what are the best trails in capetown

[Keani]

looking for some jumplines

[Robbie Stewart]

depends... how well can you jump and where are you based?

In the north you have Hoogekraal which is the best jump line in Cape Town that isn't Darkfest / Hellsend and accessible any time you want. It has a dedicated skills park with some progressively bigger jump lines. It also has a proper flow line that has a good few nice sized jumps.

In the east you have Plaisir de Merle. Has a flow line with a bunch of jumps, but it hasn't been maintained all that well.

Hellsend of course is close by, but it is not open to the public apart from open days, but it costs a ton to ride on those days.

Avondale - haven't ridden it, but everyone I know who has says they won't go back. They claim to have the longest flow line for what it's worth.

Some honourable mentions:

Zevenwacht DH line in Bottelary has some largish jumps, but it is primarily a DH line, but it is fun.

G-Spot in Stellies - has a bunch of some proper jumps. It is fun riding there.

Banhoek - it has a few mid-sized jumps across the valley from hellsend. Fun day out if you're in the mood.

There are a few informal DJ bike parks around, but they are very much underground and the people who ride them are a special breed. I haven't bothered to visit one myself so can't say where to find them.

In the south you have Tokai which has a line with some ungroomed jumps. A bit meh, but it is what it is.

[ChrisF]

30 minutes ago, Robbie Stewart said:

depends... how well can you jump and where are you based?

In the north you have Hoogekraal which is the best jump line in Cape Town that isn't Darkfest / Hellsend and accessible any time you want. It has a dedicated skills park with some progressively bigger jump lines. It also has a proper flow line that has a good few nice sized jumps.

In the east you have Plaisir de Merle. Has a flow line with a bunch of jumps, but it hasn't been maintained all that well.

Hellsend of course is close by, but it is not open to the public apart from open days, but it costs a ton to ride on those days.

Avondale - haven't ridden it, but everyone I know who has says they won't go back. They claim to have the longest flow line for what it's worth.

Some honourable mentions:

Zevenwacht DH line in Bottelary has some largish jumps, but it is primarily a DH line, but it is fun.

G-Spot in Stellies - has a bunch of some proper jumps. It is fun riding there.

Banhoek - it has a few mid-sized jumps across the valley from hellsend. Fun day out if you're in the mood.

There are a few informal DJ bike parks around, but they are very much underground and the people who ride them are a special breed. I haven't bothered to visit one myself so can't say where to find them.

In the south you have Tokai which has a line with some ungroomed jumps. A bit meh, but it is what it is.

 

Really should add Bloemendal Lombards Flowline .... 😛

 

For something that is often scoffed at, it continues to claim its share of collarbones ... 😉

[Robbie Stewart]

14 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Really should add Bloemendal Lombards Flowline .... 😛

 

For something that is often scoffed at, it continues to claim its share of collarbones ... 😉

the only reason for that is because those jumps are built, well, let's just call it "sub-optimally" . . .

[edit] - I left if off the list intentionally. I don't rate Bloemendal anymore. Rode there in December and remembered again why I don't anymore, but that's just me.

[edit edit]  - also, I'd be interested to know the ratio between broken collar-bones and clipless pedals.

Edited Thursday at 01:57 PM by Robbie Stewart

[MORNE]

I’m by no means a Sendy McSendface, but I agree that once you sample how a properly built jump should feel, going back to Bloem just makes you feel like nothing works and you cant do anything properly. Maybe if you rode a bmx or skateboard…

Theres a subtle art to building good, safe mtb jumps that instills confidence and promotes progression. The ones at bloem are not them. They probably have their place…but i dont think they are as beginner friendly as people try and make out purely due to how their transitions are built.

PS…saw this at Rheebokskloof the other day. Looks a bit dirtjumpy but probably worth a try:

Edited yesterday at 06:10 AM by MORNE

[Me rida my bicycle]

2 hours ago, MORNE said:

I’m by no means a Sendy McSendface, but I agree that once you sample how a properly built jump should feel, going back to Bloem just makes you feel like nothing works and you cant do anything properly. Maybe if you rode a bmx or skateboard…

Theres a subtle art to building good, safe mtb jumps that instills confidence and promotes progression. The ones at bloem are not them. They probably have their place…but i dont think they are as beginner friendly as people try and make out purely due to how their transitions are built.

PS…saw this at Rheebokskloof the other day. Looks a bit dirtjumpy but probably worth a try:

Thank you, I am to inexperienced to know better and thought I rode Bloem wrong. Where Hoogies and Banhoek I do and feel much better on the jumps. 

[Robbie Stewart]

I agree with @MORNE  about the "wrongness" of the transitions at Bloem. Once you have dialed in places like Hoogekraal and the rest, riding Bloem makes no sense. Those first few jumps until the wall ride are semi okay, but from there onwards it just goes wrong in all the bad ways. Their lips are too short and steep and the landings are too far away that the mechanics of the jumps just don't make sense. Also they are way too close to the exits of the berms that you can't maintain proper speed, and lastly that bottom section demands pedal strokes between every berm and jump, and if you absolutely want to face plant in your chops, guaranteed, try pedaling on a supposed jump line. You are meant to clear any jump line at trail speed and if you can't then its likely that the line is built wrong.

This is why if you want to learn to jump, just go to the Leatt skills park at Hoogekraal and spend a morning there. I started back in 2020 after the end of the coof lockdowns, and could barely clear the smallest line. Regular mornings spent riding there doing the same thing over and over again until I got it right has made me progress to where now I ride whatever I want apart from the line of insanity that Mike built on the far right with that massive cannon and drop into oblivion. To my mind I probably would be able to ride it, but at my age (going on 49) I have decided its for the laaities.