BRITAIN'S BEST DESCENTS
Mountain Bike Rider|October 2022
From brake-fluid boiling downhills to scenic, sweeping rides that mix flow and fun, the UK has it all - you're sure to find your thrill in our ultimate gravity addict's hit list
Sim Mainey
BRITAIN'S BEST DESCENTS

For most riders, descents are the reason we ride. A climb can be satisfying, but it's when the bike starts pointing downhill that the fun really starts. The sound of a freehub clicking faster, the rush of air on your face (the Germans call this 'fahrtwind'...) and the feeling of gravity doing its best to pull you back down the hill - it's addictive. There's a bit more to it than that though. How the trail uses that elevation drop, the terrain, turns, technical sections and features, all come into play in creating a great mountain bike descent.

For that reason, putting together a list of the UK's best descents is no mean feat. For a start, we're spoiled for choice. From old mountain tracks that predate bicycles to upto-the-minute purpose-built trails designed for modern bikes and riding styles, the UK is pretty well served for downhills. Not bad going for a relatively flat little island.

What constitutes best anyway, and how do we sort the best trails from the merely good? Within the mbr-extended family we have a wide range of riding styles and equally wide preferences in terms of what we ride. From loam-loving flow-riders to rough and rocky tech-heads, we've got all bases covered. Our criteria for defining the best descents was that they had to leave you buzzing by the end. That feeling of elation and excitement that comes from either going flat out, feeling in the zone and at one with the bike and the trail, or that sense of accomplishment you get from clearing a gnarly section. Talking amongst ourselves revealed some definite favourites as well as some more obscure choices, but all matched our criteria in one way or the other. So, whatever kind of descent gets your adrenaline glands pumping, we're sure there'll be something for you in this list of the UK's best descents.

TORRIDON, SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2022 من Mountain Bike Rider.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2022 من Mountain Bike Rider.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDER مشاهدة الكل
Best places to ride with your kids
Mountain Bike Rider

Best places to ride with your kids

Five top venues to keep the nippers entertained this summer

time-read
3 mins  |
August 2023
CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2
Mountain Bike Rider

CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2

It’s got more suspension tunes than a Hitchcock movie, but will this Moterra thrill us or chill us?

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2023
100% GLENDALE GLASSES
Mountain Bike Rider

100% GLENDALE GLASSES

When it comes to eyewear, having a large lens not only offers a lot more protection from trail splatter, it puts the frames further out from your field of view, allowing you to focus on the terrain in front of you. The Glendale is absolutely vast, and actually has a lens size akin to a full downhill goggle, so you literally can’t see the top or sides of the frame.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE
Mountain Bike Rider

DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE

DMR's new Stage 2 MTB Rail is one of those new/old products. The shape and construction are identical to the existing Oi Oi saddle, but the company has wrapped it in a new skin and added some harder-wearing reinforcement to the edges. It's also toned down the lairy graphics; this saddle only comes in plain black.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN
Mountain Bike Rider

STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN

Has tech taken the hard work and fun out of mountain biking, or should we embrace evolution and roll with it?

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023
STORM FORCE
Mountain Bike Rider

STORM FORCE

Manon Carpenter may have retired from downhill competition, but her new role as a trail advocate is achieving results far beyond the race track

time-read
8 mins  |
September 2023
SWEAT AND SLATE
Mountain Bike Rider

SWEAT AND SLATE

We ride 140 miles through Snowdonia on Cycling UK's newest and gnarliest long-distance trail

time-read
9 mins  |
September 2023
HEAD SPACE
Mountain Bike Rider

HEAD SPACE

New guidance reveals how to spot concussion, and how best to treat it

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2023
LATE SUMMER LOVIN'
Mountain Bike Rider

LATE SUMMER LOVIN'

Classic UK holiday hotspots that really shine when the crowds have gone

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
HOT STUFF
Mountain Bike Rider

HOT STUFF

WHAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2023