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you want a laugh about gradings then try going to Thetford 'Black'
Now that is as trail you need AT LEAST 6in front and rear travel to get the most out of.
Llandegla isn't "real" mountain biking but it is a huge amount of fun and IMHO it's a great set up with the cafe and shop. Take the jump bike, but be prepared for a couple of sections which will feel like a dull slog 🙂
Thetford 'Black'- TELL US MORE!
don't know where people get "it's a BMX track on steroids" from. This is our local BMX track and it makes the stuff at LLandegla look like what it is, little easy XC jumps for Joe public.
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however, I enjoyed it as I'm no particular trail god, so the relative easiness of it all means you can throw the bike around a bit. The one remotely technical bit on the black has now been removed I believe (it was an easy drop into a berm, but seemed to often have alot of people snookered).
silence scruff.
anyone who says its rubbish is missing the point!
its ace, if thats what you want.
if you rode it everyday, i would get boring REALLY quickly.
but on the odd occasion i go, we go round a couple of times.
the jumps are designed to lean into each other, and do so brilliantly.
its like a mini bike park i guess.
nothing too tech, and as long as you go at it with the right attitude (off the brakes, deal with obstacles by hopping into or out of them and staying fluid) its oodles of fun.
the jumps lead into each other excellently, and the run outs become berms etc seamlessly.
and theres nothing that cant be rolled over.
in sections, before you know it youve cleared a stepdown or double, and have to go back and do the section again to appreciate it!
the lower rythm section, in the woods, is ace 😀
3 or 4 runs at it, and i can not only clear all of them, but smoothly clear all 6 or so jumps in succession.
in short, it makes you feel like a riding god, without actually needing to be one.
if you want rooty rocky natural trails and dappled light and ambiance, go elsewhere.
Is it one of those places that is one big climb then head down for the rest? or is it constantly up and down all the way round? If the former i think i make take the little bike and try and be a bit 'core (obviously in a highly jey manner, can you be 'core in lycra?!)
lunge -it's exactly as I said. One big long but easy climb to start. There are a couple of smaller climbs later but nowt significant.
can you be 'core in lycra?
Depends what films you watch 😉
If you are the kind of rider who can actually ride black grade trail centre routes like Kirroughtree, with all the obstacles that they throw at you then yes, you may find Llandegla a bit of a bore and a bit rubbish.
My take on it is that it is an excellent family-orientated centre, and is also excellent for novice riders to try their hand at something harder, while still being able to roll over the jumps.
For intermediate riders it has jumps that are both good fun, and that can go very horribly wrong, as numerous nasty crashes there have demonstrated. For these types of rider it is fast and furious and loads of fun.
If you are an expert rider it is probably best to give it a miss. But then there are plenty of expert riders who maybe sometimes want to go with less able rider friends, and who have not forgotten what fun it is just to have a blast around once and a while. These riders too will have loads of fun.
I think you'll love it - take your jumpy bike and let us all know how you got on.
I'm sticking with bike park slot car singletrack as the best discription. Take it as fast and flighty as you want dont expect rocks put up with the ride out to the start or see it as a chance to chat to friends. Dont go if you have a very fixed view that all trail centres should be hard and rocky naturalising into the landscape you'll just find it lacking. Its something a little different and there is nothing wrong with that but it is over graded.