Got a couple of mates coming over this weekend and I’m still deciding where we should ride…I’ve decided it’s one of these three (will ride the dragons back if coedy) but I’ve never ridden Penmachno or Marin trails.

We’re happy to do long fireroad climbs instead of steep technical ones (prefer it really!) but the real key is the descents; need to be fast, technical and really good fun (jumps etc… are a bonus!). Soooo which one?

Machynlleth – Climachx.

Go.

Yeah the climachx is a good one but I intend to cain it quite a bit once the academic year rolls around once more so fancy something different!

In that case, for a social ride with mates, CYB gets my tip.

Ride a big loop before lunch, then eat lunch, then do the Cyflym route after lunch as a wind down. Simples!

Pen was pisspoor IMO. Not too impressed at all. Marin’s OK though.

I actually liked the MArin trail alot, o.k. theres fireroad but if you get some speed up on the singletrack then there immense fun, plus the last downhill sections you’ll love to death. Since Pen and marin are only 6 miles apart then you could do both in 1 day, easy viable!!

For me, MArin though. CYB was a huge disappointment, the descending was poor quality(not all of them)

Hope this helps

Penmachno and Marin trail for me.

OK cheers all will give Penmachno and/or Marin a poke as we do have a coedy weekend coming up! Just in case…Penmachno or Marin?

The marin is more old school man made trails, fire road up trail down, nothing too techy. Worth a trip out. But the balance between fire road and singletrack is out.
Pen (including the longer loop) is demanding. Also has a more remote feel.
My favourite trail is the Climachx, and i would do Pen over The Marin give the choice.
Hope that helps.

If you can take a lot of fire road climbs(yawn)the decents on the marin are really good fun (jumps an all!) Penmachno is made up of 2 loops the second of which is not great but makes it longer. Penmachno is about 13 miles (loop 1). Do that in the morning then Marin which is about 15/16 miles in the afternoon or vice versa. Both have very good downhill singletrack you’ll just love it! I do!.

Have they sorted the last long section of the Marin out yet? Last time I rode it was a bit of a mess, if that’s now been done up then the Marin edges it for me over Pen, but Pen’s fun once you get past the grindy first couple of sections.

Cheers all, thinking the Marin and then Penmachno if we fancy keeping on going. Fire road climbs are fine as I’d rather just sit on those than climb techy ascents; much, much more into the descending than anything else!

Not done CYB, but we did Penmachno and Marin in a day a month or so back stopping for lunch in Betwys between trails. Preferred Penmachno out of the two, more engaging and “natural”? feeling. Both had cracking descents though.

If you want fast tight singletrack, but can suffer lots of fire roads, then the marin. If you want to feel a bit more ‘out there’ with a few more technical sections, then Penmachno. (Or both, if you’re feeling energetic). Unless you have a time machine, I wouldn’t bother with CyB 😉

Guessing you don’t fancy something more natural?