Slippy !!
Me and a mate did a circuit of the new Winlatter trail on Sunday. The conditions were really dry but we could not believe how slippy the slate was, most of the rock / slate seemed to be really polished.
I have rode most of the MTB centres in the UK and a lot of them use slate for there trail building, but never come across slippy polished slate, not even Welsh slate. Dred to think what it would of been like in the rain....
Anybody else had problems in Winlatter ??
Yup, it's a bit slippy when damp. Don't think i'd go back. Thought it was ok but living in Newcastle if i was gonna drive 2 hours to get to the lakes then i'd much rather do the natural stuff.
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/whinlatter-trails-1
There's actually more grip when its rains 😉
Isn't that part of the fun. If everything was dead easy to ride then what is the point?
We were there on saturday - was plenty slippy but just made it interesting rather than a problem. Singlespeed was also fine, just subtle background wheelspin almost everywhere.
I guess some of the people hiring bikes might find it a bit of a nightmare....
My biggest surprise was how short it was - one hour to get around both sides. But the short length does make it easy for bike / babysitting / kiddy biking logistics so both parents can get a quick solo blast.
Whinlatter is much better now than when it first opened.
My gripe was that all of the slippy roots were on blind bends where you were just starting to get some speed going. After a couple of laps i knew they were coming so no big deal. BUT this trail is also marketed for newcomers to biking and i found that 90% of the people i passed were Howard & Hilda types on a break in the lakes. Every one i passed made the same comment about how dangerous it was and they hated it. In that respect the trail was not very good imo. Yes have roots but dont leave them in places where they acted like man traps, have them open and avoidable for joe public. If you have ridden it since the opening you may notice the slight alterations they have made which are a vast improvement.
Other than the above, its doesnt seem any different to all the other man made centres. A nice little blast imo
There are some nice new swoopy looking sections going in - on the way down to Thornthwaite. They look like they'll be more for fun than a techincal challenge.
Blue route should be open for Easter, apparently. Dives off the red route at the start, dropping into the open area below the forest and returning to Revilin moss car park, as far as I can tell.
Not a big fan when there is so much better natural stuff. A lot of which is more difficult.
it is a blast...ideal for a short quick buzz.
i like it.