Rob Fanucchi Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Hey guys looking for some advice here from Western Cape mountain bikers. Im planning a road trip late December from JHB down to CT and then across to Plett and back up to Jozi (with possibly a few stops along the way, eg: Hermanus, George..)Not too sure how long I will be down there for (guessing about 2 weeks min) and im taking both my road and mtb with. But with regards to the mtb, I want to know what trails along my road trip are best suited for a 29er hardtail.Looking on here it seems that most guys in WC tend to ride trails that are better suited to a dual sus with some decent travel, so I dont want to rock up at a bike park and not be able to ride the trails due to my hardtail not being able to handle big drop offs... Im fairly fit so I can handle long distances, and obviously single track is a winner. So if anyone can give me some advice on some trails to hit in the above areas I would appreciate it.Would even be awesome to meet up with some of you guys along the way. Peace out!Rob.
dre Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Hemel & Aarde - Hermanus Grabouw trails & Somerset West & Stellenbosch trails, including bottlary hills Lots of farms in between the wine tasting in Durbanville - Hoogekraal, Contermans Kloof, Bloemendal etc... Some nice trails closer to Wellington as well. All perfectly suited for HT 29'er.
Samurai Pizza Cat Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 You can ride almost everything on your 29er hardtail. Here is the "must do " list : Jonkershoek - Stellenbosch Welvanpas - Wellington Steilte - Somerset Oak Valley - Grabouw Hoogekraal - CT Garden Route Trail park - Sedgefield Hakerville - KnysnaNone of the above is "long distances", but all of them are serious fun. The XC boys in the Cape will probably expand the list for you, but try not to miss the above. Enjoy!
Tubehunter Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Dude, all of the established areas have various trails for different flavours, so you and your hard tail will be able to ride anywhere you please. Just avoid some of the DH specific runs which are mostly marked out at the venues too! Have fun on the trip! I'll be racking up road mileage and you'll find a bunch of us cruising the peninsula almost daily!
Hamstring Posted October 27, 2015 Posted October 27, 2015 Tygerberg Mountain Bike Club www.tygerbergmtb.co.za +- 110km of trail,you may need to join the club on a pro rata.
Rob Fanucchi Posted October 28, 2015 Author Posted October 28, 2015 Great thanks for all the awesome replies, looking at the lists above I might have to extend my trip by a month.
Beer4Recovery Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 You can ride almost everything on your 29er hardtail. Here is the "must do " list : Jonkershoek - Stellenbosch Welvanpas - Wellington Steilte - Somerset Oak Valley - Grabouw Hoogekraal - CT Garden Route Trail park - Sedgefield Hakerville - KnysnaNone of the above is "long distances", but all of them are serious fun. The XC boys in the Cape will probably expand the list for you, but try not to miss the above. Enjoy!seriously need to get down there and ride these trails
GLuvsMtb Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Here is what I would be riding in December if I was not familiar with the local trail networks:1. Welvanpas2. Botlary Hills (opposed to Hoogekraal / Meerendal / Contermanskloof, as the TBMTBC trails are a hassle if you are not a member and you wish to do more than 1 trail in a ride)3. Oak Valley / Paul Cluver / Thandi (buy the permit at Oak Valley or Paul Cluver)4. Hemel en Aarde5. GR Trail park6. Harkerville Other places to consider are:Jonkershoek (if you can get someone to show you around, some of the best trails are not immediately apparent)Grabouw Forestry / LebanonGreytonTulbachEselfontein in CeresReebokskloof (Paarl)SteilteLourensford
So Is Es Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 seriously need to get down there and ride these trails You can ride almost everything on your 29er hardtail. Here is the "must do " list : Jonkershoek - Stellenbosch Welvanpas - Wellington Steilte - Somerset Oak Valley - Grabouw Hoogekraal - CT Garden Route Trail park - Sedgefield Hakerville - KnysnaNone of the above is "long distances", but all of them are serious fun. The XC boys in the Cape will probably expand the list for you, but try not to miss the above. Enjoy!An do not forget Homtini in Rheenedale and the new Graspad route opening 7th nov.
KarlvN Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 "But with regards to the mtb, I want to know what trails along my road trip are best suited for a 29er hardtail.Looking on here it seems that most guys in WC tend to ride trails that are better suited to a dual sus with some decent travel, so I dont want to rock up at a bike park and not be able to ride the trails due to my hardtail not being able to handle big drop offs..." What? Have I been doing it wrong all this time? Does this mean my HT was NOTdesigned to hit big drop-offs?
GLuvsMtb Posted October 29, 2015 Posted October 29, 2015 "But with regards to the mtb, I want to know what trails along my road trip are best suited for a 29er hardtail.Looking on here it seems that most guys in WC tend to ride trails that are better suited to a dual sus with some decent travel, so I dont want to rock up at a bike park and not be able to ride the trails due to my hardtail not being able to handle big drop offs..." What? Have I been doing it wrong all this time? Does this mean my HT was NOTdesigned to hit big drop-offs? The wife's soft roader is also not designed to go down Van Zyl's Pass. That doesn't mean its impossible, you just need a great deal of skill and a lot of patience.
KarlvN Posted October 30, 2015 Posted October 30, 2015 The wife's soft roader is also not designed to go down Van Zyl's Pass. That doesn't mean its impossible, you just need a great deal of skill and a lot of patience. True I have a Bergamont Revox 5.3 HT, which would not exactly be in the same category as all the mainstream trail and xc bikes regularly mentioned on this forum. Yet, I am consistently hitting the Tygerberg trails hard, especially Contermans, Bloemendaaler, Hoogekraal ( even the dreaded Cobra ) etc. etc. I have been riding hard and fast on the single track, including the tech bits. Bloemendaaler is my favorite piece of trail, especially the jumps etc. I even hit the table top at Conties now and then on my entry level bike. I will admit that my bike is not reaaaalllly up to it, as I have spent a good dosh of cash keeping the back wheel turning, but I can't seem to help myself. It is just so good to go balls to the wall. I have also upped my skills markedly since I started riding 2 1/2 years or so ago, and there is no stopping now.
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