Off to Cymcarn this weekend
Discussion
P-Jay said:
I'll be there Saturday.
It's local for me so I go a lot, it's really great fun.
Are you riding the XC or DH trail?
Yeah were there Sat, 10 of us!! Ill be on a Yeti 575, i'd like to have ago at most of the stuff there, what you reckon?It's local for me so I go a lot, it's really great fun.
Are you riding the XC or DH trail?
I'm no 20ft gap jumper but will have a try at most techinal and drop off.
Is it any good then?
It's a bit limited (at the moment BIG Plans a foot that will means huge amounts of new Trails and Facilities all over South Wales inc new stuff at CC)
You've got the Red graded XC loop which has some of the very best descents on it anywhere I've been, especially when it's dry (which it will be this weekend)
Starts with a long rooty climb then at the top you've got two choices one graded black which was formally called the Freeride section but too many people got smashed up on it so they removed two of the hardest elements - some wooden drops and a big wooden wall ride but it's still challenging so smooth rollable drops, a corkskrew and selection of tables, doubles, booters and the like all rollable, the red is IMHO more fun, it's some super fast, super tight single track that really snakes down it gets so tight at points you've really got to muscle the bike right/left/right/left to make the turns it's piss funny doing it in a train because you're all at mad angles chasing each other.
You can do both, by riding back up a short fire road to the top.
Then it's a couple of fun up then down sections along the top of the ridge then two massive fast descents back to the carpark, The first is rocky and physical really takes committment but so much fun and the last section (best take at speed from the end of the last section over the fireroad a quick as you dare through the gate) is wide, very fast, bermed on and off camber and loads of air if you want it I usually end up shouting to myself as I come down and judging by what you hear in the carpark I'm not alone.
Your Yeti will be perfect for it.
The DH track is a differnt beast but ridable on a trail bike, it's easier to stick to the bike park section of it (road drop down) just ask someone to point you in the direction of the road drop, or try to get on the uplift, ut they're usually very busy on the weekend and if you're not booked on all day, you probably won't get on it.
You've got the Red graded XC loop which has some of the very best descents on it anywhere I've been, especially when it's dry (which it will be this weekend)
Starts with a long rooty climb then at the top you've got two choices one graded black which was formally called the Freeride section but too many people got smashed up on it so they removed two of the hardest elements - some wooden drops and a big wooden wall ride but it's still challenging so smooth rollable drops, a corkskrew and selection of tables, doubles, booters and the like all rollable, the red is IMHO more fun, it's some super fast, super tight single track that really snakes down it gets so tight at points you've really got to muscle the bike right/left/right/left to make the turns it's piss funny doing it in a train because you're all at mad angles chasing each other.
You can do both, by riding back up a short fire road to the top.
Then it's a couple of fun up then down sections along the top of the ridge then two massive fast descents back to the carpark, The first is rocky and physical really takes committment but so much fun and the last section (best take at speed from the end of the last section over the fireroad a quick as you dare through the gate) is wide, very fast, bermed on and off camber and loads of air if you want it I usually end up shouting to myself as I come down and judging by what you hear in the carpark I'm not alone.
Your Yeti will be perfect for it.
The DH track is a differnt beast but ridable on a trail bike, it's easier to stick to the bike park section of it (road drop down) just ask someone to point you in the direction of the road drop, or try to get on the uplift, ut they're usually very busy on the weekend and if you're not booked on all day, you probably won't get on it.
jenkotvr said:
Thabnks for this 
sounds really good!
Forgot to mention; we've all booked onto the lift system for the day. £28.50 IIRC
Oh you'll love that. If I were you, I'd do a few runs at the XC trail in the morning, and hit the DH in the arvo - ask the Driver to drop you off at the 'freeride' he'll know what you mean and you can follow the trail down from there. sounds really good!Forgot to mention; we've all booked onto the lift system for the day. £28.50 IIRC
P-Jay said:
Oh you'll love that. If I were you, I'd do a few runs at the XC trail in the morning, and hit the DH in the arvo - ask the Driver to drop you off at the 'freeride' he'll know what you mean and you can follow the trail down from there.
Yeah will do thanks! Can't wait now. Can i get away with single ply tyres on the DH track you think?
)I loved Cymcarn, did it in November it was soaking wet, and very cold but by god it was good! The narrow bit of singletrack is my favorite bit of riding I've experienced so far.
Still prefer Whites Level overall but really looking forward to Cymcarn on a nice dry sunny day, might change my mind.
Still prefer Whites Level overall but really looking forward to Cymcarn on a nice dry sunny day, might change my mind.
Rode there with a good bunch of lads myself today 
. Did the DH from the top for the second time on a 5" AM bike; no great sweat on that sort of bike (The full DH is pretty gnarly though, best full body workout in 6 minutes you'll ever get.
oh it's Cwmcarn by the way
Very lucky to have it on our doorstep indeed, There's a great natural trail up to the top going up on to the moors and dropping over on to the start of the black. Nice change to the twrch. Will be great to see the development... developing
. Did the DH from the top for the second time on a 5" AM bike; no great sweat on that sort of bike (The full DH is pretty gnarly though, best full body workout in 6 minutes you'll ever get.oh it's Cwmcarn by the way
Very lucky to have it on our doorstep indeed, There's a great natural trail up to the top going up on to the moors and dropping over on to the start of the black. Nice change to the twrch. Will be great to see the development... developing
Glad you enjoyed it!
Took a lap in myself Saturday morning. Was really flying as well which is rare for me! Even got "f
king hell mate you were flying down there" from a guy on an Orange 5 who was chasing me -
It was all going so well until my front brake failed and I hit a tree full speed head on. Not a mark on me, bikes caght a few more scratches and stuff but no biggie, it's hard to see them past all the others. Sore as hell today though
Took a lap in myself Saturday morning. Was really flying as well which is rare for me! Even got "f
king hell mate you were flying down there" from a guy on an Orange 5 who was chasing me - It was all going so well until my front brake failed and I hit a tree full speed head on. Not a mark on me, bikes caght a few more scratches and stuff but no biggie, it's hard to see them past all the others. Sore as hell today though
M3 HUG said:
totally agree with the Afan comment, wasn`t impressed at all with CwnCarn tbh, found it nice and fast but nothing special, ceetainly wont be rushing back there as prefer Afan etc and worth the extra travel time imo
when at uni, cwmcarn is 30mins away, and afan is 45mins away by car....so it's a no brainer really, for the extra 30mins total travelling i'd much rather go out for the whole day and spend it at afan and do the W2 or something 
probably my favourite single MTB route of all time that one. been to coed y brenin too and some other places in north wales, scotland etc but none quite has that shine of the W2 IMO P-Jay said:
Glad you enjoyed it!
Took a lap in myself Saturday morning. Was really flying as well which is rare for me! Even got "fking hell mate you were flying down there" from a guy on an Orange 5 who was chasing me -
It was all going so well until my front brake failed and I hit a tree full speed head on. Not a mark on me, bikes caght a few more scratches and stuff but no biggie, it's hard to see them past all the others. Sore as hell today though
Took a lap in myself Saturday morning. Was really flying as well which is rare for me! Even got "f
king hell mate you were flying down there" from a guy on an Orange 5 who was chasing me - It was all going so well until my front brake failed and I hit a tree full speed head on. Not a mark on me, bikes caght a few more scratches and stuff but no biggie, it's hard to see them past all the others. Sore as hell today though
If my braked had of failed, I'd probably been dead!Can't wait for the alps now, got me revved up thats for sure
jenkotvr said:
If my braked had of failed, I'd probably been dead!Can't wait for the alps now, got me revved up thats for sure
k. of course being double hard and tripple tough helps 
(not really)certainly woke me up. I can understand why some people are Cwmcarn types and Afan types, I'm just glad to have both so close to me. Cwmcarn is largely made of smooth, but incredibly fast, flowing descents which you really have to let rip on. Afan is rocky and more technical, but I love them both.
To be frank, from a purely descending point of view... Brechfa has a very slight edge on both.
jenkotvr said:
I did the skyline and was dissappointed; too much work for too little reward.
Not a scratch on the likes of Dragons back IMHO
I'm going to do the Skyline duirng a day off next week. Sounds like the W2 is the better ride but the last (and only) time I attempted the Skyline a few months back a Park Ranger advised me to head back to Glyncorrwg because of the filthy weather. I promptly took a wrong turn and ended up in the wrong valley with a five hour road cycle back to my car via Neath. I must beat it this time..Not a scratch on the likes of Dragons back IMHO
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