Mntboy Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 So is Giba marked correctly then? Just asking so I know what to compare what colour to.I don't know. If they have a website it should hopefully list their trails and their grading. Honestly I don't know Giba is in KZN and I'm from Cape Town.
Gen Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 I don't know. If they have a website it should hopefully list their trails and their grading. Honestly I don't know Giba is in KZN and I'm from Cape Town.I'll go have a look-see
Danger Dassie Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 Brilliant! If I just stated that, I would have had the energy to write what I actually wanted to say: We need more progressive trails in Gauteng. If we have more trail centres that offer us the opportunity to progress from green to black, our trails in general would improve immensely. The focus (of most of our Trail Centers) are too much on the fitness aspect of our sport and too little on skills development. If the trails are graded correctly, it will go some way to create a demand for more technically challenging trails. And I am not talking about the rocky sections at Rietvlei and Groenkloof. Those sections can be ridden by fairly inexperienced riders on a hardtail. Riders with years of experience still shy away from small drops and jumps, and if that doesn't change, our trails will still be dumbed down to please the masses. There's Vulture Trail and some others at van Gaalen. Then there's some of the sections at both Avianto and Thaba that are plenty challenging. PWC Bike Park also has new skills additions. Everytime we've taken riders/trail builders from KZN, W Cape on rides in these spots they've been more than impressed. Even some overseas guys. If anything Gauteng trails are the opposite of being dumbed down over the years. Grading is still an issue though, and it takes education which is an ongoing process. Meurant Botha has also been instrumental in bringing a lot of trail building knowledge.
Wayne Potgieter Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 This thread is making me lus to ride Thaba.
(Deon) Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 .. Meurant Botha has also been instrumental in bringing a lot of trail building knowledge. and uniformity.
Uni Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 So is Giba marked correctly then? Just asking so I know what to compare what colour to.Just had a look at the video on their site- comparing their 10km green route with something like the green 10km at Northern Farm or the orange 10km at Modderfontein - looks like there's a huge difference in more "technical" stuff- no doubt there's a market for all sorts - just need to find what suits you, but some standardization would make things less confusing.
Gen Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 Just had a look at the video on their site- comparing their 10km green route with something like the green 10km at Northern Farm or the orange 10km at Modderfontein - looks like there's a huge difference in more "technical" stuff- no doubt there's a market for all sorts - just need to find what suits you, but some standardization would make things less confusing.You are right it definitely would make things less confusing.
RocknRolla Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 It would be interesting to see the rating system applied to the " bike parks" here in gauteng. I would hazard a guess that there will be very little double black diamond sections on the natural trails we have here ( not talking about jump lines etc) Is the grading geared ( scuse the pun) more towards gravity riders, or is it also directed to riding UP a difficult section, where skils like balance, power to get momentum, lifting front wheel etc comes into play? I am in full agreement about the lack of progression in obstacles on the local trails ( cant speak for the other provinces) here in gauteng. Accessibility to the correct equipment is also very limited, you cant really go out and hire a 160mm travel machine to try your hand at hakahana, and by the sounds of it, im not taking my rigid ss there to try it either. We are constantly comparing ourselves to overseas, but as i have said before, we in gauteng lack the elevation for multiple grade dh/#enduro lines Our soil in gauteng is also very far from "loam" it's more like a marble factory exploded and landed on all the singletrack.
RocknRolla Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 There's Vulture Trail and some others at van Gaalen. Then there's some of the sections at both Avianto and Thaba that are plenty challenging. PWC Bike Park also has new skills additions. Everytime we've taken riders/trail builders from KZN, W Cape on rides in these spots they've been more than impressed. Even some overseas guys. If anything Gauteng trails are the opposite of being dumbed down over the years. Grading is still an issue though, and it takes education which is an ongoing process. Meurant Botha has also been instrumental in bringing a lot of trail building knowledge.Yep, add Heia Safari to that list, berms coming out your wazoo, great for getting approach speed, body position and exit lines in corners dialled. And you get 400 odd metres of climbing done in the process of getting to and from the fun stuff.
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 It's not always about the grade (ascent or descent) in the area, rock. But yeah, it is applicable to uphills as well... though I reckon it'll be max Blue in terms of IMBA rating cos it's mainly related to danger etc. But then you can have lose rock and skinnies etc on a climb, which may mean black. Root steps and such would be blue in rating though, unless they were more than 12 inches in height and unavoidable
(Deon) Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 People are afraid of getting hurt and trail parks are afraid of them getting hurt, so the demand for tech trails hinges on willingness and numbers. Trail builders should create a nurturing environment by placing safety first. The knowledge of safety helps put riders minds at ease about what they will find on the trails, they slowly overcome fear and the willingness starts.
NicNacDH Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 Or just employee someone like Peach, on a permanent base.To give people the chance to learn, on there prefered trail, to do it the right way and over come there fear.You need someone watching you, and giving you the right advise on what you actually do wrong.I know .... it is costly. But maybe it works out??
Mntboy Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 Just had a look at the video on their site- comparing their 10km green route with something like the green 10km at Northern Farm or the orange 10km at Modderfontein - looks like there's a huge difference in more "technical" stuff- no doubt there's a market for all sorts - just need to find what suits you, but some standardization would make things less confusing.Well that's the aim with the IMBA Trail grading system, to get some standardization across a variety of Trail centres. The catch though is that each Trail centre and by extension, trail builder would align themselves with IMBA and their standards.
Mntboy Posted October 12, 2015 Posted October 12, 2015 Careful...that attitude has gotten me fat and lazy. Almost all our riding the last year was about improving our skills. We now have to train like crazy for our year end holiday. Unless they changed the rules at Jonkershoek and we are now allowed to shuttle... [emoji14]h34r:Well I live close by Black Hill and as such I figure it's easier for me to ride there than going via a car - which would mean inviting a friend along as I only own a scooter. My home is literally about 6km away in Glencairn Heights. However this includes a long climb towards Black Hill, a long back towards Glencairn and then a long steep climb home. So rest assured I'll get loads of climbing fitness!
Samurai Pizza Cat Posted October 12, 2015 Author Posted October 12, 2015 There's Vulture Trail and some others at van Gaalen. Then there's some of the sections at both Avianto and Thaba that are plenty challenging. PWC Bike Park also has new skills additions. Everytime we've taken riders/trail builders from KZN, W Cape on rides in these spots they've been more than impressed. Even some overseas guys. If anything Gauteng trails are the opposite of being dumbed down over the years. Grading is still an issue though, and it takes education which is an ongoing process. Meurant Botha has also been instrumental in bringing a lot of trail building knowledge. Sorry DD, except for the odd rocky section, that last all of 20m there are nothing at Avianto that is even remotely challenging. Thaba have one rock section of about 100m that could be classified as technical, but even that is only rated "blue". Now that the DH track has been killed , nothing at Thaba should be rated above blue. The climb to the Vulture route is challenging, and there are some tech sections at VG like Pof Adder, but it's more about riding over or through rocky sections than being comfortable with your bike riding at speed, and doing drop offs, gap jumps etc. Even PWC had to modify their drop offs after people complained that they are too dangerous. (1.25m ) PWC also killed off all their gap jumps...so much for the growth of tech trails in GP. The fact that you did not even mention Hakahana makes me wonder what you define as technical. Because honestly, that is the only trail we have that challenges you to improve your bike skills. It has a great variety of features that you can practice on and speed is a definate factor.But even Hakahana is not even remotely close to the old Jonkershoek trails. And from what I've seen of the new Jonkershoek trails, nothing will get close in the near future. Great trails are about flow, and speed and cool features that makes sense because it's in exactly the right place on that trail....it's not about single track on the climbs and Jeep tracks on the downhills...where did I see this...oh yes, at both Avianto and Van Gaalens
Samurai Pizza Cat Posted October 12, 2015 Author Posted October 12, 2015 Sorry if I missed it but are Howick and Karkloof correctly graded according to IMBA?Yes.
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