HighRider

Hi and welcome. I have only been here a couple of months and also recently started riding but this is definitely the place to gain quality knowledge. Enjoy your stay here

I got a bit irritated at the DBX the other weekend. Yes, everyone is not so fast on the single tracks yet but it does not give you permission to almost ride people off the road. There was a gentleman that tried this, his back wheel was already half way past my frame, on a track which was not even 30cm wide. I just rode into the bushes, almost crashed but let him go pass but he then did the exact same thing with the lady in front of me.

At about 43km I had nothing left, I was almost dead, wind pumping from the front badly. Another rider stopped next to me, waited until I made a mental shift and rode with me to the end, it was the highlight of my ride.! I need to get my legs stronger.

This sounds EXACTLY the same as when I went with some guys on the Bottelary red route. It just never ended. There was a guy that came passed me whilst I was pushing my bike the one hill and it looked like he was not even putting effort into it. I was a bit angry that day as it was my 3rd time on a bicycle in over 15 years so I struggled a lot. I only ride on weekends but it is going so much better, until we went to Hoogekraal the other weekend. There I also almost died, many times but you do what you have to do. Dont be shy to push the bike. I will rather push my bike than sit with a cramped up leg high up in the mountain. Just keep at it, you will be amazed at how quickly you build up strength and endurance.

I must say the amount of park runners / walkers was very noticeable even though it was my first time there. At one stage it looked like about 100 - 150 people were walking up the first hill in one go. They weren't a bother at all, its nice to see more and more people outside in nature.

Went up Meerendal yesterday for the first time. Wanted to do Paarl but will go a different weekend.

Thank you for the information, the scenery there looks awesome.

Beautiful photo. Can you recommend a trail in the Paarl region? I checked on the website and there is so many to choose from, but would prefer a trail of between 20km-30km for someone with between beginners and intermediate skills and fitness.

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I just need to wake up in the morning and hear traffic, people hooting, sirens, alarms. I drop my kid off at school and see people not actually helping each other anymore, some disregard the rules of the road completely, nobody looking out for each other anymore etc etc. When I take the bike into the mountains there's is none of that, riders greet each other, warn each other of possible danger's ahead, assist each other during rides. There's no hooting, there's no road rage, the noice in the mountains is music to my ears and the fresh crisp air in the mornings fills your chest and energise you. The views you appreciate from the top and even the little things you see along the way. I don't ride on tar and I will never do it as I don't find any fun in it but this is why I ride a bicycle now. To me it also keeps my aggression and violent side in place. I ride until I can hardly see mine anymore. Was very strange the first time it happened [emoji1787].

Now?

Saw this on our neighborhood WhatsApp group. They found the bicycle on a suspect. The bicycle is currently with SAPS, but not sure which SAPS but can find out if needs be.

Im also doing the race on Saturday so I hope so, I dont even have a bicycle computer, yet. We could all just get lost together...

3rd time on my bike yesterday. We did the red route (40.8km) at Botteleray trails. I think it was a bit much for me so early in the sport but my father didn't raise no quitter. I pushed, a lot but I made it, and I enjoyed it although there were many swearwords along the route. Beautiful beautiful scenery from the tops.

Thank you very much, very kind of you.

I have been looking at the CB pedals since my ride yesterday but then I read on the forum that people have had them fall apart etc

Thanks for the explanation regarding flat shoes etc, will see what I have in the cupboard which might work a bit better. Thank you also for recommending the Giant pedals. Although I understand the concept of buy once cry once, this being my first bicycle, and my wallet not really allowing me, I will get the Giant pedals for now and then start putting some money aside for upgrading at a later stage. Bit off topic but as I said yesterday was the first time out on my own bike and it was amazing. I love the solitude and quietness, only hearing nature and bicycle parts moving. I got a bit cocky on the last single track on Botteleray trails, there between the trees, over the little bridge and then over the hump. I went over a bit quick and was 100% certain Im loosing a collar bone or a shoulder. I still have no idea how I didn't fall there but I wanted to go back up and just do it again. Thanks for all of the inputs and information, its really helping me enjoy the sport more.

Thanks. They seem reasonably priced. Will take a drive to the LBS and see if they have stock.

So I took my bike out today for the first time, we rode the Botteleray trails a bit and it was awesome, except for the pedals that came with the bicycle. My feet slipped off the pedals multiple times, once almost causing me to lose my manhood. I am not interested in cleats, I prefer normal pedals and my budget is R800 and below. Riding will always be on gravel, trails, single tracks and some small jumps etc Im in Cape Town Northern suburbs but dont mind having them couriered here. I tried using the search function to no avail.

So in the end I got one of the Marvel helmets for R399.00. Im fine with the helmet for now as I needed one urgently because my son wanted me to ride with him. The helmet fits well and I forget its there when riding which is a good thing. Thanks for all of the suggestions, at least now I can start looking at other helmets without a rush if needs be.

Thank you very much. I sometimes still think more expensive is better but luckily there's people like you and the rest of the people that replied to help me out. Thanks for the certification abbreviation, will definitely make a note of it.

Thank you all for the suggestions, really appreciate it. Just to clear up the comment regarding the budget etc. I was not going to buy a R50 helmet but I also cant spend R2000 on one, I think my wording was just incorrect. I will be looking at all of the different helmets mentioned here as well as the ratings and make a decision from there.

Thank you for the suggestions, will do some research on the different makes.

Hi everyone, I am finally buying my first MTB this morning, hopefully it is still in the shop. Could someone perhaps advise on a helmet for me? I know you cant go cheap and expect good quality but I dont have a lot of money left after buying the bike as I still need riding pants, gloves etc. My riding will consist of only gravel/trails/single track and I know this will sound strange but the helmet doesn't need to be for a hardcore rider doing massive drops and jumps etc, the more I progress the more I will look at upgrading my gear etc. I would prefer to buy it from a physical shop (Cape Town Northern suburbs) but that's not a must, can always just borrow a helmet in the mean time. Thanks in advance and hope everyone has a nice day.

Thanks so much for the suggestions I do appreciate it. I will most certainly check out GMBN as I had to constantly stop my riding partner to actually ask things like body position and cornering / turning techniques. I struggled to put more trust into the bike, constantly thinking I might fall but once I have my own bicycle I trust it will be much better.