Alouette3

Those are the ones! Next time I'll go find some of those grey ones. Mine look like this

Unfortunately they do have neon yellow soles. But this goes unnoticed under a decent layer of single track durt!

There is a place for berms, just not where they have been built on Switchbacks. Yes Switchbacks needs some care and this renegade builder did do a bit a of nice clean up, but please DO NOT CHANGE THE FEATURES! This trail is steep and berms with the wrong camber will be dangerous on this lonely trail. Berms also form a channel for water which as seen in the past cause a big problem here.

Bearings should be press fitted, you will need to hammer them out if you don't have the right tools. Just be very careful with the persuader! Remember to cover the bearing holes before you spray.

As Porqui said, Vibram soles. We are both running a pair of Hi-Tec Figaro's fro Cape Union Mart, paid R500 on a sale. They are comfortable and stick like crazy to a decent set of flats, you need to lift your foot to change position on the pedals! Used them for probably a year or so with minimal wear or sign of the pins making holes like other shoes I've used. As a side note, Shimano uses Vibram on there flat shoes.

That log is more a mental block. If you have done it once it won't be a problem again. With the new sticks in place you can basically ride over it with a bit of momentum.

That log hasn't been fixed as such, we just placed a couple branches above and below it while riding on Friday, just so it was rideable temporarily. Need some spades and soil to make it last.

Thanks to whoever did the recent clean up work on Switchbacks, post the last build. Rode it on Friday and it was great, one more weekend build day and it will be sorted, and ready for another summer. All but one of the switches are rideable, some are almost to easy now.

I just use my 3rd ring as a bash guard.

1.3 is the width

29er wheels might actual work if you fit 700c road tires. My 26er wheels with Nobby Nics are about the same diameter as my road bike wheels.

Find some cheap rims and fit some Continental Sport Contact 1.3 slicks, those tires are brilliant on the road.

A set of Shimano 520 SPD's are cheap, give a positive connection and are bomb proof! I've got a set of 540's and I'm very happy with them. They just a slightly lighter version on the 520's. Crankbros Candy's from what I've heard, you either love them or hate them. They have a lot of float.

Unfortunately with the new laws in regard to drones and FPV, these will probably be banned. Same thing in the USA.

Road Switchbacks for the first time today since the repairs. The top section is much improved , especially the switches, some of the water runoffs we created are a little pronounced, but they will wear in with a bit of use. We didn't repair the lower half, but with all the vegetation I removed you can can at least whats coming round the corner and choose a better line. I will be giving it another go in the morning.

New helmet design out of Europe, fits like a scarf and deploys an airbag on impact! A little pricey at 299 Euro for one use! Might be a problem with the way I try and ride a mountain bike... http://www.hovding.com/ Deployed:

Looks like it might be a tad wet on Saturday, that's if Tokai hasn't been washed into False Bay by Fridays predicted rain!!!

Price doesn't matter, they all pass the same safety tests. Buy what feels comfortable and you feel good wearing.

I run them front and back on my Trance too. Very grippy they just wear down quite fast. Back wheel does help having a Snakeskin.

Check out the Etto range at Rapid sport, about the cheapest decent helmet you will find.

I'll be there is coming Saturday!

So we road Switchbacks again yesterday, and the rain we had in the week was not kind to it. Some serious ruts coming down from the land slide area. Must have been one heck of a lot of water that came down! But on the plus side, I'll be able to make the build day next weekend for a change!

There are a couple of us living in Hout Bay, and we been dreaming about making trails. But knowing the politics that prevail in the area all to well its a near impossible endeavor! Some guys ride a bit in the forest at Ruiterplaats, but you won't get that trail linked all the way to the nek as you can't go through Oranjekloof. I've followed the trail to Longkloof but there are a lot of sections you can't ride over. If you find an area, I'd be keen to help build.

Was actually very extensive, right across the peninsula. Observed the mountains from the air. Never seen such extensive damage over such a large area, just caused by rain.

Agreed, but a build day will at least get it a bit more rideable for those that are riding it any way. We can't go making it to easy now For the moment a build day can remove some of the bush, loose rocks and take that one tree stump out from the slide area.