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Going Sunday so what are your thoughts?
Going tomorrow for the weekend. Waterproof garments at the ready 🙂 Might do nightride with skyline on sat, if feeling Upto it
Anyone ridden this yesterday or today? Thoughts..Good bad, too much kitty litter, fun??
Thinking of heading over tomorrow morning.
Not looking good for tomorrow 🙁
Anybody know the trail conditions up there? Was thinking of trying blade, but dont fancy 90% puddles after a 3 hr drive!
Surely the 3hr drive would make the puddles even more of an irrelevance...
Haha true! Puddles are fine, just don't fancy a barely rideable marshland!
My post gets around.
I still stand by the fact it shouldn't be open as it's gonna get/is ruined.
It's not like I rode it like a girl either.
I rode blade yesterday.
Good length, 15miles with plenty of ascent and descent.
Some lovely swooping Berms, some possibly a little too tight though?
Final descent has more of what the rest of the trail needs imo, rocks. One of the reasons why whites and wall are so all weather is because of the rock base. The majority of blade has been built with same base as BPW and all the new trails seem to be. Great in the dry, but already soaked through, cutting up badly and boggy in places on Berms and out of. Maybe it will toughen over time, but BPW and Swinley are both requiring maintenance already. It has been exceptionally wet though.
YWall and penhydd today, but i did enjoy Blade and its a good addition to all tee Afan trails.
Just rode penhydd (and Ywall), loved it, best bits are the old bits:-)
Afan has got 5 excellent red+ trails now. Luckily its "only" 3.5 hrs from mine
Going for the weekend, next weekend! Not been to Afan before, so can't wait!!
Dunno what trails to ride yet. We'll be there all day Sat and hope to get a ride in on Sun before heading back.
Wife rode it yesterday whilst on a girly Afan weekend, feedback was it was very muddy. We both wondered why they have opened it during such wet weather and not held off til the spring...
Chocolate Custard...that's my review.
Lol. Good analogy.
Will be good when its had time to bed in.
Seriously sludgy in a lot of places. Overheard a comment- "I'm going to complain about this mud". FFS.
Seriously sludgy in a lot of places. Overheard a comment- "I'm going to complain about this mud". FFS.
TO be honest a trail centre and mud isn't really a good sign* mud could be just surface water which is fine, but if it is the trail itself breaking up this early i would be wondering about its durability.
* haven't seen the trail so don't know what sort of mud, and it does matter
Good to see people out on some of the old Skyline sections today,shame to have lost Heartburn though.
I don't think it was a comment concerning the durability of the trail surface and the ramifications on the future longetivity of a brand new trail - more being aggrieved that his expensive bike and 5:10's were caked in mud.
Considered blade but ended up riding w2 today. Surprisingly dry considering and a real fun day apart from a five or six fallen tree climbs. Sounds like we made the right decision. First proper ride on a full sus too. Credit card is now slightly scared!
I have also learnt that not all flat pedals are created equal!
Rode the Blade yesterday...... Very busy... M25 comes to mind... :o)
Defo shouldn't have opened it yet considering the rain we've had....Some seriously deep tyre tracks in places already and plenty of slop....There are a few mechs gonna be ripped off in the next few weeks.
Best bits are the 2 wooded descents, tho' a couple of switchbacks are tight, and the final down to the finish, where i saw a lot of people walking some of the hairpins... I was round a few at walking pace myself, trials style on my 29er.....
LIke Superfli said, the rest of the trail needs more rocks like the final down has... best part because of the rocks!
Oh... last moan... most of the descents were too short!!
Rode it for the first time yesterday. It's a great tril already, and will be even better when it's a bit drier and firmed up. Best thing about it is how it links with Skyline. creates loads of opportunities to add loops and go back over the best bits. New section called Ghostrider is an absolute classic. Yes it's a bit muddy but come on......!
Muddy but still good and will get better, but I was disappointed with the amount of new trail (or lack of) seems bad value for money if I'm right £370000 was awarded from the wind farm development but most of the blade trail is original.
Maybe wrong with figures and happy to be corrected.
too much up and not enough down.
Just like most of Afan. good for xc'ers i guess
Rode Blade (and W2) yesterday. Wet as always, but I have to say that Blade trail is running so much better than when it first opened. The mud/clay/sand has washed into the rocks on the berms and now nearly all the berms are tough and rocky. I noticed that they have had to use some aggregate on 1 section that I remember was falling away, but its been put to good use and completed a lovely flowy descent. The last few DHs were awesome and super rocky - its amazing how much harder it is on your body using a HT! I was on my Soul, last time was on my Heckler.
Superb day! 6 hrs of travel (on my motorbike with bike on back!) and 6hrs of hard riding! well worth it!