^^^

one of the least understood trailbuilding tricks, is to bury and compact a worn section so that when it gets unearthed again by natural weathering and riding it’s been refreshed, all the wee voids are filled and the roots and rocks are stabilised and surrounded by better material. Every time it’s done at Glentress, the internet goes mental but when the old trail reappears people seem not to notice. See: Magic Mushroom)

-Northwind

The stone had actually been removed northwind.

Its a boggy mess.

You can clearly see a load of stoney rubble to the right as you look at the pic 😯

That’s not cwmcarn. Its a pic I had to hand that is similar to what they have done.
I’m sure the Surrey weekend warriors will post up some pics once they get back

Is that pic of cwmcarn?
Ah. Beaten to it.

No hence the something like this comment

Am I the only one here who likes nothing more than putting on a set of wet screams and hitting a muddy as **** dh track?

Wet, loose and so muddy that you look like a swamp monster at the bottom is where it’s at!

Less of this please, I’m off via their shortly to Afan on what is supposed to be a weekend to revive my MTB-ism after all this rain…

bwaarp – Member
Am I the only one here who likes nothing more than putting on a set of wet screams and hitting a muddy as **** dh track?

Wet, loose and so muddy that you look like a swamp monster at the bottom is where it’s at!

well yes, but this is on the XC route from what I can tell

Meh I guess, I’m sure they have their reasons though.

Unless they’ve been using non-bikers to fix the trails.

I ride at cwmcarn every week , was there on Friday in heavy rain and the repair work was a muddy mess but when it’s all bedded in again I think it will be great . As I said I’m there every week and since Xmas with all the snow and rain we’ve had the trail was getting quite eroded , I’ve had more pinch flats in the last few months than I had in all of last year. Once it dries out and beds in it will be back in top form I think.

Jury’s still out on this. The section at the side of the road has improved since they threw some hardcore on it. The big gulley in the berm is still there though. Ridden it about 8 times now and still can’t find a decent line through it (before you flame me and suggest a skills course, I ride Cwmcarn about 150 times a year so know my way round it pretty well). I’m not saying that it didn’t need a bit of maintainence, but it seems to have taken away a lot of the character of the trail, rooty and rocky was always the signature of Cwmcarn. I hope, as some have said, that it comes back better with time…

I went to Afan & rode W2 on Monday, apart from the Whites level ascent diversion which is a pretty grim push up in ankle deep mud (but only temporary while the logging takes place) everything else was great, a bit of standing water about but I had a fantastic day out !!

not ridden cwmcarn since it was fixed but ime us kids pulling skids and british weather soon wash away the soft stuff and leave it interesting again

Perhaps we need to consider that the trail building company is bidding to win the contract. They will have to bid low and build to a price. They are not judged by us who ride it.

Naturally you will end up with trails that are cheap to make, easy to make and safe.

No chances will be taken, corners will be cut.

Trimix has it in one. Trails aren’t being made well, they’re being made cheap. Personally, I’d sooner have 10k of challenging, rocky, rooty, steep stuff than 20k of 6ft wide tarmac motorway.

I went to Afan & rode W2 on Monday, apart from the Whites level ascent diversion which is a pretty grim push up

Ladyboy 😉

Blaengarw is where its at for a dose of Rockyness in South Wales.
Rowan Sorrell has doen an amazing job with this short loop and bodes well for Gethin
As for Cwmcarn stick to the DH and the natural stuff