Trail centres - do they really work for a retro bike?

[ededwards]

Do you need 6 inches of burl to enjoy a trail centre?

Or is it fine on a retro ride just at a slightly more modest pace (required anyway so people can appreciate the attention to detail of your colour matching)?

And finally, are trail centres too sanitised and unidirectional?

 

[tintin40]

What's a trail Centre :?

 

[Andy B]

Do you need 6 inches of burl to enjoy a trail centre?

No, any well maintained mountain bike will do the job, rigid, or a 6" full susser, one should be more fun in some sections and vice versa

Or is it fine on a retro ride just at a slightly more modest pace (required anyway so people can appreciate the attention to detail of your colour matching)?

Doesn't matter if you ride retro or not, you gotta have some style (style may vary depending on the riders sense of style or degree of colour blindness!)

And finally, are trail centres too sanitised and unidirectional?

Maybe, but they do offer a good simple way to ride off road without having the fear (or is that fun!) of getting lost, generally a cafe at the trail head for cake

Lots of trail centres have off piste hidden routes too, so you can mix it up and may never do the same ride twice

Sometimes you can't beat a proper off road ride, with a map, and a sense of adventure & no sense of direction

 

[tintin40]

Now i know. I've been to a couple

 

[mikee]

i find glentress a bit hard going on a rigid canti braked single speed
trying to keep up with the 4/5/6" travel full sussers
the climbs are fine but the downhills ,they either get in the way
or im like a pinball going down (pennels vennells is the worst bit )
not really a retro problem ,rode some of my bikes there (dales mostly)
when they were new 15 or so years ago
tend to see a lot of old bikes on a day ride at gt, less so at inners tho

 

[Grannygrinder]

Afan argoed is very pleasant on an older steed. Not Glyncorrwg you understand, that place is for motocrossers and the like

 

[Rampage]

Llandegla should be good on a retro bike. I was surprised how well my 1989 bike coped at Cannock on sunday.
The main problem is the front end geometry I think.

Somewhere like Lee Quarry though, is definately more suited to a modern bike!

 

[MJN]

Dalby and Cannock are both fine on a hardtailed singlespeed,in fact Cannock is faster with that option than any other bike

I've ridden trail centres and done map/compass rides and enjoyed both,trail centres allow you to go to an unfamiliar area and not have to think about where you're going and have some fun whilst the map option gives a real sense of adventure
Trail centres are also handy in bad weather when its too dodgy to venture onto the high fells!

 

[Neil G]

I found some of the downhills at Afan tough going even with a modern (100mm) hardtail but TBH a great deal of it was fun (fireroad and climbs with amazing views)

Reckon Cwmcarn is even more hardtail friendly

 

[Tad]

Do you need 6 inches of burl to enjoy a trail centre?

Or is it fine on a retro ride just at a slightly more modest pace (required anyway so people can appreciate the attention to detail of your colour matching)?

And finally, are trail centres too sanitised and unidirectional?

Ed you wouldn't like trail centres, far too vulgar. Ill mannered oiks with no sense of style or penache hurtling around on bicycles with suspension whilst wearing their nast baggy shorts, baggy tops and body armour.

You'd spend your whole day tutting and going nowhere in case you came too close to one of them.