[Closed] NEW Penmachno Video

I would ride penmachno any time over llandegla.
Rode on Sunday no sign of any queues

Four pages of crap.

If you don't like it, don't ride it.

Quite simple really 😉

molgrips - Member

I can be blasting down singletrack with not a sole in sight

Feet firmly on the ground...?

Or firmly in plaice on the pedals.

Sorry.
I can't help it.

Just seen the video, looks awesome to me. Way better than fire road at any rate. But I love that kind of fast jumpy riding, I'm not a huge fan of slower techy stuff.

molgrips - Member
I can be blasting down singletrack with not a sole in sight
Feet firmly on the ground...?

Or firmly in plaice on the pedals.

With all that water, not as ridiculous as it sounds 😛

joat - Member

With all that water, not as ridiculous as it sounds 😛

Good point.
😀
It always amuses me when people whinge about it being wet.
It's North Wales ffs, what do you expect?
'Hordes of wildebeest sweeping majestically across the plain?'
An Ambre Solaire concession next to the honesty box?

Do these people not ride any natural stuff?
Or does your £2500 Enduro rig dissolve at the first sign of moisture?

Get real - it's a wonderful, locally built track that can stand comparison with any trail centre on these islands.

Can't wait to get back.

I didn't think that was a moan, just an observation...

Not aimed at Joat in the slightest, his post made me laugh.
Apologies if it came across that way.
Aimed at the arch miserableists who seem to know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

just looks a bit raw, it will wear in.
never done penmachno before, but heading to N Wales early next year and its on the to do list.

Just read the golf R thread and then the first page of this one - I give up on this place. What a miserable bunch of ****s hang out here to express their tedious opinions.

Penmachno is a fabulous place to ride. I make a point of going there when I go to north Wales.

davosaurusrex - Member
Just read the golf R thread and then the first page of this one - I give up on this place. What a miserable bunch of **** hang out here to express their tedious opinions.

First reaction stuff to a perhaps misleading video that's all. Now I've seen the explanation behind it, it makes a lot more sense and hopefully will turn out right in the long run.

The video just bills the improvements as a major change to the whole place and filled me with dread of motorway riding in a place that is a polar opposite of that kind of trail. However if it's just replacing the fire road sections and basically the same method of construction as the original trails were done and intended to evolve into the same narrow raw style trails then all is good.

Anyway, nothing wrong with having a moan. It's fun 😀 , and it allows us to drill into any concerns and resolve or answer them. Far better than everyone being swept along by hype and then being disappointed.

This
[img] [/img]
will 'evolve' into this.......
[img] [/img]
(I apologise in advance for having an opinion someone else may disagree with)

Are the new sections replacing fire road sections which were uphill?

Well I'm in the "that looks like a hell of a load of fun" camp. Will be heading up that way ASAP.

The wider stuff will clearly bed in and mellow. Once next Spring / Summer's growth has taken hold the trail will blend in massively. it'll rut out and be far less obtrusive. It's just the same as we have with newer sections of our trails at Cannock which receive uproar.

However this move towards "New School" (shudder) trails does seem to fit in with what seems to be a new breed of MTBer who can afford their 160mm Enduro bike, pink top and yellow shorts and wants to ride like their on Pinkbike. At the end of the day that's cool and it's good to see that there is a choice of places to ride on this little island.

Trail Centre haters will always take issue with Trail Centres regardless of how they are built but again there are miles of other trails to ride in most places.

No the new sections do not replace fire road sections that were up hill they replace a flat bit of fire road with new trail that is 70% up hill then you loose all your height in two shit berms. It also has some up hill rollers in this new section that are shocking.
The other first new bit just joins up with the section of trail numbered 1.9 this means you miss out some switch back turns and then a section of fire road approximately 200m long

It'll be amusing if the kind of rider who likes smooth bmx track type trails goes to penmachno thinking it's all like that, they are in for a (pleasant) surprise

70% uphill?
Didn't feel that steep.

new trail that is 70% up hill then you loose all your height in two shit berms. It also has some up hill rollers in this new section that are shocking.

Well I'm in the "that looks like a hell of a load of fun" camp. Will be heading up that way ASAP.

No the new sections do not replace fire road sections that were up hill they replace a flat bit of fire road with new trail that is 70% up hill then you loose all your height in two shit berms. It also has some up hill rollers in this new section that are shocking

Unbelievable. What a huge exaggeration. There are two new sections, one is deffo downhill all the way, the other which I assume is referred to above is downhill overall but probably only just. I thought those berms were quite good when hit properly. As for the rest of that bit, it is designed for people who are fit and who can ride a bike properly. A decent rider would probably be able to ride it without pedaling (i couldn't as I am not good enough). It reminded me a bit of Cragg quarry where you really need to pump the bike to get the most out of it and the more you do the better it is.

a huge exaggeration..quite good when hit properly..A decent rider would probably be able to ride it without pedaling

Maybe by a rider who won his category at the race there perhaps?

Jesus wept. What a bunch of miserable sods. What I find hard is the lack of diplomacy. A bunch of guys worked their arses off to build it and its put up here and a bunch of keyboard warriors can't wait to get stuck in with vitriol and angst. Bet you'd all be a bunch of laughs in the pub.

I've ridden Penmachno many times and love its superb, rocky, watery singletrack. At the same time I've nothing against bombing along some swoopy, flowy track as well (the blue at Whinlatter springs to mind). As numerous others have said, this doesn't replace any of the classic Penmachno, it looks like a good thing. And to those who are complaining that they might have to pedal.....get a life

+1 to the volunteers and people who put time and effort into this. I for one appreciate what you do. Any investment into the sport is a good one 🙂

As others have said the new sections are short and only replace fire road so are a slight improvement over that.
All the lovely (wet) old stuff is still there.
I like the video if it puts people off going there, I love penmachno but I don't love crowds on the trail.
It does give a totally false impression of what penmachno is really like to anyone that has never been there though.
When me and my mates road those sections last week we were laughing saying they have put a wheelchair access in.

bunch of guys worked their arses off to build it,the volunteers and people who put time and effort into this. I for one appreciate what you do

Funkrodent, you do know that the people who built it got paid (pretty well by the sounds of it) to build this don't you?

+1 to the volunteers and people who put time and effort into this.

Rorschach - Member
bunch of guys worked their arses off to build it,the volunteers and people who put time and effort into this. I for one appreciate what you do

I'm sure the guys at conservfor appreciate your gratitude

wrecker - Member
Funkrodent, you do know that the people who built it got paid (pretty well by the sounds of it) to build this don't you?

My understanding - admittedly from this thread - is that the local community of riders/builders were involved throughout the process, even if they didn't actually build it. In an ideal world, maybe they'd have got something slightly different and maybe more in keeping with the rest of Penmachno, but there is nothing wrong with what has been built and it looks like a laugh to ride. For the benefit of those who may not have had the time to read the whole thread/have short memories, the copied bit below is a response from one of the community team to the criticism they have been receiving. Seems pretty straightforward to me..

"We understand where you’re coming from – we love the current trails and our dream was to build 2 sections of skinny, challenging singletrack that would blend perfectly with the current trails. We spoke to the crew who built the original trails so we could replicate the specification, however, it turned out that when the trails were first built they were wide (around 80cm), and rolling, and it’s taken 10 years of riding to turn them into the amazing singletrack they are today! One of the reasons for the original construction method is because the Penmachno ground is so wet (not that you’d notice!!!), so a wide base/platform needs to be put in so the trail doesn’t disappear into the Penmachno bog. At this point we could see our dream disappearing so considered a hand built trail, which would allow a narrower trail to be built. However, it was super-expensive and left us with 2 options – 1 short section of narrow hand-built or 2 long sections of wider machine built trail. After a lot of deliberating we went for the second option, on the basis that it was how the original trail was built and that in a few years it will narrow up, ride-in and evolve into true Penmachno singletrack. Plus it would replacing riding along forest track so it would be a definite improvement. It has been a painful learning process which has included a few shattered dreams for the community team, however, we have learned to look beyond what are 2 very new and uniform sections of trail and see what they’ll be like in a few years time when they’ve ridden in. So, we totally understand where you’re coming from but hopefully you’ll enjoy them more than riding on forest track and in a few years time you’ll love them!!!"?

Anyway, my main issue isn't the fact that people don't like it, it's the way some people choose to express themselves and their dissatisfaction. It's downright rude and I'm willing to bet that most of the most vociferous "complainers" wouldn't dream of putting their feelings across in that way were they stood face to face.. 😐

Rorschach - Member
This

will 'evolve' into this.......

(I apologise in advance for having an opinion someone else may disagree with)

I can see what you did there. But you're perhaps guilty of a bit of spin-doctoring. You know as well as I do that whilst there is an abundance of singletrack that is essentially bedrock (or large rocks, I'm no geologist), there is also quite a lot that is quite gravelly/stony/earthy (off the top of my head the first couple of sections after the initial steep fireroad climb spring to mind) and whilst the new stuff is never going to evolve into the rocky stuff that you've pictured, I can see how in 5-10 years it could easily become like a lot of the more gravelly/earthy stretches of trail. Particularly if it is left to the elements, which it almost certainly will be, Just a thought 🙂

The exciting news for me is that there is now a trail map!!!

Call me all old but that is step forward!!

[url= http://www.penmachnobiketrails.org.uk/Penmachnotrailsmap.pdf ]Map[/url]

I wasn't inspired by the video but i enjoyed the response from the developers. I'm sure it will bed in and become part of the experience and everyone will be calling it natural in a few years time

I've always had problems with the world natural and the MTB world has taken this to a new level.

Firstly people describe trails made by people walking as natural. Then people describe trails made by people walking which have been armoured with rocks as natural

Now people are describing trails purpose dug and built for cycling as natural

Not that it matters

I've always had problems with the world natural

I think a cheeky L slipped into that 🙂

Heartily concur with what you say though. At the end of the day it's all a question of semantics.

No to mention manners of course.. 😉