NotShatterProof Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 Thanks for all the replies! Yesterday I rode the trails at Klapperkop and can only say how impressed I am and surprised that there is such a nice network out there. Looking at River Rat's map I can say I managed to do the blue route, most of the black, then onto the red and finsihing with a part of the black. All really enjoyable and quite rideable. The only place I struggled was on the red and black very tight uphill switch backs. Not sure what the best technique there is? Anyway, for anyone else reading this I can recommend the Klapperkop trails: they are well maintained, quite rideable and I felt relatively safe all the time.
River Rat Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 Glad you enjoyed it and if you were capable of riding most of it then your technical riding is actually a lot better than you thought. Heinrich Hattingh built the trails with technical riding in mind and he certainly has achieved that. As for the switchbacks they're a great challenge for everybody and it calls for a very precise body position with absolutely no margin for error if you are a heavier rider like myself. You'll find that you need to get your weight forward to ensure that the front wheel doesn't lift when you put power on the pedals but not so far forward that you have no traction on the back wheel. Having said that the Red Route has 11 switchbacks at the top and my 95kg frame can only make 7 of them my riding partner is over 100kgs and he manages 6. So we have some work to do but that why we call it training!
NotShatterProof Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 I'll admit I had a couple of "yikes" moments (especially the one rocky section that seems to have a water leak flowing over it); but it is the kind of riding I need to help me improve. I certainly did not get through more than 5 of those switchbacks and I went back a couple of times (and said a couple of non-complimentary things to myself each time). The trails are well marked and maintained and that alone makes me think that if I could donate or contribute then I would gladly do so.
River Rat Posted October 14, 2015 Posted October 14, 2015 The trails were built and paid for by the Friends of Groenkloof Nature Reserve a not for profit organisation and they have started a safety initiative for Klapperkop which includes additional signage and trail maintenance and they would welcome any donation you care to make. Bank account name: Friends of Groenkloof Nature ReserveAccount no: 620 4620 4830 First National Bank Brooklyn Branch no 251345.If you’re like me and want to make sure that things are legit feel free to check out FGNR’s credentials as a Public Benefit Organisation and visit their website http://naturefriends...kloof/index.htm you’ll find the bank account details under the membership application as well as the rules around the donation tax exemption. Mark your donation as Klapperkop Safety so that they know where to allocate the funding.
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