Tokai permit

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

And eddy - a lot of that is I think to do with the loss of trees. The place has lost its romanticism and we need to find an adequate replacement by jazzing up the Trails completely. Unfortunately that takes time... more than some people are prepared to take.

[DJR]

The new snake trails are really coming together very well. I rode them a few times now and I think they have got much better lines and flow than the old trails from before the pines were harvested. Tokai is very sandy, especially in summer when it is dry. That is why clay is being mixed in to make it more solid. Very soon the new trails will start to come into their own.

 

If I look at how the fynbos grew back on Vasbyt, that was harvested about 5 years ago, then I know that the snake trails will be amazingly beautiful in a few years from now. It won't be a pine plantation, it will have a different beauty. Already we see things like Caracal and Grysbok returning. When I ride Silvermine in flower season, I don't miss the pines that used to cover it one little bit, because fynbos in full blooming glory is a sight to behold.

 

Sunburn? Go early and slap some cream on! Heatstroke? Drink more and swin in the dam! Wind? HTFU!

 

Tokai has a great future!

[Hairy]

Great future indeed. ...Jay seems to be getting very pricey....almost sworks only pricing of you know what I mean.

 

No way a guy with low income trying to get into the sport is going be able make Tomai his or her home trail.....But then this is the new golf so hey Let's fleece the Riders willing to pay

[marko35s]

Great future indeed. ...Jay seems to be getting very pricey....almost sworks only pricing of you know what I mean.

 

No way a guy with low income trying to get into the sport is going be able make Tomai his or her home trail.....But then this is the new golf so hey Let's fleece the Riders willing to pay

Im piss poor at the moment and Tokai is very much my home trail. I bought an annual permit at the end of June and have been up there around 100 times since then. So far it has cost me around R3 per visit.

[Guest Omega Man]

Im piss poor at the moment and Tokai is very much my home trail. I bought an annual permit at the end of June and have been up there around 100 times since then. So far it has cost me around R3 per visit.

That's pretty damn good value if you look at it like that.

[MintSauce]

But I have to say - if it went up to a grand per year I'd want at least 400 of that to go to the Trails.

 

For now, I will stick to my decision to boycott Tokai.

 

Firstly, it's more expensive than anywhere else but the riding is sub-standard(last time I checked).

Secondly, not a single penny of the money SANParks charges is put to trail maintenance or expansion. It all comes from donations and volunteer work.(also, last time I checked)

 

They won't be taking the piss out of mountain bikers when(not if) they eventually charge a grand, they already are.

[DJR]

I belong to a couple of other "clubs" over and above Tokai. R400 - R600 yearly membership fees are pretty standard. Mostly you then pay extra for what you use on top of that, but at Tokai it is all inclusive. The R400 and something yearly cost for an Activity Card is reasonable. It gives you access to Tokai, Silvermine as well as Cape Point, all great places to ride. I take the road bike down to the Point a few times a year and I ride Silvermine about twice a month. Sometimes I do hill repeats up the tarred part of Silvermine. Tokai I visit 2 or 3 times a week, and if I'm training for a specific event, up to 4 or 5 times a week. Over the whole year it doesn't cost me more than a Rand or 2 per visit. I've never kept score, but sometimes I feel as if just 1 ride up there is already worth the whole R400. Every so often I know that it is priceless! Like it was last Wednesday, and then I took a tumble!

[Hairy]

For a day visit the cost is not on par....I am a day visitor and would rather spend my money elsewhere

[marko35s]

Just back from a ride up to Silvermine and back down via as much ST as we could find. Noticed lots of other riders who, much like us, appeared to be enjoying themselves. I need to find a way to direct them to this thread do they can finally realise the awful truth, that Tokai is utterly crap and they are fooling themselves. The poor deluded fools clearly dont realise that paying to use national park land is just silly, that finding sandy patches on a mountain that is made up of sandy soil is completely unacceptable, that mountain bikes were never designed to deal with anything rougher than a bowlng green and that pristine trails can be created and maintained. for next to nothing.

People moan and bitch but put nothing in and do nothing to help

The MTB community has some absolute quilts as members.

[Hairy]

Marco.....go ride other trails and you will find tokai is good but not R45 good.

 

For me who lives far from tk it works out as a better ride to go to jonkers or even grabouw..... Great trails good pricing and about the same time to get there from table view where I live.

 

If I lived near tk like you then the card would make sense...But the day permit males me feel like I am being taken fora ride by san Parks

[nicds]

Even though Tokai is not as great as it used to be, I still enjoyed the ride today. It will get there again when the vegetation takes hold hopefully.

 

Where else would you go that's close enough to Cape Town that you're not breaking the bank on petrol and still getting a ride of equal or better quality? (Serious question)

[Guest Omega Man]

Just back from a ride up to Silvermine and back down via as much ST as we could find. Noticed lots of other riders who, much like us, appeared to be enjoying themselves. I need to find a way to direct them to this thread do they can finally realise the awful truth, that Tokai is utterly crap and they are fooling themselves. The poor deluded fools clearly dont realise that paying to use national park land is just silly, that finding sandy patches on a mountain that is made up of sandy soil is completely unacceptable, that mountain bikes were never designed to deal with anything rougher than a bowlng green and that pristine trails can be created and maintained. for next to nothing.

People moan and bitch but put nothing in and do nothing to help

The MTB community has some absolute quilts as members.

 

You know until very recently I used to say the exact same things you are saying. I realize you've done a few build days and that's given you a vested interest in Tokai and that is commendable. But insulting people because they don't share your view on a particular trail facility is really uncalled for.

 

It costs R45 for a day permit to ride Tokai. Which makes is one of the most expensive facilities to ride a mountain bike at in the country. It follows that it should have some of the best trail in the country to ride but it simply does not. As a value proposition Tokai compared to other riding spots in the Cape just doesn't add up.

 

Dissing other people because they don't like Tokai or come to the monthly build days is not going to change that.

[tubed]

I don't want to moan about Tokai and would rather make some some constructive comments - if possible.

 

My feelings about Tokai are more sad, frustrated and disappointed - it should be so much better.

 

From the outset I will commend the trail builders - without this crew, it would really be a travesty of note.

 

I consider the R45 per outing expensive, the offering has declined and the price increases have no correlation to inflation, don't reflect an increased service or from what I can see, they don't bear any relation to an increase in costs.

 

I regard Tokai and Silvermine as one area - for most people you cris-cross them both in an outing, so paying only once makes sense.

 

Effectively then, in the South Peninsula we have one area of singletrack and trails - for which Sanparks require a permit. If I understand it now, they require you to have a permit to ride on the lower Table Mountain as well - they just haven't begun enforcing it.

 

About a year or more ago the management of the area changed and we hoped for a new approach from Sanparks, but all I see is the same. My interaction with the staff has generally been poor - they come across as predominantly enforcers - there is no customer service mindset or welcoming attitude - cyclists are just tolerated, its an 'us versus them' mentality.

 

The attitude of the staff reflects that of management - they are on a good thing now, they have no need to increase or even maintain the service and they can increase the costs without any regard to the client - they have a captured and growing market. This thread does however reflect the growing trend of people refusing to use the facility and going elsewhere for far better value.

 

Pedal Power have also it seems given up trying to engage Sanparks - they pick the easier battles.

 

So until Sanparks are forced to consider their customers, they will continue to milk Tokai/ Silvermine for all its worth - a legislated monopoly with customers having no real alternative.

[marko35s]

 

You know until very recently I used to say the exact same things you are saying. I realize you've done a few build days and that's given you a vested interest in Tokai and that is commendable. But insulting people because they don't share your view on a particular trail facility is really uncalled for.

 

It costs R45 for a day permit to ride Tokai. Which makes is one of the most expensive facilities to ride a mountain bike at in the country. It follows that it should have some of the best trail in the country to ride but it simply does not. As a value proposition Tokai compared to other riding spots in the Cape just doesn't add up.

 

Dissing other people because they don't like Tokai or come to the monthly build days is not going to change that.

Nothing to do with vested interests at all and there is no agenda on my part regarding people attending the build days, rather frustration at the way the subject is approached on here and the lack of constructive engagement by the general users. As with a lot of things the negatives tend to be spoken about the longest and loudest.

My 'rant', for want of a better word, is not aimed specifically at any individual or anybody in this thread. It is more general than that and borne of frustration at the overly negative approach many people take to everything.

The issue of cost is a personal one but given the cost of just about anything these days I do honestly see the annual permit as very good value.

The state of the trails is another area that people will have wildly differing views on. I personally really enjoy a feeling of trails being natural and not manufactured (overly manicured and overbuilt). Having said that I also believe that all Man Utd fans should be neutered and not allowed on the trails with the nice people, so my views may not always be balanced or reasonable.

Overall my views arent anything to do with going on build days, which initially I did for the purely selfish motive of finding out more about the trails, I have since discovered that (despite an inbuilt loathing of anything resembling hard work) that the days are good fun. Not everybody can put in the time on build days but it would benefit anybody to go along at least once.

On balance its obvious that people will view any subject from thier own personal perspective but far too often it is the negative that is shouted loudest and longest. And that is a shame.

 

[Oufy MTB (Roadie)]

I was up at Tokai this weekend, and i have to still get used to the tree felling that has happening and still to happen. I can see the trail builders making progress, so well done.

 

I also think the annual permit is getting too high. I regard silvermine as part of Tokai and don't see the cape point reserve as a MTB venue. So, essentially your Tokai annual permit don't buy you much options on national parks land. If I look at the tygerberg mountain bike club annual membership fees and all the trail offerings then Tokai is steep. Oak Valley, Paul Cluver are all stunning trails as well and their day permits are cheaper.

 

I live around the corner of Tokai and ride it frequently to justify an annual permit (which I have to renew) but I think they must slow down on the hiking of prices.

[LazyTrailRider]

I don't want to moan about Tokai and would rather make some some constructive comments - if possible.

 

My feelings about Tokai are more sad, frustrated and disappointed - it should be so much better.

 

From the outset I will commend the trail builders - without this crew, it would really be a travesty of note.

 

I consider the R45 per outing expensive, the offering has declined and the price increases have no correlation to inflation, don't reflect an increased service or from what I can see, they don't bear any relation to an increase in costs.

 

I regard Tokai and Silvermine as one area - for most people you cris-cross them both in an outing, so paying only once makes sense.

 

Effectively then, in the South Peninsula we have one area of singletrack and trails - for which Sanparks require a permit. If I understand it now, they require you to have a permit to ride on the lower Table Mountain as well - they just haven't begun enforcing it.

 

About a year or more ago the management of the area changed and we hoped for a new approach from Sanparks, but all I see is the same. My interaction with the staff has generally been poor - they come across as predominantly enforcers - there is no customer service mindset or welcoming attitude - cyclists are just tolerated, its an 'us versus them' mentality.

 

The attitude of the staff reflects that of management - they are on a good thing now, they have no need to increase or even maintain the service and they can increase the costs without any regard to the client - they have a captured and growing market. This thread does however reflect the growing trend of people refusing to use the facility and going elsewhere for far better value.

 

Pedal Power have also it seems given up trying to engage Sanparks - they pick the easier battles.

 

So until Sanparks are forced to consider their customers, they will continue to milk Tokai/ Silvermine for all its worth - a legislated monopoly with customers having no real alternative.

 

Well put.