trail centre advice

nipper9

well after riding my local mountains for the last 6mths i finally took the plunge and headed for afan ( 6 miles away )

i took in the wall last nite / on my rockhopper sl comp 2010

i have a few problems with the technical bits i bounce around like a bloody big bouncy thing
and my palms are bloody killing me this morning i do wear gloves!!
and how i never came off and hit a bloody tree i will never know ( do u all wear padding? )
i feel like iam going to go over the bars do u all lower ur seats for the downhills and if so by how much?

cheers paul

ps that graveyard bit is aptly named me thinx

welshkev

i love the wall it's one of my favourite trails

just take your time, ride at a pace you feel comfortable with. i do drop my seat a couple of inches for the downhills but i ride with a mate who doesn't.

just try your forks set at different settings, try and stay loose on the bike, let your arms and legs take some of the impacts. try dropping your saddle and see how it feels.

hope that helps

nipper9

cheers kev

all advice heeded and needed

cheers paul

paul.skibum

At trail centres because all the up is generally in one go or a series of distinct long sections I will often drop my saddle for the downs and drop it a fair way I do the same in the Alps as a lower saddle helps move the bike around under you, gets you off the back and over the front when needed and makes the whole ride more dynamic.

I havent ridden at Afan for a while but I love the Wall and ride it on my hardtail - I cant say my hands hurt after but if yours do maybe your bike position needs adjusting - where do your brake levers sit on the bars - what angle?

chedabob

Try and stay as loose possible. Let your legs absorb the shock. I also find getting off the saddle and putting my weight behind the seat helps a lot. Just don't go too far back otherwise you'll tip the bike over :P

flowpro

Lucky man only living 6miles from the Afan it’s a great centre.
Try adjusting the rebound setting on your fork to stop the bouncy bouncy feeling often they come from the factory on full rebound try softening it up it might reduce the pain in your palms. The pain in your palms will most likely stop when your body gets used to the riding if not you might be a little too far forward on the bike putting more pressure on the handlebars than needed. Often when riders start out they have a death grip on the bars this is totally normal. In time you will relax, you could also try foam grips for comfort.

Most riders will drop their saddle a bit when they know it gets very steep and might need to get the weight right over the back. Last thing you want to do is get your shorts caught on it, this often ends messy. Also riders drop their saddle if they are jumping as it simply gets in the way. I use an adjustable post so we go up and down together all day.

Padding is a personal thing some won’t go riding without it some wear light weight padding on occasion others just laugh at padding and think it’s for someone else. The number of guys I’ve seen wearing no helmets scares me never mind padding.

If you feel like you are going over the bars all the time you might well have your body weight over the handlebars too much. Mostly likely you are also using a fist full of front brake. Your front tyre has very little grip when you have that front brake on hard. Make a bad line choice and hit a rock or root with the front brake on hard and over you go.

As welshkev said stay loose on the bike, think of it like an extension to your legs and arms. Look up and try to stay off the brakes best you can.
Most importantly ride tough trails as often as you can. You will probably find you will get a lot better quicker than you think. Enjoy afan ride 2.

mini-eggs

I did the wall recently on my hardtail. I tend not to bother changing the seat height, on the downhills i'm out of the saddle and really use arms and legs to cushion the really rough sections.

Try experimenting with suspension settings, a little tweak can make a big difference.

Get all your controls in the most natural and comfortable positions.

Most important tip, go at your own pace! yes there are people who will be faster and slower than you. My first few times in afan i was forever on the brakes thinking im going to fall but the more time i spent there the confidence came and so did the speed.

Just go have fun

underdog

I can highly recommend Whites too, that was a lot of fun, we set out for the wall never found it and ended up doing whites, so nipper being local, where abouts does the wall start?

Had a nice blast up baglan mountain last night for the first time in ages, seen a lovely fox cub 8)

welshkev

underdog wrote:

I can highly recommend Whites too, that was a lot of fun, we set out for the wall never found it and ended up doing whites, so nipper being local, where abouts does the wall start?

Had a nice blast up baglan mountain last night for the first time in ages, seen a lovely fox cub 8)

the wall starts at a different trail centre to whites. whites starts at glyncorrwg where as the wall starts at afan about 3 miles down the road. easily rideable on the old railway line or a short drive.

Afan Forest Park Visitor Centre
Cynonville
Port Talbot
SA13 3HG

Glyncorrwg Mountain Bike Centre
Ynyscorrwg Park
Glyncorrwg
Port Talbot
SA13 3EA


hope this helps

underdog

welshkev wrote:

underdog wrote:

I can highly recommend Whites too, that was a lot of fun, we set out for the wall never found it and ended up doing whites, so nipper being local, where abouts does the wall start?

Had a nice blast up baglan mountain last night for the first time in ages, seen a lovely fox cub 8)

the wall starts at a different trail centre to whites. whites starts at glyncorrwg where as the wall starts at afan about 3 miles down the road. easily rideable on the old railway line or a short drive.



hope this helps

I am from Port Talbot :oops: I rode from Afan visitors centre and some how missed the start of the wall and ended up riding up to do whites. I was looking for a local answer, as in stop before the Refresh or something

welshkev

if you started at afan how'd you miss the start of the wall?

did you go down under the subway, take a left along the railway line and over the bridge then you go up the quite dull fireroad and then hang a left? just follow the signs?

or are you looking for more local info as in you can join it from anywhere not just from the start?

sorry, i just realised we hijacked your thread..sorry :oops:

nipper9

hi all
cheers for all the replys
i have my brake levers facin down slightly as when it came from the shop it hurt my wrists
i am now that u mention it quite grippy on the bars will loosen off a bit
with my suspension i tend to lock out for uphill and then put it about halfway or a little more for the downhills!
i parked in the rhyslin and took the path to the left of the river and just followed the red signs for the wall!! i know that trail centre routes are supposed to be started at their centres but hey just get on it and ride it,
ive seen so much wildlife since xmas just up dinas and baglan mountain behind the rugby club its awsome, my mate was running up dinas a couple of mths ago and reckons he seen a puma! he pooed himself and ran home, my other mate who is quite high up in the police force reckons he saw the puma on the ladies walk behind the rugby club, he actually went on tv to say so!

iam thinking of starting an old and slow mountain bike club on facebook?
wot do u think

cheers again paul

underdog

welshkev wrote:

if you started at afan how'd you miss the start of the wall?

did you go down under the subway, take a left along the railway line and over the bridge then you go up the quite dull fireroad and then hang a left? just follow the signs?

or are you looking for more local info as in you can join it from anywhere not just from the start?

sorry, i just realised we hijacked your thread..sorry :oops:

We just missed the signs :oops:

Trying again tomorrow. Started at Afan, down under the road, onto the cycle path and guess we never seen that fire road :oops:

welshkev

underdog wrote:

welshkev wrote:

if you started at afan how'd you miss the start of the wall?

did you go down under the subway, take a left along the railway line and over the bridge then you go up the quite dull fireroad and then hang a left? just follow the signs?

or are you looking for more local info as in you can join it from anywhere not just from the start?

sorry, i just realised we hijacked your thread..sorry :oops:

We just missed the signs :oops:

Trying again tomorrow. Started at Afan, down under the road, onto the cycle path and guess we never seen that fire road :oops:

when you go under the subway thing take a left, follow that for about a mile and you go over a bridge over a river. you then cross a road to a gate where the fireroad climb starts.

hope that helps

underdog

welshkev wrote:

underdog wrote:

welshkev wrote:

if you started at afan how'd you miss the start of the wall?

did you go down under the subway, take a left along the railway line and over the bridge then you go up the quite dull fireroad and then hang a left? just follow the signs?

or are you looking for more local info as in you can join it from anywhere not just from the start?

sorry, i just realised we hijacked your thread..sorry :oops:

We just missed the signs :oops:

Trying again tomorrow. Started at Afan, down under the road, onto the cycle path and guess we never seen that fire road :oops:

when you go under the subway thing take a left, follow that for about a mile and you go over a bridge over a river. you then cross a road to a gate where the fireroad climb starts.

hope that helps

Thanks mate, the bit in bold is where we went wrong :oops:

welshkev

that'd be it then, just remember, turn left

underdog

welshkev wrote:

that'd be it then, just remember, turn left

I will write it down

My mate has dropped out tomorrow , so not sure if I fancy riding a new trail by myself, two weeks in a row :evil:

nipper9

i will tag along?

MrChuck

If you're finding it very bouncy might be worth checking your tires aren't too hard, although as this is very much personal preference I won't mention any numbers!

underdog

nipper9 wrote:

i will tag along?

Sweet mate, I'm up for that.

I'm over weight, slow and take things easy, if you can live with that I am free all day.

Have sent you a PM with my number, if you're up for it let me know.