TBMTBC what you are not allowed to talk about on FB group

[(Deon)]

just get everyone to ride the trails properly and not drag the rear wheels around every corner

 

Huh? It may be easier to get the committee to respond..

[Dicky DQ]

Newbies will not pitch unless they have been invited, referred by a member, it is then that member's duty to enlighten, nay, INSTRUCT and in fact accompany the referred, invited newbie.

 

It is time to take ownership.

 

There are many "secret routes" that I often take ppl on and there are always clear instructions in this regard.

 

So in short, If you join the club you sign the "rules" and if you invite or tell ppl about a route it is YOUR responsibility to do the instruction, no one else.

[Dicky DQ]

Huh? It may be easier to get the committee to respond..

 

I know, it is a pipe dream but we live in hope!

[Guest Smimby]

Newbies will not pitch unless they have been invited, referred by a member, it is then that member's duty to enlighten, nay, INSTRUCT and in fact accompany the referred, invited newbie.

 

It is time to take ownership.

 

There are many "secret routes" that I often take ppl on and there are always clear instructions in this regard.

 

So in short, If you join the club you sign the "rules" and if you invite or tell ppl about a route it is YOUR responsibility to do the instruction, no one else.

 

I have seen many newbies riding MD on their first ride. Riding properly is not a skill learned in a day. It takes time.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Smimby

[Dicky DQ]

good idea. Then it is no longer a club but a business. And we can pay as we ride. So if we don't like a section we go ride another farm.

 

Maybe that is the best thing to do....let people wallets talk.

 

The need for year round maintenance was the Epic last year. That hurt the trails.

 

Agreed, see the light and all is simplified. Just think if at the end of this year you do not sign up, they will feel it.............. only if you are part of the masses. If the rest feel they are getting a fair deal all things stay the same and your bitching was a waste of time and energy.

 

PS it does not need to be a business, just ppl wanting the same thing and paying to make it happen in their own way........ No wait is this not what there is now?

[Guest Smimby]

 

 

Agreed, see the light and all is simplified. Just think if at the end of this year you do not sign up, they will feel it.............. only if you are part of the masses. If the rest feel they are getting a fair deal all things stay the same and your bitching was a waste of time and energy.

 

PS it does not need to be a business, just ppl wanting the same thing and paying to make it happen in their own way........ No wait is this not what there is now?

 

True if that is what the masses feel like. However I have a feeling many are not happy, looking at the amount if FB posted that get deleted.

 

 

 

Have you ever wondered if our action here is a maybe response? That could have been prevented? Had someone answered a phone or treated us with some respect?

Edited August 7, 2013 by Smimby

[Rapunzel]

I understand why we need wet trail ( to and extent now) but I know want to find a solution that we can have still do maintenance year round....hence asking what else can work....trailer with watertank? etc....

Any ideas from your side? maybe one of those petrol stampers things? Will it help during summer?

 

What do you think of the adding a step to the fence climb overs so short people can get over? Maybe with a little platform just big enough to hold your bike? or a hook on a pole to hook your front wheel into and then you can swivel your bike across.....again thinking of the ladies and people with a bad back?

 

Maybe some engineers have more other ideas?

I take offense - I can get my bike over the climb-overs and I'm a chick!!

 

Re stampers - they don't work as the trail is cambered or on a gradient in most places which makes it virtually impossible to get the stamper to go where it is designed to.

 

Maintenance year round is not possible - ground forms a crust in summer and if you break it, it turns to dust and then tires and wind erode it.

 

Regarding any complaints regarding the parts of the trail, please complete a trail maintenance request first and then follow up with comms directly with Patrick. Between Patrick and Bennet (who builds trails in Jonkershoek), they have sufficient experience with building and maintaining our trails and I'm inclined to trust their judgement.

 

Regarding Epic: I agree that many of our trails missed out on maintenance for a period of time but they played catch up and the trails are currently in very good condition. When one of the most prominent land owners wishes to host the Epic, I feel that it is in the club's best interest to assist the landowners to make it a success.

 

Regarding response from the committee: Some members of the committee are representing affected bodies (eg sponsors, conservancies, ...) and are not heavily involved in the day to day running of the club. Those who are involved with the daily running of the club are holding down full time jobs and in my experience from handling comms, an employed person is seldom sufficiently equipped to handle many of the queries that come in (and there are 100's - some easy to respond to, some are emotionally draining). I'm pretty sure that the committee is aware of the shortcomings in comms and I don't envy the position they are often in.

 

Lastly, I'm sure I fall into the category of the 90% or more of members who are happy - we have awesome trails we can ride on year round. We have our tumbles, get caught in ruts, curse and swear when we ride through fresh cow plotcha and occasionally wish we could fit weedeaters to the front of our bikes to help cut back spring vegetation growth BUT, it's all part of mountain biking in the tygerberg and I love it

[flymango]

I have to agree with @Rapunzel. I don't Facebook. The trails evolve with the seasons and the wear and tear, despite the superior efforts of committed people with trail-building and maintenance experience. So be it. MTBing isn't for sissies. My wife gets her own bike over the fences (ok - I help a bit).

 

BUT: I do believe the committee is accountable with my money, even though I voluntarily part with it.

 

HOWEVER: The club is nothing without the support and co-operation of the landowners. We, the members, are nothing without them.

[Guest Smimby]

 

I take offense - I can get my bike over the climb-overs and I'm a chick!!

 

Snip

 

tygerberg and I love it

 

I completed the trail maintenance request and follwed it up with many emails. No response.

 

Chatted to Patrick and he told me himself he would love to have a stamper and not have to use the train track all the time....conflicting reports then.

 

I am NOT saying I don't love our trails. I am saying we are no longer allowed to discuss anything on the FB page. As I said before we have FANTASTIC trails and we just want to discuss making things better without posts being deleted.

 

Even posts about Gspot got deleted? Huh?

 

So we come here to talk about the good and the not so good. It is just a discussion on what IS good and what might need attention without our heads being chopped off.

 

I am asol part of the 90% thinking Patrick is doing a stunning job...

 

When I posted my opinion on the new bloemendal section which was "love it, top section is way cool, bottom a bit of a waste of time" my post was deleted....why? it was my opinion......others said "to technical" "to easy" so everyone has an opinion.

 

The FB page does not lend itself to discussions with the current admin, so we chat here and what is wrong with that?

 

We / I want to assist the club where I can.........they do a lot of good and where they don't have a solution we want to discuss it and the take them some solutions to possiblbly use or not, at least we have used our many resources here on the hub to assist with said solution.

 

Ie multiple bikes, maybe someone here has a solotion for that problem?

 

I am gonna say again, the club trails are COOOOOLLLLLL!!!!

 

Again this page is to get solution to problem we all face.

 

Those pesky multidimensional riders, saying it is to much effort to the club board....what can we do?

 

I'd photo on the board laminated?

Edited August 7, 2013 by Smimby

[Guest Smimby]

I have to agree with @Rapunzel. I don't Facebook. The trails evolve with the seasons and the wear and tear, despite the superior efforts of committed people with trail-building and maintenance experience. So be it. MTBing isn't for sissies. My wife gets her own bike over the fences (ok - I help a bit).

 

BUT: I do believe the committee is accountable with my money, even though I voluntarily part with it.

 

HOWEVER: The club is nothing without the support and co-operation of the landowners. We, the members, are nothing without them.

 

WELL SAID

[Da Vinci]

 

I take offense - I can get my bike over the climb-overs and I'm a chick!!

 

Re stampers - they don't work as the trail is cambered or on a gradient in most places which makes it virtually impossible to get the stamper to go where it is designed to.

 

Maintenance year round is not possible - ground forms a crust in summer and if you break it, it turns to dust and then tires and wind erode it.

 

Regarding any complaints regarding the parts of the trail, please complete a trail maintenance request first and then follow up with comms directly with Patrick. Between Patrick and Bennet (who builds trails in Jonkershoek), they have sufficient experience with building and maintaining our trails and I'm inclined to trust their judgement.

 

Regarding Epic: I agree that many of our trails missed out on maintenance for a period of time but they played catch up and the trails are currently in very good condition. When one of the most prominent land owners wishes to host the Epic, I feel that it is in the club's best interest to assist the landowners to make it a success.

 

Regarding response from the committee: Some members of the committee are representing affected bodies (eg sponsors, conservancies, ...) and are not heavily involved in the day to day running of the club. Those who are involved with the daily running of the club are holding down full time jobs and in my experience from handling comms, an employed person is seldom sufficiently equipped to handle many of the queries that come in (and there are 100's - some easy to respond to, some are emotionally draining). I'm pretty sure that the committee is aware of the shortcomings in comms and I don't envy the position they are often in.

 

Lastly, I'm sure I fall into the category of the 90% or more of members who are happy - we have awesome trails we can ride on year round. We have our tumbles, get caught in ruts, curse and swear when we ride through fresh cow plotcha and occasionally wish we could fit weedeaters to the front of our bikes to help cut back spring vegetation growth BUT, it's all part of mountain biking in the tygerberg and I love it

Yes Rapunzel but I'm also chick and I battle, so did the 3 ladies that rode last week, and the8 that rode the week before as well as an older gentleman.

I think many people tend to forget they were also once newbies... The club is growing which means more people on the trails.... Great no issue except for wear and tear that will just compound over time. We may also be sharing with runners too.

I can't do math but I am one person and I personally know about 20

members who have issues with certain aspects and could be clarified as less than happy. Of those 20 - 3 have opened their mouths on a public forum.

Riding Meerendals Mineshaft the other day we were 4 Woman doing and easy " confidence" boosting ride so we were passed by many guys at the mineshaft switchbacks - EVERY Guy dragged his wheels down it. Creates ruts and then a newb building confidence on downs wipes out after hitting a tyre groove. Now Meerendal is the clubs busiest trail cos it is the "beginner trail" it's also open to the public so it probabaly sees a few thousand bikes a week and the more members the more bikes.

There must be a long term solution found for the dry season. What if we are to host the Epic prologue again next year? What should the club members suffer on the worn out trails for 3 months until they get rain again? And it does bother me that the first year of the Epic prologue the members were all consulted and we were promised stuff (which I have no reason to believe didn't happen) and yet this year it was just taken for granted the members would accept it.

 

I have issues that I want to to raise but there is no plan for a meeting anytime soon so I'm biding my time. Perhaps if the Club hadn't tried to sneak an amendment into the constitution last year with out following due process I would be more trusting of the committee and its intentions.

I am passionate about the club and I love the trails and I can ride all of them confidently but not every one who is a member can. And I'm worse than any security guard when it comes to follow the letter of the law regarding boards and sticking to trail routes and members corridors.

And yes if my work didn't take me out of town as often as it does I would volunteer to be on the committee. But because of work commitments I don't offer my service because if you choose to offer yourself for that service you do with the knowledge you have to do this for love and that you will suffer under the pressure.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Da Vinci

[Da Vinci]

Amazing how people only state what they want you to know. Da Vinci you know that as far as finances go the club is still recovering from a major financial setback that nobody wants to talk about. As for you Coenie(same dog as your FB profile) well you just want to cause trouble and no you cannot work the trail in summer cause the clay is rock hard and cannot be molded, a principal you fail to understand, you still feel you can fix the trail with your cycling shoe.

The club cannot please everyone but seems to be pleasing 95% of the members??

Get a life people, as long as we have stunning trails at a budget price, lets just ride our bikes.

 

P.S. The person managing the FB page has a day job but still tries to answer questions timeously, he is not perfect and does not get paid for his time BUT does try to help!!

 

Yes Noel I do know about the club financial setback from 2 years ago and the Bun fight that that created at the AGM.. And the committee is probably doing a great job sorting it out but maybe half the current members are aware of that situation. And they have full time employed a trail maintenance man and soon to be Adium person so financially we must be sound. It's the same as a new member riding up Dorstberg, seeing a guy cycling up the single track and scheming COOL I can do that too next time....

[Guest Smimby]

Give da Vinci a bells!

[SCHWINN LOVER]

Yes Noel I do know about the club financial setback from 2 years ago and the Bun fight that that created at the AGM.. And the committee is probably doing a great job sorting it out but maybe half the current members are aware of that situation. And they have full time employed a trail maintenance man and soon to be Adium person so financially we must be sound. It's the same as a new member riding up Dorstberg, seeing a guy cycling up the single track and scheming COOL I can do that too next time....

 

Probably is not good enough Da Vinci, compared to 2 years ago the club is in a MUCH better condition and moving forward in leaps and bounds. Given the communication could be fine tuned but by your own admission they are appointing a admin person in the near future who I assume will assist with communication and membership queries so that tells me they are trying to fix their shortfalls?

 

As for the condition of the trails for newbies well I can honestly say I have never let a person fall, my wife,my 2 daughters, friends and friends children can testify to that. Slow and steady, if you are not sure walk it till you build confidence, that is what we need to get into newbies heads. We need to educate people not just ride along with them. What is going to happen to that newbie that has only ridden a perfectly manicured trail when they get to a fun ride with ruts ,loose gravel and drainage ditches?

 

Anyway I am tired of this argument because we will never come to agreement so I am off to join the vast majority(too scared to speak up) of the club members on our stunning trails.

 

P.S. Without faith we are nothing, have some faith in the committee you helped choose.

[Guest Smimby]

 

 

Probably is not good enough Da Vinci, compared to 2 years ago the club is in a MUCH better condition and moving forward in leaps and bounds. Given the communication

 

Snip

 

P.S. Without faith we are nothing, have some faith in the committee you helped choose.

 

I don't think that one elects a committee and then leave EVERYTHING for them to do, as a club member we work with the committee throughout the year.

 

Hence the suggestions.

 

Communication will not be resolved by appointing an admin person if the admin does not have the correct info, that is something we noticed allready, the FB communicator does not always have the facts so a response is given just to be overturned later...

 

Ie, all cards will be at the MD clubhouse from Thursday, minutes later another committee member posted that they will be posted.

 

Now even with a dedicated admin person, that problem is not solved. Unless the admin is just going to reply to emails saying we get your email?

 

I see many committee members post on FB surely if you have the time to do THAT you have the time to respond to email? They should also display their member board at all time..... not? But that is my opinion. Lets move on to finding a solution.

 

You don't elect a committee and leave them alone for a year, it is a club which means interaction between members and committee. We are one club.

 

It is NOT up to 6/7 individual people to come up with all the answers all the time, we can make their lives easier by assisting, like ideas for fence climbing and ideas for sections of trail etc.

 

ideas on how to improve communication, how to stop board duplication etc etc......

 

By saying we elected them now leave them alone, you are not really actively assisting them, you thanking them for what they have achieved BUT not really giving up your time also help.

 

I don't say I don't have faith in the committee, I want to actively help. Because that is how I see a club grow more and faster.......sitting back saying "have faith" does not get the job done or assist them!

Edited August 8, 2013 by Smimby

[udxcob]

I am a member but seldom ride the trails (work doesn't allow me to) but filling in a rut in the ground I personally think is going over the top, it's a mountain bike trail isn't it