Mountain biking! Finest pursuit of them all.
I used to do a huge amount growing up Snowdonia (Wales UK) in my teens. Of course this was the mid-late 90s so the tech was nothing like as advanced as it is now. And then I discovered drink, girls and general laziness and stopped Mountain biking altogether. Apart from some brief dalliances in my late 20s, I didn't do any biking other than commuting.
And then this time last year I got knocked off my bike on the way to work by a car which I was lucky to come out of with only fairly minor injuries, but the bike was a write-off. And then having my mortality forcibly brought home to me I resolved to get back into some of the things I used to enjoy but hadn't done for years once my physiotherapy was complete. Mountain biking was one of them.
So in May this year I bought a decent hardtail (Mondraker Vantage R), and hit the trails near me; and it's brilliant, like I've never been away. It's so much fun, such a rush blasting down a mountain at speed, hitting a jump just right, the noise of the tyres, the rush of the Wind. And it's great exercise too! I'm mostly over at Bikepark Wales and Cwmcarn when I want a proper ride. Currently doing blue and red grade trails but I really want to get involved in the black grade. I've done one black run at Cwmcarn, but I don't think it was a particularly representative of a black run, seemed not as crazy as I'd imagined.
I'm looking at getting a full suss in the new year, probably a Canyon Strive 7 or something along those lines as they're phenomenal value. Much as I love the geometry of the Mondrakers. Canyon give a vastly better spec for the money.
So yeah, mountain biking! Anyone else involved? Favourite bikes? Favourite trails?
I used to do a huge amount growing up Snowdonia (Wales UK) in my teens. Of course this was the mid-late 90s so the tech was nothing like as advanced as it is now. And then I discovered drink, girls and general laziness and stopped Mountain biking altogether. Apart from some brief dalliances in my late 20s, I didn't do any biking other than commuting.
And then this time last year I got knocked off my bike on the way to work by a car which I was lucky to come out of with only fairly minor injuries, but the bike was a write-off. And then having my mortality forcibly brought home to me I resolved to get back into some of the things I used to enjoy but hadn't done for years once my physiotherapy was complete. Mountain biking was one of them.
So in May this year I bought a decent hardtail (Mondraker Vantage R), and hit the trails near me; and it's brilliant, like I've never been away. It's so much fun, such a rush blasting down a mountain at speed, hitting a jump just right, the noise of the tyres, the rush of the Wind. And it's great exercise too! I'm mostly over at Bikepark Wales and Cwmcarn when I want a proper ride. Currently doing blue and red grade trails but I really want to get involved in the black grade. I've done one black run at Cwmcarn, but I don't think it was a particularly representative of a black run, seemed not as crazy as I'd imagined.
I'm looking at getting a full suss in the new year, probably a Canyon Strive 7 or something along those lines as they're phenomenal value. Much as I love the geometry of the Mondrakers. Canyon give a vastly better spec for the money.
So yeah, mountain biking! Anyone else involved? Favourite bikes? Favourite trails?
