Personally stuff that is “technical” in terms of rocky ascents etc I am not a fan of. Frankly do my head in. Probably because I am useless at them and need to be more proficient. I seem to happy on flowier stuff.

So who likes and who doesnt? I always have a thought that riding an MTB I should have some deep rooted love of technical tight trails but not me sir. Crawling up some steep rocky incline just doesnt float my boat. Be interested to hear what you go for/avoid like the plague.

The faster it is the happier I am.

Love ’em, but when they’re pointing downwards.

Love the challenge of them up, and the fun of them down.

Climbing fine, descending I’d much rather something fast and flowing though.

Love it. Steeper the better. But I wouldn’t want to ride it exclusively. Variety is where it’s at.

Love both. But really really enjoy super slow tech stuff too.

Something like La Varda is a giggle.

Faster (down) = better + more exciting + cannot see all the sharp pointy rocks trying to kill you

Slower (down) = sharp pointy rocks will try to kill you

Encountered quite a lot of these climbs over Dartmoor a few weeks back. Initially I was quite enjoying the challenge, but the novelty soon wore off as my legs started getting weary. If I had Olympic levels of fitness I think I would enjoy them all the time. To summarise – I like them when I feel fresh and full of energy.

Up and down I like a bit of nadgery twisty tech best (even on a 29er!!!). Fast and flowy is good too though…

I tend to enjoy both slow technical stuff and fast flowy stuff, variety is good!

I find technical trails are best when they are undulating – the cheeky over the top of burbage for example.

Not sure about the technical bit, I just hate slow flat trails. When riding on Pitch Hill in Surrey Hills, I often warm up on T0 (I think) which is flat, simple trail. 8/10 I will fall off on a wet root or something simple. It gets me every time. Some warm up!!!!

Case in point is today. nipped out for a lunch ride and took a new track I had seen but wondered where it went. Quickly ended up being a rocky grind up a gloopy narrow track. In the end it was foot down and push job. Through a gate and it got steeper still with more of the same.

It dawned on me that I just was not enjoying myself at all and wished I hadn’t bothered.

Now the flagged bit over ilkley moor from Cowpur Cross and then down to Burley Moor…I enjoyed riding that last weekend loads.

depends on the mood i’m in and my fitness levels at any given time. yes and no is the answer.

I love ’em. Better value, you climb for the same length of time and it takes longer to get back down 😉

Not really on the main climbing – but then who wants to ride a 400m gain up singletrack? But I like a few short sharp techie uphill bits here and there on the downhills. There is one undulating ridge line that I ride which has 4 short techie climbs and people seem to really dig the challenge.

My favourite types of trails are ones with a mix of both flowy faster sections and slower techie bits (i.e like a bunch of tight switchbacks or boulder shicains) all mixed together. Not big into trialesque riding but sections that require a bit of trackstanding, wheelie hops and tornadoes are also a lot of fun too.

Variety is what I like.

Fast and Flowy for me!

Absolutely love difficult technical tiring uphills. Even prefer them to downhills. Something that’s right at the limit of what you can do. Maybe something that takes a few attempts before you crack it.

Case in point is the sandstone slabs between Hollins Cross and Mam Tor. They start off easy and flat, get steeper, get stepped, get steeper and more stepped. Then a little switchback to really kill you.

* strictly speaking it’s no longer bridleway at this point, since the BW sneaks off right, but anyway.

Or the hill at CyB just after the huge waterfalls. You know, you go over the humpback bridge, up a steep short road climb, turn left then immediately right up this diagonal path.

Years ago (12+?) that hill used to be excellent. There were a few rocky tricky sections, which combined with the length of it was quite a challenge. Now it’s just a tedious slog after they’ve removed the difficult bits.

I like a challenge, needs to be something every so often to break up the trail otherwise it’s a bit one dimensional.

fast and flowy – but you have to accept that to get that you have to do the long climbs, but even those are can be good albeit harder work

if I wanted to go fast I’d be on a road bike, technical and nadgery is where its at. Add a bit of thrutch if it’s uphill

Add a bit of thrutch if it’s uphill

You know, you can get a cream, or pessary for that?

I love flow but steep techy slo-mo DH stuff is great. I watched the first 2 Kranked films far too many times. When we started out on cheap Raleighs etc we used to ride steep slopes in the bomb holes or other steep lines locally. Stuff with chainset-scraper roll-ins and tight sandy corners etc. The ‘pussy of the week’ game – if you bottled a steep roll-in that the rest cleared, you were it. Going OTB was fine, you tried. Techy climbing challenges were good but less funny. It’s all just skills+fitness tests.

We’ve spent time sessioning techy rocky climbs at 2000m+ in the Alps. Daft but fun once you start. Too much of it when you’re tired is frustrating tho – there’s a limit.

Absolutely love them, as much as fast rolling stuff, although it wrings the skills out of you to make it flow. It’s not everyone’s idea of mountain biking.

honourablegeorge – Member
Love it. Steeper the better. But I wouldn’t want to ride it exclusively. Variety is where it’s at.

this

As a matter of fact I don’t like going fast, I don’t even like medium 😳

Love that kind of stuff. Better at the DH end than the climbing side (my trials skills and ultimate power output aren’t really good enough), but stuff like LaVarda or some of the cheeky Peaks stuff is when I end up riding my best. You just have to commit so hard mentally and physically to make it come together – when you get it right it does flow.

Bloody hard on both me and the bike though. Gritstone just shaves skin, ally, plastic, carbon off like it’s butter.

Variation is best but if I HAD to choose, downwards and flow would rule.

The Watendlath climb from Keswick has never been cleaned, but I think its possible,a few locals have done it with a few dabs, I absolutely love the challenge of techy trails and up here in the lakes theres miles of it.

Slow technical climbs are ok but too many are NFM [ Not for Mortals] and just a oush IME.

Down I do enjoy a technical ricky descent as it pits your skills rather than your nerve/balls – I am old and take too long to recover these days

Did 5 hours once with 2000m climbing and an average of 3.5 mph!!

It’s pretty much all there is around me, unless you like fireroads. I’ve learned to love it and appreciate the challenge of making it flow, or just plain ‘making it’. The few occasions I get out to smoother, flowier stuff it just doesn’t me giggle in a “did I really just do that?” kind of way.

Thrutchcore rocks!

As satisfying as flowy fast trails are, its all a bit too easy. I prefer nadgery stuff that barely flows – up and down maximum effort of lungs legs and skills, right up to when I fall off
Stuff that is actually downhill but you still have to pedal and throw yourself at step ups, water bars, becks and preferably some random bog action. Angle Tarn, Ullswater Shore and the lower part of Nan Bield all only flow if you can join the dots.

Oh and if its pure tech climbs then yes the challenge of rocks roots and muck are what separates mountain bikers from roadies.

Not a big fan. I prefer my descents to be fast and swoopy with big berms and proper sized jumps. Dirt Merchant, Black/Blue Velvet and Crank It Up are the perfect trails for my tastes! Don’t mind a bit of tech every now and then but its not the funnest for me. I dont mind a good technical climb though! Although saying that there is some fun to be had with battering through a rough as **** section of roots or rocks.

I enjoy a good technical rocky climb. On a good day when I’ve got plenty of energy, I love clearing a rocky climb as much as I enjoy descending.

Yep, La Varda was one of the best descents I’ve ever done.

Thrutchcore, superb. Silly steep, fixed rock, pick a line is some of my favourite riding. Very technical climbing, if I’m in the mood yeah

I like a bit of tech up and down. But idea of tech is probably someone else’s flowing. A mixture is best though.