Snowdon on a hardtail?

welshkev

maybe a question for yeehaa magee?

i'm gonna go and ride snowdon in a couple of months and one of the lads that i ride with only has a hardtail. is it do-able on a hardtail or shall i tell him to stay home

also, i know there's been a thread on this before but what months is the no bikes between 9 and 6 or whatever times it is rule in place? (ok, maybe not a rule but an understanding)

Thewaylander

I honestly don't think there is a trail in the UK mate that you can't ride a HT on unless its a black grade pro DH run.

Mostly its just fast with a long walk to the top if you nip down too early which i recomend walk up and then as the gentlmans agreement passes hammer down hehe

Paulie W

Perfectly doable ona hardtail - did it years ago and one of the guys I was with was on a rigid.

welshkev

which ways did you guys go up and down? did you follow the train line up from llanberis?

waylander you're welcome to join us if you want we'll be leaving from cwmbran

adydow

I know of guys who have managed it on a hard tail no probs, and in the days when bikes just had v brakes, I,m yet to do it on my bouncer!

thekickingmule

Yep, a mate of mine did it on a HT a few months ago. He was knackered by the end of it, but loved it. I wouldn't mind givin it a go, just maybe not on my bike

The Northern Monkey

welshkev wrote:

which ways did you guys go up and down? did you follow the train line up from llanberis?

waylander you're welcome to join us if you want we'll be leaving from cwmbran

llanberis path is the easiest I think.

Planning on this ride early this year... and of course, it'll be on a HT

scale20

Its not a cycling ban on snowdon its a vouluntary agreement

This is the jist of it.

To help avoid accidents involving cyclists and walkers when the paths to the summit of Snowdon are extremely busy from May to September a voluntary agreement has been negotiated between:

The Snowdonia National Park
Gwynedd County Council
CTC
Welsh Cycling Union
International Mountain Bicycling Association

It has been agreed that between the hours of 10.00 am and 5 pm from 1st May to 30th September cyclists should not cycle on the Snowdon bridleways.

Saying that just because its an agreement it doesn't mean you should ignore it and go anyway. Snowdon is a cracking ride however if riders take the pi$$ it will be a ban. I've done a lot of work localy to support this.

It's do-able on a HT, Its been years since I did it and got rattled to death A Ht will make it an easy job on the ride, push and carry up being light.

One of the best routes to do is up the Llanberis path, same way as the train and then down the Rangers path / telegraph valley back down into Llanberis.

To make the climb up a little easier you could go up the back of Snowdon on th either the Miners or Pyg track.

I will quite happily show you the way if you know when your up that way.

Stu 74

The Ranger path will be the quietest way down.The normal way to do this is up the Llanberis path, down the Ranger path and then back across the Maesgwm bridleway. Be warned though, this is a tough ride and the Ranger path descent is very technical.

The Llanberis path is a fantastic descent but if you go at the wrong time it will be spoilt by all the walker dodging you will have to do. I certainly wouldn't recommend doin it at the weekend or during school hols. I did it on a lovely sunny and quiet June evening - best bike ride ever

Also make sure you are prepared for the dangers of a big mountain. The weather can turn nasty very quickly up there.

Stu

welshkev

cheers for the advice guys. yeah i knew it wasn't a ban, just an agreement. i've walked it a few times so i know what to expect from the weather etc

scale20: a guide would be awsome, i'll keep you posted as to when we're going