Whats your fasted lap around Cwmcarn and what bike was used?

Bike: Spesh Epic Evo 2011
FS / HT travel?: r100mm / f120mm
Time: 52 mins
Wet / Dry: Wet

Just interested and curious.
Cheers
Janesy

Never timed myself/ tried to do it as quickly as possible, but I reckon your time would be pretty good. Might have to have a go some time….

there’s two routes on the very top section as well (‘freeride’ and xc), people ought to mention which they took, under an hour is pretty good, think the record is around 37 mins

Well –

1hr 10 mins on my nomad, that includes doing both the freeride and the XC bit at the top

58mins on my charge duster, just the XC section at the top

1hr 8 mins on my mmmbop which was 34 11/34 – but that was at the end of 4 days riding in wales and my legs had had it.

All in dampish conditions (is it ever dry?)

Oh and approx 3.5hours on my stag do with some first timers 🙂

OMFG 37 minutes is insanely fast.
im hopefully gonna do a loop on saturday so ill post the time.

It’s been tidied quite alot from what a saw on saturday so expect faster laps then last year.

Lol at 3.5 hours, that really is going some! We took a friend up there and it was propper funny, think we did it in 2.5 hours that time!

I reckno the freeride route would be quickest. (especially with the changes I’ve heard about!) Riding to Paris this week, so will have a go next week after work and post a time too!

36 min

sorry just to clarify The record is 37mins, not my record 😉

This comes up periodically. No one could verify the 37 minutes on the current course, lots of people knew someone who’s friend did a 37, and it was thought to have been done when the trail was very new and rather different.

They held a student champs race there in 2008, the fastest lap (by a top 10 Elite racer) was 44 minutes IIRC, I don’t think anyone could still go sub-40 except the likes of Niño Schurter, Absalon etc.

My PB, from the race, was 47 minutes I think, may have been slightly slower. Fairly dry, S-Works Epic.

i think i took 2 hours to pedal up, maybe more 🙄

that was mainly because of breaks though 🙂

35 minutes so beat you all – ner ner ner ner ! ! !

7 hours, as need to have multiple craps on the way round, wiping my arse as I go on the numerous discarded water bottles and energy bar wrappers, always making a detour before the final descent which enables me to sneak into the car park and break into people’s cars to steal people’s cache of gay porn mags. Once I am finally ‘satisfied’, I always make time to snigger at the knobs people who compare and brag about times around a trail centre…

58mins
maxlight xc pro /ht
dry
2006

Kev

I think I did it in about 1:15.
That was a couple of years ago, so I don’t know which route it was, I don’t remember there being a choice.
I’ve got a bit faster up hill now, so I could probably knock a few minutes off that if I tried again.

loddrik, I was wondering who nicked my stash, can I have July 2010 back? 😉

I know a local chap who does 44/43 regularly, the 37 was Magnus backstedt.

Sure one of the local fast chaps has gone as quick or quicker.

Am I not right in saying it was a long time ago though? I must admit I’m dubious of any sub-40 claims, but who knows!

Yes Backstedt’s time was set quite a while ago, and it may have got rougher in places but smoother in other.

I think I’ve done it in about an hour and a half, but I have never been bombing round it. I tend to go hard through certain sections and then relax on other bits (the climbs).
I reckon if I was putting a fair effort in, I could get round in an hour and ten or thereabouts. That’d be on the Stumpy FSR and doing the XC route the whole way round. Might be quicker, might be slower. Not sure.

i saw a chap who must have been going for a good time.
He shouldered his carbon HT and ran every time the trail got a bit steep. No thanks.

…. I am one of the local fast chaps.

31minutes.
Freeride section.
High headwinds & heavy rain.

Will do much faster next time because the puncture slowed by down a bit..

Love people like Loddrik who have such a big chip on their shoulder about this stuff yet cannot help but contribute 😀

Find this really interesting as it give sme little goals to aim for

Done ~ 48 mins 3 times in near perfect conditions. Really struggle with how I am going to better that

Wet & windy – anything in the low 50’s is good for me

56 minutes in the wet when I wasn’t feeling as fit as I could be. Trek top fuel (aluminium).

Not dabbing on any of the climbs is worth mentioning too. I haven’t cleared the whole thing yet.

It’s a great test. Sub-45 is really going some.

ooh! is this like topgear we could all do it on the same BSO from halfords

fwiw ive cleaned it without dabbing on teh climbs(im a hero!)but never in under an hour, possibly a fair bit longer, next time ill time it!

I love the idea of a man mountain such as Magnus setting the record on what is basically a big climb followed by a big DH 🙂

I know some lads who have an annual race around Cwmcarn on a bike than must cost no more than £10.

I know some lads who have an annual race around Cwmcarn on a bike than must cost no more than £10

That sir is an awesome idea! I would be well up for that, lthough where the hell do you get a bike for under £10 from!?

A local guy I know did 2 laps in 80 mins recently.

Frosty, probably may mean himself by that, he’s a bit quick

would be good to have a race. :)and interesting to ride a Apollo or similar to compare.
My goal is to go get under 50mins. plus not dabbing isn’t that hard imo.

They’ve changed some of the climbs a little bit so it is easier to get up without dabbing so much (my record is 2). There used to be some sections that were pretty impossible. Would like to try a loop on a light weight full sus, reckon something like an anthem would fly round.

57 and a half minutes in typical weather at the start of this summer on an XC2 100mm hardtail (with a minute stop for a pee).

As for the sarcastic replies, since when has mountain biking been a non-competitive sport? Might be where I started, but if I don’t have a time to better or a person to catch/beat then errm, why bother?

As for the sarcastic replies, since when has mountain biking been a non-competitive sport? Might be where I started, but if I don’t have a time to better or a person to catch/beat then errm, why bother?

Couldn’t agree more! Its always good to have something to push yourself against to help you improve imho.

whinosp – Member
As for the sarcastic replies, since when has mountain biking been a non-competitive sport? Might be where I started, but if I don’t have a time to better or a person to catch/beat then errm, why bother?

For the enjoyment?

I’ve seen a ‘fastest time around Cwmcarn’ thread crop up a few times on here and am always interested as to why its only asked about that particular trail, and not others such as the Wall at Afan?

Is it the volume of riders using it, trail layout, the fact that someone has done a real quick time and set a benchmark? Just wondered.

When i lived in Cardiff i used to time myself when i used it as a night ride loop, but that was more from a ‘i cant leave the car unattended for that long’ POV 😉

1 second. On-One Doctor Who Tardis 29er.

I’ve seen a ‘fastest time around Cwmcarn’ thread crop up a few times on here and am always interested as to why its only asked about that particular trail, and not others such as the Wall at Afan?

Agreed! The motor bike gates aren’t particularly condusive to a good time after all, but you don’t see threads for other trails.

I’ve taken part in lap where we can’t spend more than £25 on a steed. The lads have done it twice, but myself just once. You’re allowed to spend a little more to make it safe – I.e. New brake pads and potentially cables.

Mt steed was my wife’s old bike from Germany. Fully rigid, awful 20yr old hybrid tyres, cantis, brakes that were the wrong way round and bull horns.

No idea how fast the lap was – guessing about 1.5 to 1.75 hours. Surprising quick on the climb, but you really feel it on the downs. Obviously all doable (you could ride it on any bike within reason), but makes you realise how good modern bikes are.

Chubby

Too many variations at Afan??

Despite being S Wales based, I have rarely ridden the Twrch Trail, and not even bothered with Afan over the last 2-3 years.

I think Cwm Carn attracts this type of thread as it is a real XC loop that is a really tough climb but even the descents need a good mix of fitness AND skills to be quick.

The fact that an hour is a good benchmark time for beginners to aim for also helps. Remember it being one of my first targets as I started to progress

All that said I know many of my mates in Scotland do time comapres on the Glentress red route