• This topic has 41 replies, 23 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by Twin.
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  • Afan Trail Centre – advice please?
  • 06awjudd
    Free Member

    Hi all,
    Looking to head over to Afan with a mate on Friday. I usually ride FoD downhill stuff and Verderers, but I will be riding my new AM bike, so less travel then I’m used too. My friend is bringing a 120mm.

    What’s it like in terms of singletrack trails? (If you could compare to verderers that would be useful!)
    And what trails would you recommend having a crack at?

    Would CwmCarn be more fun? (Bare in mind my friend is not confident when it comes to DH, so downhill trails are a no go )

    Thanks

    Duffer
    Free Member

    140mm minimum for Cwmcarn, i’m afriad! Your mate will most likely have his bike confiscated in the carpark 😉

    06awjudd
    Free Member

    What about the XC loop at CwmCarn, surely they don’t expect you to take it with a DH bikAe 😉
    Are some people willing to express an opinion on Afan?

    wrecker
    Free Member

    Afan is more challenging than verderers, but nothing scary. All perfectly rideable on a rigid bike never mind 120mm FS.

    superfli
    Free Member

    120 is absolutely fine for Afan. I set my fastest Strava times on Whites on my old 120 stumpy 🙂 Same goes for CwmCarn XC.

    Nipper99
    Free Member

    chuffin awful on a rigid. all doable with 120mm ht/fs, do check the fc web site for trail closures etc.

    buzz-lightyear
    Free Member

    Aran is pleasingly rough. I always take my 5″ FS there.

    Duffer
    Free Member

    Personally, I love Cwmcarn. It’s perfectly doable on a 100mm HT, and your inexperienced mate will be just fine.

    The wall at afan is similar, although White’s level is a bit more difficult.

    Have fun!

    wrecker
    Free Member

    chuffin awful on a rigid

    Awful, but rideable 😀

    06awjudd
    Free Member

    Sounds perfect then -I’ll ride the wall, and then Whyte’s if he’s feeling up to it.

    06awjudd
    Free Member

    White’s* sorry I thought it was sponsored by Whyte, but that’s the CwmCarn one 😉

    spendtoomuch
    Free Member

    Definitely stop off on the new bike park ehich is half way round the wall, brilliant fun!

    Carpediem
    Free Member

    Have a look at W2. Combines the Wall & whites. Cracking ride!

    ronjeremy
    Free Member

    My weapon of choice for Afan…

    Oh and if you are heading down pop over and check out the new trails at the Garw too

    06awjudd
    Free Member

    Funky lookin’ Kona. I want one.

    06awjudd
    Free Member

    Garw? Where is that and how the hell do you pronounce it?

    ronjeremy
    Free Member

    Cheers mate, was a £15 second hand unit frame built with bits I has knocking about…. Hence 29 front and 26 rear wheel

    Garw pronounced Garrrooooo,

    Just over the valley from Afan

    (Search Garw valley mountain bike trails on fb)

    06awjudd
    Free Member

    Sounds like the howl of a retarded wolf.
    I bet that turns a few heads, and gives the bike snobs a lot to talk about 😉
    Is Garw any good?

    ali69er
    Free Member

    I have done all three in a weekend. We started with the Red trail at Cwmcarn. All on 100mm travel bikes. Decent trail, pretty technical climbing at times with small rocky inclines and very rooty if I remember.

    Then down to Afan and Glyncorag (Spelt wrong I know), again, great trails. All easily doable on the bikes we had. You will be fine and have more fun because a bit more travel is nice

    06awjudd
    Free Member

    Hmm, might be an idea to do CwmCarn first then and then head down to afan 🙂

    andypandy85
    Free Member

    Don’t waste your time on Skyline, Whites Level and the Wall are both good though.

    curiousyellow
    Free Member

    W2 yesterday, Twrch today. Both on a 120mm bike.

    Twrch is way more fun on the descents. Climbs are more technically satisfying on Twrch too.

    b45her
    Free Member

    not sure if serious?? the twrch descent is as boring as a fire road, i find it the least rewarding of any of the welsh trail centers.

    garage-dweller
    Full Member

    Afan will be fine.

    I am no technical master and i like it just fine on a 140mm hardtail.

    He might want to skip the black loop near top of whites as iirc it has a couple of significant drops in. Been over a year since I was last there so my recollection may not be bang on.

    garage-dweller
    Full Member

    If you find you cant ride it on an AM fs bike then I am afraid you must be more of a coward than me!!!

    curiousyellow
    Free Member

    Twrch is the only other Welsh trail centre I’ve ridden! I thought the final descent was pretty cool after a struggle up the icy track to the top. So may have coloured my perceptions.

    I think I prefer it over White’s Level because it’s got a few more berms I reckon. I like berms.

    philwarren11
    Free Member

    Garw valley for me is the best, yes its only 3 miles in total but what you get from it is amazing. Steep climb up and fun packed down.

    Dont bother with Skyline if you dont know the route, tree felling has cut the official route down loads and the diversions are shocking to the point it actually misses the still open stuff, but the July descent is still awesome. The whole original skyline loop is still perfectly rideable if you know the area or have GPS maps.

    If i was travelling down i’d be doing W2 wih extra stuff on the wall at the bike park. Or if you want some fun, park at the bike park, ride the fireroad up to end of Picadilly and do new 373 and graveyard loop, carry on down ziz zags and take the Enduro shortcut back up then mess about in the bike park and do the extra loop just past the zig zags.

    Or you could go do the masts. 😉

    All perfectly doable on a hardtail (maybe not the masts), ive ridden them all loads of times on mine.

    06awjudd
    Free Member

    Might head up to Afan and ride W2 then, and then maybe onwards to Garw, or do Twrch on the way back – depends how long it all takes.
    @Garage dweller – I’ll be fine, it’s my friend I’m worried about 🙂 I’m sure he’ll be fine, so long as its not full on DH level trails.

    curiousyellow
    Free Member

    None of the stuff we rode yesterday was anywhere close to a DH run.

    It’s more of a fun, point the bike forward and go fast type ride. You’ll probably be held up more by his climbing ability (or lack thereof).

    06awjudd
    Free Member

    I suspect he’s probably fitter then me 😳

    DanW
    Free Member

    Personally I much prefer Cwm Carn to anything at Afan although most tend to disagree with this. Whatever you choose don’t worry about the bike!

    06awjudd
    Free Member

    Well by the sounds of it I can’t go too wrong with either 🙂

    granny_ring
    Full Member

    How long to do the W2 and the new parts? Unfit rider btw 🙂

    curiousyellow
    Free Member

    Wall is 44km with approx 1000m climbing. It took us 5 hours with a 1 hour break for lunch at the trail centre canteen. Waiting around for the enduro riders to finish a seeding run, sorting out a number of mechanicals and one rider getting injured and having to go home.

    I reckon if you’re pretty fit you could do it in under 3 hours. Else just do it as an all day ride type thing. Wrap up warm, perhaps take a spare pair of socks, and take some food.

    M1llh0use
    Free Member

    taken from the Cognation website:

    the wall is 23k
    W2 is 44k
    skyline is 46k

    curiousyellow
    Free Member

    Sorry, meant W2 is 44km. We didn’t do the new trail Cognation have built.

    There’s also a muddy mess that is being used as a detour which we had to push up.

    sircharles
    Free Member

    lovely Kona that

    granny_ring
    Full Member

    Oh right, just the wall for me then…… 🙂

    argoose
    Free Member

    If you have the time brechfa outshines them all

    Painey
    Free Member

    I thought Brechfa was allright, preferred Afan though which I feel with either the Wall or Whites Level makes a better use of the terrain. Brechfa is also a long drive to get to.

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