Discussion
I have been given a weekend pass to go to Afan for a weekend sometime in October.
As a complete rookie I thought I would be better off spending the first day doing some sort of guided ride / coaching type thing.
Any recommendations?
I am a (cough) mid-forties unfit lump who has done lots of trail stuff over the years but no real gnarly riding. I would like to challenge myself a bit technically and try a few mild jumps etc. I would really like some feedback on riding style / techniques etc. I want to have fun but to hopefully get a bit better as well.
Any general advice?
As all my mates are busy....no...as none of my mates are into bikes....no....as I have no friends I will be going on my own and I will be staying in Afan Lodge if that makes any difference.
Thanks.
As a complete rookie I thought I would be better off spending the first day doing some sort of guided ride / coaching type thing.
Any recommendations?
I am a (cough) mid-forties unfit lump who has done lots of trail stuff over the years but no real gnarly riding. I would like to challenge myself a bit technically and try a few mild jumps etc. I would really like some feedback on riding style / techniques etc. I want to have fun but to hopefully get a bit better as well.
Any general advice?
As all my mates are busy....no...as none of my mates are into bikes....no....as I have no friends I will be going on my own and I will be staying in Afan Lodge if that makes any difference.
Thanks.
Great fun and there's some climbing of course, so I'd want to be fit over technically clever.
Everything's rideable/rollable xc so just take it at yr own pace and build as you go.
I'd much rather go with a buddy tho.
Afan Lodge is a good base. Perhaps ease in with Penhydd & Blue Scar on day 1, then W2 day 2.
And/Or, better for progressive jumps etc and with an uplift, BPW. But you'll still want to be fit, it's knackering descending fast!
Anyway, get riding and get fitter
Everything's rideable/rollable xc so just take it at yr own pace and build as you go.
I'd much rather go with a buddy tho.
Afan Lodge is a good base. Perhaps ease in with Penhydd & Blue Scar on day 1, then W2 day 2.
And/Or, better for progressive jumps etc and with an uplift, BPW. But you'll still want to be fit, it's knackering descending fast!
Anyway, get riding and get fitter
richardxjr said:
Great fun and there's some climbing of course, so I'd want to be fit over technically clever.
Everything's rideable/rollable xc so just take it at yr own pace and build as you go.
I'd much rather go with a buddy tho.
Afan Lodge is a good base. Perhaps ease in with Penhydd & Blue Scar on day 1, then W2 day 2.
And/Or, better for progressive jumps etc and with an uplift, BPW. But you'll still want to be fit, it's knackering descending fast!
Anyway, get riding and get fitter
Thanks - OK maybe unfit is an exaggeration - a 20-25 mile off road ride is fine at the moment but hopefully going to be fitter by then. The last six months has been rubbish due to a small knee injury and op but I'm on the mend and upping the riding.Everything's rideable/rollable xc so just take it at yr own pace and build as you go.
I'd much rather go with a buddy tho.
Afan Lodge is a good base. Perhaps ease in with Penhydd & Blue Scar on day 1, then W2 day 2.
And/Or, better for progressive jumps etc and with an uplift, BPW. But you'll still want to be fit, it's knackering descending fast!
Anyway, get riding and get fitter
Will look at what you suggested - are the trails well marked? Or are there GPX files for them do you know? I don't want to spend my time getting lost hence the idea of joining in a guided ride or something like that.
Only been once, and did it on day two of a MTB weekend, so we were knackered (did the Red & Black at Brechfa the day before). We camped overnight at the Visitor Centre at the start of the trail - good facilities and secure bike storage.
We only ended up doing the one of the red routes - Whites Level - which took a couple of hours. Its about 3 miles uphill to start, then mostly downhill nice singletrack. The final descent is about a mile, and is extremely fast and i remember my hands/forearms were aching from holding on so tight!
Pretty sure its all well signposted, but here is the route we did:
https://www.endomondo.com/users/6124781/workouts/2...
We only ended up doing the one of the red routes - Whites Level - which took a couple of hours. Its about 3 miles uphill to start, then mostly downhill nice singletrack. The final descent is about a mile, and is extremely fast and i remember my hands/forearms were aching from holding on so tight!
Pretty sure its all well signposted, but here is the route we did:
https://www.endomondo.com/users/6124781/workouts/2...
Depends where you are coming from but I think the Forest of Dean and Cwmcarn are a bit more fun for beginners and solo riders as they are shorter loops. Afan can be a bit of a slog in bad weather and the blue loops at FoD or Cwmcarn are doable within the hour. Afan has a big long drag early on as you follow the river which is dull if you are on your own with no one to talk to. FoD gets you moving earlier on in the ride.
Hi - just hoping to get a bit of info off of Afan regulars...
We're planning to go next weekend - but the weather is looking sketchy to say the least - with an inch of rain falling the evening before we get there next sunday...
(as a point of refernce, the average for the are in a month is about 5 inches)
is this going to make it a total washout - or 'just a bit of mud'
It the first time we'll have been for a few years - but already thinking an Inn in the forest of dean may be preferable to campaign in a washed out Afan for us semi fairweather MTB'ers
cheers
We're planning to go next weekend - but the weather is looking sketchy to say the least - with an inch of rain falling the evening before we get there next sunday...
(as a point of refernce, the average for the are in a month is about 5 inches)
is this going to make it a total washout - or 'just a bit of mud'
It the first time we'll have been for a few years - but already thinking an Inn in the forest of dean may be preferable to campaign in a washed out Afan for us semi fairweather MTB'ers
cheers
Did Blade at Afan last weekend - yawn inducing, group of us concluded most disappointing trail centre any of us had ever ridden. The day after we went to Cwmcarn and rode Cafall everyone thought miles more fun.
Afan Blade we felt was all climbing and then no real reward of any significant downhill, the signs drop your saddle now kept getting people's hopes up but basically other than the last descent you were just wasting your time unless you had a dropper post.
Afan Blade we felt was all climbing and then no real reward of any significant downhill, the signs drop your saddle now kept getting people's hopes up but basically other than the last descent you were just wasting your time unless you had a dropper post.
You don't need a guide, it's easy to follow - 90% is follow your nose, but there's a sign for every turn.
If you want an easy start, start off with Penhydd, it's the easiest of the reds - there is from memory a single obstacle you can't roll at 1mph if you want, you'd catch your chainring as it's a bit of a drop. I've seen a herd of complete noobs go over it on hire bikes - about 75% rode it, 25% walked it. There's a few jumps on it, all rollable, no gaps, nothing blind.
After that, White's or The Wall bit longer, bit hard, bit rougher.
Blade is a slog, it's 25km or so, but only has as much 'trail' as White and Wall which are about 15km - it's the 10km of boring bits that make it a slog. Not as bad as Skyline though.... 40km of NOTHING and just when you're broken, your drive train is bone dry or mostly mud and your legs are jelly - they throw in the only decent bit 2km-3km of some of the hardest descents in the place.
I still enjoy it there, but it's not like it used to be - sadly they've had to chop down 99% of the trees to try to contain a disease, which doesn’t help the ‘feel’ of it – but worse than that, it’s destroyed the top layer of most of the trail – so it’s very hard on your hands, I find it very fatiguing.
If you want an easy start, start off with Penhydd, it's the easiest of the reds - there is from memory a single obstacle you can't roll at 1mph if you want, you'd catch your chainring as it's a bit of a drop. I've seen a herd of complete noobs go over it on hire bikes - about 75% rode it, 25% walked it. There's a few jumps on it, all rollable, no gaps, nothing blind.
After that, White's or The Wall bit longer, bit hard, bit rougher.
Blade is a slog, it's 25km or so, but only has as much 'trail' as White and Wall which are about 15km - it's the 10km of boring bits that make it a slog. Not as bad as Skyline though.... 40km of NOTHING and just when you're broken, your drive train is bone dry or mostly mud and your legs are jelly - they throw in the only decent bit 2km-3km of some of the hardest descents in the place.
I still enjoy it there, but it's not like it used to be - sadly they've had to chop down 99% of the trees to try to contain a disease, which doesn’t help the ‘feel’ of it – but worse than that, it’s destroyed the top layer of most of the trail – so it’s very hard on your hands, I find it very fatiguing.
BERGS2 said:
Hi - just hoping to get a bit of info off of Afan regulars...
We're planning to go next weekend - but the weather is looking sketchy to say the least - with an inch of rain falling the evening before we get there next sunday...
(as a point of refernce, the average for the are in a month is about 5 inches)
is this going to make it a total washout - or 'just a bit of mud'
It the first time we'll have been for a few years - but already thinking an Inn in the forest of dean may be preferable to campaign in a washed out Afan for us semi fairweather MTB'ers
cheers
As above, most of the trails are exposed now, so you'll bear the brunt of the wind and rain, but you won't see any real mud - the trails are so tough they turn to streams, but apart from a few patches here and there - you won't see mud. We're planning to go next weekend - but the weather is looking sketchy to say the least - with an inch of rain falling the evening before we get there next sunday...
(as a point of refernce, the average for the are in a month is about 5 inches)
is this going to make it a total washout - or 'just a bit of mud'
It the first time we'll have been for a few years - but already thinking an Inn in the forest of dean may be preferable to campaign in a washed out Afan for us semi fairweather MTB'ers
cheers
Well, I like to follow up what i started.
I finally got to Afan last weekend.
Day 1 - penhydd,the wall (Inc a little play in the bike park) and then blue scar as I had time.
Day 2 - W2 (cracking climb!)
GPX files I downloaded seemed a little out of date but I needn't have worried. The trails were very well marked.
Fitness didn't embarrass myself too badly and covered ~65 miles over the two days. No injuries (well maybe just a little one) and bike in one piece.
Afan Lodge really good. Very friendly and in a good location. I can't recommend them highly enough!
I will definitely be going again.
I finally got to Afan last weekend.
Day 1 - penhydd,the wall (Inc a little play in the bike park) and then blue scar as I had time.
Day 2 - W2 (cracking climb!)
GPX files I downloaded seemed a little out of date but I needn't have worried. The trails were very well marked.
Fitness didn't embarrass myself too badly and covered ~65 miles over the two days. No injuries (well maybe just a little one) and bike in one piece.
Afan Lodge really good. Very friendly and in a good location. I can't recommend them highly enough!
I will definitely be going again.
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