[Closed] Trail Centres Not Rubbish

Passes the time.
fast food analogy works....all right now and again but they will eventually make you lazy,stupid and obese.

Too many goons in the car parks pulling stoppies and wheelies, yet on the trail they dont have the fitness to ride.

Far too flowing and boring tbh.

Usually in the woods with zero scenery to look at apart from tree's.

BUT each to their own. Its a good spot to start MTB. If people are enjoying themselves on the bike, well, thats what its about.

It's currently trendy and niche to slag off trail centres at the moment

They're for weekend warriors who can't read maps.

"I went riding in the Lakes at the weekend!"
"Great riding there - where abouts?"
"Grizedale Northface Trail"
"Oh..."

Riding is good wherever.

xiphon 😆
Remember....Not all riding mountainbikes is 'mountainbiking' 😉

Far too flowing and boring

Things that flow are usually pretty fast and fun. The new stuff at FoD "flows" and it's one of the funnest bits of trail I've ridden thus far 🙂

They're for weekend warriors who can't read maps

or maybe just for when you don't want to be arsed with a map? Variety is the spice of life and all that. I don't get this slagging of trail centres. They are fun and different (not better OR worse) to going out and exploring / navigating but it's all still enjoyable.

rorschach - if I did that ride two or three times a week I would not be fat or obese unless I had an eating disorder!

MartinGT - I'm not fast and like riding in the woods 🙂 although I'm rubbish at wheelies! And we did overtake a few riders but were also overtaken by a couple of lycra missiles with no fitness issues I could see. I guess it could be boring if you rode it all the time (same as anywhere I guess)
I'm lucky enough to have ridden different places all over the world and I still cannot understand how someone who likes biking could not like those trails. But as you say, each to their own.

I ride 3-4 times a week all year if I can so no weekend warrior BUT I am rubbish at mapreading 🙂

fast food analogy works....all right now and again but they eventually make you lazy and obese.

I can see that because all trail centre's are designed for bikes and hence designed to be ridden/rideable... some of my favourite trails are damn near impossible to ride and that is what pushes me and in my view what pushes the sport. The bikes get better each year and so do the rides and the riders... it's called progression.

Does this mean I'm anti trail centre? Hell no... I loves them, I loves them for others as a stepping stone into the sport, and I loves them as a way to get a group of varying ability out on a hill having an ace time together. And lastly I loves them as they are about bikes and bikes are ace. I'm glad we don't just have trail centres though as I love other trails more.

Folk who slag off trail centres are willy-waving-look-at-me-I'm-so-mountainbike-I-out-mountainbike-you-type-try-hards... (as the responses to this thread will now prove )

why do so many people seem to slag them off?

1) snobbery
2) bitchiness (see the comments about the people who ride them. Since when did the people ON a trail determine how good it was? See point 1)
3) lack of speed. If you trundle them they can be dull, if you go really really fast they become fab, mostly. Imagine driving Silverstone in a 950cc Fiesta at 25mph.

I use my local tc for training rides-a couple threshold laps ,a couple of times a week....better than sitting on the turbo!! But unlike some I don't then eat my body weight in fried bacon and egg in the cafe immediately afterwards (I wait till I've ridden home to stuff my face with choccy biccies).

Nacho, its not someone Not liking them, if you get what I mean?

If I am riding my bike, Im happy weather its a trail centre or natural riding.

I find trail centres rather repetative. One section of Dalby, Glentress is much of much the same a few km down the trail, come rain or shine. Thats great if you have a limited time and want to get out and get some riding done. Its great as you dont have to have a map and you can zoom around.

Messiah has it spot on. Mainly luddite too cool for school types.
Anyone can learn to map read. The infantry manage it!

LOL @ messiah. I couldn't clear the Twrch trail climb!! The wet roots made sure I'll have to go back another day and try again.

"Despite being very wet I thought both trails were brillint fun to ride,"

Me too and the weather aspect wins it for me. When all my lovely local rooty dirt trails are slippery swamps, Afan is just as grippy and fast (if a bit splashy) as it is in the dry.

Improving the views by taking out a few conifers would go a long way to helping the aesthetics IMO.

I just wish there was something a bit nearer... ooh Ashton Court!

But unlike some I don't then eat my body weight in fried bacon and egg in the cafe immediately afterwards

I usually start off in the Cafe before even getting on the trails, need to be well fueled to perform properly. Although I've been known to leave the bike on the rack and stay in the cafe all day if I'm not feeling like I can perform at my best.

ChunkyMTB Said it right.
It's rubbish that trail centres are for people who can't read a map and or are new to the sport.
I can read a map just fine and i have been riding for a fair few years now but i still enjoy trail centres. I use them maybe once a month and always enjoy it as it is a trail laid out for me that me and the other lads can really hammer around not having to worry about getting lost and just hooning around.
Trail centres aren't rubbish but they are convenient which i guess to a few translates into rubbish.
Personally the more places that become available to ride the better IMO

They're like doing track days, some people like the idea and some don't but you don't go there for the scenery. I can't remember having any conversation about motorbikes or cars where track days have been so badly slagged off as trail centres have here. Does that say something about some 'mountain bikers'?

dtf, 😛 there is a modicum of humour left in stw land after all....I had assumed the all pervading po-faced'ness had stomped all over it.

Far too flowing and boring tbh.

Only got experience of GT and Laggan when it comes to trail centres, and I very rarely go to either, but they're both awesome. All the best bits of riding that we search high and low for out on the natural trails, but without 10 miles of riding between each good bit. What's not to like?

Trail centres are great. Fast, well drained, long and often challenging.

I went over to Nant-yr-Arian yesterday. The weather was horrible and it made it all the more fun to ride.

I was with a riding partner who's new to it (and I'm 5 rides into returning from 5 years)and we both loved it. It was different to how I remember...a lot more climbing (and yes I am very unfit on the bike) and the singletrack had changed a little but I loved it!

For me, getting back into it...finding my feet, falling off, building fitness etc, then Trail Centre's are ideal.

I don't mind driving out to them on a Sunday as I can't really go during the week with other committments.

So - I am a trail-junky sunday-warrior who isn't fit enough and can't ride fast. Who cares?

I'll pull over and let people past but I want to enjoy the riding i want to do. If that means stopping to take in the scenary (difficult yesterday seeing as in some places we were riding through clouds) then so be it. I'm out doors, on a mountain bike, riding it. And that makes me

Trail centres are great. Fast, well drained, long and often challenging.

With certain trail centres, I find the most challenging thing is trying to find the motiviation to ride them!

I would suggest that some don't like trail centres because it gives easy access for all partake in 'their' hobby - and they just dont like it because it's special and they are special and if everyone does it then they are no-longer unique.

See also numerous threads on here about niche bikes etc.. 😉

For those that havent been, get yourselves to Morzine this summer, a trail centre on steroids/acid!

Its brilliant, all lift assisted so you dont even need to ride up the hills. You wont want to leave.

Whilst back in the UK for the rest of the year, I'm struggling to even bother getting my bike out when I know the first section of the North Face trail is a long tough climb

Trail centres are like 26" wheels.
They're OK for beginners, but once you've progressed a bit you'll want to ride some proper trails on proper wheels.

Trail centres are just like cheeky trails but with the added benefit of still being there two weeks later.

I don't ride them often but when I do I'm always smiling.

TCs are great. They're snorted at with derision by the type of twunt who rides a 29er-funny-stickers-singlespeed-hybrid-cross-fatbike-$niche_bike but that's fine, it means the rest of us don't need to cross paths with them as they are inevitably off somewhere doing "real" mountainbiking 🙂

Bit like trailquests really. OK for beginner map readers.

To limit your riding opportunities in any way, shape or form is utterly incomprehensible to me. You're half way to a joyless roadie's philosophy. STOP THAT BLOODY LAUGHING! YOU'RE NOT HERE TO ENJOY YOURSELF!!!

I remember telling a roadie I know I was off to Morzine for some downhill crazy ape mentel-ness. He looked at with with utter disdain then said condescendingly "yes, yes, but that's just like a fairground ride, isn't it?"

And that's a bad thing how exactly?

Trail centres are great for a giggle. As is setting off for an all day epic over some gert big 'ills. Do it all. And more importantly: smile while you're doing it. That's the whole point! All riding is good! Full stop! 😀

@ binners - "here here"

binners you're crazy mountain biking is [b]very serious business[/b] you know.

STOP THAT BLOODY LAUGHING! YOU'RE NOT HERE TO ENJOY YOURSELF!!!

joyless roadie's philosophy

But I like road riding every now and then.

trailcentres are tremendous fun (if its a good one) but theyre also convenient. you get a car park, cafe, shop, bike wash, signs telling you where to go, different grades of trail, no footpath sections to hit people on, if you do it with a bunch of mates its a hell of a laugh

However, you can also be on a rocky natural trail, on your own, in nice scenery. actually on a mountain, lets face it, if youre prepared to look for it, there are mint sections of natural trail around, but its much easier to go to a trail centre, because all the hard work is done for you. thats why i ride trail centres most the time

Trail centres are like 26" wheels. They're OK for beginners, but once you've progressed a bit you'll want to ride some proper trails on proper wheels.

Troll.

Back to basics here, why do we ride out bikes? For fun!
The people on here who berate them and act like they are above a trail centre are just being snobs. I went to Dalby this weekend and LOVED it, next to my last trip to the Alps it's the most enjoyable riding i've done.

Actually, binners said it better ^

Trail centres are like 26" wheels. They're OK for beginners, but once you've progressed a bit you'll want to ride some proper trails on proper wheels.

Troll.

I certainly hope so. Because if that's the expression of a genuine opinion, then...

[img] [/img]

I pity the fool

Troll

I would have got away with it too, if it wasn't for these meddling kids.

[img] http://womensdish.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8345396f169e20120a4df8021970b-320wi [/img]

LOL, well I am pleased that the majority are if not exactly with me certainly don't think they are rubbish. I now want to try some of the Scottish (7staines) trail centres at a later date (wife, kids and time permitting) The thought of 7 hours or so of driving for guaranteed quality riding without having to look too hard at the end of it does have it's appeal.

Innerleithen is the bestest IMHO. Its a right old giggle 🙂

I think most people that slag them off tend to ride "proper" natural trails more and arent scared to explore and put the miles in.imho all the best riding ive ever found has been natural stuff. They are a bit sterile, but I love a trail centre weekend, just couldnt ride them all the time....good fun but no sense of adventure..

I always think of it like climbing walls to proper rock. Both are fun and a climbing wall will make you strong and good at climbing artificial routes, put the same climbing wall hero on a blank bit of gritstone and they're awful as they can't read a route "on site". The same goes with grizzled old trad climbers, ace on a rock face, years of cunning and knowledge but couldn't pull a mad dyno to save their lives.

You need a mix of both to make a good all rounder but as long as we're all having fun who cares?

messiah - Member
I can see that because all trail centre's are designed for bikes and hence designed to be ridden/rideable...

That's part of the reason they're good, it's a psychological thing. I've ridden Laggan black a couple of times, and loved it. However, if you were to transfer the obstacles on that trail to a natural trail and expect a rider to descend them first time, the chances of success would likely be lower. You can never be sure that something is rideable unless it's been designed for bikes or you know someone else has cleared it.

Having said that, I far prefer natural rides where there is more of a sense of achievement, and love the feeling of discovering a piece of sheep track in a gully that has probably never been ridden before. Such a thing is impossible in a trail centre...

trail centres are not rubbish, haldon is mind!

Some trails are good, some are bad. Some trails are in trail centres, some aren't.

The same goes with grizzled old trad climbers, ace on a rock face, years of cunning and knowledge but couldn't pull a mad dyno to save their lives

the same goes for young boulderers, powerful on something they've wired, no cunning or knowledge and can't pull a dyno without 2ft of foam padding and 10 mates and a dog in a beannie

fixed that for you

a similar generalisation to most of the pro/anti trail centre cliches

Anyone who think's trail centres are rubbish are missing the point of them, were else would you find switchbacks, berms, table tops, dropoffs, they are built by teams of hardworking People for our enjoyment to use free of charge, i think all those people who don't like them have trouble riding them because there used to riding single tracks & stopping to adjust there lycra whilst looking at maps every two minutes.

antigee- that's an ace description of bouldering 😆

... there used to riding single tracks & stopping to adjust there lycra whilst looking at maps every two minutes

What boring.

It's all good if you ask me, i love the exploring aspect of mtbing just as much as trail centres...What yer man benji said in that article is spot on if you ask me.

I dunno what the hell you lot are on about, trail centres are just tracks in the woods with labels, they seem just like tracks in the woods to me whether its got a car park near it or not.

I kind of like getting out into the wild and away from it all using my bicycle to transport me there and riding whatever looks fun on the way....

for me personally a trailcenter almost offers that experience but not quite..

That's not to say that I can't and won't enjoy going to a trailcenter.. they're like a big mac and fries when you're more used to good home cooking..

I'd have put a comma after "What" and a question mark after "boring" too.

toys - never seen anything like Glentress thats not a trail centre.

I like trail centres - great fun, easy to access, great practice for the real thing

Good points:

Easy navigation
Lots of facilities (cafe, bike wash etc)
Lots of fun packed in to a short ride.

Bad points:

Usually too short (I like to ride for several hours - 60km+ and I don't want to do laps)
Predictable - everything is ridable, it's all the same width and surface etc). Feels like a scalextric track.
Can get pretty bland after a while - I've ridden most of the trail centres in Britain and most of the them are pretty much the same.
Can be magnets for litter and lots of people.

So overall, I like them, they have their place, but natural riding up proper mountains and in deserted glens beat them every time.

Why do people complain that "everything is rideable"? What do these people want, stuff that *isn't* rideable? What would be the point of that? It's akin to going on a track day and complaining that you could drive the whole track.

I find riding them the wrong way round makes them a bit more interesting.

boriselbrus - Member

it's all the same width and surface etc).

The only trail centre route I can remember that this is true of, is glentress green route.

Its just snobbery, sod em if they dont go there will be more room for the rest of us.

Yup trail centres are sheeeete, don't bother going, nowhere near as good as the real thing.

why snobbery folk ?seem to give some reasonable suggestions as to what they see as the shortcoming of them.
TBH I dont know why we discuss this sort of stuff some people like trail centres, some like natural. Some like natural woody singletrack, some like rocky technical descents , some like etc
Why debate it we may as well discuss what tastes better an apple or an orange. Its all riding and its all good you just prefer different stuff.

Its just snobbery, sod em if they dont go there will be more room for the rest of us.

[img] [/img]

You say snobbery as if it's a bad thing.
I'm all for trail centres if they keep the working classes off my local bridleways when they want a day out from their tenement blocks.

At the risk of adding to the already evident trollery, I started riding mountain bikes before there were accepted routes, before trail centres were even thought of, when you had little alternative but to go out and find routes on your own. The bigger 'accepted' routes were those used by cyclocross riders who used to go out and train in the Peak District, or on the moors.

I think trail centres are brilliant. They manage to bring together the kind of features that would take a days worth of exploration, and guarantee a decent ride with a sensible start and finish.

We used to ride out from Manchester, over the Snake Pass, then do a Peak loop, then ride home again to get some decent riding done, now I could drive to where-ever and be sure of a good ride with little wasted effort.

All that 'natural riding' snobbery is the sign of small minds who are desperate to be heard.

now I could drive to where-ever and be sure of a good ride with little wasted effort.

All that 'natural riding' snobbery is the sign of small minds who are desperate to be heard.

I think that's more than a little harsh.. for some folk it's really not [i]all[/i] about getting a 'good ride'.. that part can be secondary..

so.. err.. wind yer neck in chumpy

All that 'natural riding' snobbery is the sign of small minds who are desperate to be heard.

Why insult each other for this ?

'cos it's STW. You must be new here.

Trail centres brought MTB'ing to the masses. Now we have forums like this, full of clueless ****ers who think because they ride them they are riding gods.

I'm not a great rider but prefer to ride natural trails over trail centres. I do still enjoy riding trail centres but can find them a little formulaic and predictable. Plus as said before most trail centres lack views and great vistas you get on natural trails.

Given a choice I'd rather ride the Dales, NY Moors, Lakes etc. Trail centres are almost like a convenience product for when time is short. Hamsterley is our local and some of my friends would go there for every ride but if I go too often it leaves me cold.

They're are ok by me. HAd a good time at every trail centre i've been to.

had great fun last week in Penmachno. Doesn't feel like a trail centre, despite being "led around" a trail.

had great fun last week just cycling from my doorstep up Conwy Mountain, Penmaen bach, sychnant pass and Tal-y-fan and rattling down and finding new bits.

Had great fun last week riding my road bike round a local loop that I do trying to beat my fastest time.

I'm not getting bothered about stupid crap. I'm not at work. I'm on my bike and free What's not to like! it's all good 🙂

Well said Kev. And, having done Penmachno and Conway Mountain etc with Kev, I have to say it's all good. It's riding a bike outdoors. Ain't that what it's all about?

Apparently not - for some people it's only 'good' if you're plodding round some muddy bridleway on your 29er skills compensator with a map board and Ron hills.

At the risk of adding to the already evident trollery, I started riding mountain bikes before there were accepted routes, before trail centres were even thought of, when you had little alternative but to go out and find routes on your own. The bigger 'accepted' routes were those used by cyclocross riders who used to go out and train in the Peak District, or on the moors.

I think trail centres are brilliant. They manage to bring together the kind of features that would take a days worth of exploration, and guarantee a decent ride with a sensible start and finish.

We used to ride out from Manchester, over the Snake Pass, then do a Peak loop, then ride home again to get some decent riding done, now I could drive to where-ever and be sure of a good ride with little wasted effort.

All that 'natural riding' snobbery is the sign of small minds who are desperate to be heard.

I totally agree, we used to ride miles of fire road and boggy tracks just to get to a short section of downhill that lasted for about 5 minutes.