Bike Park Wales in the wet

[Lovey1]

I have only been to BPW once before and the conditions were fantastic. However i am booked for this coming Monday and the weather looks poor to say the least. How wet and muddy are the trails likely to be (Blue and Red only) after a weeks rain and it it worth getting a rear mudguard? Also any recommendations on which trails to avoid in these conditions? thanks

[sjg]

It's fine, not much gets slippy or boggy there, Root Manoeuvres is probably the sketchiest in the wet. Guards will at least keep you a bit cleaner.

Biggest thing is keeping warm, unlike a wet day ride you spend a lot more time hanging about or sitting on the bus so I find I get cold quickly. If anything err on the side of an extra layer and get a bit hot on the runs. If it's wet I'll take a complete spare set of clothes too so I can change at lunch rather than start the afternoon damp and cold.

[Lovey1]

sjg said:

It's fine, not much gets slippy or boggy there, Root Manoeuvres is probably the sketchiest in the wet. Guards will at least keep you a bit cleaner.

Biggest thing is keeping warm, unlike a wet day ride you spend a lot more time hanging about or sitting on the bus so I find I get cold quickly. If anything err on the side of an extra layer and get a bit hot on the runs. If it's wet I'll take a complete spare set of clothes too so I can change at lunch rather than start the afternoon damp and cold.

Great info. Many thanks

[JQ]

sjg said:

It's fine, not much gets slippy or boggy there, Root Manoeuvres is probably the sketchiest in the wet. Guards will at least keep you a bit cleaner.

Biggest thing is keeping warm, unlike a wet day ride you spend a lot more time hanging about or sitting on the bus so I find I get cold quickly. If anything err on the side of an extra layer and get a bit hot on the runs. If it's wet I'll take a complete spare set of clothes too so I can change at lunch rather than start the afternoon damp and cold.

Absolutely this.

I went when it was snowing and for the 1st half of the day they only took us half way up. I wore ski gloves on my hands with lining gloves so they were ok, but in the end I had to give up when i lost all feeling in my feet. I was wearing a pair of canvas FiveTens that were soaked in seconds and my feet just got colder and colder during the day. Definitely try and keep you feet dry if you can. I doubt mudguards will make much of a difference, I'd be thinking SealSkin socks, walking boots and maybe plastic bags to line the boots. Or perhaps take a few pairs of trainers and socks and change regularly.

You'll still have brilliant time.

[nickfrog]

They spent so much in drainage and as a result the water does drain very well and mostly doesn't hamper fun.

[missing the VR6]

Been in when it's been sunny, rainy and snowing, always been amazing fun. Just ride accordingly. One thing I did notice, on the snow day was after the lunch break the temp must have dropped and the snow turned from powder to ice and that was a bit scary. Most trails drain really well as others have said.

Taking my fiancé for the first time on the 29th of December!

[shalmaneser]

It's fine in the rain but as others have said make sure your extremities are well protected.

[cheshire_cat]

Goes without saying, but clear glasses or goggles are a must have in the wet - avoid the tinted ones as it also goes dark fairly early.

I was there last week in the wet and it was riding great, we had a blast. Even Roots Manoeuvres and some of the steep black trails were rideable and not particularly sloppy.

[patchb]

I went in December 2 years ago and it was a bloody cold day but actually riding kept me pretty warm and absolutely sweltering in the buses, I went in May and August this year and it felt just as hot in the buses on a freezing December day! Lunch was the coolest bit for sure!

Most of the trails drain well, as said root manoeuvres does get slick and hot stepper gets a bit damp in places, pork belly as well I remember having some muddy bits when I went in the winter.

I’m back there between Christmas and new year, can’t wait, it’s a blast in any conditions!

[Lovey1]

Thanks all. Some great tips and cannot wait to get there.

[Bathroom_Security]

Down there Saturday, thanks for the info as well

Rain forecast of course.

[JQ]

cheshire_cat said:

Goes without saying, but clear glasses or goggles are a must have in the wet - avoid the tinted ones as it also goes dark fairly early.

and if anyone needs some, I can highly recommend Bolle safety glasses - £9 with next day delivery on Amazon.

[TheLurker]

What time can you keep riding to at the moment? I've only ridden there in the summer and tend to go until 4:30 or so, but guessing the dark will kill play at 3ish?

I'd be doing a pedal pass so not reliant on the uplift to keep going.

[Lovey1]

TheLurker said:

What time can you keep riding to at the moment? I've only ridden there in the summer and tend to go until 4:30 or so, but guessing the dark will kill play at 3ish?

I'd be doing a pedal pass so not reliant on the uplift to keep going.

It says until 5pm on the website. Uplift until 4pm.

[TheLurker]

Lovey1 said:

It says until 5pm on the website. Uplift until 4pm.

I should probably invest in some decent lights then!

Not sure how I feel about going down some of the runs in the dark, but would add a new element to it I guess!

[TT1138]

Lovey1 said:

I have only been to BPW once before and the conditions were fantastic. However i am booked for this coming Monday and the weather looks poor to say the least. How wet and muddy are the trails likely to be (Blue and Red only) after a weeks rain and it it worth getting a rear mudguard? Also any recommendations on which trails to avoid in these conditions? thanks

It’s fine. It’ll be muddy but it drains quite well.

I’d highly recommend goggles though. You’ll get a lot of mud thrown back at you mudguards or not. For what it’s worth I also wear a full face helmet whenever I ride there. Overkill on the blues and reds maybe, but as I’ve said before on here the speeds are a lot higher than your average trail centre.