Advice needed: Llandegla Red

judith_sw

Hi,

I've been gradually improving my fitness and skills over the past couple of months (having laid off MTB for years). I'm lucky to live in North Wales, so Llandegla has become a weekly playground!

I've done the Blue run several times and really enjoy the 'fast' nature of this trail - it's a good one after work (starting at 58 mins, now down to 47). I've also completed the Red a couple of times now. I found that wearing elbow guards stopped me worrying too much and enabled me to enjoy the speed a bit more (without taking any silly risks, of course!!!). I cut 20 mins off my time the second time ... maybe a bit fitter, definitely less scared!

My question is about the log section, which I've chickened out of both times and walked :oops: Both times it's been dry, but apart from being incredibly bumpy, I really don't know how to do this bit - I am worried about falling off too! Any advice / words of wisdom would be appreciated

I'd love to have a go on the Black too, as I think I should be fit enough, but I'm equally worried about the North Shore bit! I know it can be avoided, but I'd rather try to do stuff properly if I can. One of the problems is that the vids on YouTube always show people doing jumps, and I'm definitely not ready for that yet!!!

Thanks in advance,

Judith

omegas

Most of the red and black runs at Llandegla you can ride at your own pace, no matter how many people are there everyone seems to be split up in the forest. What that means is you don’t have to do the jumps you can just roll over most of them as long as you have decent brakes to slow you down on some of the downhill’s.

The log run on the red route is probably the hardest section at Llandegla , last time I went along it the wire mesh was missing in some sections on the uphill part so in the wet your wheels would spin and slip with all the bouncing up and down.

Lower your tyre pressure keep the weight to the back of the bike and look forward not down. If you use spd you might want to disengage your cleats while pedalling along this section depending how quick you are at unclipping. (or I am a chicken and that’s how I do it after falling off there)

judith_sw

Thanks Omegas ... it's reassuring to know that I'm not being a complete wimp by finding the log section difficult! It's really off-putting to see body-shaped imprints in the mud where other people have fallen off too! I had a couple of false starts on it and then gave up

I use flat pedals (Shimanos) and will put the longer pins on for next time, as I think I need better grip. I'm realy tempted to try the Black Run, and your advice has reassured me ... I'll still avoid the North Shore bit in the first instance, though ... falling off that looks as if it would be a bit dire!

Cheers!

Santibes

second what Omegas has said.

I still only clear the logs 2 out of 3 times & see loads of people miss them out completely.
they are quite hard especially on a hardtail.

as mentioned the black is all rollable & the northshore bit is fine after you've done it once.
some of the berms are a little steeper & tighter than on the red, as you'd expect but you just take it easy the first couple of times. the worst thing i found was (misplaced) over confidence & speed the first time round the black. fitness wise, if you're struggling the first time you try the black, turn right up the fire road where the black rejoins the red & miss out the loop round "black bridge" (see their map) - we've all done it!

Anonymous

im not a particularly good rider and find the log section very daunting and only walked across it the first time i went.

i felt a bit defeated after that and was determined the next trip to clean it and managed. i figured that if you think about the width of the log section compared to most of the rest of any track you ride, its not all that different.

so with a positive attitude and by looking straight ahead instead of down, it felt alot easier, also, as unnatural as it sounds, keep your speed up too as your bke will be easier to keep straight.

dirtbiker100

you're not the only one
http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12541297

my advice would be lower air pressure if you really need to but mainly just keep your speed up. the slower you go the harder it is especially over the bumps, so really go for it.
on the black route i wouldn't say any of it is really that hard - no harder technically than that bumpy log ride bit. the boardwalk section which goes up quite high is fairly easy to ride. its pavement wide so you'd have to try really really really hard to fall off. ie you won't fall.

judith_sw

Thanks guys!

Interesting thread last summer! I don't feel alone any more. I agree with some of the comments that perhaps the Black should be made harder and the logs put in that section, with some development some times ... I do really like Llandegla, though ... has restored my sanity a few times after work recently!

I would like to clear the log section, but will probably use having a hardtail as an excuse until then ... never ridden a full susser - do they really make that much difference? It'll be a long time before I can even think of having one, as I'm giving up work for a year to study again, so no money to spare. Don't suppose one of those suspension seat post thingies would be much of a substitute???

Judith

robmanic1

Christ! I'd never think of tackling Llandegla Black run on anything other than a full bouncer, although that probably says more about my skills than anything else. My opinion; the black is too fasy and flowy and encourages you to carry too much speed (hence the high rate of accidents), needs more "techy" sections to slow things down a tad.

judith_sw

I grew up in Lincolnshire and blame it for my inability to cycle up hills :oops: ... although headwinds are less of a problem! Twas a big shock moving to North Wales - didn't use a bike for 10 years ... glad I rediscovered it though Am much better at hills these days.

robmanic1

Judith, we have hills, you just need to know where to look (or avoid)

judith_sw

Not many hills around Boston (where I spent my formative years), but found a few near Lincoln! Never actually tried the Wolds, but I can imagine some pretty tricky runs there!

supertaz81

i just did llandegla black this weekend, was the firt time i have done a propper off road trail and i loved it. I was on an old Claud Butler Ravena, no suspension, and i did it ok, only had a few problems on the log section where i managed to fall off the highest part. No damage really but arms hurt like hell from the constant barrage of bumps and no sus.
I just found that straight line breakin worked, commin off the breaks in corners and not over doing the first jumps. also, i lowered my seat which helped an aweful lot!!!

BlackSpur

judith_sw wrote:

Not many hills around Boston (where I spent my formative years), but found a few near Lincoln! Never actually tried the Wolds, but I can imagine some pretty tricky runs there!

None near Grantham either Ah well, it'll be better when I go to Uni (any uni will have better cycling than Grantham!).

judith_sw

Are there some hills near Grantham (The Edge / Wolds - where it drops off towards Nottinghamshire?). I'm sure there was a bit of hilly stuff there - I worked in Sleaford for a couple of years which was pretty flat!

BlackSpur

I'll have a look on an OS map. Thanks for the heads up!

robmanic1

judith_sw wrote:

Not many hills around Boston

Ah, banjo country! Glad you're rediscovering the magic of cycling Judith.
I guess the thing is to ride within your limits, one of our party rode the red at Llandegla while the rest of us "real men" went for the black. I only got half way round when I stacked, head first into a tree after carrying too much speed through a jumpy section.(Why do they plant so many trees in these places, just asking for trouble!)

judith_sw

A village called Stow-on-the-Wold rings a bell, but I'm not sure how close that is to Grantham.

BlackSpur

Well according to Google maps it's in Gloucestershire!

judith_sw

Memory failure :oops:
There is a Stow north of Lincoln, but I definitely remember a hilly 'edge' SW of Lincoln. If you want I'll check with my mum and post later - she knows the area much better than me. What I do remember is that there were some really pretty villages with good pubs!

robmanic1

Yes, it's important we nail the details here!

Steve_b77

You're right the log section can be a right PITA, however if you just choose a smallish gear and spin nice and steady it's alot easier than you think, just don't look down

The NS Drop is way less daunting than it looks, if you can ride off the bridge at the end of the Red you can do the drop easily.

Anonymous

I forgot how steep the NS drop is yesterday, and managed to completely, utterly, and totally overdo it, but it's much more fun to fly off it like that anyway!
So instead of landing on the dirt slope just after, i ended up landing flat about 5 or 6 feet beyond!

Anyway, as for the log section, I've ridden it on a hardtail, and on 3 different full suss bikes, and my technique is the same regardless of bike design, stand on the pedals, keep it in a fairly high gear, and use the torque in your legs to muscle your way up, smoothly. You'll need to keep your weight slightly rearwards to maintain traction.
If your tyres don;t grip the logs well, then make sure you stay on the mesh towards the edges - where it hasn;t worn away.Once you're at the top of it, then just treat it like a rough piece of trail.

hope that helps.

Stu 74

Hi Judith,

The log section is quite daunting the first couple of times that you do it but its not too bad once you've got the hang of it.

This is how I tackle it:-

As you approach it get in the granny ring and quite a low gear on the back (I normally tackle it in the third lowest / easiest gear). Keep your arms relaxed and look where you want to go (not where you don't want to go!).

Once you hit the logs just pedal like funk. You might want to get out of the saddle slightly on the steep bits near the start but once you are over them the rest is easier. I would tend to keep my weight forwards rather than back on the initial steep bits.

Think positive - you will stay on track!

Perhaps at first you push the bike up the first steep bit and then try riding the rest.

As for the black section:-

Rest assured that there is nothing on the black section as hard as the logs! The north shore is easy peasy, just take your time and look where you want to go not where you don't want to go! The last bit is a little steep but take your time and you will be fine!

The entire black section can be rolled without your wheels leaving the ground. You will only take off if you hit the jumps at speed! There is a little wooden ramp with a small drop off at one point but again you can just roll off it just like you can the log drop at the start of the red section.

You may find the berms / switchbacks the hardest features when you first tackle the black but again just take your time and use your breaks and you will be fine!

I'm sure that you wil enjoy the black section - its awesome!

Good luck!

Stu

judith_sw

Thanks for the replies!

Robmanic - sorry I didn't get back sooner. No idea where Igot Stow-on-the-Wold from, as I don't really know Gloucestershire! Re. Lincolnshire, the Wolds are to the north of Lincoln, with Welton le Wold one such village, I think, that's near a hamlet called Six Hills! The 'Edge' mentioned is south of Lincoln and includes villages like Coleby and Harmston. No massive hills, but a bit hilly!

Also, thanks Stu for the mini essay. I did in fact try the Black on Wednesday ... in the wet! It was (fortunately - few witnesses) very quiet and definitely tested me to and slightly beyond my limits, although it was good fun. I did all of it apart from the Drop Shore and the log run (of course). Some of the ascents were tough and a couple of the descents freaked me (and I got off and walked ... even fell over on one!!!), but it gives me something to aim at and improve on in the future. I will try the logs at some point, promise. I was wondering about doing one of the 'Core Skills' courses at Llandegla to help with this.
Judith

Steve_b77

judith_sw wrote:

I will try the logs at some point, promise. I was wondering about doing one of the 'Core Skills' courses at Llandegla to help with this.
Judith

I'd higly recommend doing this course @ Llandegla, I did it back in march and it turned me into a much more confident and skillful rider, it shows you how to ride logs & northshore correctly, tackling berms, reiding position, how to brake correctly, drop offs, lifting over obstacles, the start of jumping and how to deal with the correctly.

It's a great day and superb value for money

judith_sw

Thanks, Steve - how much, if you don't mind me asking? (I emailed them about this the other day but haven'y had a reply).

Cheers,

Judith

loddrik

Log section looks daunting if you are a novice but really is pretty easy, just shift weight back and relax arms and legs a little, you should roll it easy enough, even if you do fall (unlikely) you will fall into soft moss. Kona darkside it isn't.

ddraver

where are you in N wales?

not much more to say about the log shore bit just try and stay loose and concentrate on where you are going!! tkae it slow - make sure your in a gear that you can just keep spinning

Its a classic look at the soloution not the problem thing - as is much North Shore style riding

judith_sw

Hawarden ... so trying out Moel Famau now! Looks good! Are there any good clubs locally? I've heard there's a regular meet at the Druid.

Steve_b77

judith_sw wrote:

Thanks, Steve - how much, if you don't mind me asking? (I emailed them about this the other day but haven'y had a reply).

Cheers,

Judith

I think it was £85, money well spent as the instructors are great and the time flies