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
Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av Mountain Bike Rider.
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Denne historien er fra October 2022-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
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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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