Where has your bike taken you today?

[Me rida my bicycle]

Good weather, great trails, awesome people = memorable weekend.

[Frosty]

Some gravel/road riding, in what I hope can be a route for a race an adventure later in October.

[Trevz]

Braamfontein Spruit to the top of Northcliff Hill and back.... Full range of cassette was required to get to the top. Lol

 

Views were worth it!

['Dale]

Philadelphia Road

 

 

 

[capediver]

 

 

Philadelphia Road

Phew, up there with one of your best.....excellent framing, light, and perspective!

 

IMG_9324.jpg

[Wayne pudding Mol]

Cape St Francis where wind takes care of the lack of hills

[CAAD4]

Cape St Francis where wind takes care of the lack of hills

And everything rusts in peace...

[UK-Saffa]

Took myself to G!ro Cafe yesterday, hottest day of the year, really felt like being home again.

 

 

The systemsix is fast becoming my favourite bike ever, perfect for the UK's mostly pretty flat terrain. I have tickets booked to Cape Town for Decmber/January, hoping it all works out, and I can test it out on more mountainous terrain.

 

 

[Nakoota]

 

Modderfontein reeds section, nature did the trail maintenance here.

 

That said I really think Tarako deserves props here. I have ridden Modder for nearly 10 years and they have done more on the trails during lockdown than any other trail manager in the last decade.

 

It also looks like they have blocked the river section due to the resident raptor that likes to attack the helmets of unsuspecting cyclists.

[TyronLab]

Some gravel/road riding, in what I hope can be a route for a race an adventure later in October.

 

 

Hey! I recognize those roads. It seems we swapped places this weekend.

 

Got out to Thaba trails for the first time and was absolutely awe struck.

 

If you're in GP and think you're a gnarly, bearded, gritty, mountain munching badass (like I did) then take a trip down south and get ready to eat some humble pie. Well, that's what happened to me at least.

 

Made the trip solo, and "rode" the majority of the blue trails and the XCO course. I mean, how hard can it be, its Joburg?

 

 

I rode all of the descents with a modicum of control, even though I sorely missed the dropper from my previous bike, but the climbs...

 

Man alive, if you can ride up all of the blue trail climbs without dabbing or walking then you're a ******* monster, especially on a HT. It was the first time I felt that I would have loved some suspension on the rear as my rear wheel got hung up (due to my lack of skill) on the treacherous rocky climbs. That broke my momentum and forced me to stop, and once you were stopped there was no way you were getting on and riding up that same incline. I only managed to clean probably half of the climbs on the blue trail, and had to hike up from the ~3/4 point onwards on the rest.

 

 

The XCO course A-lines were too big for my britches, especially alone. Jumps I can semi do, technical rocky descents I can do, but gap-drops terrify me. If I was in a group and had someone I could tow in, maybe...

 

Even though I was taking punishment (my hands, forearms and shoulders are still sore today), I was literally laughing out loud every time the trail kicked my ass. Had an absolute blast and I can't wait to go back and practice until I can clean those lines. That is real, proper mountain biking, not the pretty-doable-on-a-gravel-bike riding we seem to have so much of in GP. What's more, the trails are impeccably maintained, varied, well thought-out, well marked, and located in an absolutely beautiful location.

 

 

I made a point of going to Wendell, the trail builder, after my ride and giving him my thanks and telling him he's a "sadistic genius". 

Edited August 11, 2020 by TyronLab

[Escapee..]

Hazeldean Valley Trails, Pretoria

 

[Wayne pudding Mol]

Took myself to G!ro Cafe yesterday, hottest day of the year, really felt like being home again.

 

IMG_5111.jpg

 

The systemsix is fast becoming my favourite bike ever, perfect for the UK's mostly pretty flat terrain. I have tickets booked to Cape Town for Decmber/January, hoping it all works out, and I can test it out on more mountainous terrain.

 

IMG_5110.jpg

not really my kind of bike but that is seriously beautiful

[UK-Saffa]

not really my kind of bike but that is seriously beautiful

Wasn’t particularly my flavour either but for sure has grown on me. Definitely more suited to the terrain here than the weight weenie supersix was.

[Chadvdw67]

Hazeldean Valley Trails, Pretoria

 

Hazeldean.jpg

You must give Wolwespruit a go, none of the climbs are as difficult as Thaba, but it makes you work, the descents and flow line are just amazing, the route marking isnt the greatest, but if you can put 2 or 3 brain cells to work you should be able to figure it out. I have been there a few times in the last 3 weeks and every ride just gets better the more I explore the routes.

[RustyHWR]

Saturday morning.

[Escapee..]

You must give Wolwespruit a go, none of the climbs are as difficult as Thaba, but it makes you work, the descents and flow line are just amazing, the route marking isnt the greatest, but if you can put 2 or 3 brain cells to work you should be able to figure it out. I have been there a few times in the last 3 weeks and every ride just gets better the more I explore the routes.

Wolwe is very close to home so its my go to trails. I agree with you its a very lekker place to ride.

 

I rode with some friends at Hazeldean, it was a nice outing but definitely wont be rushing back.