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mtb in betws-y-coed

coxy17coxy17 Posts: 401
edited January 2009 in MTB beginners
hi.my son and my self are of to betws-y-coed on feb 14th,with our gt.avalance 3.0 that we had bought us for xmas,i plan to leave the girls to go of and do there own thing(NOT EVERY DAY THOU),so we can go out on our bikes,now i need advice pls,you could say we are novices when it comes to mtb,we live in warwick and so far only been cross country in woods etc.,SO could anyone give some advice of were to ride,i came across place called penmachno but it says the grade of the route is difficult,dont think we up to big drop offs,and tec stuff, just like a challenge and good ride out.and get back to wife and daughter in one peice .PLS HELP.

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  • GHillGHill Posts: 2,402
    Try the Marin trail. I took my wife there for her first ever mountain biking experience and she managed it fine.

    Although you can cycle to the trail head from betws-y-coed, the hill is steep and long so you may want to drive to the top - depending on fitness and how much time you have. That said, flying back down the hill to the fish and chip shop once you're done is great.
  • sniper68sniper68 Posts: 2,910
    Marin trail 2nded!
    Drive to the trail head near Llanwrst,some fire roads(long climbs)and some techy single track 25km in total.Even complete novices can ride the Marin,just take your time and get off if you feel uncomfortable.Just follow the blue marker posts,oractically impossible to get lost.
    Lynskey R480

  • ratty2kratty2k Posts: 3,872
    Yep, was there a couple of days ago. Trail has been repaired in places- had a layer of gravel put down to give a new top surface.
    Nothing too techy or rough there, but where you feel uncomfortable (on some of the descents maybe) lower the saddle 3-4 inches and get further off the back of the bike and you'll be fine.
    As ibbo states, big blue posts with "Marin" on ''em all you have to do is follow those.
    And most of all, ENJOY it! :D
    My Pics !


    Whadda ya mean I dont believe in god?
    I talk to him everyday....
  • ThewaylanderThewaylander Posts: 8,594
    I'd say avoid marin if you can travel to CYB or anywhere like that, we rode it last year its starts nice for a few k and ends nice last few k there is 15-20k of the most boring firetrack i have ever ridden in the middle though and 2/3rds round i wanted to cry i was so bored
  • SantibesSantibes Posts: 46
    as novices I'd avoid Penmachno & as advised, try the Marin. Coed Y Brenin is 45mins drive away & unsuitable for beginners. There's a scenic fireroad amble for beginners which you'd probably find too easy, but the next level up is a big step up from that.

    The marin is a nice introduction & if you can cope with the first section of singletrack out the carpark ok you'll be fine. you may have to walk a couple of bits, but you'll see them coming. main danger is getting carried away on the descents & overshooting. the first descent after the long fireroad climb is a bit worn but as bad as it gets really. just take it easy & enjoy the scenery.

    3163923036_61ce57ba46_b.jpg
  • sniper68sniper68 Posts: 2,910
    Thewaylander wrote:
    I'd say avoid marin if you can travel to CYB or anywhere like that, we rode it last year its starts nice for a few k and ends nice last few k there is 15-20k of the most boring firetrack i have ever ridden in the middle though and 2/3rds round i wanted to cry i was so bored
    Did you get lost :wink: There's nowhere near 15-20km of fire road on the Marin.The entire ride is only 25km and theres more than 5km of good stuff.Theres probably that amount on the "Beast" at CYB,now that is a boring 38km ride :roll: CYB was good until they changed it all a couple of years back.
    Lynskey R480

  • GHillGHill Posts: 2,402
    Could be worth noting that the Marin trail has chicken runs on some of the downhill sections so you can skip the jumps and more extreme terrain.
  • Stu 74Stu 74 Posts: 463
    The Marin isn't too bad but there are a few tricky technical sections on it and you do need to be quite fit to get around it. If you decide to tackle it, make sure you take a trail map with you just incase you need to take a short cut back......

    https://shop.bike-fax.com/catalog/produ ... 0c6cb57442

    There are some more rides around Betws here, including some easy ones....

    https://shop.bike-fax.com/catalog/index ... 0c6cb57442

    To be honest, if you don't mind travelling a bit (about 40 minutes from Betws), I would highly recommend that you go to Llandegla. It's a fantastic place for beginners.......

    http://www.coedllandegla.com/

    Stu
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