Tygerberg Plumber or Status Quo?

[Rock Guy]

Let’s remove landowner agreements and club agendas from the mix for the purpose of this discussion and ponder the possibility of some steep, natural trails in the Tygerberg area. I used to live in Stellies and came to love the more natural, janky trails that are on offer in Jonkershoek. Living in Durbanville now, I am still to find something similar on the Tygerberg trail network. Make no mistake, there are some great trails, and TMTBC have a huge network to pick and choose from, but wouldn’t it be nice to have something natural, rocky and technical like Status Quo or The Plumber as well? The closest equivalent I can think of is probably Contermans mainline.

 

My first instinct is to think that Tygerberg doesn’t have the gradient, but maybe I'm wrong? Is there a place where such a trail could theoretically be built? Or maybe it’s possible to combine it into a bit of up and down like how the XC track at Bloemendal was built?

[Jbr]

When you talk about it to the club they tell you that 95% of the members don't do the Conties revised enduro/DH line, so there's no need for a new black trail

 

They added black rhino (and by They I mean the Starke brothers, not the club) and even though it's a very easy "black" trail (lots of debate on this forum about it) it's very refreshing to have a new fun trail with a little bit of technical stuff and a few jumps.

 

At some point they (the club) were working on a new black trail at hoogies, but apparently they stopped, giving the argument stated in the begining of my post, which is a shame as it's always good to have new trails... Not sure how "black" it was supposed to be though...

 

 

Anyways, all this to say there is no real will to create new technical trails for the 5% that will ride them, because we have the Conties revised/DH lines, so nothing to complain about    . I'm glad Conties is the closest MTB trail to my house

 

I'm sure there's enough elevation and steep beetween the conties / bloemendaaler masts to make some very nice new trails, but I do understand that the club focuses their efforts on pleasing the wide majority..

I'm not really complaining as I haven't even grown enough balls to try the DH line yet, but loving the revised. would love to have something like the armageddon around here, only went to jonkers once in the worst conditions and man it was worth the trip and the half a day off !

Edited February 18, 2020 by Jbr

[Beefy]

Only one that I can think of is the Conties DH Line.

[Rock Guy]

When you talk about it to the club they tell you that 95% of the members don't do the Conties revised enduro/DH line, so there's no need for a new black trail

 

They added black rhino (and by They I mean the Starke brothers, not the club) and even though it's a very easy "black" trail (lots of debate on this forum about it) it's very refreshing to have a new fun trail with a little bit of technical stuff and a few jumps.

 

At some point they (the club) were working on a new black trail at hoogies, but apparently they stopped, giving the argument stated in the begining of my post, which is a shame as it's always good to have new trails... Not sure how "black" it was supposed to be though...

 

 

Anyways, all this to say there is no real will to create new technical trails for the 5% that will ride them, because we have the Conties revised/DH lines, so nothing to complain about    . I'm glad Conties is the closest MTB trail to my house

 

I'm sure there's enough elevation and steep beetween the conties / bloemendaaler masts to make some very nice new trails, but I do understant that the club focuses their efforts on pleasing wide the majority..

I'm not really complaining as I haven't even grown enough balls to try the DH line yet, but loving the revised. would love to have something like the armageddon around here, only went to jonkers once in the worst conditions and man it was worth the trip and the half a day off !

 

I love Black Rhino, what a great trail.

 

Status quo scares the bezeegus out of me but it's what is needed to improve your skills. Just riding smooth trails faster gets boring after a while and its probably pretty dangerous anyway.

 

Maybe the back of Dorstberg could also work? I remember bombing down there at mach 2 on some race.

[Rapunzel]

I agree with you on back of Dorstberg - gnarly indeed. Throw in a bit of speed and it becomes suitably challenging. Sadly it's sometimes used as a shooting range so its not possible to throw it in. We are however holding thumbs that another landowner will open his farm gates to the club in the future and it has the potential for some gradient and unmanicured lines.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

It's simple. Tygerberg will not build technical trails. We're continually being told that we're not thankful for the loads of trail on offer (not true, we are) or to "ride faster" if we want more tech (not helpful when we've repeatedly asked for more SLOW tech trails)

 

To get Status levels of tech you're pretty much restricted to that, or some trails on Table Mountain like Mother in Law, The Other Woman and so on.

 

 

There have been requests, track walks (on Sunday rides WITH Patrick) and scouting missions in an attempt to get at least a small tech trail in on one of the farms, but it's always met with derision. Always.

 

I don't count Conters in this as there's a fair amount of variation on the trails and it hosts the network's most tech trails, revised and kloof being my favourite in the network as a whole.

 

There is PLENTY vert on offer. The potential at hoogies alone is breathtaking.

Edited February 18, 2020 by Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

[Knersboy]

It's simple. Tygerberg will not build technical trails. We're continually being told that we're not thankful for the loads of trail on offer (not true, we are) or to "ride faster" if we want more tech (not helpful when we've repeatedly asked for more SLOW tech trails)

 

To get Status levels of tech you're pretty much restricted to that, or some trails on Table Mountain like Mother in Law, The Other Woman and so on.

You may have just invented a new form of mountain biking. Bombing down a technical trail and dodging bullets at the same time. Only for the super hardcore.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

You may have just invented a new form of mountain biking. Bombing down a technical trail and dodging bullets at the same time. Only for the super hardcore.

? The range is far from those places. ???? Unless you're talking about the dog-poo bullets and old codgers in their 70s Edited February 18, 2020 by Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

[V18]

Ask the quary guys to dump a few buckets of boulders down the face of a steepish hill. Roll a few boulders about. Create a deathtrap trail with no soil to manecure. Getting exited writing this. I'm no avid technical rider but I love sh*#ting myself for a new trail. Except Ruperts folley for some weird reason. I actually shat myself there.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Ask the quary guys to dump a few buckets of boulders down the face of a steepish hill. Roll a few boulders about. Create a deathtrap trail with no soil to manecure. Getting exited writing this. I'm no avid technical rider but I love sh*#ting myself for a new trail. Except Ruperts folley for some weird reason. I actually shat myself there.

Cos you forgot your chinnie and had your microwife shiiiiiiiiiiit on you afterwards.

[Matchstix]

It would be nice to see some stats from tbmtb club side. Create a survey on survey monkey to ask the clubs needs not the commitee.

 

What I also dont get about the clubs argument about 5% is why they then went and built a jumpline with massive jumps, that most probably cost more than a slow tech trail wil cost to build and that even less than 5% of people ride.

Will also be interesting to see a strava heatmap of the trails.

 

My suggestion is to go to the agm on 18 march and ask.

However to my limited knowledge of the event, this is where the club tells the members what decisions has been made in by the commitee for the paying members.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

It would be nice to see some stats from tbmtb club side. Create a survey on survey monkey to ask the clubs needs not the commitee.

 

What I also dont get about the clubs argument about 5% is why they then went and built a jumpline with massive jumps, that most probably cost more than a slow tech trail wil cost to build and that even less than 5% of people ride.

Will also be interesting to see a strava heatmap of the trails.

 

My suggestion is to go to the agm on 18 march and ask.

However to my limited knowledge of the event, this is where the club tells the members what decisions has been made in by the commitee for the paying members.

From experience, yes. This is the case. The same answers are given when those questions are asked. Pre ordained, as it were. 

[Thermophage]

Eish man. This is not a simple answer by any means.

People, including myself, have been trying to advocate for something like this for many many years now already. Various means have been tried.

So far nada. 

IMO, the first step to this is re-grading of some of the "black" trails on Tygerberg, first two to come to mind are Cobra at Hoogies and Black Rhino at Conties. Both really fun trails, but not black.

This is giving people one of two impressions...

1. "Yay I can ride black trails." Then instant wakeup call when they try hit Plumber; or 
2. "Oh there's no way I am trying a black trail, that is beyond me.". When the trail is completely manageable
   • Look at anyone who rides at their limit or is wanting to progress. You CANNOT and hell, SHOULD NOT, try to ride a whole trail blind. You'll walk things, check it out, decide, etc.
   • You should NOT be able to ride every trail first time

Are we who advocate for this the "top speed racers"? No. Does that matter, not in my opinion. But Tygerberg defenders and committee has told us otherwise.

However, we are repeatedly told that the club does not want to build any "gnarly trails" for the "#endurobro's"...Yes, we'd like more gnarly trails...actually we'd love even just one more ACTUAL black trail (apart from Revised/Mainline I can't recall any that fit the international criteria).

But more importantly for me is building things that are more interesting that "blast down this hill and rail that berm".

Your call to Status Quo if perfect IMO. A trail that requires you to be able to control your bike well at low speed on tight stuff without always having a safety net/berm to catch you. remove some gradient, add one of two chicken lines and you have the potential for an amazing blue trail which will allow people to explore handling their bike in different ways.

You'd also slow things down significantly, Status for one is not a high speed trail, thereby making things safer as well. 

But yes...if you are a member (and I won't be again after about 6 years, until the committee is willing to seriously discuss peoples concerns regarding this. I have given up trying, but I will keep vocalising!), go to the AGM, perhaps you will have better luck than Myles, Ray, Brandon, etc, etc and myself when we were there before. GLHF man

Edited February 19, 2020 by Thermophage

[Quagga]

From experience, yes. This is the case. The same answers are given when those questions are asked. Pre ordained, as it were. 

I was going to add to this but then remembered what happened last time....aaannnddd.......nah don't want another Lawyers letter.

[Hairy]

in the good old days when there were just about no trails to ride in CT, you would ride whatever there was to ride, and if your skill level was not on par for a section you would get off your bike and walk it .... there is no shame in this.

 

so with this mindset I do also support slower tech trails, and if I need to walk parts then I need to walk parts ... at some point I will manage to ride them (or not) and then still ride the remainder sections that would fall within my skill set.

[Thermophage]

I was going to add to this but then remembered what happened last time....aaannnddd.......nah don't want another Lawyers letter.

Do elaborate? My morning is slow, I need some spice