my new santa cruz nomad

[Overlord]

My friend bought your Enduro and he is as happy as can be.Got himself a set of drl 6005 dh hoops and man is he happy.Pity I can't see the pics of your bike. Many happy miles on her though.

[congarong]

 

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i would have to disagree on your last point there mintsauce. There have been numerous dvd scenes shot in south africa with DH bikes 8" travel beasts shredding the country side. Greg minnar has a massive DH trail in Pietermaritsburg' date=' there is one at galollies farm jhb, heldekruin, Tokai, ... steve pete and minnar just shot a movie out here all downhill. Mock my words i can almost guarantee you that SA will become a DH FR mecca in the cape, and natal. http://www.mountainbike-lifestyle.com/homepage.htm        + we have the weather 365 days a year. Lesthoto is virtually uncharted potential for this stuff.

 

 

 

We do have the terrain but we just need a little more inforstructure to accomadate these bikes.

 

There is plenty of it around SA you just have to look around a little or travel a little further.

 

Our mountains might not be as tall as canada, or sweden but we most defiantly have the terrain my friend. i know plenty of people who ride bikes with 6" + travel and would vouch for it.

 

 

 

[/quote']why sweden? they don't have high mountains - i checked, highest mt there is 2104 m high. nothing the drakensberge couldn't beat!just to ge the facts right

 

 

 

my apologies i meant switzerland ... always get them mixed up sighns of a misspent youth ?   thanks for the correction.

[TheLegend]

 

 

 

my apologies i meant switzerland ... always get them mixed up sighns of a misspent youth ?   thanks for the correction.

 

well, on the map they are both pretty much in the same spot - depending on the scale

 

[MintSauce]

I know we have the terrain. What I meant is we don't have the trails.

I did both the Jonkershoek and old Tokai DH courses in the last month or two. I know I'm probably beginning to sound like a ****, but seriously....they're both pretty boring. I don't mean to sound like I'm some pro downhiller. Far from it....I just love steep, technical rides. There's just no real challenge to them. If you take them at serious speed they are scary....but that doesn't make them technical and interesting.

 

I can't quite explain it. I suppose the warnings I got before going to Canada were true.....they said "You will be ruined for life, nothing at home will ever compare etc etc etc...."

 

As I've said before, the trails are just so incredibly technical and fun. Sometimes you're cruising in your granny and barely using any leg strength to turn the crank....you just cruise from one technical feature to the next....huge rocks, skinnies, drops, logrides.....it just never ends. 

 

Added to that is the sheer quantity of trails as well. There's just so much!

 

I have only ridden one trail in SA that could come close to doing for me what the trails in Vancouver and Whistler did. That trail is illegal. I have spoken to Meurant about the possibility of getting this particular trail opened but he says it would be a mammoth undertaking with possibly years of canvassing and then it will still be a 'maybe'....hence they rather focus their energies elsewhere.

 

I find it highly annoying to think that there's some badly maintained hiking trail that is neglected cos noone ever hikes it and yet it's the best flippen trail in the Cape(not just my opinion) except we can't ride it because the powers that be aren't open to the idea of MTBers sharing the trail.

 

I have thought of putting forward a proposal to get this particular area opened, but it's such a huge undertaking. Problem is that everyone will say that they support it fully and want it done but when it comes to getting them involved where it matters ie attending meetings, writing letters, voting, trail maintenance etc then noone pitches....I do believe this is a rather typical S.African trait.

 

_Daemon_ is damn right....being organised is probably the one major thing that got MTBing where it is in Canada. The bikers became united, started making their voices heard in numbers and the community and municipality had no choice but to see them as a force that deserves recognition and acceptance. The municipality even has figures on the economic impact the bikers have i.t.o. job creation and expenditure and that along with a country that actively promotes a healthy lifestyle has all helped pave the way.

 

They are now involved in city planning etc and are consulted on possible new trail systems or rerouting of existing trails in the event of new developments.

 

And they have the community's respect. Of course....this is all some 15 years in the making....EISH!

 

 

 

[Guest Big H]

Santa Cruz Bikes are probably the coolest bikes on the planet!!! <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

But is Santa Cruz and Raleigh not the same bikes??????

[congarong]

I know we have the terrain. What I meant is we don't have the trails.

 

I did both the Jonkershoek and old Tokai DH courses in the last month or two. I know I'm probably beginning to sound like a ****' date=' but seriously....they're both pretty boring. I don't mean to sound like I'm some pro downhiller. Far from it....I just love steep, technical rides. There's just no real challenge to them. If you take them at serious speed they are scary....but that doesn't make them technical and interesting.

 

?

 

I can't quite explain it. I suppose the warnings I got before going to Canada were true.....they said "You will be ruined for life, nothing at home will ever compare etc etc etc...."

 

?

 

As I've said before, the trails are just so incredibly technical and fun. Sometimes you're cruising in your granny and barely using any leg strength to turn the crank....you just cruise from one technical feature to the next....huge rocks, skinnies, drops, logrides.....it just never ends.?

 

?

 

 

Added to that is the sheer quantity of trails as well. There's just?so much!

 

?

 

I have only ridden one trail in SA that could come close to doing for me what the trails in Vancouver and Whistler did. That trail is illegal. I have spoken to Meurant about the possibility of getting this particular trail opened but he says it would be a mammoth undertaking with possibly years of canvassing and then it will still be a 'maybe'....hence they rather focus their energies elsewhere.

 

?

 

I find it highly annoying to think that there's some badly maintained hiking trail that is neglected cos noone ever hikes it and yet it's the best flippen trail in the Cape(not just my opinion) except we can't ride it because the powers that be aren't open to the idea of MTBers sharing the trail.

 

?

 

I have thought of putting forward a proposal to get this particular area opened, but it's such a huge undertaking. Problem is that everyone will say that they support it fully and want it done but when it comes to getting them involved where it matters ie attending meetings, writing letters, voting, trail maintenance etc?then noone pitches....I do believe this is a rather typical S.African trait.

 

?

 

_Daemon_ is damn right....being organised is probably the one major thing that got MTBing where it is in Canada. The bikers?became united, started making their voices heard in numbers and the community and municipality had no choice but to see them as a force that deserves recognition and acceptance. The municipality even has figures on the economic impact the bikers have i.t.o. job creation and expenditure and that along with a country that actively promotes a healthy lifestyle has all helped pave the way.

 

?

 

They are now involved in city planning etc and are consulted on possible new trail systems or rerouting of existing trails in the event of new developments.

 

?

 

And they have the community's respect. Of course....this is all some 15 years in the making....EISH!

 

?

 

?

 

?

[/quote']

 

 

 

i hear you ... well its up to us to make a noise and promote this aspect of MTB. even if it takes 20 years our kids will be ripping it up and thats good enough for me. there is a thread on rant and rave called freeride downhill we are trying to get admin to make a sub forum on the subject and get more people involved instead of having underground websites/forums going around via word of mouth. MTBR and PINKBIKE have loads of sub forums and people from all aspects of MTB can congregate. we need people like you minty !!!