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It really needs the work and more people riding it - very deserted on that side of Tokai. Most of the switch backs are reasonable and okay to ride as they are - with some clay patching they will be great. I would start at the bottom and work up to clear the saplings that have spread up from the old gum plantation. Depending on the number of people who pitch it you could get quite a lot done in a day...

Is this a roadie thread?

Looks like someone bought a trail bike to ride marathons...That stem too. Owee, Owee, style police are on their way :-)

I did the S2C in 2007 and he raced it too. I think he came in the top 20 or 30. It's not be surprising actually. You need to be extremely fit to be at the top of your game in DH. Its a myth that they don't train. You should see how much riding our local DH riders do...

Its starting to sound more like the Epic. They should have the bare minimum at the side of the road, a bit like those other races that Mr Harris has won. This sounds like the pampered pro's will be fine.

I think crashing is part of learning and riding. The pro's do it continuously. Most are not serious. Broken bones are a problem. I seem to have very strong bones luckily - never broken one despite various impacts with rocks, trees and such like at various speeds. Other people are not so lucky. A friend of my wife's has had endless ankle problems resulting from slow speed topple over type crashes. I haven't noticed that my injuries take any longer to heal yet. As Nigel said its a self-confidence thing. Some top racers crash hard and struggle to get their heads right again. I used to be a bit like that even with minor crashes. Now I have the confidence to pick my bike up and carry on even after a hard crash. Better skills and a suitable bike help too.In fact I always try to do it because if you are just sore as opposed to broken, its just the mind that needs first aid and getting back on and tackling a jump or some other feature puts you back where you were mentally. I also think that a lot of crashes on tech terrain are due to poor body position but even more importantly poor bike set up. XC bikes with low bars, long stems and high seats do nobody any favours on steep descents. Since getting a bike with 6"travel and a 50mm stem and dropper post I can get things wrong and still ride things out that would have seen me smashed on the ground in the past. The article by Sterling JR in the latest Full Sus re the skills deficit in SA mountain biking is spot on...

Are you an enthusiast ie eat and sleep MTB? If so, it should come. Steer some of that enthusiasm the way of skills articles and videos. I read up, look at pics and vids and then try the skills on the trails. If fear is holding you back, then you need some coping mechanisms to deal with that. Some protective gear - knee pads, full finger gloves, long sleeves and such like will boost your confidence. Knee pads - especially the thick ones help enormously. Wear a hydration pack - that also protects you in a tumble.

Spot on Nigel. I have ridden for 20 years. I recall canti's and elastomer forks and steel hardtails. I always loved the DH stuff but it was only after some life changing events in the last 5 years that I actually followed what i really loved in MTB and upped my skills on the steep and jumpy stuff. I'll be 48 this year and I ride way better than I did when I was 35. It can be done and it is still be fun. In fact it may have been a good thing i waited until I was a bit wiser to start taking bigger risks... The biggest problem is fitness but that's not even an age thing more from too little time to ride due to work and family commitments. Now if only I could afford a proper DH bike...

I have no doubt that SC will go 650b as well, perhaps even before the end of the year... My point is just that it makes no difference, unlike useful things like wider bars, dropper posts and disk brakes.

Lol, "left behind" - where at Leogang and Fort William? All it says is that the bike industry is profit driven. The results prove that the wheel size makes no difference, the rider does. Hell, Gwin did better than many people without a tyre on his 650b wheel.

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Uuum, no not really. Most of the top factory teams are on 650B wheeled bikes in 2014. That includes Spaz, GT, Saracen, De Vinci, Lapierre, Giant, Trek. The only top team that isn't is Santa Cruz. They still dominate thanks to their exceptional riders (all three in the top 20) but they are very much in the minority. The race results show that 650b bikes don't seem to give the riders any advantage whatsoever if you look at winning times. I also can't recall seeing so many punctures at races last year especially at Fort William when most were still on 26" bikes.

Always find it quite weird that people go ride fast on that paved track as if its actually mountain biking - sometimes fully kitted out like Epic contenders.

I rode Cobra yesterday. It looks and rides great, thanks guys! Well done.

Watched it in 540p via live feed! Best race since the Pmb W champs last year Greg is amazing So fast and consistent...

He speaks from the grave. How wide is the bar in your entertainment area down below Saddam?

+100 on wider bars. I have just gone from 730mm to 785mm with a slightly bigger rise. Noticeable increase in leverage. Same 50mm stem. Top tube length also plays a role. If you are already stretched out on a long TT with a short stem, don't go super wide. I am tall and have a bike with a shortish TT by today's standards so wider makes perfect sense. I find wider bars an absolute bonus in the tight tricky stuff up and down hill. So much more leverage and easier to balance too. Ever tried riding you bike with your hands on either side of the stem??

Nope, but I think it was the rock I clipped and almost chopped my pinky off on a few weeks ago. That probably loosened it :-)

Hard to say - I'd guess at least 3 to be safe.

For sure, but the question is whether these trail "users" should be "using" that trail at all of course.

There is a large boulder that has come loose and blocked Cobra just as it starts to descend after the pedally bits up top. Easy to avoid but you will have to portage round it unless you feel like risking a cliff plunge. I have notified the trail manager via email.

Rode Tokai yesterday evening and was heading down Vasbyt with Slapsock - we got to around 50m from the end at the Quarry when we encountered a group of six or more trail runners coming up. Its a fastish singletrack section with bush on either side. Luckily it is straight and we were able to see them soon enough to avoid them, but it was close and we were forced to slow right down as they jumped off the trail. Not good at all.

Performancebikes.co.za - in PE - anyone tried them? Just placed an order - to pay via eft. Still waiting for bank details to pay them. No details on site and have to be requested. Mmmm.