BLACK AND BLUE
Mountain Bike Rider|August 2021
...and red. A handful of new trails, a visitor centre, and a Red Bull line come to BikePark Wales
Jamie Darlow
BLACK AND BLUE

BikePark Wales will never be finished. We’ve been visiting the UK’s biggest bike park since it opened back in 2013, and the big takeaway is there’s always something new to ride – usually a trail, and without fail an innovative handbuilt section or feature on an old track. It’s a little like the Forth Bridge in that way, constantly being worked on, although it probably has marginally fewer red lines.

This time around, the new stuff is scarred into the hillside and visible at least from the fire roads below, and probably from a low-earth orbit too. The first of the big rebuilds during the first lockdown, the A470 features some 40 tabletops and gaps to carry riders down the hill, mostly in the air, and bridge the progression gap from the blue-graded Popty Ping, to the bigger Insufficient Funds trails. BikePark Wales has had four goes at rebuilding and tweaking the trail since it opened in 2015, but the trail crew was never really satisfied with the flow and progression. This time around it’s been flattened and completely rebuilt, and with the vision of just one trail builder rather than the work of many, it’s a more predictable jump line that now flows perfectly. Ultimately, we think it’s a lot more fun.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2021-Ausgabe von Mountain Bike Rider.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2021-Ausgabe von Mountain Bike Rider.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDERAlle anzeigen
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 Minuten  |
September 2023
RAGLEY BIG WIG RACE
Mountain Bike Rider

RAGLEY BIG WIG RACE

Its geometry has been tweaked and trimmed, so how does the new Big Wig sit with us now?

time-read
5 Minuten  |
August 2023
PIVOT SHUTTLE LT 29 TEAM XTR
Mountain Bike Rider

PIVOT SHUTTLE LT 29 TEAM XTR

Can Pivot's enduro e-bike justify its top-end price tag on the trails?

time-read
6 Minuten  |
August 2023
Voyage of Discovery
Mountain Bike Rider

Voyage of Discovery

Why the post-Red Bull World Cup era calls for cautious optimism

time-read
3 Minuten  |
August 2023
Training wheels
Mountain Bike Rider

Training wheels

Riding with your kids should be the best thing you've ever done. Here's how to guarantee success

time-read
7 Minuten  |
August 2023
Gee Atherton
Mountain Bike Rider

Gee Atherton

Gee Atherton tells us how he recovered from a near-fatal crash on 'The Knife Edge' with a little help from Red Bull Hardline

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
June 2023
BEN'S SCOTT GENIUS ST 900 TUNED
Mountain Bike Rider

BEN'S SCOTT GENIUS ST 900 TUNED

MONTH 2: Ben's Italian baptism of fire leaves the Genius completely unfazed

time-read
2 Minuten  |
Summer 2023
SHORT-TRAVEL SHREDDERS
Mountain Bike Rider

SHORT-TRAVEL SHREDDERS

With a ride that’s more director’s chair than armchair, short-travel bikes put you fully in charge on the trails; we put two to the test

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
Summer 2023
GLORY DAYS
Mountain Bike Rider

GLORY DAYS

Giant’s iconic downhill bike is back, featuring a Rob Warner Legends colour scheme, carbon frame, mullet wheels and offering more adjustments than an orthodontist

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Summer 2023