While its simplicity may be a turn-off to some thrill seekers, we find the newly extended Gwydir trail presses all the right buttons
I’d not seen a riding buddy of mine for a couple of months — life having a habit of getting in the way of things that are important. A sunny Saturday and nothing in the diary meant that we finally got to head out and make the most of the uncharacteristically dry trails. Puffing away up a long, drawn-out climb, conversation flitted this way and that, months of backlogged chat working its way out. Talk, as it usually does when riding bikes, turned to where we’d ridden recently. “I rode the Marin trail last Thursday,” says I. There’s a pause. “What did you think of it?’ asks my mate, ‘because I rode it a month back and, to be honest, I wasn’t that impressed.”
As we’re both of a similar ability, and our idea of what constitutes a good ride is similar, this surprised me, as I’d actually had a good day out and (spoiler alert) came away impressed. So which of us was right, if either?
Points of view are influenced and coloured by all kinds of things. Expectation, ability, mood, company, weather, tyres — any number of variables can affect how you rate your ride and what impression a trail leaves on you. You’d imagine there’d be something of a common consensus though. That things would average out. It seems not. A bit of internet forum lurking reveals a similar split on whether the Marin Trail renamed (now the Gwydir Mawr) is hot or not. But then again, the internet is binary. It’s in its nature to be one way or the other.
Denne historien er fra January 2017-utgaven av Mountain Bike Rider.
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Denne historien er fra January 2017-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.
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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
LATE SUMMER LOVIN'
Classic UK holiday hotspots that really shine when the crowds have gone
HOT STUFF
WHAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH