Hackster

It's all very well talking about your bokkie who'll finally be able to keep pace with you going up hills, or your oupa who's only got one leg and wants to share in the fun at mtb races, but it won't be these people who cause the k*K. It'll be the oke with more kilowatts than common sense, who thinks that trail etiquette is a french rock band, who wipes out your laaitie while doing 50 km/h on the flat. If you want a taste of what it'll be like mixing powered and non-powered two wheelers, take your mtb to an MX track this weekend, put some earplugs in (e-bikes don't make a noise) and then go do some laps. Okay, don't actually do this, it's a really bad idea, either someone will crash into you or klap you. Or both.

Please read the article quoted above, the writer really nails this issue....

No. Nope. Never. Too fast, too powerful, too easy to hack to be more powerful, impossible to regulate. Give them their own areas, maybe MX tracks Think about it, if they're allowed to share trails with us, you'll have to worry about some bugger riding into the back of you while you're riding UP a hill. But I'm a huge fan of such machines on-road - reckon that's the way the world's going.

I've always bought very second hand bikes and upgraded as and when finances permited, but doing the sums it's quite clear that I would have saved money if I'd bought new (or very nearly new) in the first place. My problem is that I just can't get my head around paying new (or nearly new) prices. Stoopid is as stoopid does.

Trying to catch the sleep fairy... a game I know all too well. Some things that have helped me... 1. No coffee/tea/alcohol FIVE hours before planned sleep time. S'true, booze destroys the quality of your sleep so even if you drink yourself senseless you'll walk up feeling tired (and overhung). 2. No tv screens/laptops/ipads etc TWO hours before planned sleep time. Kindle is fine. 3. Dark room. Very NB. Close curtains and shut doors. 4. If you can't sleep, don't stress about it. Stop trying to sleep, just lie there and relax. But the OP is trying to find a way to stay awake after morning training. I'm a firm believer in the 20 min catnap. Not too comfortable. Just long enough to take the edge off. Standing up and walking around the office also helps. Thinking about my retirement planning normally wakes me up good and proper!

So technical is a relative term. It might be helpful to say something like, 'some technical skills required' or 'lots of technical skills required'. And be super conservative in your estimation of riders' abilities. But I rather suspect that you're going to struggle to please everyone here. There's always going to be the guy who says, 'I didn't come here to hurt myself', or the guy who says, 'my granny could have ridden this and she's dead'. The only time when technical is too technical for me is when I'm faced with big drop offs and forced jumps (you have no warning - you have to jump it). I suspect this 'air work' is what separates the weekend warriors like myself from the technically gifted. Most times, the technicalness of the trail/race is directly related to the speed at which I choose to ride it, i.e. I'm in charge of how technical it is.

Got to say, I think that having an obsessive nature trumps talent. I've known a couple of gifted chaps who've never succeeded in their fields simply because they didn't apply themselves. And have known some ordinary joes who've punched far above their weight simply because they were too stupid/stubborn to give up. How does that phrase go, it's not the size of the dog in the fight...

What kind of bike were you on?

Lekker race, I rode the 35. Having the fast 55ers working their way past us on the downhill was interesting... At one point I got the 'hold your line' from a guy trying to pass. This instruction assumes that one has control over one's line. I would have thought my swearing and praying would have tipped him off that this was not the case. Sorry dude, I know I gave you a skrik, I didn't mean to. You just happened to be passing the wrong oke at the wrong time.

Good point. The response would probably be that MTBers have become the largest user group at Tokai these days (true?) so we probably create the most wear and tear on trails/roads/facilities. I do feel that MTB single track should be signposted, 'riders have right of way'.

Don't want to be too pedantic but that isn't really correct. Sure, staying in the southern suburbs will mean you have to drive in, but it's, at most, a 15 minute easy drive on the day and finding parking is quite easy if you don't mind cycling a kilometre or two.

I've walked that section the last two times I rode down there. But please don't 'sanitise' it, we need stuff that scares the living bejeezus out of us.

It's an interesting approach to mountain biking - make the trail easier. Riding up that little rocky metre or two after/before the bridge was a real challenge for me when I first started riding, and a real sense of accomplishment once I figured out how to ride it. I think there's a gang of renegade trail dumbing downers at work.

The Fairy Garden remoddelling team must have been at work on both Saturday and Sunday then.... Deon, what is the story behind the rock step in the road leading up up to Silvermine gate being removed? I wondered whether it was an emergency access issue.

Thanks for the great efforts to all who participated. I rode Tokai on Sunday morning for the first time in about two months and enjoyed the 'new' bits tremendously. Note to self, must learn to jump. Questions: The guy smashing out some of the rocks with a ten pound hammer in that little descent to the bridge in fairy garden. What was that about? Also, what happened to the infamous rock step in the road leading up up to Silvermine gate?

So after years of living in Claremont it looks like I'm moving to Obs - the things we do for love. Of course, the first thing that goes through my mind is routes to cycle. From that neck of the woods what's the best way up onto Table Mountain trails? Tar to Rhodes Mem, or up through University Estate and across De Waal Drive? And given that I do a fair amount of road riding - the things we do for our mates - is it best to access/exit Obs via Liesbeek Park road? Any spots to avoid from a security perspective? Any tricks / traps / local secrets? And is there an LBS?

Take your bike for a cruise along the sea point promenade without your helmet on and tell me it doesn't feel flippin' lekker. Sadly, that's probably about the only place it's safe to do it...

Ja, I suppose you should be looking where you're going but it sounds like this caught a bunch of people so I would suggest that the drums are unsafely placed, and some hazard signs need to be placed at the entrance to the corner.

Last time I played golf I didn't come home with bleeding shins and a funny clicking sound in my right shoulder (have yet to master tuck and roll). They're very different sports, I think that mtb appeals to people who are comfortable with risk. And such people often end up running things in the corporate world. There's definitely business connections being made thanks to mtb.

I remember the trail you're talking about, but this one isn't exactly the same though it traverses pretty much the same area. To think we used to ride those trails on fully rigid MTBs. I must have been a lot more talented back then. Or perhaps less risk averse...

Apparently, SanParks did build the bypass route, a single track. Which to my mind is a helluva interesting development - as far as I'm aware this is the first time SanParks have ever built anything like this. Which I'd argue, demonstrates that we're on their radar. Kandui can comment authoritively on this, and I'm sure will. Yes, the track is tricky, it will be a challenge to ride if you're new at MTB. Even really good riders will tell you that it demands concentration and precision lines. But as for it being dangerous, I don't agree. Unless you're unlucky enough to fall off riding over the flat wooden bridge - maybe a metre of so high over a dry rocky river bed - there's little chance that you will get any injury of consequence along this section. It's a very slow, rock garden type route that's maybe 100 metres in total length - though it feels much further! There's also no way that you can access this section with too much speed. In my view, it's good to challenge yourself, it's the only way you get any better. If it's unridable for you, get off and push. Or try and try again. Lets not forget what this single track replaces - a tar road past some buildings. If you call yourself a mountain biker, isn't that a moer of a jump in the right direction?

Ja, he's mad. But who among us hasn't once-in-a-while found ourselves doing something crazy/stupid/dumb/mad. Hope he had a great time. Hope he's clever enough to realise that the risks make this a once-off jol...

Know just what you mean. With mine, she gets all twitchy if we go riding in the mud. I have to buy her new gear cables and scented lube to make it nice between us again...

I'm in. Thought we were doing well with 340s last year, then we found out that a mate's dad did a sub 3 at age 49, albeit on the 104 course. Regardless... challenge accepted!

You know, slow motion always makes things look heroic and cool. But I reckon if someone took a slow mo video of me while I was riding at my limit, it would not make for a heroic looking video. Not even if they played some cool backing tracks. No, to make me look cool in a mtb vid you would need the entire team at lucas arts. Sigh...