I’ve CYB but the cafe (food and service) is crap. I’d be equally happy if trail centres didn’t have cafes.
Whoever named the “beast” breakfast must have been wetting themselves.

cos the UK is health n safey mad?

And we don’t have any mountains as big, nor the tourism, nor the space (the redsockers would shit if an area was taken away from them), nor the high demand for a bike park etc etc

Another thing I’ve noticed is that all the black trails I’ve ridden here seem to focus on rocky techy rough stuff rather than fast and flowy with proper jumps on them. If the Llandegla blacks had decent jumps they’d probably be my kind of trail!

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gygqz0sPnSI[/video]

Sugest that UK Trail Centres could have riskier features and that blaiming health and safety is wrong

Alot of my riding is trying to keep my son and niece interested in biking. I think trail centres are great for this and have enjoyed all the ones I have tried

If the Llandegla blacks had decent jumps they’d probably be my kind of trail!

The Llandegla black isn’t really anything more than a XC course, is it?

Dunno. It’s fast and flowy but the jumps are too easy to overshoot.

Dunno. It’s fast and flowy but the jumps are too easy to overshoot.

Hmmm! I’ll admit I’ve only done the new black once, but what jumps? 😀

cos the UK is health n safey mad?

As I said before, America, the land of the lawsuit, has plenty of bike parks. It’s not about litigation.

Maybe it is the redsockers. Surely there are some privately-owned hills where they can’t complain?

Re: The gap at Mabie. It’s OK – but it’s only one feature in a fairly big loop of XCish singletrack stuff. But you’re right – it’s a start and it proves that perceived risk isn’t a good reason not to build this stuff (Particularly as that particular feature is miles from the trail head and about as far from civilisation as you can go in the UK!).

Hmmm! I’ll admit I’ve only done the new black once, but what jumps?

my point exactly 😛

so…given that you don’t pay other than to park, what are y’all doing to recreate Whistler in the UK?

Seems, once again, that mountain bikers have that sense of entitlement that leads to them riding anything they want; taking but not really putting anything back.

…and so people buy bigger, burlier bikes then complain that things are a bit tame and then go and trash yet another bit of the countryside…..which will lead to access being limited and soon enough, you’ll only be able to ride in …..trail centres..

The non classical peaks riding is really awesome, im lucky i can get out my front door and be in peak district in 15-20 minutes. I have one of my favourite local descents within 30mins ride of me.

A lot of the peaks is “eroded cart tracks”, it’s nothing to really sing about. It’s really nice getting out and clocking up some miles in the great outdoors, enjoying the scenery, i really enjoy it, but enjoyment of the actual riding is limited. It’s just various eroded tracks with a vary types of gravel on top, no working of the terrain, just sitting back and trusting that you can roll over the gravel.

But the in the peaks, if you go solo or have the right group, you can get in a serious amount of very good technical riding, especially if you’re a little bit cheeky. However these kind of routes do involve a lot of road hacking or “eroded cart track” riding which can be very dull if you’re after a full-on testing day.

Trail centres have their places. I know i said they’re nothing more than “canal paths with features”, but if that’s what you enjoy, what’s the problem?

As for the whole peaks vs trail centres, the riding standard between the classical peaks routes and trail centres is very similar, but the peaks has an idyllic environment that’s a pleasure to be in.

Trails centres you’re always guaranteed a certain level of riding. In the peaks there can be better to be had, but you certainly have to work for it, a lot of time spent riding stuff no better than a trail centre, but environment makes up for it.

I don’t buy “canal paths with features” in the slightest, unless you count practically everything as a feature… Canal paths being generally flat, wide and pretty straight. Glentress green is like a canal path but no other trail centre I’ve ever ridden is, features or no.

But it’s a fair point that most trail centres have up-and-down difficulty, you’ll have easier bits with occasional hard bits rather than the more constant challenge you tend to get with interesting “natural” trails.

To me it’s like the difference between racetracks and great roads… Sure, there are places you can go to drive or ride that are better than trackdays, but they’re generally far away and you get a lot more crap bits in return for the occasional very good bits. I could ride to the bealach na ba but more than 9/10ths of my riding time will be dull as ditchwater whereas I can ride to knockhill and 9/10ths of the riding time will be great- just more repetitive and maybe not quite as good at the best.

Superficial
Have you been to the scottish trail centres? Plenty of difficult stuff there if you want it.

It’s utter nonsense, CyB is rubbish cos it’s all man made trails, Peaks is miles better cos it’s all ROWs. Next time your at CyB about to do Pink Heifer. Ride a bit further up the hill and on your right you come to a Bridlepath heading down. As steep and lairy as anything you’ll find in the peaks and one of many in the area.

Ride a bit further up the hill and on your right you come to a Bridlepath heading down.

So what you’re saying is that if you go outside the trail centre trails, there are some good bridleways?

Have you been to the scottish trail centres? Plenty of difficult stuff there if you want it.

Yes, I’ve been to Scotland. I actually quite liked Innerleithen as I recall. It’s been a few years though. I don’t want to do the whole “Elite rider on your left” thing, but there’s not much that I would call particularly difficult. Perhaps things have changed since I went.

So what you’re saying is that if you go outside the trail centre trails, there are some good bridleways?

I’m saying CyB has everything that the peaks has and more.

Superficial – Member

I don’t want to do the whole “Elite rider on your left” thing, but there’s not much that I would call particularly difficult

Out of curiosity, did you just do the XC route? Innerleithen’s pretty dull that way but that’s not even half of the riding that’s there.

I strongly suspect that if you don’t find trail centres sufficiently interesting then you’re not riding fast enough.

Crikey i’ll be getting a bmx again to ride the local skateparks and dirt jumps. I would like to help out with digging at woburn but can only get there on my days off where I’d rather be riding than digging all day.

I think that mountain biking is becoming so fashion led that people buy big burly bikes and then look for somewhere to ride them, rather than buying a bike to suit the terrain they are actually riding on.

It’s like me buying a snowmobile and then complaining that I can’t ride it in Manchester.

Crikey +1

My main gripe about out trail centre moaners…

Trail centres are a free add on. We’ve lost nothing. You prefer the peak great ride there. End of story.

PS I haven’t ridden in the Peak for ages but I loved it when I did

Crikey
I think that mountain biking is becoming so fashion led that people buy big burly bikes and then look for somewhere to ride them, rather than buying a bike to suit the terrain they are actually riding on. It’s like me buying a snowmobile and then complaining that I can’t ride it in Manchester.

What a daft thing to say. Should I not have learnt to ski because I can’t do it in Birmingham?

No, but wouldn’t buy skis then complain that you can’t use them in Birmingham would you? Whereas people buy big bouncy bikes then grumble that the trail centres or the natural riding isn’t gnarly enough.

It’s a subtle difference…

I honestly can’t believe how many whiny ******* there are on here. Moaning because the extensive network of free purpose built trails we have in this country isn’t exactly to your tastes? And the trails in BC are mostly like they are because people who wanted to ride trails like that went out and built them. Funny eh? BC also has ridiculous amounts of free space with very little in it. Complaining that the uk is not BC is just daft.

I’ve ridden in the Alps/Pyrenees, bike park and technical XC, and I’ve never been bored at a trail centre in the UK. For such a small country we had a great selection of biking available, ‘natural’ and man-made.

Some of the FC centres can get a bit samey, but still good fun.

BTW, _tom_ have you done the new ‘B-line’ section at Llandegla?

Crikey. So your actual problem is people moaning about having nowhere to ride their big bikes rather than them actually having big bikes?

“My trail centre’s too cynical/boring/predictable” reproach is getting more common.

I’ve said it before but we all buy bikes we want to ride rather than should ride. We see on the road daily, 4×4’s on the school run. Sports cars traveling at 80mph rather than their 130mph sweet spot.

Same with bikes. I have 5 MTB mates, 3 of which have very expensive bikes … 160mm travel+ built for all mountain and all they do is bitch how easy it all is. Well i say lets be honest with ourselves and admit we could loose 10mm travel? downgrade to a HT? Anything to make the whole thing more exciting?

I bet a common theme here is like me, buy HT, then FS, then back to HT.

Anyway i’m drunk so ignore me

My only bike is a Pitch with 160mm forks and I enjoy easy trail centres on it as well as XC in the Lakes and black runs in the Alps.

I just like riding my bike, pretty much anywhere.

Anyway i’m drunk so ignore me

Done.

I_Ache – Member

Crikey. So your actual problem is people moaning about having nowhere to ride their big bikes rather than them actually having big bikes

Yes, that’s about it.

I’m disappointed that especially where I live, people are buying big bikes then riding in places where they shouldn’t be; sensitive landscapes, and causing damage to said landscape because they seem to think it’s ok. That sense of entitlement will result in access to other areas becoming more difficult to obtain.

Not to dig up another older argument, but the situation is beginning to resemble the off road motorbike problem; I’ve got a bike that can, so I will and sod everyone else.

Agree with Crikey

plus Trail centres are a bonus to the generally awesome trails we have thanks to our ROW network – granted its not as good as scotlands access but its mileage ( however small compared to footpath ) is huge vs trail centre mileage.

People are def riding too big a bike for a lot of trails here – then they whinge re how easy they are or they moan about the weight and get fatigued as they arent fit enough for long all dayers! I ride HT/FS but I enjoy the skill of a HT more but FS allows me more comfort and speed but its still not 100% me…

I have ridden all over the country on our BW/RUPPS/BOATS and had some epic adventures – solo and in groups. All it takes is some effort – buy an OS map – learn to plan / read it and go and have fun. I love plotting routes and its part of the fun – even getting lost etc has its moments.

In fact the internet has made it so much easier as in the past you had to go on the ground so to speak to see what the track was like – now you can ask on here and get a myriad of answers !!

A trail centre makes it easy for those who are time pressured or lack the hill skills – but you only get these skills by going out there. I have ridden all of them bar dalby – some great tracks BUT I would rather ride a lot of natural trails in the lakes / powys over the best of what say the 7stanes or coed y brenin has…

International Richard – Member

Well i say lets be honest with ourselves and admit we could loose 10mm travel? downgrade to a HT? Anything to make the whole thing more exciting?

I’ve got a downhill bike, a 160mm full suss, a hardtail and a cross bike, they’re all great to ride in different ways. Losing 10mm or “downgrading” won’t automatically make things more exciting, any more than full suss bikes make things dull.

(my most fun ride round the archetypal trail centre lap, glentress red, is the 160mm full suss. Does it need a 160mm full suss? Course not. But need has nowt to do with it, fun is fun)

I agree with your points Crikey and snowpaul but I do hope you realise its not bye bike that causes these attitudes, these people will have these attitudes no matter what or where they ride.

I have a 160mm Specialized Enduro and love it. It certainly rides better on some trails than others and it is a lot heavier than say a stumpjumper but i never use the weight as an excuse for being slow uphill*, I use it as a reassurance when coming back down.

*That’s because I’m slow and unfit. Obviously a lighter more xc bike makes me faster but that’s not as fun coming back down.

+1 northwind, i ride the same stuff on both my bikes (120mm ht and 180mm fs) and its fun on both, just different – ht feels a bit more on edge which isn’t always as nice as the “comfort blanket” feel the fs has! Just depends on what mood I’m in as to what bike i ride, rather than the trail.

Saying that the ht is much easier to jump, wouldn’t take the fs to the dj’s!