From Canal Paths to Double Black Diamonds – Exploring the Different Types of Trails
The evolution of trails has certainly moved on fast in the last few years. From the rise of bike parks and big jump lines to the world-leading trail centres in Wales, such as Bike Park Wales, Dyfi and Revs, there’s something for everyone. But how do you know which type of trail is right for you? The Contour Collective is here to break down the grading systems and help you find the perfect trail for your level.
Trails for All Levels
Green trails – these are rideable by almost everyone who can ride a bike. Think canal path and fire road. The perfect way to get your tyres muddy and experience something different away from tarmac. A hardtail such as the Fathom or Talon are perfect for this type of trail.
Blue trails – surprisingly these can be some of the most fun trails. Flowing single track, minimal obstacles and the ideal introduction to some gradient off road. Expect some pedalling on these but with many trail centres and builders putting in rollers, berms and small but safe features it can be fun even for a more advanced rider – don’t overlook blues and think you’re too good a rider. While a hardtail is more than capable on this grade of trail many riders might prefer to step up to a trail bike such as the Stance or Trance once you move away from Greens.
Red Trails – take a blue trail, make it steeper, throw in a few roots, maybe a drop and some technical trail features which you might want to check out before you ride and you’ve got a red. You shouldn’t find anything too steep and sustained but your riding will really start to improve with more time on a red mountain bike trail. This is where your Trance X and Reign’s really begin to look more appealing as a choice of bike.
Black trials – what defines these is the introduction of non rollable features and sustained steep sections. When you consider a cross country style loop you’ll need a high level of fitness as well and it’s the addition of remoteness that may tip a trail centre track into a black, rather than just the features. If we’re out for these longer trail rides we tend to opt for the capable Trance or Trance X.
Let’s Get Some Air!
As we’ve tried to define on The Contour Collective Travel Guide trail grading breakdown, orange trails encompass the jump lines we mentioned earlier. More and more trails are focusing on jumps rather than single track and no jump line is created equal.
Orange Blue - now this takes your base blue trail and throws some table tops, small drops, rollers and berms into the mix. Again we love these trails - relatively relaxed in the sense that you know you won’t find yourself between two doubles but enough to allow you to get creative and improve your jumping.
Orange Red – now we’re getting bigger. Larger table tops, drops with a defined take off and landing and doubles which you may not want to case. All in this is where the more intermediate to advanced rider will be more comfortable.
Orange – Black Diamond – Expert and Advanced riders with large doubles, step downs and drops. These trails take a few runs to get through even for more experienced riders. You’ll want a capable bike with longer travel for these tracks such as the Trance X or Reign.
Orange – Double Black Diamond – There’s only a few of these trails in the UK and most are in England and Wales. Places like Revolution Bike Park, Windhill and Dyfi Bike Park offer insanely large jumps, big drops and jaw-dropping scenes.
We’ve certainly seen more growth in Orange trails in recent years but trail riding is still alive. Whatever takes your fancy then Giant has the bike for the job with its extensive range from hardtails to big hitting enduro bikes.
Now it’s time to get out there and ride!
This was written by The Contour Collective who have over 50 years of riding and racing experience between them, raced around the world in some of the harshest conditions (hot and cold) and have had to endure decades of Scottish riding conditions. You can keep up with us at the races by following us on Instagram or subscribing to our YouTube channel and if you see us, don’t be shy, say hi.
Mountain biking is an increasingly popular outdoor activity, combining physical exercise with exploration and the peaceful tranquillity of nature. For beginners looking to start riding, however, the grading system used to categorise trails can be difficult to understand. The Contour Collective, a global resource featuring over 22,000 professionally graded trails, assists riders in finding trails that match their ability level.
Since the grading system of mountain biking varies from region to region, the Contour Collective offers a convenient, universal tool to differentiate degrees of difficulty. The system used by the collective is based off of IMBA (the International Mountain Bicycling Association)’s trail difficulty ratings, and also includes annotations for particular features within a trail. The descriptions cover a range of categories, such as the degree of steepness, the presence of obstacles like trees or jumps, and the overall technicality of the trail’s terrain.
The Contour Collective also helps to remove the ambiguity associated with trail location. Instead of having to spend valuable time deciphering trails from poorly-taken photographs or other vague information, the collective simplifies this process with its advanced mapping system. It allows for users to input a specific location and have trails relevant to them come up.
Continuously promoted and updated around the world, the Contour Collective is the ultimate guide for intermediate to expert mountain bikers as it unlocks the secrets of mountain bike trail grading. Riders can turn to its service with confidence, knowing that the accuracy of its trail descriptions can be depended upon for their next biking adventure.