Traveling to Johannesburg, South Africa

[alfredox5]

Just trying to hit up some forums and see if there's anyone here from Joburg. Will be there by mid September and stay for 6 months. I'll be bringing my road bike and hoping to find a local group of riders to ride with.

[devinci]

Im not from SA and dont want to speak through my hat, but I was having a conversation with someone yesterday who's traveled to SA a few times and he said johanesburg wasnt the safest place arround...

Maybe he was talking crap though

[Miller76]

There is a user on the forum called Spinerkop (Afrikaans for spider) try searching for him - he has a sick cannondale EVO and I believe he is from Jo'ies

Jhb has an excellent pro am race scene from what I remember....

[alfredox5]

Thanks for the info fellas, I'll do some more research if I should bring my bike or not.

[mrfish]

My own enquiries while in SA a few yrs ago suggested that it depends a lot on where you are. In general rule I would do as the locals do and act prudently, and unless things have changed significantly I would not try cycling in the cities. I was in Cape Town not Jo'burg, but I think both are similar security-wise.

I was disappointed to find that most of the well-off Cape Town suburbs were festooned with barbed wire and armed response signs, plus locals who recommended walking no further than from the car park to the shop. It was difficult to tell whether this is a crazy siege mentality, or whether the one or two people we saw on bikes are the enlightened few.

However this varies significantly by area, with the tourist areas of the cap appearing more easy-going. Also once you get out of the major cities security seems much less of a concern. There is amazing scenery and an amazing open landscape, so doing something like an MTB tour would give you an experience you could not get in Europe.

I do not know Jo'burg area, but personally I would do some careful internet research or go with a guided tour as this would minimise hassles of flying in and then getting bike and gear out of the major cities. For instance doing part of the Garden Route by bike would be a great option, as a week or long weekend. For example http://www.cyclethecape.com/ has some example routes.

[Spinnekop]

Hi Guys.

I am indeed a proudly South African. Live, work and play in Pretoria which is about 50km away from "the feared" Johannesburg.
I love reading posts like this about the huge concern about safety in RSA.......we only tell people that because we cant to keep our nice riding scenery to ourselves.

All said and done, Johannesburg is a big city with good and bad elements in it. My club is mainly Joburg based and if I have to take a guess, I'd say there are about 50-100 thousand active cyclist in and around Johannesburg.
And not many reported incidents.
As the posts above mine suggest, there are definite no-no's and then there are stunning places to ride your bike.
But in general it is not as scary as the reports suggest out there.....

Have a look at the forum www.thehubsa.co.za. Probably the biggest cycling forum in RSA with loads of helpful hints. Ask around there.....loads of Johannesburg riders there and if you tell them where you are going to reside for the 6 months, they will gladly indicate which clubs / rides to join.

In general, there are massive amounts of riding in the "Cradle of the Human Kind" area. Thousands of cyclist flock there over weekends.
Your biggest clubs will be Cyclelab (www.cyclelab.com) and Club100. They have big riding groups doing weekly rides.

Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

[bomber]

I have family based in Johannesburg and they are daily riders. I traveled through late last year and was amazed at how much it has progressed in terms of safety and security - single women out running at dawn was not something I had ever seen before. Be prepared though as the city is at altitude and is not exactly flat unless you head out south of the city.

Traffic is probably the main problem from my perspective and the avg driver is not the best trained or aware so be prepared to go early for your rides as that from my impression is when everyone else trains. In most areas you'll find group rides and the numbers can easily exceed 100 for the popular ones.

Overall definitely take your bike. Johannesburg has a very active and well organised road racing scene and the riding can be very rewarding.

[mrfish]

Great to hear this - makes me want to go back as stunning scenery, grand scale of the place and great food and wine would make a dream European winter cycling holiday. Like Australia but without the jetlag.

[alfredox5]

Wow! These are great feedbacks and will definitely take all of your advice.

Getting excited as I am in the process of packing my bike. Gotta get my priorities in check.

Thanks for all the info fellas and I really do appreciate it and it makes my travel to Joburg more appealing.