• This topic has 97 replies, 53 voices, and was last updated 12 years ago by jwt.
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  • Trail Centres Not Rubbish
  • rucknar
    Free Member

    Actually, binners said it better ^

    binners
    Full Member

    Trail centres are like 26″ wheels. They’re OK for beginners, but once you’ve progressed a bit you’ll want to ride some proper trails on proper wheels.

    Troll.

    I certainly hope so. Because if that’s the expression of a genuine opinion, then…

    I pity the fool

    Troll

    I would have got away with it too, if it wasn’t for these meddling kids.

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    nacho
    Free Member

    LOL, well I am pleased that the majority are if not exactly with me certainly don’t think they are rubbish. I now want to try some of the Scottish (7staines) trail centres at a later date (wife, kids and time permitting) The thought of 7 hours or so of driving for guaranteed quality riding without having to look too hard at the end of it does have it’s appeal.

    binners
    Full Member

    Innerleithen is the bestest IMHO. Its a right old giggle 🙂

    beanieripper
    Free Member

    I think most people that slag them off tend to ride “proper” natural trails more and arent scared to explore and put the miles in.imho all the best riding ive ever found has been natural stuff. They are a bit sterile, but I love a trail centre weekend, just couldnt ride them all the time….good fun but no sense of adventure..

    tazzymtb
    Full Member

    I always think of it like climbing walls to proper rock. Both are fun and a climbing wall will make you strong and good at climbing artificial routes, put the same climbing wall hero on a blank bit of gritstone and they’re awful as they can’t read a route “on site”. The same goes with grizzled old trad climbers, ace on a rock face, years of cunning and knowledge but couldn’t pull a mad dyno to save their lives.

    You need a mix of both to make a good all rounder but as long as we’re all having fun who cares?

    AlasdairMc
    Full Member

    messiah – Member
    I can see that because all trail centre’s are designed for bikes and hence designed to be ridden/rideable…

    That’s part of the reason they’re good, it’s a psychological thing. I’ve ridden Laggan black a couple of times, and loved it. However, if you were to transfer the obstacles on that trail to a natural trail and expect a rider to descend them first time, the chances of success would likely be lower. You can never be sure that something is rideable unless it’s been designed for bikes or you know someone else has cleared it.

    Having said that, I far prefer natural rides where there is more of a sense of achievement, and love the feeling of discovering a piece of sheep track in a gully that has probably never been ridden before. Such a thing is impossible in a trail centre…

    timc
    Free Member

    trail centres are not rubbish, haldon is mind!

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Some trails are good, some are bad. Some trails are in trail centres, some aren’t.

    antigee
    Full Member

    The same goes with grizzled old trad climbers, ace on a rock face, years of cunning and knowledge but couldn’t pull a mad dyno to save their lives

    the same goes for young boulderers, powerful on something they’ve wired, no cunning or knowledge and can’t pull a dyno without 2ft of foam padding and 10 mates and a dog in a beannie

    fixed that for you

    a similar generalisation to most of the pro/anti trail centre cliches

    1kcove
    Free Member

    Anyone who think’s trail centres are rubbish are missing the point of them, were else would you find switchbacks, berms, table tops, dropoffs, they are built by teams of hardworking People for our enjoyment to use free of charge, i think all those people who don’t like them have trouble riding them because there used to riding single tracks & stopping to adjust there lycra whilst looking at maps every two minutes.

    tazzymtb
    Full Member

    antigee- that’s an ace description of bouldering 😆

    … there used to riding single tracks & stopping to adjust there lycra whilst looking at maps every two minutes

    That’ll be me then.
    Although, I would have written “they’re”, not “there”

    1kcove
    Free Member

    What boring.

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    It’s all good if you ask me, i love the exploring aspect of mtbing just as much as trail centres…What yer man benji said in that article is spot on if you ask me.

    toys19
    Free Member

    I dunno what the hell you lot are on about, trail centres are just tracks in the woods with labels, they seem just like tracks in the woods to me whether its got a car park near it or not.

    yunki
    Free Member

    I kind of like getting out into the wild and away from it all using my bicycle to transport me there and riding whatever looks fun on the way….

    for me personally a trailcenter almost offers that experience but not quite..

    That’s not to say that I can’t and won’t enjoy going to a trailcenter.. they’re like a big mac and fries when you’re more used to good home cooking..

    I’d have put a comma after “What” and a question mark after “boring” too.

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    toys – never seen anything like Glentress thats not a trail centre.

    I like trail centres – great fun, easy to access, great practice for the real thing

    boriselbrus
    Free Member

    Good points:

    Easy navigation
    Lots of facilities (cafe, bike wash etc)
    Lots of fun packed in to a short ride.

    Bad points:

    Usually too short (I like to ride for several hours – 60km+ and I don’t want to do laps)
    Predictable – everything is ridable, it’s all the same width and surface etc). Feels like a scalextric track.
    Can get pretty bland after a while – I’ve ridden most of the trail centres in Britain and most of the them are pretty much the same.
    Can be magnets for litter and lots of people.

    So overall, I like them, they have their place, but natural riding up proper mountains and in deserted glens beat them every time.

    randomjeremy
    Free Member

    Why do people complain that “everything is rideable”? What do these people want, stuff that *isn’t* rideable? What would be the point of that? It’s akin to going on a track day and complaining that you could drive the whole track.

    I find riding them the wrong way round makes them a bit more interesting.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    boriselbrus – Member

    it’s all the same width and surface etc).

    The only trail centre route I can remember that this is true of, is glentress green route.

    toys19
    Free Member

    Its just snobbery, sod em if they dont go there will be more room for the rest of us.

    Yup trail centres are sheeeete, don’t bother going, nowhere near as good as the real thing.

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    why snobbery folk ?seem to give some reasonable suggestions as to what they see as the shortcoming of them.
    TBH I dont know why we discuss this sort of stuff some people like trail centres, some like natural. Some like natural woody singletrack, some like rocky technical descents , some like etc
    Why debate it we may as well discuss what tastes better an apple or an orange. Its all riding and its all good you just prefer different stuff.

    Rorschach
    Free Member

    Its just snobbery, sod em if they dont go there will be more room for the rest of us.

    My thoughts exactly……..you are talking about natural trails are’nt you?

    yunki
    Free Member

    You say snobbery as if it’s a bad thing.
    I’m all for trail centres if they keep the working classes off my local bridleways when they want a day out from their tenement blocks.

    crikey
    Free Member

    At the risk of adding to the already evident trollery, I started riding mountain bikes before there were accepted routes, before trail centres were even thought of, when you had little alternative but to go out and find routes on your own. The bigger ‘accepted’ routes were those used by cyclocross riders who used to go out and train in the Peak District, or on the moors.

    I think trail centres are brilliant. They manage to bring together the kind of features that would take a days worth of exploration, and guarantee a decent ride with a sensible start and finish.

    We used to ride out from Manchester, over the Snake Pass, then do a Peak loop, then ride home again to get some decent riding done, now I could drive to where-ever and be sure of a good ride with little wasted effort.

    All that ‘natural riding’ snobbery is the sign of small minds who are desperate to be heard.

    yunki
    Free Member

    now I could drive to where-ever and be sure of a good ride with little wasted effort.

    All that ‘natural riding’ snobbery is the sign of small minds who are desperate to be heard.

    I think that’s more than a little harsh.. for some folk it’s really not all about getting a ‘good ride’.. that part can be secondary..

    so.. err.. wind yer neck in chumpy

    Junkyard
    Free Member

    All that ‘natural riding’ snobbery is the sign of small minds who are desperate to be heard.

    this a just a collection of lazy slurs. Some people ride different routes from you and they give their reasons. Why you and others refuse to believe these reasons and then cite “snobbery” is lost on me.
    Again it is bikes we all like bikes but we like different bikes, different routes, tyres, travel etc. Why insult each other for this ?

    xiphon
    Free Member

    Why insult each other for this ?

    ‘cos it’s STW. You must be new here.

    flow
    Free Member

    Trail centres brought MTB’ing to the masses. Now we have forums like this, full of clueless feckers who think because they ride them they are riding gods.

    neninja
    Free Member

    I’m not a great rider but prefer to ride natural trails over trail centres. I do still enjoy riding trail centres but can find them a little formulaic and predictable. Plus as said before most trail centres lack views and great vistas you get on natural trails.

    Given a choice I’d rather ride the Dales, NY Moors, Lakes etc. Trail centres are almost like a convenience product for when time is short. Hamsterley is our local and some of my friends would go there for every ride but if I go too often it leaves me cold.

    Euro
    Free Member

    They’re are ok by me. HAd a good time at every trail centre i’ve been to.

    Kevevs
    Free Member

    had great fun last week in Penmachno. Doesn’t feel like a trail centre, despite being “led around” a trail.

    had great fun last week just cycling from my doorstep up Conwy Mountain, Penmaen bach, sychnant pass and Tal-y-fan and rattling down and finding new bits.

    Had great fun last week riding my road bike round a local loop that I do trying to beat my fastest time.

    I’m not getting bothered about stupid crap. I’m not at work. I’m on my bike and free :mrgreen: What’s not to like! it’s all good 🙂

    Elfinsafety
    Free Member

    Well said Kev. And, having done Penmachno and Conway Mountain etc with Kev, I have to say it’s all good. It’s riding a bike outdoors. Ain’t that what it’s all about?

    ditch_jockey
    Free Member

    Apparently not – for some people it’s only ‘good’ if you’re plodding round some muddy bridleway on your 29er skills compensator with a map board and Ron hills.

    toys19
    Free Member

    At the risk of adding to the already evident trollery, I started riding mountain bikes before there were accepted routes, before trail centres were even thought of, when you had little alternative but to go out and find routes on your own. The bigger ‘accepted’ routes were those used by cyclocross riders who used to go out and train in the Peak District, or on the moors.

    I think trail centres are brilliant. They manage to bring together the kind of features that would take a days worth of exploration, and guarantee a decent ride with a sensible start and finish.

    We used to ride out from Manchester, over the Snake Pass, then do a Peak loop, then ride home again to get some decent riding done, now I could drive to where-ever and be sure of a good ride with little wasted effort.

    All that ‘natural riding’ snobbery is the sign of small minds who are desperate to be heard.

    I totally agree, we used to ride miles of fire road and boggy tracks just to get to a short section of downhill that lasted for about 5 minutes.

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