Alex make white rims. Similar in weight and width to a Mavic 717.
Not sure how available they are aftermarket, but they have been great rims for me.

The Rough Ride is nothing like the Dyfi, although it is a good one.

Dyfi – Steep, slated, forestry descents with easy gradient climbing.
Rough Ride – Open moorland with fast, non-technical descents and some killer climbs.

The Beast is OK, but lots of road. The Brechfa enduro is good, using the man-made trails in the forest but also some other bits. To be honest there isn’t really anything like the Dyfi. Not anymore anyway, if the Blackmill Ratrun comes back, then thats the closest thing.

There are only 2 bridleways to the top, but the one that almost everyone does is the Llanberis path. The other is the Ranger path.

Can’t say I would recommend it this time of year. Maybe end of April-May.

Officially its still closed.
The red route is well worth the trip IMO.

They are very good in certain situations.
Pretty quick because the centre line is almost constant.

Build up with mud quite quickly though. Great on dry rocks and generally fairly tough.

For a dozen people you may be looking at a larger hotel.
Can’t think of any budget accomodation other than those you have mentioned.

Look for hotels in Carmarthen, Llandeilo, Llandovery or Lampeter. All are within 20 minutes of the trails.

Clif and Mule bars are both excellent and very palatable.

The Clif bar flavours actually taste how you think they will. So if you like Peanut Butter you will like the Peanut Butter clif bars. Same goes for all other flavours.
Mule bars are pretty good too. My bite of the Chocolate Fig Mud I wasn’t keen, but I soon developed a taste for them.

Tried loads of others like Torq, High5, Powerbar & SIS. None of them taste as good as Clif or Mule bars.

Depends on exactly what your after, but if your after something racey then the Raven is excellent.
The frame is light and stiff but more comfortable than other similar frames.

Anyone ride Afan today. Much snow left?

Aiston gets my vote too.

I’ve had Thule and Pendle racks in the past, but the Aiston beats them both of performance and price.

KMC chains are the best IMO and reasonable, unless you get the SL versions, which are lighter.

The only ‘expensive’ chain that might be worth it is the Rohlff chain.

Thanks everyone. Lots of think about.

Ambleside was somewhere we were looking at, so glad you mentioned there.

What are the best routes/areas to ride from there?

Are drop bars still legal to use in MTB races?