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Lebanon MTB trails - huge disappointment!


CleatsnCleavage

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Rode Lebanon yesterday and sorry to say got lost half a dozen times. The signage is small so you need to keep your eyes peeled. In parts the trail is really overgrown making some of the signs very difficult to spot. And then there are places where there are various options but no signs in sight. Some of my guess work was lucky and I stumbled across the trail by luck, but other times I found myself completely lost and eventually found my way back on the N2 and some other tar roads. 

 

Apart from the poor signage the ride was fairly challenging with some heavy breathing little climbs, a fair amount of sand, limited shade (fires earlier in the year) and some mildly technical rocky sections.

 

But with such poor signage the enjoyment factor was limited.

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So.... this post is quite old.

 

ANY chance there has been an update and an improvement in the trails at Lebanon?

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So.... this post is quite old.

 

ANY chance there has been an update and an improvement in the trails at Lebanon?

I rode there a couple of weeks ago, but I know the trails and the layout very well, so I didn't give any regard to signage.

The trails are in good shape, and they drain well. So it's worth a ride. Especially if Oak Valley is closed.

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I though Lebanon no longer exists ? 

Are you not maybe thinking of Thandi across the other side of the N2, parts of which may now be included in the Paul Cluver.trais.

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Ah Lebanon... I have mixed feelings about it.

 

I used to ride there twice a week... now only once a month. The trails have always been quite raw, and signage wasn't great, but I got to know the trails very well. I rode mostly on the eastern side.

 

Unfortunately, it seems like there has only been minimal maintenance over the last 2 years. As far as I know, the land belongs to Forestry, and they chop down all the pine trees every few years. That was done about a year ago, and in the process parts of the trails were destroyed (Ode to Molini, Zambuc and Owls Roost), and the best single track parts near Houwteq (Watch Your Back), etc. Some sections of the trail are also very eroded and the gulleys are too deep to ride.

 

It is still a beautiful place to ride, but just be prepared for a rough, raw environment, without manicured berms, and wooden ramps/drop-offs, etc.

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It is still a beautiful place to ride, but just be prepared for a rough, raw environment, without manicured berms, and wooden ramps/drop-offs, etc.

 

That's what I've always enjoyed about Lebanon.  Its the complete opposite to Oak Valley.

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I rode there way back in 2015. It was fun at the time. Rough and unmanicured yes, but that made it special. It was a mid-week afternoon, and I was alone. It was great. Wife and I spent the night at Old Macdaddy. At one stage I even came across a VERY fresh Cape Leopard spoor in the singe track. It had rained earlier in the day, and the trail was still muddy. I was rather nervous from there on, but made it in one piece. Overall it was a good ride. I liked the remoteness, the trees, the natural state of the trail, which gave the whole ride a feel of being off-piste. It was not overtly technical, but still challenging with some punchy climbs, but the rewards soon came in winding st lines through the pines. 

 

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I rode there a couple of weeks ago, but I know the trails and the layout very well, so I didn't give any regard to signage.

The trails are in good shape, and they drain well. So it's worth a ride. Especially if Oak Valley is closed.

pardon the ignorance and being slightly off topic......is Oak Valley closed? Or by "if" do you mean its closed on occassion......havent been there in ages but wife loves the trails so keen to back soon.

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I rode there way back in 2015. It was fun at the time. Rough and unmanicured yes, but that made it special. It was a mid-week afternoon, and I was alone. It was great. Wife and I spent the night at Old Macdaddy. At one stage I even came across a VERY fresh Cape Leopard spoor in the singe track. It had rained earlier in the day, and the trail was still muddy. I was rather nervous from there on, but made it in one piece. Overall it was a good ride. I liked the remoteness, the trees, the natural state of the trail, which gave the whole ride a feel of being off-piste. It was not overtly technical, but still challenging with some punchy climbs, but the rewards soon came in winding st lines through the pines.

Yep, it is still beautiful, but the ST isn't nearly as good as it was. The nice flowy ST wasn't maintained, and most of the trees are gone. Don't get me wrong, it is still worth riding, but could really do with some maintenance, and re-open the parts of the trail that are no longer accessible.

Edited by greg_sa
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pardon the ignorance and being slightly off topic......is Oak Valley closed? Or by "if" do you mean its closed on occassion......havent been there in ages but wife loves the trails so keen to back soon.

They usually close during/after heavy rain

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pardon the ignorance and being slightly off topic......is Oak Valley closed? Or by "if" do you mean its closed on occassion......havent been there in ages but wife loves the trails so keen to back soon.

Oak Valley closes during and after rain. The OV trails don't drain well, so when it is sodden they close the trails.
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