Stellenbosch Cycling Shops, Accessories & Equipment. For all your Cycling Sales & Services, BIke Trails and Shops in Stellenbosch.

Shop No 2, Uniepark, Morkel Street
+27 0) 21 887 3417

Stumble Inn Backpackers Lodge, 12 Market Street
+27 (0)21 887 4049

Webbers Valley Road
+27 (0)21 888 4200

7 Beyers Street
+27 (0)21 883 2202

36 Market Street
+27 (0)21 882 8112

Kampus Bldg, 5 Latsky St
+27 (0)21 883 9805

Shop 6 Stelmark Centre, Merriman Avenue
+27 (0)21 886 6220

1. Jonkershoek Reserve
Jonkershoek is a plantation/forestry area that doubles as a conservation area in the mountains to the southwest of Stellenbosch. It has a complete trail network with most of the single-track mountain bike trails having been named.

Cycling tips:
Buy a permit at the gate before entering, it goes towards a good cause! It's very safe riding in here.
Stop for a coffee and scone after your ride at the Jonkershoek Tea Garden.
Plenty of parking at the gate, but riding there from town is an excellent warm-up (8km)!

2. Bothmaskop
Bothmaskop is situated to the south of Helshoogte Pass, and forms the north western boundary of the Jonkershoek Valley. There is some good single-track here, although not well maintained. It is mostly steep up followed by steep down type of riding, thus forms a good bit of riding to throw into an extended training ride!

Cycling tips:
Not so extensively used by mountain bikers, but well worth the effort.
Good to practice those climbing skills and train the legs!
Generally safe, but try to ride in a group or don't ride here too late in the day.
Enjoy the views and the burning sensation in your lungs!

3. Coetzenburg
This area forms the southern boundary to Stellenbosch University grounds and is situated on the slopes of Stellenbosch Mountain. Extensively used by runners and dog walkers as well as mountain bikers in the late afternoon, you can be sure of having some company.

Cycling tips:
Generally safe to ride, but there has been some incidents, be prepared and ride with friends. Great single track riding, a bit rocky in places.
Ride your bike there from town and head up through Welgevallen experimental farm onto the Mountain Road.
Not such a large area, thus great to make it part of a longer ride at the start or end, as you can just descend back into town.

4. Eden
This is the small forestry area further south towards the coast from Coetzenburg. You can ride here from Coetzenburg if you climb to the top of the single track on the right of the dam, find the contour track and follow it to Eden. There are also some downhill routes for the not so faint hearted!

Cycling tips:
Great single-track mountain bike trails in a relatively small area.
Bring the climbing legs, you'll be climbing, descending and traversing - over and over!
Great on windy days as it is very sheltered behind the mountain and the trees.
Close by is a little gem of a track recently completed, but you'll have to know someone...

5. Pappegaaiberg
Riding here used to be exceptional before all the plantation trees burnt down durnig a big fire. It still has some nice mountain bike trails and jeep tracks, albeit a bit erroded now due to the trees being gone. Unfortunately not a very safe area to ride anymore and hardly visited by mountain bikers.

Cycling tips:
Not safe to ride unless in a large group, has had a number of incidents.
Great views over the surrounding wine farms and towards the coast.
Close to town.

QUOTE:

Young cyclists are always warned to wear helmets when pedalling around on their bikes.

But a mountain biker taking part in a race near Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, had reason to be doubly thankful for his after he was sent flying... by a charging antelope.

Evan van der Spuy was taking part in the Time Freight MTB Express Mountain race in Albert Falls Resort and Game Reserve when he was hit by the male Red Hartebees at high speed.

Mr van der Spuy was thrown clear of his bike and landed in a crumpled heap as the buck ran off.

The amazing collision was captured by fellow mountain biker Travis Walker, who had a camera strapped to his bike as he was working for a marketing company sponsoring the event.

He told ABC News: 'It was freaky. I saw it coming closer so I braked, thought it would go in between the gap.

'It hit him, lifted him off the ground, landed in the grass - he started making weird noises and I didn't know what to do.'

Mr van der Spuy's helmet was destroyed in the impact with the animal.

Mr Walker was able to help his friend to nearby medics and he was taken to hospital suffering from a minor concussion and whiplash.

He was discharged yesterday morning.

LEARN A LESSON FROM THIS: ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMET!