[Closed] What's the most difficult thing you've ridden recently?

Keeping up with my mate Stu down Marmite in Exmoor - the trail with huge drainage channels of the top of Dunkery Beacon

Haven't been able to keep up with Stu for a long time, so very pleased with myself 🙂

Louise

Nothing recent, as I've only been on my MTB's a couple of times in 6 months and that has been on very tame trails.

But, my last visit to Golfie in September. Again, I hadn't been riding and I was finding the easiest trails there very hard. I stopped multiple times and walked a few sections that I'd ridden before. Can't see myself getting back to where I was before.

Not so much a trail, but an intimidating feature called 'The Boot Drop' on the trail 'Fill Your Boots' down on the Spanish side of Cann Woods - Plymouth.

The drop itself isn't too bad (maybe 4 foot tops), but the landing is blind until you're over the lip so it's ****ing scary! Took a bit of working myself up to doing it, and it was not exactly a masterclass in steeze when I did, but I got down it!

The descent from Lairig an Laoigh to Glen Derry.

I'd been riding a wave of confidence after a good few months predominantly riding the gravel bike and *feeling* fast on some relatively chunky descents (chunky by gravel bike standards).

So I went into the Lairig an Laoighe descent on my very gravelised Superfly 29er, 2.1" semi-slick tyres, 100mm Rebas which are probably pumped up too hard with the rebound too fast, and 160mm rotors front and rear.

It was an exercise in pure arm-pumped survival, I have forgotten how to descend! Didn't help trying to chase didn'thurt down the hill but thankfully he quickly disappeared away off in front of me so I could concentrate on my own troubles 😁

So yeah.. feeling fast on a gravel bike on landrover tracks that barely require any braking does NOT prepare you for big loose mountain descents full of baby head rocks... 🙄

Not technically hard, but Cross Fell on a loaded gravel bike was pretty hard.

Wait, you guys are riding bike still?

MY proper gnar riding has been getting further and further apart. Monthly trip up to the borders started fading away in to an annual birthday trip and then stopped entirely. But my last trip there (sad wave to b_r and co.), up to Thornie humbled me a little bit. Hadn't ridden there for a good year and thought I'd be fine.... but Turboferret had gotten worn out, polished and slippery, High Definition was great but everything else we hit was steep, steeper, barely ridden in and slippery.

First commute after 6 weeks off the bike, in 30 degree heat. All mile and a half, and 50ft of climbing of it.

Through town, amidst swerving swarms of e-scooters and people stepping out into the carriageway without looking.

See, I look at that and it doesn't look bad. The last thing I had to have 3 goes at before I got anywhere near clearing it, was a teeny little right hander in a wood. It was 180degs, the entry was either slimy roots or an unsupported soft bank, and tuned back on itself in less than a bikes length on a 45 degs slope.

It wasn't really technical or owt, just tricksie

Think I've managed to get down everything on the Ullswater singletrack (albeit trashing a rim and probably with the odd dab) - but no chance of me getting up it all.

Warnscale Bottom was as challenging as ever on Saturday. Made it across the hardest bit for the first time, but with a couple of dabs.

Took a left-hand option near the bottom which turned out to be a chute filled with large rocks at awkward angles. Discretion was the better part of valour for that.

The off piste trails off the North loop at Whinlatter. In the wet. I'd never ridden there before. Sections of the trail seemed to be just the fall line down the hill and someone had scraped the moss off of the tree roots and that was it. I was hanging out the back of the bike, barely in control for most of it, but it was hilariously good fun!

Speltham Hill in Hambledon. Not a long incline, but quite nasty gradient.

The blacks at Antur Stiniog on Sunday. Had to stop and have a look at two sections and then walk down them so as to not hold up those i was with. But then second run was fine.

‘The Boot Drop’ on the trail ‘Fill Your Boots’ down on the Spanish side of Cann Woods

My local haunt! Love Boot Drop. Scared the crap out of me first time down it, and ended up sat down on the berm for a "rest".

The landing into the berm is pretty short as well!

My mate always pedal strikes the tree stump just after the berm, and usually has a sit down because of it. Every. Single. Time

Ullswater singletrack is a delight. I was close to getting up the rooty, rock strewn climb by silver crag - next time!

I'm pretty decent at tech, but show me a jump line and I'm shitting myself in short order.

Spent last week in the Tweed Valley (i live on the south coast, near Worthing), so was a general step up from the usual riding in the local area, in terms of steepness and length. On a couple of occasions i was on the limit of what i found comfortable, but managed to ride everything and really enjoyed being pushed.

My local haunt! Love Boot Drop. Scared the crap out of me first time down it, and ended up sat down on the berm for a “rest”.

The landing into the berm is pretty short as well!

My mate always pedal strikes the tree stump just after the berm, and usually has a sit down because of it. Every. Single. Time

Even after doing it a few times I still have to walk up to it and use a pair of sticks to mark the line I need to hit coming over it to make sure I hit the landing centrally. After that it's all back brake and hope into the berm!

Turbo trainer:(

Freshly made trail in the local woods.

Starts off with a rough bench-cut entry that wants to ping your wheels offline, into a tight and steep left hand turn which you don't see until late on and which requires commitment.

Then an off camber right which is easy to get wrong because the first turn is a bit of a free-fall and you spent all your time worrying about the first turn not the second.

Then a rocky clatter through a V of trees which want to grab your bars or pedals or both, into another off-camber rock-strewn turn, squeeze past another two trees and drop into a nice wide exit, but sadly usually too fast to avoid falling in the ditch directly ahead.

It's not "hard" as such, but being fresh is still quite treacherous!

Ooh, I've got one! I was on one a them so called "gravel rides" and there's a hill on the way home (up Catherington Down for those in the know) - was a really hot sunny day, so thought I'd avoid the road (Whitedirt, it's sexily named) and go up "Old Lane", a short BOAT I've ridden down many times (but never up), thinking I'd be more shaded.
Holy crap it was long and steep going the up way. I nearly died of heat exhaustion. And shame, cos I had to walk it and a woman walking down saw me. 😓

Hardest thing. Getting back on my road bikes after 5 years off due to bad accident.

Recently did 3,500 ft of climbing along little lanes in North Wales over 50 miles, with a 39 x 24 bottom gear. Oof. Got too used to spinning on the MTB. Gone are the days of doing 1 in 4's on a 42x21... but I'm not 20 any more.

Nazi Gold at Aviemore. Probably not hard as these things go, but first time I've ever really done any steep woodland stuff. Managed about 2 hours in the forest with only 2 minor dabs, which was a win. ( loads of stops )

Couple of bits on NG where I looked at it and thought " no way, that's impossible" but luckily by the time that thought had been processed I was already down it.

Recently- natural flow into the gift that keeps on giving- a strava segment on win hill. There was a steep right hand turn I walked after looking at for a while.
Ullswater singletrack though… that brings back memories. 10 years or so ago we were staying in the area and I had a look on the map and saw the bridleway on the map along the banks of the lake. Looked perfect for a pootle with the wife… oh how wrong I was. I was in big trouble after that…

Edit

Nazi Gold at Aviemore

Lol. Rode past the start of that when we were up there the other week. On Xc hardtail eebs. Wife was knackered after full Burma road circuit. Had to give it a miss. The videos look like it’s a bit much for that bike that day. Went down lefticle lower and coco pops instead while she kept to the fire road. Really enjoyed them.

Hazzard Hoofer at Fort William, only recently got back into mountain biking after a lengthy stint of back pain and road biking. My brother did it first and even now in our mid 30s I then had to do it, no way out. As with most things, once you commit, it's fine.

Louise

2nd reply, not bad going. Well done sir!

A few months ago me and a mate found and rode those trails on the Sam Pilgrim and Brendog videos "are these the steepest trails in the UK"....
Was able to mince down them with little finesse, and managed the berms etc, but was nowhere near as fast as those boys in the videos!

DrP

newish track out the back of Grizedale down to Coniston. Relentlessly steep for ever!! ridiculous. the first turn you think your gonna fall 300m into the lake!

Ullswater singletrack though… that brings back memories. 10 years or so ago we were staying in the area and I had a look on the map and saw the bridleway on the map along the banks of the lake. Looked perfect for a pootle with the wife… oh how wrong I was. I was in big trouble after that…

Still one of my best family cycle rides that one. Though they did take the ferry back to Pooley Bridge rather than return along the path with me....

Nazi Gold at Aviemore

That's a great trail! Really enjoyed it when we were up there last month.

Riviera at Pitlochry was challenging - we rode it on a day it was mega greasy - there was a lot of bad shapes being pulled.

Dead Black Sheep in the FoD is ridiculous, not quite as ridiculous as 10psi at Machen though.

Even after doing it a few times I still have to walk up to it and use a pair of sticks to mark the line I need to hit coming over it to make sure I hit the landing centrally. After that it’s all back brake and hope into the berm!

Pretty similar here! always stop to have another look, go back up to just after the jump and then try to aim for a right to left line to hit the centre(ish) of the rock on the drop. Have been pretty far right on the berm a few times, and wouldn't want to go over the top of it!

A 20" trials bike. When I first got my 24" street trials bike it feel really weird, but it feels normal to me now, so wasn't expecting a 20" mod to feel that much different. It did.