Well not quite North Wales, but the photo has a few originals of the US MTB scene in it. It was the loosely knit 'club' of comrades pictured to the right with their modified 'clunkers' in this photo taken in 1978 at Pearl Pass, Near Crested Butte, Colorado that ride is considered the moment 'Mountain Biking' proper became established. It took another seven or eight years until the sports popularity took off.

NWMBA Online Stores

NWMBA Apres-Dirt clothes shop

NWMBA Guidebook and DVD store

other site stuff

Membership form PDF (51kb)

May 2006 Club newsletter

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Team Pic- Red Bull 'Mountain Mayhem 2001'

Red Bull 'Mountain Mayhem 2002'

Sleepless in the saddle 2002'

Enduro 6 2006'

image pearl pass
image nicky craig

When so much is great about biking, it's a get out there and do it activity... why have a club?

Errrr.. no reason except way back in 1986 there were so few of us around with MTBs rarely did you know any other local riders unless you went to the early MTB race series all over the UK to keep in touch. It made sense to hang out together, mainly in those days at Beics Betws in Betws y Coed the home of local mountain biking pioneer Sion Parri and his partners Sian and Dafydd Roberts who later moved to Coed y Brenin Forest.

Pic - Nicky Graig at Llandegla 2002

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The club was formed back in 1989, although not one of the first MTB clubs we certainly were an early one. Not many of the other UK MTB clubs of that time are still around. We got together for rides but decided a club was limited if it just organised social runs. We all lived far apart with enough to ride on our own doorstep. What was needed to fuse local riders was a social event and there was nothing better at the time than hanging around in race paddocks chatting. The only problem was all events were all over 100 miles away.

We began organising races, the first being an evening race at Moel Gasnach, Clocaenog Forest, other events are featured in our racing pages. It's notable in the last 15 years although the local road clubs took more interest in mountain biking and the many new riders MTB events attracted into cycling that we sadly remain the only club organising MTB events in North Wales.

The other benefit of the club was we were able to use our size, over 400 riders in the early 90's, to lobby official bodies to make greater provision for off road cycling. At the time there was no interest from the cycling bodies to protect riders interest or get landowners like the Forestry Commission recognise the sport and make facilities better than just merely cruising about on forest roads.

The club was instrumental in dissuading the Snowdonia National Park from imposing a complete ban on cycling on Snowdon. A role we had to adopt in the face of no co-ordinated strategy from any of the sports governing bodies as to who did what at the time. The picture still si little clearer, British Cycling ( Formerly the BCF) have fully absorbed MTB sport, but both IMBA or the CTC represent the non racing interests of cycling. The club is pleased to be able to work with many bodies to improve opportunity to enjoy mountain biking in one of its rightful homes.

If you would like to join NWMBA, an application form for membership can be downloaded from this page.

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NWMBA contacts

Chairman: Tim Peers
Vice Chair: Vacant
Treasurer: Chris Marshall
Club Secretary: Adrian Walls
Membership: Ian Owen
Rides Co-ordinator: Steve Madden
Coach and Training Co-ordinator: Vacant
Media and Information: Adrian Walls

Events Group
Volunteers step forward....... looks like it's Simon, Tim and Adrian for now
Latest News Nov 2009
Welcome to the following new members who have taken out BC Licenses and renewals
Megan Lakin - Under 12
Tim Peers - Old enough to know better
Billy Edwards - Under 12
Luca Villano- Under 12
Ella Bright - Under 12
Charlie Perry - Under 12
Edward Green - Youth
Amy Sproyle-Devlin - Under 12

Oct 2009
The new Go Race MTB series for younger riders has introduced some keen new riders to the club so we would like to welcome the following new members to NWMBA who have taken out Cycle Racing licenses:
Joe Barnwell - Under 12
Matthew Blackwell - Youth
Benjamin Bright - Under 12
Owen Evans - Under 12
Genna Fraser - Youth
Joe Fraser - Under 12
James Harding - Youth
Ross Middlehurst - Youth
Jack Nash - Under 12
George Taylor - Youth
Scott Taylor - Youth

Oct 2007
Youth rides - Open to any 9 - 13 year old for free; Venue Coed Llandegla Mountain Bike Centre; Date / Time - Every Saturday morning from 13th October 9am to 10 am; This event is co-promoted by NWMBA and One Planet Adventure and is a Go-Ride Cycle Skills Session which will be led by John Harland, Club Development Manager (North) of the Welsh Cycle Union assisted by members of NWMBA. Please bring along a Bike, Helmet and drink (A parental Consent form to which are available at the centre). The event is both a skills session and an introduction for younger cyclists to cycling and cycle sports. Young cyclists are welcome to attend on a regular basis as this will be an ideal way to get into cycling whilst having fun with other riders your own age. For more information check the web page

May 2006
Womens rides - Lucy has posted more dates for the rides based at Coed Llandegla click here for more details
Dates released for the clubs events this year for more details go to the racing pages. Cyffylliog Challenge is back in August, our Trailquest Orienteering is in early September and the Cross Country race at Llandegla is in late September.
Enduro 6 - pics from singletrackworld.com click on thumbnails below to see larger images

Download Event Flyer
Sept 2006
New club riding tops.. they are out there now .. for more details

Feb 2006
New club sponsor more details to follow. Tilhill the managers of Coed LLandegla have become the clubs sponsors, the intial deal is they will meet the clubs cost of buying our club riding gear, the first in a running line will be short sleeve racing tops and long sleeve downhill jerseys and further offers will follow including a £5 discount from the £25 annual parking pass fee for more details contact the press officer.

Jan 2006
Womens Rides - after a popular trial in 2005 we are in conjunction with One Planet Adventure at Coed Llandegla holding rides aimed at women riders that allow you to pick a comfortable pace and avoid the long drawn out conversations such as 'Fox Vanilla vs Rockshox Pikes forks' and such gems that the blokes love to wheeze out as they plough the trails......
for more details

August 2005
We have upgraded the online stores, not only can you now buy the best guide books and tutorial dvd's, we have designed a number of original NWMBA t-shirts and in conjunction with the guys at Llandegla and Denbighshire Countryside Service exclusive Coed Llandegla and Ride the Clwyds dot com wear that is unique attractive and likely to be the bomb when sat in the Cafe at Coed Llandegla

June 2005
Check out the racing pages for updates on events in the area and entry forms for both the Cyffylliog Challenge and the Clocaenog Trailquest. Also see the
new feature in riding on Coed Llandegla and the new MTB centre. We have been invited to take the wednesday ride around the new trails as a premiere for the work undertaken by One Planet Adventure. Further details will be posted on the forum when available

May 2005
Betws y Coed Hike and Bike Festival: Have a dirty weekend soon... especially aimed at those yet to venture in to the dark recesses of the Welsh Countryside, apart from bike maintenance courses at Beics Betws and riding tips there will be guided rides to suit all and every ability from world champ to your first attempt to leave tarmac with your young children. we recommend A++ check out the web site
Bike Maintenance courses, you can now study up to a City and Guild level in Bike Maintenance in North Wales. There are other courses including Hydraulic Bike Maintenance.. details contact CycleWales.net TalySarnau, PenyGroes, Caernarfon 01938 570680.
Judith Thornton, the Trails Ranger for Dyfi Mountain Biking the organisers of the excellent trails has reminded us of the excellent web site that exists for the routes at www.dyfimountainbiking.org.uk which apart from giving essential route info also will enable you to find out the dates trails in Dyfi forest are closed for Motorsport events although the Mach routes are not effected by this.
ridehiraethog.com sibling to ridetheclwyds.com has now been launched by Denbighshire Countryside Service. Routes have been developed by James Gaffney offering some new interesting routes around the Clocaenog forest, many used in our Trailquest Orienteering and the Cyffylliog Challenge events. ridehiraethog.com features all the unique nice stuff.. downloadable maps, 3d aerial views, flythroughs and tracklogs to download for your gps so there is no way you can get lost great news is many of the routes for a change are ideal for novices .. kids take your dad out next sunday to blow away the cobwebs.. but not on the 50Km+ 'Two Lakes' or 'tough at the top' routes only suited to mtb marathonists in training
Llandegla Forest.... opening delayed...as soon as we have news about the opening of the new MTB centre we will have information here. Latest guess-timates are mid June..

Mar 2005
AGM 1 March the Druid, Llanferres.
New Ad free just the scandal Beta Riders forum launched on Club Pages.
Jim Gaffney the mastermind behind the Ride the Clwyds dot com project is taking up residence to set up the new MTB centre at Llandegla Forest, a great base to discover NE Wales and some of the best riding in the UK.
iCal.. Mac users already know about iCal and we have produced two great online and downloadable calendars from it for anyone to use with the dates for UK and UCI MTB event dates in great demand worldwide.. may not be compatible with windows Bill G reckons.. tough

Feb 2005 ..mbr 'mountain bike rider' magazine in an interview with NWMBA founding members Sian and Dafydd Roberts come to the conclusion that NWMBA were fairly instrumental in the development of Coed y Brenin as a national MTB resource which may come as a shock to one or two individuals out there who claim different.
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