Modderfontein Bike Park - what's happening

[slickjay007]

I ride Modders a lot and don't see any major maintenance that is needed. I do agree that there are few sections that become challenging from weather erosion but nothing that won't improve your technical skills.

 

As Madmarc said, this is part of the riding experience and choose the bike park that suites your needs.

 

I can tell you that from riding experience at Modders that there will be no maintenance done on the grass section you talking about on the Red route. That grass section has been like that for as long as i can remember and the Red route maintenance has always been sparse.

[Dust46]

I rode the Modders full red loop approximately a month ago, was the first time I had ridden it since the change in direction and probably my tenth ride at the reserve. I think the trail was superb, it was the proper tough ride as I have come to expect from Modders but I thoroughly enjoyed it! I ride a HT and the rest of our group all ride DS but I enjoyed the ride just as much as they did. I definitely prefer the reverse route and found the maintenance of the park to be fine, these overly manicured bike parks are making guys soft and then they expect every race they do to be the same HTFU (Harden The F$#*k Up) chaps. This is mountain biking.

[JK7]

I ride Modders a lot and don't see any major maintenance that is needed. I do agree that there are few sections that become challenging from weather erosion but nothing that won't improve your technical skills.

 

As Madmarc said, this is part of the riding experience and choose the bike park that suites your needs.

 

I can tell you that from riding experience at Modders that there will be no maintenance done on the grass section you talking about on the Red route. That grass section has been like that for as long as i can remember and the Red route maintenance has always been sparse.

 

What he said...

[dasilvarsa]

The Concern is Real.

Maintenance is needed.

[thebob]

Did the red loop at Modders today. Only one section had the blackjacks very close to the trail. Very enjoyable

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

There is plenty maintenance happening at modders! Take a look at this bit of ruins? I don't see many people riding that side and it's really special. Real post-apocalyptic Jurassic park vibes. If more people rode these trails, the less grass there would be for people to bitch about.

 

[Dexter-morgan]

There is plenty maintenance happening at modders! Take a look at this bit of ruins? I don't see many people riding that side and it's really special. Real post-apocalyptic Jurassic park vibes. If more people rode these trails, the less grass there would be for people to bitch about.

 

I agree, lots of cutting done but some of the wooden bridges must be treated to avoid cracking later. Is that picture parts part of red?

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

I agree, lots of cutting done but some of the wooden bridges must be treated to avoid cracking later. Is that picture parts part of red?

This is in the old dynamite factory. I think the arrow is black with a white border.

[thebob]

How does one get into that part of the trail?

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

How does one get into that part of the trail?

When you are by the red river section, follow the red/black arrows, it goes over the rocks and some dreaded grass. You will see a white/black arrow. Follow that! It is unreal... tight and twisty through the old dynamite mine, up concrete ramps, through old buildings, walkways, dense bush, all just incredible! 

[thebob]

When you are by the red river section, follow the red/black arrows, it goes over the rocks and some dreaded grass. You will see a white/black arrow. Follow that! It is unreal... tight and twisty through the old dynamite mine, up concrete ramps, through old buildings, walkways, dense bush, all just incredible!

 

Is that after the section called Up The Creek on Strava?

[Dexter-morgan]

When you are by the red river section, follow the red/black arrows, it goes over the rocks and some dreaded grass. You will see a white/black arrow. Follow that! It is unreal... tight and twisty through the old dynamite mine, up concrete ramps, through old buildings, walkways, dense bush, all just incredible!

I think we need a groupride led by Dieter.

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

https://www.strava.com/segments/20145124
 

The segment in question. Take a look on satellite view! 

Edited June 15, 2019 by Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Okay so if you have never been to the ruins...

Follow red and end up at (A) on my map. You do the river section (up the creek, Red path on the map).

After the river section, (A) don't cross the tar road. Follow black arrows with red borders, over the rocks and all that jazz (in orange on the map). There are other colour borders but i'm not sure if they reach the promised land. You will come across (B), the black arrow with white border. This takes you to the ruins and out of the Modderfontein reserve into the old factory. Can be tricky to navigate in there at one or two points as it's hardly ridden. We change that! Enjoy the Ruins of Mordor! 

 

[madmarc]

Just some useless information -  as an ex employee of Modderfontein. The ruins you ride through are not the old dynamite factory per se, and neither is there a dynamite mine in that area. Dynamite is not mined its manufactured.

The Factory is the entire complex which can still be seen from the main road, here they manufactured various chemicals and fertilizers as well as detonators etc.

 

The main reserve is the where the old explosive storage bunkers were situated some of which are still used for other purposes and we ride through or past them on some trails. The ruins in the black section are actually mixing stations, where the final open cast mining explosive were processed. This was a process where Ammonium Nitrate (fertilizer) was mixed with diesel, which is an extremely volatile and dangerous process. This is why the ruins walls are all very thick and heavy with the roads and buildings have huge embankments surrounding them (these are blast walls).

 

Those of us who grew up in Edenvale and Kempton will remember some of the huge explosions that happened there - well this is where they happened, when the mix process went wrong the station blew up. During my time i was on the maintenance crew that had to clean out and rebuild 2 such exploded stations. Luckily they it was an unmanned process so no workers were actually present or killed in the stations (at least during my time there), but some were killed from flying debris which landed as far as 1000 m away from the explosion.

 

AEL - still use the area as an explosive storage are, these are now located behind the fence which runs parallel to the reed section. 

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Just some useless information -  as an ex employee of Modderfontein. The ruins you ride through are not the old dynamite factory per se, and neither is there a dynamite mine in that area. Dynamite is not mined its manufactured.

The Factory is the entire complex which can still be seen from the main road, here they manufactured various chemicals and fertilizers as well as detonators etc.

 

The main reserve is the where the old explosive storage bunkers were situated some of which are still used for other purposes and we ride through or past them on some trails. The ruins in the black section are actually mixing stations, where the final open cast mining explosive were processed. This was a process where Ammonium Nitrate (fertilizer) was mixed with diesel, which is an extremely volatile and dangerous process. This is why the ruins walls are all very thick and heavy with the roads and buildings have huge embankments surrounding them (these are blast walls).

 

Those of us who grew up in Edenvale and Kempton will remember some of the huge explosions that happened there - well this is where they happened, when the mix process went wrong the station blew up. During my time i was on the maintenance crew that had to clean out and rebuild 2 such exploded stations. Luckily they it was an unmanned process so no workers were actually present or killed in the stations (at least during my time there), but some were killed from flying debris which landed as far as 1000 m away from the explosion.

 

AEL - still use the area as an explosive storage are, these are now located behind the fence which runs parallel to the reed section. 

Not useless at all!!! I would love to do a factory tour of the plant one day.