[Closed] Llandegla - new black sections

Good to hear, might book a car parking space for next week in that case.

I'm looking to book a space in the next couple of weeks - by far my favourite trail centre.

Sounds good, there on the 21st, fingers crossed for a bit of sunshine.

Got any photos of the new bits?

how jumpy ? droppy ? gappy ?

Not been myself yet but a work colleague went on Monday evening. They're big. Like BIG. He's predicting a lot of incidents with riders going in over their heads. Good fun if you've got balls, but others might find them a bit beyond their skill set.

Have they just inserted new features into the old black sections or are there entirely new sections of trail?

And also as above, are they jumps? Gaps? Rock Gardens? Let have some descriptions......

They've redone sections of the old black, B-Line has been completely redone almost and Dave the Fox has been redone in parts as well. The last descent to the centre (Julia's Trail) has had some work done as well but he's not ridden yet. Will not get chance to get up til next Wednesday but will try and report back

It’s a combination of extra features on the original trails, ranging from tight, fast berms into large, steep tabletops and small doubles up to much bigger stuff. Think Freeride at Revolution for quite a few of the jumps, including the “small” jumps they put at the side of the trail, so you have the option to hit or miss. There is also a cool step up, big and steep; I hit it a bit too slowly :O but will try harder next time! Good fun and what you would expect from a trail centre black; even for the less skilled, you can take it slowly and still be ok. The red has also been improved over the past year or too, I’ve not done a lot of the red stuff, but it sounds good if people want fun without the much bigger features. More new trails coming in future too...

This place has been on my hit list for ages. It was always too far away when I lived up North. I might give it a miss for a while but it's nice to know there's new reasons to visit.

Also, as above, what are we talking about in terms of features? Big old booters, massive drops or what?

As above, all rollable but some pretty large “booters” (I think I know what you mean?!?) and no big drop offs.

This place has been on my hit list for ages.

Every UK MTBer should ride there... so they can slag the place off as being dull and full of newbies.

But seriously, it can be fun if you're not on a long-travel bike and the new additions sound good. Take a HT or short travel bike though.

Sounds good, it was never comparable to any other black at a UK trail center.

Looking forward to getting up there again soon and seeing the new stuff.

Hopefully they haven't gone the route of upping the difficulty by just making things bigger (ie BPW) as I regularly go up there for a day on a Wednesday and stay until 8pm doing a final lap in the dark. Seen a few pictures of what they've been up to and it worryingly looked like the cookie-cutter jumps and drops that seem to be everywhere.

Will reserve judgement until I've been back or seen some decent pictures and videos.

Just back from Degla. Some of the jumps are bigger/steeper than I thought they would be bearing in mind the previous trail features. All are rollable for less experienced riders but I can see a few ambulance trips for riders hitting the new stuff fast and not being prepared.

Hopefully they haven’t gone the route of upping the difficulty by just making things bigger (ie BPW) as I regularly go up there for a day on a Wednesday and stay until 8pm doing a final lap in the dark. Seen a few pictures of what they’ve been up to and it worryingly looked like the cookie-cutter jumps and drops that seem to be everywhere.

Thats the most miserable and negative post i've read in a long time.

Good news especially the more bit!

It's very risk adverse is Degla. I understand (attracts new riders from neighbouring cites and towns) and can see what they have done boxing off/idiot proofing and limiting any kind of features newbies might stray onto, but it has hamstrung the whole trail system.

Some steep natural stuff would be a nice change of gear from all the hardpack, they could zone it!

Ooh good news. I only go in winter but flat out fast fun.

It may previously have been tame but the jumps, drops and boardwalk skills area there is brilliant.

Black flag - wasn't meant to be a negative post! I like riding at llandegla so hope they've gone the interesting route with innovative and varied features.

You have to book to ride there? Is it on their website?

Yes you have to book in advance for the car park at the moment.

Pre book parking

Cool, cheers for the help

I was up there yesterday. Rode over via worlds end so didn’t appreciate any need to book, oops. I was very surprised by the step up in challenge of the black route; much more like a jump line / berms from a bike park. Very fun but I foresee a lot of ambulances... I passed a family on hybrids on the way round...and one chap with what looked like a broken wrist and a worrying back where he’d landed on his rucksack. Talked his mates through what to do and checked in at the trail centre - they’d called it through. Hope he is ok.

It was fantastic and clearly the result of a massive amount of hard work. The whole place was riding so much more flowy than a few months ago. Few bits of chicken wire need doing before they shred a tyre but other than that is amazing what’s been achieved.

The high wooden drop/roll-in is closed, oddly.

been trawling the socials for pics or vids of it but not much there. nukeproofbikes have just posted a little vid from there on insta but looks quite tame..?

Went to Llandegla today and had a look at the new stuff... bit hit and miss if I'm honest.

I'm fairly comfortable on fast, steep stuff or rocky trails (also love a fast corner too!).

I'm crap with the trail names, but the top bit where you ride the wood work down then go into the forest didn't need steep take offs on the tables.

I don't mind small rollers to hop off etc, but I'm terrible at anything with a steep take off and these have really ruined the speed of that section for me.

The other bits of jumps they've done were pretty decent, I just didn't like that section. I found I was going way too fast for such a steep take off anyway.

I'm sure with practice, I can get better with steep take offs, but it just feels out of place on that trail.

Have they maybe made the take offs steeper to slow down riders that cant really jump? They've taken away the speed and hope and its more skill based?

Really quiet this afternoon, shame there's no practical way of allotting times to the bookings

Maybe...but the funny thing is I had no problems with the old ones. Looks like the new steep lips are taking some people by surprise.

I know how to jump, I can jump... but if there's a gap or a steep lip, I just tense up every time! gets pretty frustrating. I do feel like they've just chucked a load of big table tops in the middle of every trail now though.

I can confirm the jumps on the black line are now proper jumps more befitting a black trail. Some of them send you to the moon. Oddly Parallel Universe (guessing they haven't got to it yet) is unchanged and now seems a bit easy in comparison.

I landed one of the big jumps nose heavy and cased a few, not had that since the first time I rode there on a hardtail! There's a couple that are a bit bucky IMO. The section that ends with a big booter into a berm has some jumps that really kick you (lovely tyre wrupping sounds on the transitions) and you get some surprisingly big air.

I reckon people who were used to hitting the black trails with impunity/balls out will have a surprise! And anyone with poor jumping skills will be found out! Saw one concussion suspected broken arm/shoulder (young lad in a gang out of his depth) and another suspected, although that was on the unchanged JJ Jumps, which apart from the first table (which is long rather than steep) is pretty small in comparison.

Nice vid Chester, camera really flattens stuff you said you landed on top of a table I thought you were over jumping them. Looks like there are chicken runs so everyone can enjoy it.