The 2022 South African Mountain Bike Survey, presented by Garmin attracted a total of 3000 respondents, quite similar to the 3093 of 2021. Of the that number, a total 2644 answered every one of the 57 questions (not every question relates to everyone). Here’s the first of four reveals about what South African mountain bikers prefer when it comes to racing, training, sports supplements, motor car brand, bike rack brand and more…
We will split the survey results reveal into four parts – Rider Stats, Bike Stats, Gear Stats and Performance Stats. Where relevant, we include a comparison to the same question from the previous three years. We ran the survey for a period of four weeks (essentially, the entire month of December 2022), promoting it on our website, in our weekly mailer and via our social media channels. We also boosted social media posts with the aim of reaching those outside our own regular readership.
NOTE: YOU MAY NEED TO TURN YOUR MOBILE PHONE TO LANDSCAPE TO SEE THE FULL TABLES
Where do you live?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Gauteng | 44.67% | 47.66% | 51.18% | 48.90% |
| Western Cape | 38.23% | 32.36% | 27.08% | 27.31% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 7.73% | 8.86% | 8.50% | 8.29% |
| Eastern Cape | 2.77% | 3.39% | 5.18% | 4.93% |
| North West | 1.73% | 1.62% | 1.82% | 2.50% |
| Mpumalanga | 1.63% | 2.30% | 1.85% | 2.74% |
| Free State | 1.03% | 1.42% | 1.57% | 2.03% |
| Limpopo | 0.67% | 0.74% | 1.02% | 1.02% |
| Northern Cape | 0.37% | 0.58% | 0.54% | 0.63% |
| I live in a neighbouring country | 0.57% | 0.36% | 0.64% | 0.94% |
| I live outside Southern Africa | 0.60% | 0.71% | 0.61% | 0.70% |
Western Cape is growing and Gauteng is diminishing, as are some other provinces. Semigration is a reality, particularly in the LSM groups commonly found in mountain biking. That said, 82.90% of the country’s mountain bikers live in just two provinces.
How long have you been mountain biking for?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| One year or less | 3.60% | 3.85% | 6.30% |
| 1-2 years | 6.07% | 6.76% | 7.03% |
| 2-3 years | 8.10% | 7.24% | 8.38% |
| 3-5 years | 11.87% | 13.45% | 13.97% |
| 5-10 years | 24.00% | 26.48% | 27.78% |
| 10-15 years | 21.13% | 22.50% | 17.87% |
| 15-20 years | 11.20% | 9.67% | 8.92% |
| More than 20 years | 14.03% | 10.05% | 9.75% |
A few shifts here, but the important thing for the industry is that newcomer numbers are fairly stable. Also looks like a bigger number of very experienced riders took the 2022 survey compared to previous years.
What level of mountain biker would you say you are?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Very social | 4.40% | 3.04% | 4.38% | 2.50% |
| Recreational | 22.57% | 23.21% | 25.83% | 22.14% |
| Very keen | 48.60% | 51.08% | 47.15% | 51.10% |
| Highly committed | 24.43% | 22.66% | 22.63% | 24.26% |
Which is most applicable to you in terms of your occupation?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| I am a learner (still at school) | 2.33% | 2.33% | 2.08% | 0.55% |
| I am a student | 1.70% | 1.68% | 2.11% | 2.11% |
| I am currently unemployed | 1.43% | 1.68% | 2.37% | 0.86% |
| I am a stay-at-home parent/spouse | 0.80% | 1.36% | 1.79% | 1.80% |
| I work part-time in one or more jobs | 3.30% | 3.59% | 3.42% | 2.58% |
| I have a full-time job with a salary | 55.37% | 58.135 | 59.49% | 61.50% |
| I own a business | 26.83% | 24.64% | 23.95% | 27.39% |
| I am retired | 4.23% | 1.65% | 4.80% | 3.21% |
| I am a pensioner | 2.33% |
Interesting that more than a quarter of South African mountain bikers own a business. We added the pensioner option in 2022 after getting quite references in the ‘Other’ box in 2021.
What is your age category?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| 12-15 years | 1.00% | 1.13% | 0.86% |
| 16-19 years | 2.47% | 1.75% | 1.95% |
| 20-24 years | 2.33% | 2.30% | 2.40% |
| 25-29 years | 4.40% | 3.91% | 5.05% |
| 30-34 years | 7.60% | 7.66% | 7.61% |
| 35-39 years | 12.47% | 12.32% | 13.20% |
| 40-44 years | 14.07% | 17.01% | 16.24% |
| 45-49 years | 16.10% | 17.56% | 18.70% |
| 50-54 years | 15.03% | 15.78% | 15.03% |
| 55-59 years | 11.03% | 10.77% | 10.23% |
| 60-64 years | 8.73% | 5.95% | 5.56% |
| 65-69 years | 3.47% | 2.65% | 2.24% |
| 70 and older | 1.30% | 1.23% | 0.93% |
The percent over the age of 40 dropped from 70.95% in 2021 to 69.73% in 2022. But this is likely because the 16-19 years segment grew slightly. Teens generally don’t take long surveys (or any surveys!), but we know that a few shares of our survey link were made to groups that have a high volume of teens.
What is your sex?
| Sex | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Female | 17.87% | 20.98% | 19.12% | 15.88% |
| Male | 82.13% | 79.02% | 80.88% | 84.12% |
An almost 3% drop in females in one year? This doesn’t correlate to our other information and surveys, which shows a constinued steady increase of female mountain bikers. We did run a comprehensive SA Women’s MTB Survey in 2022 and may feel they’d already taken this survey or had given enough of their time and energy to a big survey in 2022.
In a normal year (not affected by Covid restrictions), how often would you say you participate in a MTB race – on average?
| Participation frequency | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| As often as I can/more than twice a month | 7.43% | 8.21% | 7.96% |
| About once a month | 10.33% | 12.38% | 16.11% |
| About 3-6 times a year | 45.83% | 45.13% | 45.24% |
| Not often – two or fewer times a year | 36.40% | 34.27% | 30.69% |
A small shift in three of the four options, but still confirmation that South African mountain bikers enjoy participating in events/races.
What type of mountain bike races/events do you participate in mostly (you can choose more than one)?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Fun Rides (less than 20km) | 5.57% | 4.95% | 5.82% |
| Fun Races (20-25km) | 11.37% | 11.74% | 15.60% |
| Half-marathons (30-45km) | 34.57% | 36.76% | 41.59% |
| Marathons (50-90km) | 51.97% | 51.73% | 48.82% |
| Ultra-marathons (90-180km) | 23.33% | 22.05% | 18.22% |
| Ultra-endurance Races (180km+) | 12.27% | 12.77% | 12.18% |
| Short stage races (2-4 days) | 38.27% | 39.28% | 37.21% |
| Long stage races (5-9 days) | 10.93% | 9.57% | 10.36% |
| Cross-country (XCO) | 13.70% | 13.39% | 11.25% |
| Downhill | 2.43% | 2.20% | 1.66% |
| Enduro | 10.27% | 7.53% | 6.62% |
| Dirt jumping | 0.87% | 0.97% | 0.80% |
| I don’t do races/events | 9.17% | 9.09% | 8.06% |
Half-marathons, marathons and short stage races are still the most popular, but it’s interesting to see XCO and Downhill holding firm and Enduro’s popularity up, all of which generally appeal to younger riders and more serious racers.
Do you feel that the growth and accessibility of MTB trails parks has reduced your desire/need to enter races/events?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Yes | 17.90% | 16.17% | 14.67% | 16.04% |
| No | 55.63% | 59.30% | 58.82% | 54.93% |
| To an extent yes | 26.47% | 24.54% | 26.47% | 27.54% |
A slight shift over 2021 with 55.63% still committed to races/events despite the growth and accessibility of recreational riding at trails parks.
Do you feel that the depressed South African economy in the past couple of years has reduced your ability to enter races/events?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Yes | 36.43% | 40.93% | 36.51% | 34.98% |
| No | 35.80% | 31.49% | 34.43% | 32.24% |
| To an extent yes | 27.77% | 27.58% | 29.06% | 32.79% |
The ailing economy seems to have had a bigger impact on race entries in 2021 than it did in 2022, which is rather positive for events.
Are you a member of an established/official cycling club?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Yes | 55.33% | 45.20% | 41.98% | 45.15% |
| No | 44.67% | 54.80% | 58.02% | 54.85% |
With a significant 10% swing over 2021, this is very positive for the sport’s infrastructure.
Do you normally take an annual Cycling South Africa (CSA) membership?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Yes | 35.03% | 34.17% | 33.70% | 40.30% |
| No | 28.70% | 41.13% | 42.07% | 35.68% |
| Only if I have to | 36.27% | 24.70% | 24.23% | 24.02% |
More positive news for the sport’s race/events infrastructure! For those that are highly committed to racing, it can become costly to keep paying for a CSA day licence (R50 per day) at races. An annual licence at R250 just makes sense (R150 for 16-and-unders). A full racing licence – for those intent on racing at provincial, national and international level – costs R450 per year.
Do you have a Strava account?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Yes, I’m a subscriber | 42.27% | 41.32% | 34.78% |
| Yes, I use the free version | 50.17% | 49.43% | 55.56% |
| No | 7.57% | 9.25% | 9.65% |
The overall percentage of Strava users is up on last year. It costs R600 per year (upfront payment), or R110 per month. It’s really very useful with loads of insightful features. It makes a great birthday gift for a keen mountain biker. Note: Strava is currently raising its fee, so expect the amounts quoted here to increase.
Do you use sports supplements for riding/racing energy/recovery?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
| Yes | 64.07% | 63.30% | 58.95% |
| No | 13.27% | 14.71% | 15.47% |
| Sometimes | 22.67% | 21.99% | 25.58% |
If you use sports supplements, which brand do you prefer?
| 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
| Biogen | 14.69% | 15.00% | 16.94% | 18.09% |
| 32GI | 13.66% | 15.91% | 13.03% | 10.97% |
| USN | 12.41% | 13.23% | 13.18% | 15.40% |
| Cadence | 7.47% | 6.26% | 5.85% | 6.18% |
| Powerbar | 6.00% | 4.79% | 6.18% | 4.55% |
| Enduren | 5.82% | 5.24% | 3.31% | 2.80% |
| PVM | 5.04% | 4.90% | 5.77% | 2.57% |
| Named Sport | 4.93% | 4.11% | 2.32% | – |
| RaceFood | 3.98% | 4.79% | 5.21% | 1.63% |
| Hi5 | 3.35% | 4.86% | 4.88% | 5.48% |
| GU | 3.35% | 4.18% | 3.98% | 4.78% |
| Hammer | 3.24% | 4.15% | 4.50% | 5.83% |
| Herbalife | 1.18% | 1.70% | 2.05% | 1.75% |
| Cytomax | 1.22% | 1.28% | 2.31% | 1.40% |
| SISS | 1.03% | 1.32% | 1.38% | 2.68% |
| Sponser | 0.74% | 0.68% | 1.53% | 1.40% |
| Others | 11.89% | 7.61% | 7.58% | 14.49% |
After dropping from top spot in 2021, Biogen is back at the top in 2022. However, there’s a bigger spread in 2022 with Cadence, Powerbar, Enduren, PVM , Named Sport and Sponser all enjoying market share increases, while Biogen, 32Gi and USN all dropped slightly.
What motor vehicle brand do you drive? If more than one, choose the primary brand and add the other into the Other comment box.
| 2022 | |
| Toyota | 22.34% |
| Ford | 14.34% |
| Volkswagen | 12.25% |
| Nissan | 5.18% |
| BMW | 4.28% |
| Audi | 3.56% |
| Land Rover | 3.53% |
| Hyundai | 3.43% |
| Mercedes Benz | 3.39% |
| Suzuki | 2.81% |
| Mitsubishi | 2.40% |
| Renault | 2.26% |
| Mazda | 2.19% |
| Kia | 2.12% |
| Isuzu | 2.12% |
| Subaru | 1.78% |
| Chevrolet | 1.57% |
| Volvo | 1.54% |
| Haval | 0.92% |
| Jeep | 0.89% |
| Other | 7.00% |
This was the first year we asked this question. Perhaps not surprising to see Toyota at the top, based on its market dominance, but interesting that Toyota, Ford and Volkswagen are driven by almost half the South African mountain bike market (48.93%). Toyota is a major sponsor of mountain biking in South Africa – across events, trails parks, media, athletes and racing teams.
How do you normally transport your bike by motor vehicle?
| 2022 | |
| Back seat or boot | 11.30% |
| In the back of a bakkie/van | 14.43% |
| Roof rack | 8.43% |
| Rear-mount clip/hanging rack | 7.73% |
| Rear-mount towbar rack | 56.03% |
| Sucker pads | 0.23% |
| Other | 1.83% |
Another new question and highly relevant. We expected to see rear-mount towbar rack to be the most popular, but were surprised to see back seat/boot at 11.30%! It’s a real schlep to carry your bike in your back seat/boot but it shows there’s ttill some growth potential for the bike rack brands… Under ‘Other’, respondents mostly mentioned on top of a trailer or on top of the bakkie bin.
If you use a bike rack, what brand do you own?
| 2022 | |
| Thule | 68.50% |
| Holdfast | 7.03% |
| Buzzrack | 6.93% |
| Saris | 0.56% |
| Peruzzo | 0.53% |
| Westfalia | 0.40% |
| Marvel | 0.40% |
| Raleigh | 0.36% |
| Yakima | 0.36% |
| Bosal | 0.26% |
| EZ Rack | 0.13% |
| Double D | 0.10% |
| Geof | 0.10% |
| Tree Frog | 0.10% |
| Sea Sucker | 0.10% |
| Other/Don’t use one | 14.14% |
Obviously also a new question. We weren’t surprised to see Thule at the top, but were impressed with its large share. That’s significant market dominance! Holdfast is a South African brand that’s been around for decades – good to see it getting decent support. We made this a compulsory question, but shouldn’t have so many answers ander ‘Other’ were: ‘Don’t use one’. Interestingly, quite a few respondents said they made their own bike racks.
Part 2: South Africa’s top MTB, eBike and Gravel bike brands
Part 3: Performance devices favoured by SA mountain bikers
Part 4: These are SA’s most popular MTB gear brands
