Don't know much about the place but a group of us are heading up in a couple of weeks.
We are there for a couple of days.
Will I be ok on my Cotic Soul or should I hire one of the full sussers there.
I would love to take my singlespeed(for the jump spot) but fear I may die on the climbs.

The Soul will be fine. There's nothing that needs rear suspension – although that is the my opinion after riding on a FS 😉
The first climb goes on forever but it's well worth it for 'Deliverence'

Its a trail centre. You will be fine on a soul.

Do it on a jeyed up alu hardtail and it'll give you a kicking. At least it does to me. Soul will be fine.

I've done the Black there more times on my Soul than I have any bike I've had since; you'll be fine. There's nothing particularly hard about it, it's just reasonable long.

it'll be fine.

Soul it is then, unless someone sells me an Orange five in the next week or so 😆

Having done it on a long forked hardtail, a short-travel HT and on a long travel FS bike in my opinion it's faster and better on a FS. You can do it on a HT no problem, it's just better on a FS, like most riding 😆

hardtail, done it on my demo9 twice

Did it on my chameleon, spot on. You must do the black at inners when your there, one big climb and then its smiles all the way down.
We did the red at GT in morning then the black at inners in the afternoon. Then on the next day we did the black at GT.

black GT first then red GT and inners red/black second day plus another?

Black at GT is rough on a hardtail. Nothing that cant be done on a hardtail(is anything not possible) but i would take my fs everytime for that loop as im not a fan of taking an ass pounding!

The first climb goes on forever

????? just push the pedals a little harder. There are bigger climbs in Scotland.

I've only done it on the Soul, I'm dangerously incompetent and it went alright. Very very nice trail, quite lumpy mind. The main black is pretty straightforward, not much harder than the red, but then the bits at the end are a bit harder so don't get too complacent.

ht will be fine. as will a singlespeed.

Singlespeed? Hmm. Can't think of any gear I'd want to ride up Tower Ride then down the other side, seems like a horrible idea to me.

Oh dear…well if you have to ask – you need to wear full body armour, have at least 6" of travel and a gravitydropper-type saddle!

Any bike can do it, depending on rider skill it will either be a bone rattler or a very smooth experience – I suspect you'll be perfectly fine…it isn't as extreme as some of the natural trails and those have been ridden for years on hardtails so you should have no probs at all.

Enjoy it, it's a nice ride…

I've been on rides at GT with singlespeeders and I struggle to see the point. The uphill bits didn't look much fun (not going by the amount of bad language used) and the downhill bits looked even less fun.

I've ridden my Soul at GT quite a few times and it's an excellent choice of bike and great fun there.

robidoo drop me an email markhoracekuk@yahoo.com

I think the name 'black' route really bad as it sort of makes you think of difficult tough terrain that requires some very slack angled fs bike. Actually it's very easy on a hardtail and you could do it on a fully rigid or even a cross bike, although there are sections where you could struggle on those types of bikes. Black and Red is easily doable in a day, and so is Blue if you really want to.
By all means, hire a full suspension if you want to try one out, but you really don't need to.

Soul. With big volume, fast rolling tyres. WIN!

Mix black, red and blue to make a really good route.

Out on the black. There is a shortcut on Deliverence/Repentance taking you up onto a forest road(on the map and has a post nbr). Follow this road to Spooky Wood. Then after Spooky turn left into Betty Blue. Back onto forest road and pick up red route. Then before taking last red section climb back up to the skills area. Play in skills area and then take Electric blue back to the Hub.
Enjoy 😀

There not to hard, to me a black route is very tech up as well as down.

Go do Secrets and Lies and Broon Troot instead. Best bits of GT by a mile!

Really looking forward to this ride as it sounds good, not worried too much about me and my bikes capabilities as it has been my only bike for a while now.
I have even done a couple of uplifts round Sheffield and the dirt jumps and wooden sh1t at sherwood pines on it, I guess I am just looking for an excuse to hire out some boingy stuff from the shop there.
Rob.

P.S Hora you have mail in a bit.

p fuf! Hardtail my arse!

Done it on a HT & a FS. It's best done on a singlespeed steel unicycle on solid tyres.
That's the future for 'real' MTB!

i've only EVER ridden GT black on a hardtail. couple of weeks ago i rode it on my Ti456 + 819's on 2.35" Fat Alberts with a FLOAT 32 @ 140mm.
this set up was absolutely perfect, conditions were perfect [dusty / dry] and i had the whole of the route to myself [t'was a tuesday].
i have to say it was a brilliant day – britney got a good spanking, and deliverence was a blur. the bitch got thrashed and i had what amounted to one of the best days riding ever.
another highlight was the duston the final descent through falla, both wheels drifting before givingh out and carving the turn. i'm still smiling in my re-collection of that ride – beautiful.
i had the opportunity of taking the FS'er but why ? it's groomers all the way and so much more fun on a HT.

each to their own i s'pose…..

Bring your full susser. I did it last time on a HT and 3 hours plus on man made trails left my back in a mess. Next time I'll be bringing the full susser to maximise comfort and enjoy the trails even more.

You never NEED a FS. Sometimes they are good, sometimes HT are good.

Its all relative. Those who snide and sniff over full sussers- good on you. Who cares? Personally, I say a short travel full suss for Glentress. Not because its especially rocky but it does tire. Hardtail riding is for people who dont have old and knackered joints etc 🙂

Drove up from Manchester yesterday and I couldnt resist having a quick sneaky ride before heading onto Edinburgh- first time I've ridden the red. The berms from the top- the speed, well I'm gobsmacked. Loved it. Its not technical at all is it- its just a hoot! 😀

HT or FS?? 😉
Just £3 for a day of that – bargain.

Onthe red? Definitely HT 😀

glentress black (ewok village) is the 1st shore stuff i ever rode and started my addcition 🙂

r.i.p

😀Actually it's very easy on a hardtail and you could do it on a fully rigid or even a cross bike, although there are sections where you could struggle on those types of bikes. Black and Red is easily doable in a day, and so is Blue if you really want to. Traildog you must be a riding god, once i have done the black I am only fit for a beer and a bath 🙂

Thing is, GT black is old… By the standards when it was built it was solidly black, it's just that things have moved on. It wouldn't take an awful lot now to tweak it so that it'd be red, and I have a feeling maybe it'll happen some day. It'd be far easier to turn the main black route into a red than into a modern tough black. Or to do it as a red/black with alternative routes, like Innerleithen.

I don't mean any of this as a criticism, I think it's great… it's just not massively tough. So what? It doesn't have to be tough to be great.

I do think there are people who talk up the distance they can ride on the internet (nevermind the 'core' nature). After all, STW is more 'fitness showing off' whereas certain other forums you'd show off your jump/DH ability? …. 😉