Advice on Trails

[Jimmi]

Hi, I’ve owned my bike for about a year and only really used it along the canal or to go to the pub. Please bear in mind I’m 45 and my knees need all the help they can get! On Saturday I took it to Swinley Forest and I loved it, so now I’m itching to get out and about. I’m willing to travel and camp (have a sprinter van) so I’m looking for advice on good places to ride for an old beginner.....any and all advice will be greatly appreciated ??

 

[OldBean]

Ha what do you mean "I'm 45 " whats that got to do with it!!!!!!
I am 78 and ride almost every day ....the joys of retirement !! I seek out local bridleways and byways and all the other tracks and "routes" we are allowed to ride on ...gets quite hairy sometimes.........How far are you from Thetford ...its not too challenging for older farts...
Main thing is ENJOY YOURSELF....and Have Fun

 

[Doomanic]

Forest of Dean[/predictable] especially if camping. There's days and days worth of trails, waymarked and off-piste to enjoy.

I’m 45

Young whippersnapper.

 

[R120]

The key is to just get out there and ride, the more you ride, the more you know your bike, the more confident you get, and the better you become!

Push yourself bit by bit, find a nice trail that you can start out taking it easy on, but try again and again going a bit harder and faster each time.

The key to riding confidently, as with so many thing in life, is to relax. Bent elbows and bent knees, and not hanging on to the bars for dear life are the first steps, so find some trails you can get used to riding relaxed, and fins that feeling of clicking with the bike and the trail.

You don't have to be pushing it on technical terrain, or crazy downhill and jumps to have fun!

 

[Dax]

Swindley is a great place to start out, the marked trails at fod are pretty good, going further afield Coed y Brenin, Nant Y Arian and Llandegla are brilliant.

@Doomanic or I can give you the offpiste tour of fod, maybe we should have a ride out sometime down there

 

[Doomanic]

maybe we should have a ride out sometime down there

I've been saying that for months...

I'm still learning all the off-piste routes, but there's so much stuff to ride it'll take months of visits.

 

[Jimmi]

I’m working at Puzzlewood tomorrow, I’ve brought my bike with me in case I get a chance to go for a ride, can you recommend anywhere locally?

 

[Dax]

I’m working at Puzzlewood tomorrow, I’ve brought my bike with me in case I get a chance to go for a ride, can you recommend anywhere locally?

Have you ridden the blue and red at FoD? If so, download trail forks and look at the trails near parkend, dowies and the trails next to it are worth a ride

 

[Jimmi]

Have you ridden the blue and red at FoD? If so, download trail forks and look at the trails near parkend, dowies and the trails next to it are worth a ride

Not yet, I’ll probably go tomorrow

 

[Jimmi]

Have you ridden the blue and red at FoD? If so, download trail forks and look at the trails near parkend, dowies and the trails next to it are worth a ride

I did the blue trail yesterday at FOD, I loved it! When I got there in the morning there were 3 other guys with ebikes??

 

[Jimmi]

 

[Theolegit]

For the best roller coaster ride ever, gotta be bike park wales ? miles of smiles

 

[Stuckmojo]

good thread. I'm based in Newcastle and I'm looking for trails near me. I found a lovely spot I can ride to but I've kind of maxed out there. I'll try and ride Hamsterley this weekend and possibly drive up to Kielder the next.

I don't know any other ebikers in the area so at some point as the forum grows it will be good to have some regional perspective.