What is your favourite type of ride?

drewesq

I live in Exeter so I have Exmoor and Dartmoor within an hours drive. I prefer natural trail/XC riding to purpose built parks (Haldon Forest). I use a book by Nick Cotton called South West Mountain Biking which covers the 2 moors & the Quantocks. He grades them blue, red & black.

I have done a couple of the blues that I really enjoyed because it was easy to maintain a decent speed whilst also having a low level of technical qualities, but also have done a couple of reds with sections I would describe as unridable. Bouldery and rocky sections that if you could ride over it you would have to do so extremely slowly!

I just wonder if anyone enjoys this stuff? Or is it just my lack of experience an skills that means I don't enjoy it?

FWIW I'm so stoked I have gotten into MTBing because I used to snowboard when I was younger and this is a very similar buzz....

cooldad

I quite enjoy mountain biking.

BloggingFit

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19635903#p19635903]drewesq[/url] wrote:

I live in Exeter so I have Exmoor and Dartmoor within an hours drive. I prefer natural trail/XC riding to purpose built parks (Haldon Forest). I use a book by Nick Cotton called South West Mountain Biking which covers the 2 moors & the Quantocks. He grades them blue, red & black.

I have done a couple of the blues that I really enjoyed because it was easy to maintain a decent speed whilst also having a low level of technical qualities, but also have done a couple of reds with sections I would describe as unridable. Bouldery and rocky sections that if you could ride over it you would have to do so extremely slowly!

I just wonder if anyone enjoys this stuff? Or is it just my lack of experience an skills that means I don't enjoy it?

FWIW I'm so stoked I have gotten into MTBing because I used to snowboard when I was younger and this is a very similar buzz....

Trails with higher difficulty ratings get easier as your skill set and fitness improve. I have friends that really enjoy Swinley, which is a flow bike park type venue, where fitness and skill set isn't such an issue but don't enjoy the more natural trails around it as they require more concentration and fitness to maintain a decent speed. So as they fatigue the concentration falls off and so did their speed making it harder work. Once their fitness improved, so did their enjoyment of these types of trails.

rockmonkeysc

Someday I love rocky, gnarly, technical, nasty trails. Some days I love epic distances with nothing much technical but great scenery.

Maro

I think I most enjoy a trail that is fairly easy to ride but becomes tricky with higher speed, I find it hugely rewarding when sections link together and flow well. I'm happy on steep rocky stuff or smooth rolling terain and everything in between.

Angus Young

Much prefer stuff that flows at a decent rate to stuff you have to pick your way through. Love the flow.

paul.skibum

Whistler doesnt so much do long xc rides, a good long ride here is linking a series of more gnarly descents with long grinding climbs. Views are great on the climbs, technical difficulty level high on the downs. I used to like long distance bridleway linking routes in UK but would generally like a little more technical than the UK often offers.

Used to love a 30 miler in the Peaks though - right mix of tech, fun and scenery.

.blitz

One where I can use the bike again

The Rookie

Shouldn't asking for our favourite type of ride be in the Crudcatcher?

For me fast and flowing and mildly techy singletrack, and a few lung busting climbs to keep me honest please.

rubyhorse2

used to love technical and freeride, now as i am older i tend to prefer XC, still like my descents though but moving more towards longer endurance type stuff now. Got the MTL this weekend and in training for the C2C in august.

As for terrain, all i do is natural trails these days, havent been to a bike park in ages.

drewesq

Good responses!!

I think the reason I prefer the easier trails is because, as most of you say, it flows. A good mix of climbs, grassy descents and really easy rocky descents, all together allow the rider to feel in control.

I haven't stopped thinking about that last ride, probably going to do it agin after work tomorrow!

rockmonkeysc

I hate easy, flowing trails. It just doesn't feel like I have worked for it
It feels like the trail builders have done all the work for me. Like riding a roller coaster, it's exciting in a safe sort of way but you never feel like you have barely survived it.
My favourite trail is Egypt at Gawton, there's no rest or no chance to relax all the way down. You have to keep fully committed, there's no hitting features half arsed if you want to survive it
You finish the trail with a massive adrenaline buzz and feeling lucky to be alive.

paul.skibum

I get that Rockmonkey - I know my limits but some trails here I can run pretty fast and be on the right side of thrills and speed, others push the thrill level and drop down the speed, some up the speed and drop the thrill but if it come down to just speed and no thrill I lose the fun.

Trails like BC's, Kashmir, Microclimate, Hey Bud all have a thrill/speed component, Rockwork Orange and its 2 sister trails are thrill packed along with Pura Vida/High Society. ACDC/Cheap Thrills and others push the thrill to a little above my comfort level and start to drop the fun for me.

roger_merriman

I like exploring hills/woods be that like a few weeks back over the Ridgeway or riding the big hills near my folks place in the Brecon Beacons.

I find man made trails genrally fairly dull.

Thewaylander

To be honest my ideal trail is cafal, or like ski run at FOD.. love that trail.

Nothing insanely to but enough roots and rocks to make it fun, not a gravel path that seems to be so popular these days,