Coed y brenin - The beast
How hard is The Beast?
I have this quandry - I normally organise the trips with my mates (who are spread far and wide around the UK) and in a few weeks we're meeting in North Wales.
We've done Afan - and did Whites and The wall on consecutive days which was hard enough. A few of my mates have said they want to attempt The Beast - but at nearly 40km i reckon we're biting off more than we can chew, especially if none of us have done any black runs. That said, i reckon technically we could cope.
Im probably the slowest up hill (but quick down) and as im a bit of a big boy - climbing seems to absolutely knacker my quads and around The Wall in Afan i kept getting cramp (if had them in both quads and calfs simultaneously and just fell off the bike a few times).
My thinking is we should tackle maybe the Dragons back first or two other reds combined especially as a mate is coming over from Ireland who's never done a proper trail centre, heffalump me and my other mate who has pins in his spine from a snowboarding accident. Thoughts? THere are 3 others going...
I have this quandry - I normally organise the trips with my mates (who are spread far and wide around the UK) and in a few weeks we're meeting in North Wales.
We've done Afan - and did Whites and The wall on consecutive days which was hard enough. A few of my mates have said they want to attempt The Beast - but at nearly 40km i reckon we're biting off more than we can chew, especially if none of us have done any black runs. That said, i reckon technically we could cope.
Im probably the slowest up hill (but quick down) and as im a bit of a big boy - climbing seems to absolutely knacker my quads and around The Wall in Afan i kept getting cramp (if had them in both quads and calfs simultaneously and just fell off the bike a few times).
My thinking is we should tackle maybe the Dragons back first or two other reds combined especially as a mate is coming over from Ireland who's never done a proper trail centre, heffalump me and my other mate who has pins in his spine from a snowboarding accident. Thoughts? THere are 3 others going...
08 Trek Fuel EX 8
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Comments
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Technically, the Beast is no more challenging that the MBR or Tarw, but the length is pretty epic.
The trails in Coedy are ROUGH though, very very rough. I really wouldn't reccomend them if you have pins in your spine, or are new to it.
Just to highlight how rough, here's some pics from the "picture paints a thousand words" thread...
One from Bignige...
And one of my own
Believe me when I say rocky.0 -
cheers for that...
i just need a way of defying biology and get my muscles to repel lactic acid
p.s do you think you could have got bigger forks dude??
08 Trek Fuel EX 80 -
erm, they're not that big. They're somewhere between 120 and 150mm travel Junior T's, from 2001, on a bike from 1998.
I think you may have mis-interpreted 0 -
Sooooo, this is what N.Wales locals look like then!
I'm thinking of the Beast/CYB later this year, but still recovering from the various injuries.
Have to be Marin first, as I've been doing the Cilgwyn quarry lately with no probs. but the rockier terrain will tax me at the mo. Not fitness, but confidence, thinking bout the metal in my leg/hip.0 -
Sod the Marin, it's boring. Go to Penmachno instead.
And I don't think BigNige, who's picture is the top one, is a local.0 -
Yeah I'm with Yeeha - Marin is rockier than machno + more boring (Ithat's not to say it has nt got a time or a place though... I reckon it's a better crap weather option - + by crap weather I mean N Wales crap!)
We had a great ride combining bits of the MBR + bits of dragons back this weekend though - you could have get the feel of a black route that way without commiting to something you might all hate!!We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
I recall meeting a guy from Cornwall, who'd driven to Coed Y Brenin, to try out his brand new Dale Raven!
Wasn't YOU was it, ddraver ?0 -
wesdev
Personally i would recomend the dragons back over the beast, i prefer the beast but with the ailments that you say i think you'll be better off on some good old fashoned swoopy singletrack?0 -
Me and two mate did the beast a couple of weeks ago - prior to that I'd only done Cannock Chase FTD / Monkey trail.
Technically I found it a fair bit harder than Cannock as CYB is so much more rocky, including plenty of rocky ascents where I was struggling for traction (but got up them in the end!) It was a bit damp and greasy too and my tyres weren't up to it and several times I lost the front on the rocky descents.
Physically, I didn't find it too exhausting - to enjoy the length of the trail though I think you have to be above averagely fit or a masochist, fortunately I'm both!
We took about 5 hours to complete it which wasn't quicky by any means. We were taking it pretty easy on the fire road climbs and also stopped at the cafe for half an hour or so and had plenty of little rest stops.
If you can cope with it technically, and you have a day to spare, then you should go for it - it doesn't matter if it takes you all day, you'll still enjoy it! There are a few tricky rocky sections that are unavoidable (unless you literally carried your bike down the middle of the trail instead). If you're not used to, or can't get on with, steep climbs on loose rocks then you might end up pushing up a couple of short sections, but on the whole you could still get round. 8)0 -
bits of them are rough Yee where they have dragged a ton of rocks in too make the fun chutes.
But mostly they are a bit rocky and alot of it is fairly smooth.0
