Tygerberg MTB Trails

[Johnny82]

32 minutes ago, Newbie321 said:

Anyone know when they will open the lower part of lombards terra and b-spot? B-spot has been closed for months now...

Friday's club mail said "P.S B-Spot is open so go forth and enjoy!"

[HenryS]

38 minutes ago, Newbie321 said:

Anyone know when they will open the lower part of lombards terra and b-spot? B-spot has been closed for months now...

The lower part of Lombards is going to be changed quite a bit. The new flow trail will be part of it, so it might still be  a while.

[ChrisF]

Had such a nice ride today.  Once again impressed with the trails that Patrick builds ... we actually spoke about how his brain must work to dream up these trails and switchbacks .... RESPECT, and thanks 

 

Later in the ride we did Conties and ENJOYED the "Super Tubes" .... WOW !!!  Manicured does not even begin to do justice to these trails.

[Robbie Stewart]

9 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

Had such a nice ride today.  Once again impressed with the trails that Patrick builds ... we actually spoke about how his brain must work to dream up these trails and switchbacks .... RESPECT, and thanks 

 

Later in the ride we did Conties and ENJOYED the "Super Tubes" .... WOW !!!  Manicured does not even begin to do justice to these trails.

Yoh I'm hungry for some trails again, and I can hardly think to start riding again on anything other than the superb trails on offer by TBMTBC.

My last couple rides before doing a number on my ankle were the newly refreshed enduro line from Super Tubes, Skills Park and mainline descent at Hoogekraal. Those rides made enough memories to keep my stoke levels high while waiting patiently for my strength to return.

That's testament, to me at least, of the quality of the trails.

[Newbie321]

How many people have now broken something on the new flow trail? Saw another potential victim today ????

[Robbie Stewart]

15 minutes ago, Newbie321 said:

How many people have now broken something on the new flow trail? Saw another potential victim today ????

I can only guess its people who have not spent enough time focussing on skills progression who end up hurting themselves.

There's a good reason for the existence of the Leatt Skills Park. I have spent many hours this year just doing repeats there and I can attest to the improvements this has made to my overall riding.

So many people just pedal past on the average Saturday morning, and it always ends up being the same faces using the skills park each time I ride there.

So when new trails like the flow line is introduced people end up getting hurt, and first to blame will be the club for creating such dangerous trails, and those same people will never consider that their lack of skills are really at fault.

[Mamil]

10 hours ago, Robbie Stewart said:

I can only guess its people who have not spent enough time focussing on skills progression who end up hurting themselves.

There's a good reason for the existence of the Leatt Skills Park. I have spent many hours this year just doing repeats there and I can attest to the improvements this has made to my overall riding.

So many people just pedal past on the average Saturday morning, and it always ends up being the same faces using the skills park each time I ride there.

So when new trails like the flow line is introduced people end up getting hurt, and first to blame will be the club for creating such dangerous trails, and those same people will never consider that their lack of skills are really at fault.

Do people blame the trails for their crashes? I've only ever heard people post crash saying things like "I wasn't concentrating" or "I overestimated myself" or "I don't know what happened". I have never heard anyone say "that stupid trailbuilder". That would be like climbing Mt everest and blaming the mountain for killing you. 

Edit - cos while I made cofffee I was just thinking that it's the other way around - I've only ever heard the people I regard as "proper mtb riders" complaining about how easy the TGMTB trails are!

Edited November 15, 2021 by Mamil

[Jbr]

yeah, if someone thinks Tygerberg trails are too dangerous I reckon they should just go ride on the road 

If you exclude the DH/Revised/Black Rhino 1 (that are clearly marked as extreme), the rest of the trails are very accessible with nice B lines for pretty much anything that could scare you, I really don't see how you can blame the club for the trails being dangerous.

Edited November 15, 2021 by Jbr

[Mamil]

12 minutes ago, Jbr said:

yeah, if someone thinks Tygerberg trails are too dangerous I reckon they should just go ride on the road 

If you exclude the DH/Revised/Black Rhino 1 (that are clearly marked as extreme), the rest of the trails are very accessible with nice B lines for pretty much anything that could scare you, I really don't see how you can blame the club for the trails being dangerous.

... and that one rock slab washed out bit on the cobra - the rest is perfect for mamils

[Robbie Stewart]

18 minutes ago, Mamil said:

Do people blame the trails for their crashes? I've only ever heard people post crash saying things like "I wasn't concentrating" or "I overestimated myself" or "I don't know what happened". I have never heard anyone say "that stupid trailbuilder". That would be like climbing Mt everest and blaming the mountain for killing you. 

Edit - cos while I made cofffee I was just thinking that it's the other way around - I've only ever heard the people I regard as "proper mtb riders" complaining about how easy the TGMTB trails are!

You should go spend a Saturday morning at Bloemendal. I've seen the results of people trying to purposely dumb down obstacles intentionally placed there by the trail builders. Lombard's Terra point in case. Folks have been moving rocks around on that trail for years, and sadly I've also noticed how the trail has been getting steadily dumbed down over the years. Example being the step down jump which became a table, which became a roller. Is this to make it rideable for the majority? Has to be considering the handful of people riding the XCO line by comparison.

But sure, I am not implying people are blaming the club for their own deficiencies, but they're probably likely thinking it otherwise why try and make a trail rideable for you. If you can't ride a particular section of trail, go around it, and take that as the cue to improve more.

But in saying that, I haven't ridden the flow line yet due to my inability to even walk at this stage, but from what I've seen it really does not seem hard at all. Plaisir de Merle has an even bigger flow line than Bloemendal's one. Point I'm trying to make is that riding a mtb guarantees that at some point, you will separate from the bike resulting in a crash. The best way to mitigate this is to upskill and progress your riding. Just blindly getting on a bike and hitting some new feature just because its there is not the wisest thing to do.

[Robbie Stewart]

4 minutes ago, Mamil said:

... and that one rock slab washed out bit on the cobra - the rest is perfect for mamils

Shees, that rockslab is soooo easy. I don't get why people think its hard. Cobra is honestly not a hard trail to ride. But, I have also been there when the Netcare chopper had to come fetch riders down there twice in my ride.

The secret to the rock slab is to stay left and keep the high line. The rest is easy peasy.

[Robbie Stewart]

21 minutes ago, Jbr said:

yeah, if someone thinks Tygerberg trails are too dangerous I reckon they should just go ride on the road 

If you exclude the DH/Revised/Black Rhino 1 (that are clearly marked as extreme), the rest of the trails are very accessible with nice B lines for pretty much anything that could scare you, I really don't see how you can blame the club for the trails being dangerous.

oooo, revised DH into Black Rhino 1 into Black Rhino 2 is my favourite line in the entire network. The biggest challenge I currently have is navigating that rocky bit at the very top of BR1. The rest is super fun, including the pallet jumps, which are the best bit.

The main DH line is the only tygerberg line I have not ridden.

 

[Mamil]

1 minute ago, Robbie Stewart said:

You should go spend a Saturday morning at Bloemendal. I've seen the results of people trying to purposely dumb down obstacles intentionally placed there by the trail builders. Lombard's Terra point in case. Folks have been moving rocks around on that trail for years, and sadly I've also noticed how the trail has been getting steadily dumbed down over the years. Example being the step down jump which became a table, which became a roller. Is this to make it rideable for the majority? Has to be considering the handful of people riding the XCO line by comparison.

But sure, I am not implying people are blaming the club for their own deficiencies, but they're probably likely thinking it otherwise why try and make a trail rideable for you. If you can't ride a particular section of trail, go around it, and take that as the cue to improve more.

But in saying that, I haven't ridden the flow line yet due to my inability to even walk at this stage, but from what I've seen it really does not seem hard at all. Plaisir de Merle has an even bigger flow line than Bloemendal's one. Point I'm trying to make is that riding a mtb guarantees that at some point, you will separate from the bike resulting in a crash. The best way to mitigate this is to upskill and progress your riding. Just blindly getting on a bike and hitting some new feature just because its there is not the wisest thing to do.

I've never understood the mentality of people who decide to ride off drops or do jumps because they're there. IF there's a new trail feature I make my mates ride it first to see what happens. Then I walk around it - then I ignore it for a few rides - then someone calls me a p-ssy, then I ignore them and eventually I might risk it. 

HAving said this, like many people with a slightly anxious orientation to life,  I'm also an adrenaline junkie.

I'm also of an age and attitude where, while I absolutely love mountain biking (and road and gravel), I have accepted that I started the sport late in life and am unlikely ever to progress to a truly proficient level. And from what I see at the trailseekers and the carpark at TGMTB, I'm probably representative of the biggest demographic in the club.

[Jbr]

13 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Shees, that rockslab is soooo easy. I don't get why people think its hard. Cobra is honestly not a hard trail to ride. But, I have also been there when the Netcare chopper had to come fetch riders down there twice in my ride.

The secret to the rock slab is to stay left and keep the high line. The rest is easy peasy.

It's impressive, that's why I reckon people crash on there, they panic and probably lock the brakes on the lose rocks right after the slab... First time I did the cobra I went on it not knowing what was there once on the slab I had no other choice than to let the bike do it's thing so never actually had time to build fear for it. I have friends on the other hand who walked it a few times before they found the guts to ride it.....and instantly feel disappointed at how easy it actually is

Edited November 15, 2021 by Jbr

[Thermophage]

41 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

Shees, that rockslab is soooo easy. I don't get why people think its hard. Cobra is honestly not a hard trail to ride. But, I have also been there when the Netcare chopper had to come fetch riders down there twice in my ride.

The secret to the rock slab is to stay left and keep the high line. The rest is easy peasy.

Prepare for being dragged over the coals for that "Cobra is honestly not a hard trail to ride". Yes, it's a blue and needs regrading for the benefit of the community :( OK that's me out

[Robbie Stewart]

33 minutes ago, Mamil said:

I've never understood the mentality of people who decide to ride off drops or do jumps because they're there. IF there's a new trail feature I make my mates ride it first to see what happens. Then I walk around it - then I ignore it for a few rides - then someone calls me a p-ssy, then I ignore them and eventually I might risk it. 

HAving said this, like many people with a slightly anxious orientation to life,  I'm also an adrenaline junkie.

I'm also of an age and attitude where, while I absolutely love mountain biking (and road and gravel), I have accepted that I started the sport late in life and am unlikely ever to progress to a truly proficient level. And from what I see at the trailseekers and the carpark at TGMTB, I'm probably representative of the biggest demographic in the club.

I also am of the age where injuries are costly in terms of recovery time and the associated difficulties, so for me currently dealing with a broken ankle recovery I am not sure how I will be approaching obstacles which in my mind I would happily attack on any given Sunday. Getting older sucks.

But I have progressed more in the last year than I have in the last 10 and that is mainly due to riding with some younger folks who have kept me on the sharp end of my skill set, and that cannot be underestimated. We would approach an obstacle outside our comfort zones and suss it out, uhm and ah some more, all the while steadily building up to attempting it. So far this has worked for us and for the most part we've found that we end up making the obstacle much harder in our heads than it really is.