Stoffel76

or this thread... https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/67865-mtb-in-hermanus/page__p__999328__fromsearch__1#entry999328

There's a route that starts in the Fernkloof reserve and runs along the mountain just above the houses. The guys at Hermanus Cycles had maps... I was there a couple of weeks ago and headed up Rotary Way. It becomes gravel and then jeep track. Didn't go too far as we ran out of time. There was a sign at a gate the going into the reserve saying no mountain biking, but if you go left instead the track seems to join up later with the jeep track, and there are no 'No Cycling' signs on the track going left so... There was a thread under Routes & Trails about the various options in Hermanus

+1 The mutual respect thing is the key... Every situation where two riders meet will be different, so a bit of common sense goes a long way to assessing the conditions and 9/10 times you can pass each other without any major interruption.

Wasn't that bad in the forest. Light drizzle, a bit windy in places and of course all the roots & rocks were slippery, but the biggest obstacles were the toads and frogs! They were out in force, usually choosing to sit right in the middle of the path - and preferably in slippery, technical sections. But still better than spending an evening sitting in front of the TV...

Have to agree - there were loads of sachets along the road through the forest. Sad, considering the area we were riding through! If you've backed off the gas to take your Gu, what a few more seconds to put the empty sachet back in your pouch etc?

Not my dad... We had this bush near our house were the kids used to ride their BMX's, but it was full of thorns! Deal was I could ride there, but had to fix my own punctures. But that was my dad's attitude - To learn how something works, fix it. He applied that to my bicycles, motorbikes etc. Wise man my dad was... B) The 'American attitude' is a strange one as well - everything is dramatic. I use to work as a safari guide and when you're travelling through Zim, Botswana & Namibia punctures were obviously common. Driving the one day, the vehicle got a puncture. So we pulled over, I changed the wheel and we were back on the road again. The American's were astounded and asked me how I remainded 'so calm'? But seriously, a cyclist should know how to fix a puncture, even just from a safety aspect. Otherwise it would be a bit like a canoeist not knowing how to swim - it could end badly!

What! Only one? I recon the local kids could start their own cycling accessory store with all the water bottles, pumps, spare tubes, odd spares and tools left strewn down the Ou Wa Pad!!

I r offended by what u r sayings, us insurance okes are ectually quit clefer... Surely it's the same with seat belts. Back in the day they weren't fitted to cars - now they are, and to not wear one is just plain stupid... Helmets are available (and are relatively cheap when compared to the okes aboves bike), so wear one...

Did 56km around Koeberg - According to my cars thermometer, the temperature at 7am was 3 deg C!!!

My wife is generally cool with me cycling, I normally go at the crack of dawn on the weekends (and as she's not a morning person and likes to sleep in, that actually suits her) or after work, so she doesn't really moan about the time away. And if she does, I just remind her about the weight I've lost particularly as she used to tease me about the extra kg's I was carrying around the middle (but no more! ) Only issue now is, a guy I know lost his leg after being hit by a car and she doesn't want me training on the road because of the danger. Which of course means Argus 2011 is going to be a problem... Anyone got any tips on training purely offroad for the Argus??

+1 But they're a bit heavy for mtbing... lol

I think it’s more a case of jealousy makes them nasty! to them I’ve lost 11kg since January and am now down to 72kg. I got told I was looking ‘gaunt’ (which I definitely am not – could still shed a kilo or two) – but I think the person who said it was not too successful at their own weight lost attempts…

Not bad... but check this out:

Been there done that - my first outing with my cleats was offroad at Tokai, which was propably not the brightest. I hesitated at a small drop off and stopped forgetting I was clipped in. Obviously (as Murphy would dictate) I fell down the slope and ended up on my back with my wheels pointing in the air! Of course it's always funnier when you get to witness it happening to someone else. A buddy of mine was showing off and pulled a wheelie and went right over and couldn't get his feet out in time and landed flat on his back winding himself. It's funny how in the internal "Do I laugh or check they're OK" debate that happens in the split second after an event, laugh wins out every time...

I mtb at Tokai on my own fairly often. But there are normally always people around, although a few weeks back I had some leave and went midweek during the day and there were no other cyclists. Do tend to be a bit more cautious when I'm on my own... I prefer cycling with my mates, but sometimes its kinda cool having some solitude and the whole mountain to yourself.

WHAT, NO WAY MAN! Why should we have to yield to hikers and horseriders? It's way easier and safer for them to stop and get going again regardless of whether they're going up or down. And horseriders? Paaaleeesse! They don't do anything, they just sit there - the poor horse does all the work up the hill! And with the height advantage, the horse rider should see us coming way in advance and move out the way. Kidding, just stirring...

The physics of riding up single track make it logical that those going up have ROW. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> The pleasure of riding down single track makes it logical that those going down have ROW. The result, of course, of two different people each thinking they have the ROW is inevitable? There are pro?s and con?s to both, so at some point someone has to make a ruling and there doesn?t seem to be any disputing that international standard is up riders have right of way (even if you don?t agree with it)? 'Rights' are funny things - just because we have them doesn't mean we must make use of them. Just because you believe you have ROW doesn?t mean you have to exert your rights on oncoming riders. In 95% of the times where I?ve met a rider going the other way, we?ve both assessed the situation and the person for whom it was most convenient has yielded (regardless of whether they?re heading up or down). And in the vast majority of cases a ?Thanks? gets said as we pass. In practice, it seems most people rely on common sense and a consideration for the other riders. Like Splat said, we should be, like, chilled dude? Although, having said that, nothing grates me more that having to stop or slow down on a downhill because there is some chop pushing his bike up the ST because he can?t ride it?

Definitely! Replaced with pvc pipes... Doesn't look as neat as the copper piping but at least there's no second hand value (I hope!)

Scary what you'd consider doing to someone whose just ripped you off!! And I know because I did a lekker long mtb ride on Saturday morning, and with all the rain, the tracks were wet, so by the time I got home I has muddy & cold (but happy!) - only to find some sod had stolen all the copper water pipes from the outside of our house! So, I get to pay a R500 excess and have three days totally inconvienced and my insurance co gets to pay thousands of rand to the plumber and what does the bottom feeding criminal get? At most, R100 for my old copper pipes.

Hey Splat, I was at Tokai as well - but just up to level 5 and then down boulders etc... I borrowed a Light & Motion Stella 300 Dual set which puts out 300 lumens? (wattever...) Was plenty bright enough, but a light on the helmet would also help to illuminate round bends/switchbacks etc...

...how frikkin awesome mountain biking at night is???? Borrowed a set of lights and did my first night ride last night. What a jol! Had to give the lights back though. Now all I need to do is figure out how to fit a set into my rather tight budget...

Actually I can claim no credit for the stitching... I took it using the panorama function on my Samsung Omnia. Hence the low res and the contrast not so great...

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Tokai at sunrise about two weeks back... http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn94/stoffel30/SNC00005.jpg

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