Llandegla - Report on page 2!

The Northern Monkey
The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,174
edited September 2009 in MTB general
Well I FINALLY managed to get my bro to agree to come riding this weekend :D

Gonna drive down to Landegla I think as its a trail we haven't done and want to try :)

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!

Btw... the black.... doesn't look too technical? My bro is always scared off by the "black" routes, but the Llandegla blacks just look fun!
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Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    The Llandegla blacks are just fun. Nothing to be scared of.

    I hear the pump track is open this weekend as well!
    I'm hoping to be heading there on Sunday.
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,174
    edited September 2009
    The Llandegla blacks are just fun. Nothing to be scared of.

    I hear the pump track is open this weekend as well!
    I'm hoping to be heading there on Sunday.
    We'll be there sunday :D

    Wll if he just wanna do the red, he can wait while I do the Black :lol:

    Whats the pump track? sorta MTB style BMX track?
  • tombate911
    tombate911 Posts: 1,590
    i wouldnt go to llandegla expecting the pump track to be open tbh, we was there at the beginning of the week and they still have got lots of the track to resuface, because there was a problem with the stuff that they used the first time around, this has caused them to delay the opening of the pump track, the new other red sections are open now on the main part of the trail except from the DH run at the end and the skils sections at the beginning which is under lock and key as this still isnt finished,

    Tom.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Well, keep an eye out for my new wolf ridge, hopefully with Fox 36s on by Sunday.
    Might have my mate's daughter out with me, in which case she'll be riding it. Having air shocks both ends means I can adjust it to her weight.
  • scale20
    scale20 Posts: 1,300
    Take about £40 just for parking and a butty :lol::lol:
    Niner Air 9 Rigid
    Whyte 129S 29er.
  • deffo going now... setting off at about 9:30am :)

    will look out for you yeehaa, i'll be on the NS!
  • lesz42
    lesz42 Posts: 690
    i will be there for 9am, look out for a saxo, i have a scott aspect HT, will be doing red then the blue a few times
    Giant Trance X0 (08) Reverb, Hope Hoops 5.1D, XT brakes, RQ BC, Works Components headset 1.5
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    9:30am?
    pfft! Have you not discovered laziness? I'll be there for about mid-day, and not a second sooner :lol:

    Although I am wondering whether or not to ride the Dragon's Back in Coedy instead, to test out my new Fox 36s. :?
  • 9:30am?
    pfft! Have you not discovered laziness? I'll be there for about mid-day, and not a second sooner :lol:

    Although I am wondering whether or not to ride the Dragon's Back in Coedy instead, to test out my new Fox 36s. :?

    It'll take about 2hr to get there, so we will prob set off around 11-12ish! lol
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Oh, I thought you meant setting off on the trail at 9:30! haha!
  • Kiblams
    Kiblams Posts: 2,423
    Me and my bro went the other month, I had only previously done FTD in cannock (trail-wise) first time there for both of us and we managed all of the black bits fine. Very fun trail to ride IMO, much better than Cannock and Sherwood Pines(can you tell I am a midlander? :P )
  • grumsta
    grumsta Posts: 994
    Dragon's Back in Coedy instead, to test out my new Fox 36s.

    How is that going to test out Fox 36s? :?
  • Oh, I thought you meant setting off on the trail at 9:30! haha!

    :lol: f*ck that!!!
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    How is that (dragon's back) going to test out Fox 36s?
    Well, it won;t but it'll be be better than llandegla.
    I was thinking more of kane and abel, really, but then I realised they're not on the dragon's back :oops:
    All the trails on that side end up on "begining of the end" but it's a fairly long loop just for that!
    Snap crackle and pop and "pins and needles" are pretty good on the Tarw trail.

    Might just head to Llandegla, I haven't actually ridden the blacks fully this year, cause every time I've been I've had a (real) newbie in tow, who weren't up to it - and i't just so much fun.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    ooh, I just remembered, I wanna talk to the OPA guys about Blaenau plans as well :D Llandegla it is.
  • well I changed my inners to some bigger sized ones (i'm not joking.. its getting harder to find decent sized inners for my 4cm wide rims... I might just buy some 20lb DH inners :lol:)

    got new brake pads in that have been nicely bedded so they're very sharp... just gotta pack my helmet + pads and I'm set.

    Is there any need for a full face+body armour? I'm not talking about the trails, I just herd therewas something of a freeride park somewhere or being built or something?
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    bigbenj_08 wrote:
    Is there any need for a full face+body armour? I'm not talking about the trails, I just herd therewas something of a freeride park somewhere or being built or something?
    HELL NO!
  • scale20
    scale20 Posts: 1,300
    I'm off to do the dragons back tomorrow. Llandegla aint worth the drive. The place is well over priced and the trails are about as technical as a canal towpath!
    Niner Air 9 Rigid
    Whyte 129S 29er.
  • bigbenj_08 wrote:
    Is there any need for a full face+body armour? I'm not talking about the trails, I just herd therewas something of a freeride park somewhere or being built or something?
    HELL NO!
    Are they building a freeride area atm? I swear I read it somewhere...
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    If they are, I have no idea where it would be - and it isn't open yet.
    I think there's a "skills" area coming soon, but I don't think that justifies full-face + armour either.
  • grumsta
    grumsta Posts: 994
    New trails open – new skills areas coming soon
    Coed Llandegla Forest, the largest privately owned mountain bike centre in Wales, has just opened 1km of new Red graded singletrack trails. Also in the pipeline is a further 10.5km of trail and four new skills areas – enabling mountain bikers and leisure cyclists of all abilities to test their skills and learn new ones!

    Coed Llandegla owners, UPM Tilhill, are working with funding from Forestry Commission Wales, to upgrade existing trails and open 10.5km of new singletrack. New routes will provide exciting new challenges for beginners and expert riders alike.

    Skills Area: Which trail is for you? The new Coed Llandegla Forest 'Skills Area' offers a safe place to learn mountain bike techniques and build confidence before setting out on the trails. This area will also be used for mountain bike training courses run by the Centre operating company One Planet Adventure.

    Free Ride Area: for the more experienced rider, this area offers access to dirt and built jumps, drops and manmade stunts.

    Pump Track: how far can your momentum take you? The pump track is a loop of rollers and berms – teaching riders to maintain and gain speed, with the minimum of pedalling.

    Dual Slalom: test your skills in a head to head race on this purpose built trail. It's fast and furious as you tackle berms, jumps and bumps on near identical tracks – then switch sides and race again!

    http://www.coedllandegla.com/NetsiteCMS ... /News.html
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    hmm, fair enough. That's the first I've heard about it.
  • lesz42
    lesz42 Posts: 690
    i think the freeride bit is very close the centre, the entry is just left of the bit, 80 meters, before the jetwash area?

    as for armour, i wear shin/knee, and elbow on the red, but i am noob
    Giant Trance X0 (08) Reverb, Hope Hoops 5.1D, XT brakes, RQ BC, Works Components headset 1.5
  • I was there last week and had a chat with a guy that works in the cafe.

    The skills area (which looks great by the way, loads of jumps and burns) is very near the start of the trail on the right habd side.

    The bit at the end of the track near the jetwash is the pump track apparantly, these are the only two that are going to be open soon if they aren't already, there are more things planned next year.

    Apparently the owner of One Planet Adventure 'exaggarated' the truth when he spoke to MBUK, there isn't 10.5km of new trails neither. :lol:
  • lesz42
    lesz42 Posts: 690
    edited September 2009
    the freeride bit ( i think, its got a orange fencing to stop you accessing it)

    is after the bridge, way past the pump track, also anyone know what the bit next to the first berm/roller coaster is?
    Giant Trance X0 (08) Reverb, Hope Hoops 5.1D, XT brakes, RQ BC, Works Components headset 1.5
  • lesz42
    lesz42 Posts: 690
    went sat and today, was brill! really enjoyed it! i sort of tagged along with a group doing the red, ( some slower and faster riders) was good all round!



    need to get better on a fair bit of the red, ( as in a bit less "brakey")
    Giant Trance X0 (08) Reverb, Hope Hoops 5.1D, XT brakes, RQ BC, Works Components headset 1.5
  • Just got back :)

    Impresions were a bit varied to say the least!

    The 1st bit, the blue/red was boring as fooooooook, and it went on for bloody ages!
    The 1st red bit was alright, the jumps at the top of the valley were pretty sweet but the rest was again pretty dull.

    The black however was bloody awesome! got some huge air of some of those jumps, and only used the brakes once or twice, got up soooooo much speed!! The big boardwalk thing was sweet too... dropped the end of it which was fun.
    The dirt jump section was alright, not really worth the push up that big hill though.

    The route back to the car was terrible though... that just wasn't fun at all. Liked the bigggg looong boardwalk and that was about it... It just ended up going back to boring stuff like at the start.

    I felt completely overbiked until the black, which has me confused about the trail.
    You can't take and xc rig if you want to have fun on the Black, nor can you take a beefier FS because the rest of the trail is dull xc climbing thats either very steep or pancake flat.. I know there have to be ups, but there isn't enough good technical DH to warrant a long travel FS.
    The only other option would be a mid travel HT, but then some sections are covered in small rocks so you'd be shaken to bits + it might not stand up to flying off some of those jumps....

    Also, the grading system is a bit screwy. Admittedly I haven't done the red at Llandegla,but the black was about the same technical difficulty as red at Glentress (although I actually enjoyed Llandegla black more than any of the Glentress trails).
    Plus, the signs that say there are easy medium and hard options aren't carried on down the trail... ie when you got to the jumps on the DJ section, you had no idea which was the easy or hard lines!

    Either way, enjoyed the day out and really really enjoyed the black trail... however the rest didn't really tickle me.

    I'll be going back though, on the rigid singlespeed to do the rest of the red when the bike is built :)
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I think I saw you coming down the last bit towards the cafe, whilst I was queing for bottle of lucozade!

    You have to remember that Llandegla IS an XC route. I've ridden it plenty of times on my little Kona Cindercone, and it was fine. You don;t need a big bike to do any of it.

    I find that the beginning (first climb) and last bit are boring, but the middle is good fun, on either the red or if you take the black section.
    Black section flows so well!
  • Well yea, wouldn't call the black XC though!!

    The black section was brilliant though, like you say flows superbly!

    Definately want to take the On-One there, it'll be the perfect 1st trail I think!

    Never saw you, but was on the lookout for a Marin with fox's on lol.... tell you what though, there were some grumpy feckers about!