Dan Dob

Hi Hubbers, All the Capetonians that have been riding in this rain will need your bike serviced by now! Learn how to do it yourself and save yourself a fortune.. We're only holding 2 clinics this month and they're both next week (Tuesday and Wednesday) so best you book a spot if you are keen! More info here

Hi Hubbers, I am holding a Level 3 skills course this Sunday in Tokai and there is still space for those intermediate/ advanced riders wanting to get more confident on technical trails. In fact only 3 riders confirmed so you will get a lot out of this clinic. The focus is on; Body Positioning Riding Switchbacks Getting up steep sections Lifting your front wheel Un-weighting your back wheel A special price to hubbers of R250 for the clinic if you sign up today!

Hi Hubbers, I am holding a Level 4 skills course this Saturday in Tokai and there is still space for those intermediate/ advanced riders wanting to get more confident on technical trails. We'll be focussing on the steep, gnarly switchbacks (up and down) on the bridal path, as well as high speed cornering and drops of different heights (and maybe a small jump or two). More information here

Great trails out there! Just wish there were more like that throughout the Cederberg. I put up a blog post about the trails a year or so ago, which is still valid and made a map of the trails, which you can download here. As MintSauce mentioned I did have a camera but my home-made chest cam was pointing too far down the whole time and t Have fun out there!

Great Disylizzy! We decided to introduce the 'levels' mostly because there is such a range of skill in the intermediate classes. So now basically it goes like this; Level 1 = total beginner ie doesn't know how to change gears, doesn't know which brakes to use, never ridden much singletrack Level 2 = getting the hang of the bike but still uncomfortable on singletrack that isn't flat and straight! Level 3 = Has difficulty in tricky sections of singletrack. Rocks, roots and switchbacks slow you down too much. Level 4 = Want to get comfortable doing drops, steep switchbacks and high speed cornering.

Hi Hubbers, We have a few places for our Level 2 skills clinic this Saturday at Meerendal and our Level 4 clinic in Tokai on Sunday. Both from 2-5pm. Please check out our website for more details about each level. Become a better rider!

Hi Hubbers, There are still places left on our 'Self Rescue' course this Sunday 7th June 9am-12pm. More details here.

Or if you're ever in Cape Town you can sign up with the courses that www.iRideAfrica.com offers.

And Stellenbosch's (and iRide African guide) Jennie Stenerhag is there too but representing Sweden.

BearManGuy, Contact us (iRideAfrica) and organise a trip through us! Take the hassle out of transporting everyone (we have van and trailer), finding all the best spots and good accommodation (according to your price requests) and of course actually finding all the trails. It will cost you marginally more than if you did it on your own but trust me, you will not find the best trails for your group without a guide

Hi Hubbers, I just had a chat with Gary Perkin (I'm sure he doesn't need an introduction!), and we're going to be offering a mountain bike photo clinic hosted in Stellenbosch within the next few months. We'll be focusing on getting good riding shots and the challenges therein. It will be open to SLR users as well as point & shoot camera's-hell, even camera phones, as that is what most of us take photos with anyhow! Anyway, it will probably be a 2 day course, held during a weekend, gaining knowledge from one of the worlds best so it should be a fantastic opportunity for budding photographers. I'll keep you posted on this thread when it launches. Let me know if any of you are interested.

Nice to have a good write up to give people an idea of the race format. Sorry to hear of your crash-must have been a biggie because everyone was sprinting down that start! Very glad to hear that it was only your sunglasses arm that you lost and not your actual arm . It would have been a Protea bush that caused it. I hit it too... Pity that there aren't any decent photos of the ride. I have a few on my instagram account but basically it's just too much fun to take photos! Someone must have gopro footage? Anyway thanks for the writeup!

A short travel (100/120mm) bike with slack angles.

Yeah, that is the problem. That is why we have set up up cheaper, shorter courses on this side...

I wish Marulaneng! Look up Yellow Saddle. They do great courses in JHB!

Hi Hubbers, Our first courses have gone down a treat and I've managed to streamline the course to fit the important stuff into 3 hours (no easy task!). I've secured the dates for our courses in July so if you would like to book please follow the link. [self Rescue] * 3 July 2013 [6pm-9pm] * 7 July 2013 [9am-12pm] * 16 July 2013 [6pm-9pm] * 24 July 2013 [6pm-9pm] [basic Service] * 6 July 2013 [9am-12pm] * 28 July 2013 [9am-12pm] * 30 July 2013 [6pm-9pm]

This is an interesting topic. The sign going into Rhodes Estate has a mtb symbol on it so most people assume it's fine to ride here. I think the official take on things is that no bikers are allowed on any singletrack on the mountain Hopefully the Table Mountain bikers forum is going to be able to resolve this soon.

SkinnySweatyMan, My only concern is time. There are so many different types of brakes on the market that I would have to go through each type. The procedure is more or less the same but the tools and nuances of each one complicate things. I may have to add another course to cover it but will see how future clinics go.

Not yet Hairy, what are you looking for? Bleeding brakes? Servicing forks? Wheel building?

June special is R250 for each course, but normal price will be R300.

Thanks Meezo, We'll offer wheelbuilding one day, hopefully if there is enough interest. Cippo, these courses are aimed at both road and mtb as what we cover applies to both types of bikes with a few differences.

Hi Hubbers, I would just like to let you all know that we have launched 2 mechanics skills courses that will be run at our premises in Cape Town. A special price of R250/course is running for the month of June! After many requests from our skills clinic customers, we have added 2 courses that deal with fixing your bike and maintaining it. The more basic course is about 'getting you home' in the event of a mechanical failure. You'll learn how all the parts of your bike work and how to check and adjust the most important parts of it. Of course, puncture repair (tube and tubeless), broken chains, setting up your suspension properly, adjusting your rubbing brakes and basic gear adjusting are covered in this 3 hour course. The more involved course is about saving you money at bike shops. After doing this course, you should never have to drop your bike off for a 'basic service' at your LBS and thus save a LOT of money each year. On both these courses, you'll learn about the specific tools you need to service and adjust your bike and I'll offer advice on what tools you would have to invest in. All the information is on our website, so please just go and check it out there and feel free to suggest what you think is missing from the courses on this thread (keeping in mind they are only 3 hours long!). We won't go into wheelbuilding and shock servicing as these courses would take a lot more time and money to introduce.

Hi Hubbers, I would just like to let you all know that we have launched 2 mechanics skills courses that will be run at our premises in Cape Town. A special price of R250/course is running for the month of June! After many requests from our skills clinic customers, we have added 2 courses that deal with fixing your bike and maintaining it. The more basic course is about 'getting you home' in the event of a mechanical failure. You'll learn how all the parts of your bike work and how to check and adjust the most important parts of it. Of course, puncture repair (tube and tubeless), broken chains, setting up your suspension properly, adjusting your rubbing brakes and basic gear adjusting are covered in this 3 hour course. The more involved course is about saving you money at bike shops. After doing this course, you should never have to drop your bike off for a 'basic service' at your LBS and thus save a LOT of money each year. On both these courses, you'll learn about the specific tools you need to service and adjust your bike and I'll offer advice on what tools you would have to invest in. All the information is on our website, so please just go and check it out there and feel free to suggest what you think is missing from the courses on this thread (keeping in mind they are only 3 hours long!). We won't go into wheelbuilding and shock servicing as these courses would take a lot more time and money to introduce.

It's actually a great course as an intro but as tough as hell on the legs and lungs, so be warned! Just go out and have fun and you will learn a lot, very quickly. Don't let the rain put you off, the course runs better in the wet IMO, more grip actually than in the dry and just so much fun to get wet and muddy! Have fun and keep to the 26 and baggies -I still do it every once in a while but sadly won't make it there this weekend.

If you're ever in Cape Town Pom1, then give us a call. I make sure everyone gets what they want out of each of our courses. Some people learn quicker than others, even if they are more or less at the same level, so I change our course content to match what they need to learn.