Jonkershoek single track should be...

[ZorgusPrime]

BTW' date=' IMO uphill riders have right of way. It's A LOT more difficult to get going again going uphill than what it is going downhill.

 

Now I am off to Eden to go test my new lights and back to back two of my bikes to see which one gets the unfortunate chop.

 

Now if only someone would buy my damn Alu Racer X...

[/quote']

 

<hijack>

Crow,  I'm interested in knowing what kind of new lights you have ?

</hijack>

 

If you can go up the NeverEndingStory//Eliotti path you have done well.

[MintSauce]

Generally, international accepted etiquette dictates that the uphill rider has right of way, I presume since it is much easier for a rider going downhill to get started, as someone else mentioned.

 

Meurant's previous crew manager was a guy called Emile. Meurant did the general layout and Emile manned the team that actually built both the Canary trails and the extension to Never Ending Story

 

He said that Canary was specifically intended as an uphill trail as the area is very sandy and would not handle high-speed downhill use.

 

NES was not initially intended as downhill only, but from speaking to him I gathered that the idea eventually was for the two trails to create a loop of sorts.

 

That being said, it isn't sign posted as such. I can understand people wanting to ride it in the opposite direction, perhaps for something different, but honestly, having ridden it in both directions, the layout just suits a clockwise loop better IMO. By this I mean that on Canary the trail is built to be as flat as possible and lots of technical features that would make for some fun riding on a downhill were removed to ease climbing....just look at the amount of rocks next to the trail on Upper Canary.

 

I still dream of a Freeride trail in JHK....something that can't be ridden uphill even if you were silly enough to try. The terrain just begs for it!

 

 

 

 

[#Pete#]

OK, so uphillers have right of way.

 

I'll still routinely pull off for downhillers if I sneak uphill on singletrack:

 

1. Often I see them before they see me.

2. It may be easier for me to stop if they're flying.

3. I need the rest :-)

4. I want them to have a good time.

 

 

 

[Bionic man]

My experience at Tokai has been great

1 - I always ask how many riders are behind the guy passing and I always say how many are with/behind me.

2 - I find it easier for the guy/me going uphill to stop quickly(Yes I am slow)

3 - Respect the track and other people/joggers/cyclists/walkers and you get plenty smiles etc.

4 - uphill/downhill - all the same to me, I  SUFFER

[HomerSimpson]

I agree with Mintsauce; the "Upper Canary" was initally intended to be uphill only, in fact I found it to be better to be ridden uphill than down (no real flow to it going downhill).  Right now it has deteriorated to the extent that it is much of a muchness.  I used to ride the NES (now called the Elioti) uphill, but this piece of ST has really been eroded quite badly around some of the corners. 

Personally I don't see a problem with the tracks being bidirectional, except that some of these tracks are obviously being damaged more by downhill traffic than uphill....witness the state of the lower Canary (the sandy ST); since the closure due to logging of the middle Canary last week, the lower Canary has really been badly cut up in some of the corners (within a matter of days).

Overall I think it is time for a restoration of some of the tracks, maybe even a new ST section or two (what about a "contour" ST between the first and second contour roads (parallel, not joining)?

HomerSimpson2008-05-27 03:20:03

[MintSauce]

Someone mentioned earlier in the thread that there was some work being carried out at the moment. Is this true...?

Meurant has spoken of extending the ST to the area 'before' the entrance gate, so to speak....up on the left in the general area that the DH track is in...?

Any word/rumours etc...?

 

 

 

[MintSauce]

Oh....as for the erosion on Eliotti/NES. I rode JHK on Saturday afternoon and must say that the tight switchbacks in the upper section are actually riding much better now that the 'erosion' has formed some nice grooves/berms. You can really rail them now.

 

I can imagine it'd be a bit of a bitch riding up it though.

 

 

 

[mountain_lion]

I have also mostly used the Canary trails for going up. Rode it in its virgin state a few days after it was completed. Many of the corners have since become much more difficult to ride going up due to damage by down hill riders.

 

Meurant had a discussion with MTO yesterday and all the Canary trails (lower, middle and upper) will be signed one-way, UP hill only.

 

His team has also started construction on a new section of single track in Jonkershoek... he did not say exactly where...

 

 

[Canaris]

Only in CT do they discuss two way single tracks?!  Downhill always has the right of way

[MintSauce]

Good news....can't wait!

We could just phone him and ask where it is but the man is busy enough as it is and I know they prefer to finish a trail before the traffic hits it.

 

Pity SARA doesn't ride in Stellies anymore....she's got a built-in 6th sense that detects new ST

 

 

 

[HomerSimpson]

Dunno about the whereabouts of the new track, but I stumbled on a section of old track on Sunday....walked up it for quite a distance...looks to have been abandoned for some time now (you can easily see the groove where the track was, but its about 6 inches deep in pine straw).  Ran out of time and daylight, but will investigate some more this coming weekend (and no, before you ask, it's not the old lower section of the DH course, or any of the sections used in recent XC events and then covered up...).

[MintSauce]

Cool Homer....keep us posted. I might be in JHK again over the weekend.

 

Would be cool to check it out.

 

 

 

[mountain_lion]

 

Overall I think it is time for a restoration of some of the tracks' date=' maybe even a new ST section or two (what about a "contour" ST between the first and second contour roads (parallel, not joining)?

[/quote']

 

I agree. Ideally there should be sufficient single track so that they can be rotated.

 

A contour single track is certainly a good idea.

I discussed this a few years ago with Meurant, but then he was more keen to get NES built, which was obviously more attractive.

 

I will chat to Meurant about this again.

There are some well built contour footpaths in Jonkershoek from many years ago that are not used much at all these days. Many sections are over grown.

These could be made available for MTB with limited effort, might just need a bridge or 2 at the stream crossings.

 

 

 

[HomerSimpson]

I
I will chat to Meurant about this again.
There are some well built contour footpaths in Jonkershoek from many years ago that are not used much at all these days. Many sections are over grown.
These could be made available for MTB with limited effort' date=' might just need a bridge or 2 at the stream crossings.


[/quote']

 

Keep me posted.  There at least two of us (in our household) that are willing to help out with a spade and pick...

[MintSauce]

A contour path is definitely on the cards. Meurant has mentioned this to me on a few occasions. This is why I'm quite keen to find out what they're currently busy with.

 

[fandacious]

I see on facebook AMARIDER has posted pics of new sgl track in jonkershoek. hip hip hooray!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=877651&id=7532806485