly decent standard of ability can find it 'technical' at any speed. That said though we are all different, one person's technical is another person's yawn-fest and if we all liked the same things it'd be a boring world. If it floats your boat bully for you, but it doesn't mean that if someone else doesn't like it that they are riding it like a granny on the way to the Post Office!
I think the problem is that you've got the impression from somewhere that someone has said it's technical. Llandegla is easy to get to, is a bit of fun, it's nice and quick if you're short of time and if you want to, you can cut off the man made stuff at half a dozen points and ride some proper sketchy and long welsh trails.
I think it's ok for a bit of a laugh and likewise, can't understand why people like slating it so much so I'll get a post in as quick as I can to wind people up who take these things a little too seriously.
Llandegla is great. Its not an epic ride or anything or super techy etc but then its not meant to be. Recently rode Scotland - Glentress, inners, kirroughtree, mabie. Ridden most the other welsh trail centres too so not a noob. Its a nice flowy smooth trail. plenty fun and something for everyone. Im going this weekend (Sunday) with 20 others from my club. see you there.
I was dissapointed by a number of things. There were no rocky, rooty, steep, twisty, technical sections whatsoever (that I can remember)
I think I remember alot of it being smooth and bermy which is fun but i could go to the trails on my bmx and ride stuff like that but with proper jumps thrown in too.
My mate cleared all the black sections easily and at a fairly decent speed too. He doesnt even ride mountain bikes.
If your used to riding in the lakes then it definitely feels a bit tame.
It also had a centre parks feeling to it.
However, its nice someone has put the effort in to create something like that and Im glad plenty of people enjoy it, its just not for me. Whinlatter is a far better trail centre in my opinion.
I think the problem is that you've got the impression from somewhere that someone has said it's technical.
Probably got that impression from it being graded red with black sections (IIRC).
I've ridden it a few times, wasn't my cup of tea / type of place.
Is it just me, or are there not actually that many jumps there either?
I remember some tabletops at the end of the climb, and a row of doubles after the bridge - but not much else. The rest seemed more like a pump track, as otehrs have said.
Only been twice though, may be defective memory. Would go back, but not not a busy day!
If you've got a jump bike, take it up there....
I spied the new 4x/dual track and the tarmac pump track there the other week.... Not open as yet but they look like fun!
Probably enough fun to bin off the XC route altogether and just go jumpin' and pumpin' for a few hours instead.
Anyone know when they will be open?
Just got in from my first time there. i have to admit that im a little dissapointed. I just think that their idea of 'black run' is diffrent to what you get at Afan etc. However- it certainly is a nice set up with good staff etc. Some of the stuff they have fenced off at the mo looks amazing.
Thanks all
My Mate's now got Swine flu so will be postponing (giving him a wide berth)- If we went from his place Nanty is probably as close (nearly) Will take the kids to Llandegla some time as it doesn't sound too techy for them
Its ok. Put some speed in and its good fun. I take my 8 and 11 year old girls there too. They love it.
Park up at the Ponderosa at 8pm on a wet and wild winters night, ride in via the masts and the boardwalk, fling yerself round through the woods, wish the cafe was open 24 hours, slog back up to the boring long straight climb, go back out onto the moors, slip and slide back up to the masts, zoom back down to the cafe, go to pub.
You can do the same thing during the day, avoid the overflowing car park and careless drivers, have beans on toast in the cafe (which is about 3/4 of the way round the route if starting from the Ponderosa) and then go home.
I don't think I'd ever bother starting from the cafe, in part because from Shrewsbury it's about 30 mins less driving, which is good.
Went round today, brake bumps ahoy!
Agreed deft, just goes to show how people cannot read the trail.
As for gradings, all trails are graded to IMBA specs - here http://www.imba.org.uk/WhereToRide/TrailGrades.html
only worth going when the weather has been crap all week imo
only worth going when the weather has been crap all week imo
Especially if you like that "covered in mud, trying to avoid the predator" look... 😀
Love/Hate relationship here.
Agree with Samurai. If you are carrying speed round there, real speed, then its great. There are loads of jumps there. They don't have to be signposted to be jumps. Trouble is, if you're not carrying speed they will be ickle bumps, which will be just rolled over.
I don't expect a battering there - rocks, roots etc. However, I'm always suprised to see people rocking up on beefy 6 inch bikes, which look like being set up for the alps, with the owners padded up. Unless you are Mark Weir you're not going to pump/jump 35lb bikes around there. Thus, I agree with the MBR subscriber comment.
In summary, its great for a weekday blast when its quiet. IMO - avoid weekends at all costs.
NB. In addition, the disposal of used inner tubes into trees is not mandatory. Absolute throbbers.
