GLuvsMtb

Me and some friends did a ride from Ceres to the Matroosberge on Wednesday - No need to go to Tibet to ride in the snow

My commute to work varies from 1 hr to 2 hrs, depending on the detours that I wish to take. I only do it in summer though. I also ride home on Mondays and Thursdays with the bike and ride in on the Tuesdays and Fridays. I don't like taking a back pack (especially when I want to go ride single track after work on my way home) so I take a set of clothes and lunch on Mondays and Thursdays for the next day. Once forgot trousers and had to go to Truworths in my cycling kit to buy a pair. Good lights and reflective clothing is very important and the bigger the group is in the safer the ride is normally. It takes a bit of planning to pack for 2 days in advance on Mondays and Thursdays, but its worth it. B)

It seems that we have 2 other races competing for the same time slot as well: The Marrick MTB race and the Rhodes Extreme... I must admit that the Rhodes extreme race is really tempting.

http://www.obike.co.za/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=257&category_id=8&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1 Look out for specials like these. Last year's bikes with top-end specs for under R20K

Most of the international convention is to drive on the right hand side of the road and to yield to traffic from the left ..... Interesting point here: That's only because the chinese decided to follow the americans and use the right hand side of the road to drive on before 1946 they used the left. It is possible to change convention, but until then I'd rather be safe and stick to what is commonly accepted.

Good luck, maar ek dink dit is soos om wind-op te pee.

Grant is dit jy jou nathol Dis MENEER nathol vir jou boet. BTW. het jy daai ergons al opgesit?

My rugby coach always said that the bigger they are the harder they fall madaboutmerida2010-06-11 00:28:43

I'm also taking advantage of the time off - sports massage, then a light ride and hopefully back home in time for kick-off - now can someone explain the off side rule in football to me.

What really irks me is watching beginners trying to go down single track at blind speed and locking up on every switchbacks, dragging their wheels through all of them. And then they want your comment afterwards on their technique. Wish that these riders could realise that single track is all about being as smooth as possible, rather than wanting to be as fast as possible. I miss the good ol days when you could safely and securely ride up the canaries, cruise across to neverendingstory and float down to just do it all over again.

Average rider looks to do the 3 stages in 4 to 5 hours a stage. (Last day stages are traditionally the shortest). Do 2 x 3 hour rides over weekends at 75% to 80% max hr. Do 2 x 60 to 90 minute rides in the week. Rest for a week before the event.

http://singletrackadvocates.blogspot.com/ http://www.single-serving.com/USA/CA/mountain_biking_CA.php I can cut and paste 100'ds of similar posts. The common thread? Uphill has ROW. If you do not observe the rules and cause injury to a rider that does, it makes you irresponsible. Ignorance is one thing, but you asked the question and you got the technically correct answer on p1 No matter how much this defies our perseption of logic, the rule is UP HAS ROW. I wish that all trails would start to print this on our permits so that there is no confusion.

ps not everyone on the single track wears a baggy pant / jean pant. If you want to do well in the XC / marathon races you will need to learn how to ride up ST as well. Jonkershoek has signs at both ends of the ST because it is bi directional.

bottom line here is that this thread is not going to change international mtb convention, we are simply not THAT important. Its like trying to tell the americans that they are driving on the wrong side of the road and trying to convince them to change their ways by driving on the left hand side of the road...

Jonkershoek is a popular training area for some of our most respected XC riders. You often see the likes of Stander and Sauser training there. They ride UP the single track, because that is what is required in the European XC and World Champs XC circuits. Please call me when you want to tell these world champs they are riding the wrong way I want to take a picture of their faces.

NEW rule just came in: Guy on the Specialized ALWAYS have right of way. In the absence of a Spez rider, the BIGGEST / MOST AGGRESIVE rider has right of way.

I assume you are referring to the Saguro's and Mezcals: Excellent tyre for summr and if you want to go do Epic and any race in the Small Karoo where you have alot of hard-pack and rocky technical sections. Best side wall in the business and the slightly higher volume of the tyre adds traction and comfort. Not my first choice during winter where a softer tyre with a wider tread pattern assists with shedding mud and traction. Will be on my bike for Trans Bav in August unless it is wet.

here we go again.... like the previous 934 threads about this topic ... Riding up single track is perfectly acceptable all over the world. Only in SA riders seem to have a problem with the concept. One of the best work-outs you will have on the bike and does a lot for your skills. If you are not supposed to ride up single track, places like Hill Crest and Contermanskloof would not have loops where you... well .... ride UP the single track (in the trail direction). Nor will you have it in races (like this weekend's Robertson race) Go read any book on MTB etiquette and you will find that the answer is that going up you have ROW. I agree that a bit of common sense sometimes dictates that the guy coming up can clear out, but this should not be demanded from riders coming down. The rider coming down has the biggest risk of injury, so for his own safety he needs to apply convention.

Other things to consider: Some trails are bi-directional - rider coming up has ROW. One directional trials: If you have to break the convention and do a trail in reverse, give ROW to the riders following the recognised direction of the trail. If there are more riders in your group following, warn the oncoming rider when you pass him with "3 riders behind me" or the like. It gives the rider the opportunity to decide if he wants to wait for all to pass or if he wants to stop and start for the coming riders. Should the trail be wide enough for you to pass without stopping, slow down (coming down) and stay to the left. Also state: "Keeping left" to ensure that you don't end up on the same piece of track. Always thank a rider giving you ROW

conti mountain king is the way to go. Keep it on the front for summer and use the Crossmarks on the rear during summer.