FSA

Biggest problem with all TV coverage is they don't show enough of the girls. I say 10% pros, 90% girls. There is nothing worth looking at when it comes to an 80 kg shaved legged, white socked , lycra clad twit doing a 'bunnyhop' over a root. Yay. Hot MTB girls, now we're talking

if you have the cash, a pair of 661 EVO from CRC. Slightly cheaper, but a bit bulkier, 661 Kyle Strait. All knee pads are hot, it's the downside to not having smashed knees. Best solution is to only put them on when you've done all the hill climbing at Tokai and are ready to rip, or pull them down.

INSANE story dude! Wow. Imagine escaping from a fast moving vehicle, smashing your face up on the tar, only to be maced in those wounds and cuffed by a cyclist! hahaha My guess is this fella would have likely died soon after from that fall out of the van. He'd have been severely concussed (judging from your description of him getting up and falling down etc), likely had severe internal injuries and bleeding as well.

Eggzakkery. No entry means: finad another way back up, which there is, and it's clearly marked as such (aka: detour). Truth be told, I think this signage will be ignored. Maybe that's what defines "aggressive" trail riding? Still at least there are no excuses now. To Dawie above who reckons it will be burnt...ummm no, it won't. Tokai is a closed reserve pal. Plus there is PLENTY of firewood to zik if the need should arise, especially with the tree felling going on there at the mo. But nice try for a lekker stir. Back to your braai now.

Wow! Great news. Thanks to Pain & gang for this.

Hey Mj. 29'ers are nothing more than marketing hype and capitalisms way of paying staff. That said, this is what drives development as each year a new model needs to be made and sold, and in order for it to be new, it needs to have improvements over the old ones (just look at how far bikes have come in 10 years). By your logic we'd all be riding on 7 speed chains with v-brakes still. For my riding style, a 29er is not for me. For some it's been a great improvement, especially if you are over 6 foot tall. It makes sense for marathon and XC (some types at least). Ride what you ride and enjoy it. I doubt it will make you any faster, as I'm sure you are already so blisteringly fast that you have to scream people off the trails. Don't get the 29er as then there won't be enough time to order people to move Oh, and did we go to the moon? Last I checked it was an elaborate scam forced by the cold war, pulled off in a Hollywood soundstage. Read about the Van Allen belt much? Or seen this:

Most of these "aggressive trail riders" just need knee pads. Save the armour for downhills, and even then, only if you are really going for it. Smaller is better. Also, check out the 661 EVO's. Those are classy and work really well for AM.

Well, you get what you pay for. Considered renting some bikes to feel what a cool bike is like, and to see if you have the bug?

Hey if you grab the 661's be sure to get the right size. DONT buy it too big as they'll slip down your legs. ps-I always smile when I read "aggressive trail riding". I get this image of a lycra clad bull on a bike snorting down the trail and grunting like a minotaur when there is a "passive trail rider" ahead

thought so. **** ***** I'm done playing with the babies.

because you can't?

Actually you do, since you pulled out your "I'm a graphic designer, so I know" card. Put your money where your mouth is. If you are as informed as you make out to be, then let's see some of your logo work. Link please.

For me it's having less clutter in my house to deal with. Once I read an e-mag I file it away. I can search for things with finder. Magazines just collect dust.

Err, ok. Hard to please are you? Millions would disagree with you there on some of those. So what? Post some links to your work then for critique. Or, better yet, let's see some of your Cape Epic logo ideas. Maybe Jupiter will offer you a job I looks *** to you. Your opinion is certainly valid, I'm still undecided. Wait and see how it feels after your mind has forgotten the old logo, and when we get to see it played out on merch, tents, stickers, screen etc. The old logo was rubbish. It looks like clip art from a Corel CD. It's junk. Decent point that. Agree that yellow fades. Time will tell.

All of a sudden everyone here is a graphic designer. Although I do know a couple of art directors who ride the Epic. I'll be sure to ask for their educated opinions.

Hi Covie, Sorry but I think you misunderstood my post there. Falling is pretty much a given at all skill levels. Learning to fall and being properly prepared for it is just as much a skill though. Being covered in blood and bruises is not something to be proud of. It shows that the rider was not prepared for the fall at all, and in the long run, it's unsustainable. This is a good approach and I find I'm doing this a lot too these days. I used to get hard on myself, telling myself to "harden up" etc. Problem though is that if you place expectations on yourself, and you fail, there's an internal disappointment to deal with. I'm finding it really works to verbalise things as the come up. Telling myself "commit", or "loosen up" or "don't brake". My mind just seems to follow orders then, and not intellectualise it. It works well. Be kind to yourself, don't look at what other riders can do, and the little achievements will become rewards = happiness = fun, which is why we all ride.

OP, what's the worst that can happen? Well, you can break your shoulders, your back, you could break both wrists, you could smash your face into a tree, you could easily maim yourself and in some cases die. Learn your limits and be careful when you go beyond them. READ the Brian Lopes book. Then READ it again. One of the things he mentions is to focus on individual skills, eventually stringing them all together. It makes no sense to say "look 10 meters ahead" etc. BS. Riding is entirely situational. Your skills will need to be developed over time and in increments. You don't just hit the big doubles before you've mastered the small tabletop. Get the Lopes book, then find your weaknesses, and work on them. And when you do get to that point of no return, COMMIT. Number one way to see your arse is to half commit, or try to pull out last second. You need to learn to order yourself to commit, and when you do this, you go for it, no matter what. Nothing to be proud of IMO. This person wasn't dressed for the fall. Knee pads would have prevented this. Again, in Lopes' book he mentions the same. Please explain. I ride flats and have never had this issue. Cleats or flats, if you are not committed, skilled enough or concentrating on the correct line/speed nothing will help. In fact being clipped in will make things worse.

You are wrong in this regard. The shop/supplier doesn't get to make up the terms anymore. That's what the CPA was set up to stop. Regardless of an item being old stock/ new stock, on sale or not, the customer is entitled to return the item for a full refund within 6 months of purchase. You also don't need to give any reason for returning the goods. So long as the goods are in a boxed/sellable condition they shop has to refund you in full. Shops will obviously try to abuse these rules where they can, but believe me if you hold your ground they will abide. A simple email to the NPA will get this ball moving. We had a case a while back with a large home retailer wanting to only refund us the 'on sale' amount for a large amount of linen bought about 4 months prior. The manager quickly changed his tune when I pointed out that what he was doing was illegal, and that I'd be notifying the authorities. Cape Storm is a reputable brand, and they will sort this out on principle. They can't by law have a 'no refunds' policy if they are selling. It's illegal and I hope after this they will check up on the conditions of sale sections in the documents. At the end of the day this is just a pair of shorts, but believe me, when it's a 500k car or something else big, it helps to know your rights from the start.

ja it's very do-able. Tip: go on a realllly horrid weather day and during the week. Very little chance of crossing paths with anyone. Weekend, nice day, not so good. there's a couple of other places you can get to from Tokai as well. Google Earth is your friend. Good luck, have fun.

haha, no, I was looking out for the black Giant though. Just watched a couple of the runs at the logs and saw a few people going through the school. Glad you all had a blast.

60 Million Rand for a bike? That's some bike (or did you mean 60 gorillas?) Also, who spends 7k on a rear hub? What's wrong with an XT hub? Had mine for years now, not even bothered to service it yet.

In the end I decided that I'd rather watch. I ride most of those trails at least 3 times a week and in hindsight it would have been fun, but the idea of having my ass handed to me on my home trails isn't !! haha Glad it was good for you man. I know that downhill well. Yip, you do not want to wipe on that.

I bought some at Revolution Cycles not too long ago. Originally went to CWC only to be laughed at by the 'sales' consultant who insisted such a thing doesn't exist (note to self, NEVER buy a carbon bike, or anything else from them). CRC has it in stock. Get the small tube, you don't need much. Wrong product there. That's carbon grease. NOT the same. The product we're looking at here is an assembly paste that has tiny granules in it. This creates friction, and when clamped on, one requires much less torque to get a proper connection going. It is in fact recommended in the RockShox Reverb assembly guide.

Sure thing. PM Hillbilly as he lives there, and is the original pioneer hardman MTBer in those parts.

Wrong way to deal with this issue. tow words, fiber paste http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=30012 How do you think carbon bikes clamp the seatpost without cracking? Cos you sure as hell would if you cinched it down with a cordless screwdriver. Btw, I use this paste for my Rockshox Reverb post, on an Ali bike frame. My clamp is lightly clamped. NEVER slipped. Try it, you might save yourself in the long run. or don't