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.
Denne historien er fra August 2021-utgaven av Mountain Bike Rider.
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Denne historien er fra August 2021-utgaven av Mountain Bike Rider.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Best places to ride with your kids
Five top venues to keep the nippers entertained this summer
CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2
It’s got more suspension tunes than a Hitchcock movie, but will this Moterra thrill us or chill us?
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.
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.
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?
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
SWEAT AND SLATE
We ride 140 miles through Snowdonia on Cycling UK's newest and gnarliest long-distance trail
HEAD SPACE
New guidance reveals how to spot concussion, and how best to treat it
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Classic UK holiday hotspots that really shine when the crowds have gone
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