Having held a British Muni Weekend in exactly the same location two years ago, we knew Coed Y Brenin was a great place to ride and camp, so we decided to meet up over the Easter bank holiday for some muni fun. Our plan was to do two rides on Saturday at the Coed Y Brenin trail centre and then ride mount Snowdon on the Sunday.
A few keen riders turned up on Friday morning, so we headed out for a short ride in the afternoon. It was Tirryns first time mountain unicycling. He is an accomplished flatland rider but had never set foot on a trail before, so it was a good opportunity for him to get a feel for what the longer rides might be like. He was enthusiastic and couldn't help bringing some of his urban skills to the blue trail.
Most others turned up Friday evening and got soaked setting up in the torrential rain. Roger from Unicycle.com UK was in attendance and lent the use of his gazeebo and BBQ, ensuring all us BMWers stayed warm(ish) and dry throughout the weekend.
Saturday morning saw us ride an easy loop of blue trail to gauge the skill level of the group. All being pretty competent riders, the ride was more of a warm up and a chance to do a bit of messing around.
Andy showed off his 24" street skills on most obstacles we passed.
Having assessed the overall skill level of the group, we decided to extend the morning ride by swapping onto a loop of red which took us up higher into the forest with some more interesting trails and features.
Once back at the trail centre for lunch, we discussed options for the afternoon ride while Tirryn rode some 24" muni flatland.
Some wanted to save themselves for the mountain on Sunday and decided to stay and play on the excellent skills loop at the Coed Y Brenin centre. The remaining riders headed out to do the shortest loop of red.
There was a lot of climbing on boring fireroads and the descent was rather brutal. Sometimes trails designed for bikes can be very unforgiving on a unicycle. Only one photo from that ride, from one of the nicer sections.
Luckily the rain stopped on Saturday afternoon so when we got back to camp we could relax and enjoy the obligatory BMW BBQ & beers. With the BMW flag up and flying, the British Muni Weekend was in full swing!
We were even treated to a sunset of sorts.
On Sunday we were supposed to conquer the mountain; however, the weather had other ideas. All Saturday evening we were checking the forecast and it wasn't looking good. -11°C and 37mph winds would make the ride miserable at best and downright dangerous at worst. We decided to abandon the plan to ride Snowdon and stay at Coed Y Brenin to ride a long red/black route instead. Andy decided to head home but we were joined by Adam.
We decided on Dragons Back, a 31km red trail with black features along the way. It rained on and off throughout the day, but it wasn't enough to dampen our spirits.
In true British Muni Weekend style, there were plenty of rest/chat stops along the way with opportunities for posing. We even remembered to grab a group photo!
The trail had a good mix of terrain to challenge even the most advanced riders among the ranks. There were plenty of spills (Mostly from Tirryn) and lots of laughter throughout the day.
Halfway round we discovered a tearoom. No photos unfortunately, I was too busy stuffing my face with warm ginger cake and tea. After having a rest and re-energising, we continued on the long descent back to the trail centre. From here on out, the trail just got better and better. There were lots of lovely twisting, narrow singletrack sections through beautiful woodland. This is what group rides are all about.
Once again, Tirryn busted out some street skills mid-trail.
After 31km, most riders were feeling achy and tired but I think Tirryn showed it the most.
Most headed home on Monday morning but some riders stayed for more riding. I headed off, so no photos from Monday unfortunately. Thanks to everyone who attended, it was a great group. We discussed options for the next event, so keep your eye out on the site for news and details for the next BMW. Overall, another successful British Muni Weekend!
A big thanks to
Unicycle.com UK, who kindly offer a special British Muni Weekend discount to everyone who attends these events.
Report by Edd Hawkes. Edd is not only a fantastic unicyclist, but he is a prime mover in the both UK and International unicycle scene. He is also a professional
videographer. If you want to know more about the UK Muni events visit the British muni weekend
website.
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A Red Nimbus Double bolt seatpost clamp is holding his seatpost securely to the beautiful 26" Impact Gravity frame. The Bengal Helix Disc brake with a 180mm rotor takes care of the braking. As with most 26" Muni's Roger has fitted the 3" Duro Wildlife Leopard tyre and has tried to save a little weight by using a Foss tube.
The rest of his Muni is made up from an old Nimbus Dominator II rim and a Nimbus LT disc hub. To make this hub fit the frame Roger has swapped the standard 42mm bearings for the 32mm version.
WE SHIP INTERNATIONALLY