kandui

iPhone 5 size with an iPhone 4S in it. The other PAC takes a Samsung or similar. Emergency number printed on the map

Pocpacs are done and looking great. The next generation pouches are not in the shops yet, TMB are the first to get them. R85 each.Free postage.

Come to the PPA AGM on the 2nd of September. Venue: Canal Walk Auditorium Time: 17:45pm for a start at 6:30pm. We look forward to a strong attendance and a robust debate.

Yes. They were spotted over there an hour before the attack. Probably scuttling around the area like cockroaches, looking for an opportunity.

Not much, but the 2 suspects can be seen on the right side of the image . Predominantly brown clothing.

Tokai is a slightly more controlled environment, compared to Table Mountain. I don't get involved much on the Tokai side as that is Deon's turf, but in recent times , I can't say that I have seen any ranger on patrol, on foot or in a vehicle. The increased presence of rangers has certainly helped on this side and I can imagine it would have the same deterrent effect in Tokai. Standing in one place and checking for permits is not the same as being on active patrol. The 2 guys who attacked the Pushman's were ranging all over the Tokai area on Sunday. There were spotted over towards the Muizenberg side an hour before the attack and even the Pushmans rode past them (and greeted them!) a short while before the incident. In my opinion, the attack happened below the Bridal Path due to unfortunate circumstances. The suspects were looking for an opportunity and the Pushman's took a wrong turn, not being that familiar with Tokai. The crims saw an opportunity and followed them. Had the couple stayed on a busier path, there would have been no attack. Mr Pushman said to me yesterday that he forgot to take the Tokai map along, just shows you how important a map can be.

Reports in the Cape Times and Argus this morning. From what I heard, as yet unconfirmed,it sounds like the crims might have come from a neighbouring farm.

Spoke to the victim a few minutes ago. 2 young , charley males, early twenties attacked them with large sticks. They had actually passed end greeted them earlier. Another guy I know had seen these 2 characters at around 12, between Level 4&5 on the Muizenberg side. Seems like they were moving around, looking for an opportunity.

Just got a call from one of the victims of yesterday's attack. Once I have spoken to him, I will provide some feedback.

The guys at pOcpac are launching a brand new range of new and improved pOcpacs. Improved seal and zip , internal divider and a clear window on the back so you can take a pic without removing the phone. I have seen them and they are well worth getting. I have placed an order for TMB branded pOcpacs. Take a look and let me know what you think. You will pay the same for a generic pOcpac or a TMB branded one when they launch, so I hope you will go for the TMB pac. Cyclelab Cape Town will be the launch store , but you can order them on the pOcpac website or directly from TMB. Price: R 85 for the IPhone or Samsung size. If you buy in the shop, R 5 goes to TMB. If you purchase online, R10 goes to TMB. If you buy from TMB, R25 goes to TMB. Monies will be put towards ongoing initiatives on Table Mountain. Taking pre-orders now. Pacs will be ready in 2-3 weeks time. www.tablemountainbikers.co.za Email: ride@tablemountainbikers.co.za

We got to start moving these threads over to the new website. Keep at it, Capetonians are notoriously slack and you just need to plug away.

Feel free to move any obstacle out of the way. It's definitely not San Parks doing it. I am meeting San Parks in half an hour about the trails of Rhodes Memorial side and will bring this up.Point is, assuming no cyclist ever rides where the obstacles are , they will catch out a trail runner of someone not paying attention. So it's the other users tripping up themselves. How dumb can you get.

The usual answer: not open for riding . It has become a nasty habit to put obstacles on the track, often in sharp corners. It's the walkers doing it. Do they want someone to break a bone? Is that the outcome they are hoping for? What if an elderly person, walking in the evening in low light condition or rain, not looking down, falls and breaks his or her hip? Is that deemed to be Mission Accomplished?

PPA calls for funding proposals every year and anybody can submit an application. They are all looked over objectively and judged on their merits. Almost R4 Million was allocated to project funding this year (in fact, this happened in May). Heino & Ward. Before you lay blame at the door of PPA for not supporting Maroejske, why not find out first whether PPA actually provides funding to individuals and if so, whether she sent an application for funding to PPA before the deadline in April. Getting funding from PPA is a actually quite easy, I found . Send them a proposal which clearly outlines your objectives, how the project will benefit the cycling community and why you need the money you're asking for. The templates are on their website,so you just fill in the blanks. I received funding for my initiative, no luck involved. BTW: PPA lawyers (who sit on the Executive) give all their time for free and will continue to do so.

It is a privilege , totally agree with you. I think Pappa Bear missed my point earlier on when I said that a lack of consistency on the part of San Parks has perpetuated the current situation. If you make a law, enforce it and do it consistently. That's the only way we learn. I think it's not a uniquely South African trait, but we are more prone to breaking the law, because we have so many of them which are simply not enforced. We like to take the gap and then plead ignorance when caught, or condemn the authorities when we get issued a fine. Over the 2 years that I have tried to get something going on Table Mountain, I quickly realised that nothing happens overnight with San Parks and there is a very methodical, slow approach to anything out of the box. Everything needs to be tackled in small steps, otherwise you "scare them off", if you know what I mean. For some mountain bikers this approach is too slow and the results are not always immediate and visible. At least now we have the ear of San Parks and they are open to suggestions. If we get a new piece of trail to ride , but in return need to put up "No Cycling" signs elsewhere, there is always someone who feels aggrieved, because their regular trail is now marked illegal (but it always was anyway). There is no pleasing everyone, that's reality. An illegal night ride through Cecilia that has been going on for years won't derail the process (because it was there well before we started our crusade), but it may be helpful if the guys stopped. San Parks could have shut them down easily with a focused effort over a period of a month or two, fining and confiscating bikes. The law is theirs to enforce (they set the rules). If they choose not to clamp down on this group, then that is their choice. When San Parks come and ask me to please tell cyclists to stop riding on Signal Hill, my response is always the same. Who am I to tell cyclists to stop riding on Signal Hill? What authority do I have? Instead of trying to get me to do their job, I tell San Parks this: Manage the situation, rather than try to ban riding. Your history of enforcement is proof that you will never get it done. Rather, manage the flow of cyclists and get them to belong to some sort of grouping which you have an agreement with. Give the group privileges and take those away if there are too many transgressions. Allow cycling in one direction only. Allow cyclists access during certain times only. Set the rules for shared trail usage (reduce speed,stop and give right of way to anyone not on a bicycle) That's at least a realistic way of dealing with illegal riding , if you want to control it. The Cecilia night ride. Make it a once a month event and charge each cyclist R 30 to join. Put a San Parks vehicle and some staff on the route to control matters (perhaps a medic on standby). At least this way you are in control.

As of now, there is a dedicated Forum on the Table Mountain Bikers website too. This will be the preferred site to set up groups rides and the Forum is accessible to non-members too. Go to www.tablemountainbikers.co.za .

A quick thought on this issue. Stirling Senior from Revolution Cycles has been night riding to the reservoirs for years. This night ride is common knowledge, to us as cyclists and to San Parks. I won't join the ride, because it would undo whatever relationship I have built with San Parks. But, to a point, I can't take the side of San Parks on this one. They have known about this ride for years. They pull in from time to time and chase the riders, but as far as I know, nobody has lost a bike or been fined. Even if fines have been issued, the point is that San Parks are selective in their policing and only have themselves to blame for letting this ride entrench itself. I am not condoning the ride, I think it is counterproductive to our cause. However , I would encourage San Parks to follow a strict line and clamp down on illegal riding. That would change the status quo and send a clear signal that we can negotiate privileges (with responsibilities ), but that there are clear and consistently enforced consequences. Consistency, that will go a long way towards creating a well balanced relationship between us and Parks.

That's the one.

The Night Ride to the reservoirs has links to Revolution Cycles

I have another piece of land in mind for this kind of "inclusive usage" idea. The firebreak above Tamboerskloof. It is kept devoid of vegetation for obvious reasons, so there is no sensitive flora issue. There is an existing footpath which needs to be upgraded to be bike friendly. For that, I will bring in a trail builder. The trail runs from Kloof Nek Road to above Bo Kaap, where there is a level, open piece of ground (belongs to the City), which I believe can be transformed into a skills park/pump track. There is criminal element coming off the mountain into Tamboerskloof and I have proposed to San Parks that increased activity in the this area will make it difficult for criminals to operate. Kids from the area (and the PDI angle here is obvious, with Bo Kaap right next door) can use the skills area, mountain bikers can ride all along the flank of Signal Hill and other users start using this particular trail more. So, by creating this "Safe Corridor" (San Parks Head of Visitor Safety likes the idea of the corridor and will support it), we encourage trail sharing in a responsible manner.

Morning all. I had a meeting with Jackie Pretorius about 3 weeks ago.She is the ranger in charge on the ground in the Rhodes area. I spoke to her about 3 areas: 1. The single track on either side of the tar road leading up to the first bend, heading to Rhodes Memorial. 2. A new bit of trail which I noticed leading off the top of Plum Pudding , heading towards the top jeep track (difficult to explain, but bear with me) 3. The single track starting from Cecilia Forest parking area to the boom, opposite Southern Cross Drive. I addressed the same issue being discussed here. The trail is well established, it gets ridden, there is no sensitive vegetation next to the trail. Plus, it leads in to the new bypass track , built by San Parks . The long and short of it was that she has no problem with cyclists using the trail. A big bonus for us , because there is now a better than 50/50 chance that her superiors will go with her on this. I told Jackie that if we ride the current legal trail, say from marker 17, you get on to the tar and just after where the UCT boundary is, you can hook a left and ride down the hill on single track. You pop out at a boom, cross the road and head up the single track under the oaks , towards Mount Pleasant. It's not a huge amount of single track, but enough to set a signal and garner a serious amount of goodwill from the Mtb community. Again, she was in agreement. In return for more trail access, I made certain commitments to Jackie: We respect other users and slow down well before we pass them. When approaching a corner, slow down in anticipation to avoid a potential incident. We (Table Mountain Bikers) will maintain the trails at our expense. If there is damage or general maintenance required, we will get it done to the satisfaction of Parks. Let's not harp on about where our Activity Card money goes in this context . That is a fight for another day and something the TM MTB Forum will deal with. All I want is to show Parks that we are prepared to give something in return for the privilege of getting more access. If we F it up, I told her, Parks can revoke that privilege (it is not a right). Where will funds for maintenance come from? I got some funding from PPA and if there is a justifiable need, I will leverage more funding from PPA and sponsors. We have a foot in the door and I am going to do what it takes to get into the room and get us more and more trail access. I am meeting Jackie on site next week Thursday and I am confident that she will give us the green light not long after. New signage will then go up and the trail map amended (even though 10000 new ones were just printed!). How can you know ?! I would like to encourage any mountain bikers out there to consider joining TMB , if you feel what the initiative does for mtb makes sense to you.

If anyone is interested in ordering a TMB gilet, please let me know. R500 each, made by Enjoy Fitness. 3 pockets on the back. The first 14 pre-orders were received yesterday and the order has been placed.

PPA had asked CSA repeatedly to respond , but no response was forthcoming from CSA. As Exco, we took the decision to force CSA to respond via the High Court as we were of the opinion that CSA would continue to drag their heels and hold out with a decision. CSA had promised to respond to PPA and never did so. PPA does not want the "fun ride" component of an event to be sanctioned by CSA, where riders have to pay a license fee. League riders, no problem, but why should someone who is just riding the 5km loop be asked to pay for a CSA day license? Also, PPA doesn't just want to hand over funds to CSA and not know where they are being spent. This is simply put, but in essence what it's about.

You don't need a Racetec chip to ride the Argus , or any other event for that matter where Racetec does the timing. If you don't have one, you just don't get a time.

Attend a PPA AGM and you don't need to ask in this Forum. Why not call their office and get the Financials?