Hellwarp Posted March 28, 2011 Posted March 28, 2011 Sooo almost 1st of April, will I be able to ride these routes on Saturday? The opening date has been moved on to the 9th of April, one week later than we planned. The Epic finishes this week-end and we still got one or two things to iron out so it actually works out better for the 9th.
Hellwarp Posted March 28, 2011 Posted March 28, 2011 Had to speed through 5 pages of posts ;-) Think a paid/serviced park is an great idea - as a business model I am not sure as you are challenged by the the amount of time people have to ride - mainly weekends. Can that sustain itself? Winter becomes more challenging. I have ridden mountains like Whistler and Thredbo in Australia and can vouch for the success of the mountain bike park provided it offers something different and better than local trails. That last bit is the key. To simply build some more singletrack may not be enough. Freeride areas, Downhill runs - serviced shuttles for an extra R50 on weekends, a pump track and jump park are needed as well as 4x course. A night lit xc course and jump park would allow later riding bringing in more rev. There is enough single track around especially in Stellies it seems. Think you need to offer more. To create a mountain bike trail across privately owned land is not as straight forward as it seems. We dont have the funds to create another whistler and that was never our intention.If there's enough existing place to ride around Stellies then why do so many riders "stray" onto private land?We think the sport is growing phenominally and that there can never be enough space to ride. We want to create an alternative and hope that the topography and scenic beauty of the area offers riders something different. If it doesn't work out the way we expected then well, we tried.
headhunter Posted March 28, 2011 Posted March 28, 2011 (edited) As a comparison for you : How does Lourensford work with the Basin MTB club? Yes, it's only farm one farm (albeit a brute one ) and you are talking multiple farm crossings but surely you may be able to get some comparisons to work with? I'm not sure how many members Basin has but I'm gladly paying R500 pa to get access onto Lourensford every Sat & Sun and would gladly pay similar to your "future club model" to do likewise on your turf. Edited March 28, 2011 by headhunter
Cassie Posted March 28, 2011 Posted March 28, 2011 As a comparison for you : How does Lourensford work with the Basin MTB club? Yes, it's only farm one farm (albeit a brute one ) and you are talking multiple farm crossings but surely you may be able to get some comparisons to work with? I'm not sure how many members Basin has but I'm gladly paying R500 pa to get access onto Lourensford every Sat & Sun and would gladly pay similar to your "future club model" to do likewise on your turf. @Haedhunter - point taken...I'm also a member of Basin MTB...BUT...I feel very restricted in the organised ride times.... No freedom to go ride on Lourensford when I can or want to....I'm restricted to twice a week in a group ride.This STb staril will be totally different in that respect - pay up and ride when you can & want? Lourensford so has the makings of a great bike park with everything that evilrabbit alluded to...could be on par with the KZn and upcountry parks!!
Christopher Brunsdon Posted March 28, 2011 Posted March 28, 2011 @Haedhunter - point taken...I'm also a member of Basin MTB...BUT...I feel very restricted in the organised ride times.... No freedom to go ride on Lourensford when I can or want to....I'm restricted to twice a week in a group ride.This STb staril will be totally different in that respect - pay up and ride when you can & want? Lourensford so has the makings of a great bike park with everything that evilrabbit alluded to...could be on par with the KZn and upcountry parks!! I feel the same and the only reason why I've not joined. (Actually I got a contact at Lourensford I'm allowed to abuse should I want to go there at any time )
Tankman Posted March 28, 2011 Posted March 28, 2011 As a comparison for you : How does Lourensford work with the Basin MTB club? Yes, it's only farm one farm (albeit a brute one ) and you are talking multiple farm crossings but surely you may be able to get some comparisons to work with? I'm not sure how many members Basin has but I'm gladly paying R500 pa to get access onto Lourensford every Sat & Sun and would gladly pay similar to your "future club model" to do likewise on your turf. That R500 got you a club membership, a subscription to Ride magazine and the weekly group rides at Lourensford. I was quite keen to join but I already have a club and already receive a lousy (B)cycling magazine in the post. If I was able to go and ride when I want for as long as I want ... no problem. But the group rides are quite restricting because you can only ride at a certain time for a certain period... I say open it UP!
Cassie Posted March 28, 2011 Posted March 28, 2011 I suspect it's going to be baby steps....first prove that we are not hooligans...then get Lourensford to open up for clubmembers unrestricted... At the moment, there are still guys that abuse the system....or so i hear! anyways, the STB trail will work on a different model...so one cannot compare.
Hellwarp Posted March 31, 2011 Posted March 31, 2011 10 days to go before we open the trails ....... !
Hellwarp Posted April 1, 2011 Posted April 1, 2011 Ja, still lots do do and you haven't even offered to help yet ....
dirtman Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 Just about finished with the route - putting up some extra route markers this week to ensure no-one gets lost, and building a bridge on a lovely new piece of single track we have decided to add at the last moment. Keep this weekend open to try out the route - hope you will enjoy the route and looking for some feedback next week re any problems we need to sort out. Hellwarp will advise when the website will go live with full details.
RodTi Posted April 4, 2011 Posted April 4, 2011 Just about finished with the route - putting up some extra route markers this week to ensure no-one gets lost, and building a bridge on a lovely new piece of single track we have decided to add at the last moment. Keep this weekend open to try out the route - hope you will enjoy the route and looking for some feedback next week re any problems we need to sort out. Hellwarp will advise when the website will go live with full details. Happy days!
wesley_r Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 hey the weekend is fast approaching, where's the details?
TheRookie Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 I know where I will be riding this weekend!!!How far are you guys with the details?
Hellwarp Posted April 5, 2011 Posted April 5, 2011 Hi everyone Thanks for participating in this thread. Please follow this link for more info https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/102147-bottelary-hills-mtb-trails/ Cheers
Miss MTB Posted April 9, 2011 Posted April 9, 2011 Well, lets see... Trails are, as far as I know, in the hills between the Bottelary Road and the Polkadraai Road. Not sure what that area is called. If Hellwarp and Miss MTB are who I think they are - then the trails probably start on or near their farm which is on the road to Jordan Winery. There's not much parking there though, so they'll probably have the trail start on another farm. There are lots of different farms involved in this after all. I'm guessing there'll also be an entrance from the north, to accommodate Tygerber members as they are helping out with this initiative. Go to www.bottelaryhillsmtb.co.za for STARTING POINTS, route and permit info. No starting points on the road to Jordan as the trails are mostly on the other side of the hill. Happy riding!
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