Robbie Stewart

You can thank me later for converting you to REAL mountain biking 😜

I can't argue with your selection. I was actually thinking the same.

And just like that the curtains draw to a close on a once in a lifetime career. Thank you Greg. May the next chapter at Norco shine even brighter.

I have a bit of a thing for Maxxis Assegai / Minion DHR ii and can't get myself to not use them on my enduro rig. I've tried Spez Butcher / Eliminator which aren't bad, but they're not Maxxis - I have two sets of these hanging in the garage with not much use, all because the Maxxis are just that good. Those rubbers stick like snot and absorb so much abuse with no problems.

I have a set of 29" Racing Ralph at the rear and Racing Ray up front. That rear tyre is more spotty than a prepubescent with over-active acne. Next set of tyres will be Vittoria's again.

Schwalbe? I have a set on my one bike. They're fast, but that's about all I can say about them that is positive. Just looking at them causes them to go flat. I CO2-bomb them about every ride lately.

Or dentists

Cheers

Ja, I did it three times. 14, 15 and 18. I'm not sure I'll do it again. Maybe one last hurrah sometime.

I made the mistake of riding it on a HT only once. What got to me more than the rocks on the descent on the back of Ouwapad was the relentless corrugations. Some suspension goes a long way on that road.

It looked muddy.

snow, rain, COLD forecast leading up to Sunday. https://youtu.be/vy3JEnYVfGw

I was in that part of the world a week ago on the family farm. It was cold. The days were generally not too bad, but the mornings and evenings were frigid. Looking at this weather it seems like the pattern persists. It also rained intermittently the entire week I was there. The farm is about 40km west of Uniondale beneath the Kammanassie mountains, so the climate is pretty similar to what it is on the route.

Karoo_to_Coast_2018.gpx

I have been doing a fixed tar route on my XC mtb during the week, and when I am on song (exclude the last 3 months due to crashes, repairs, winter etc.) I am riding much better on the trails I ride. I have also found that because I ride with a group of mates that includes some e-bike riders, I tend to ride faster when they are in the group and overall that has made a massive impact.

Nice pic. Can't say I agree with Nietzsche though.

I would hazard a guess that the driver of that VW suffers from an acute case of Socialmedialitis. That is an often fatal condition for anyone in close vicinity of the infected person, especially when that illness is combined with the simultaneous usage of a steering wheel, accelerator pedal and gear lever.

okay my bad, but does he know how much he looks just like Pottie? Or is that only me? regardless - what a weekend for SA sport! The green and gold delivered in spades. Well done!

You know what amazes me apart from the performances by Candice and Alan, is that despite CSA giving team SA a proper middle finger, they still arrived to support the athletes who got the nod, and this most likely on their own dime. This pic of her husband holding the umbrella for Candice speaks volumes. In fact, it is shouting out that CSA are a bunch of wan... never mind.

Don't really know how this works. We are using a streaming connection which my wife uses more than me. I watch the odd game of rugga, some F1 and the DH when it's on. That's it for me. I just assumed it was a normal channel. Apologies.

Uh, I watched it on 243 today?

I recently bought the Garmin Instinct Crossover from Takealot on a good deal and I'm chuffed with it. I don't need a mobile phone on my wrist. All I want is a device to record my training metrics. I spent R7k and it does what I expect from it. I can't see any reason to spend more than three times that on the F8

Look, I'm also in the "real men ride analogue, e-bike riding is mechanical doping" camp. Two observations stand out having actually ridden on one; 1. I tell myself whatever I need to hear so that I can sleep better at night. 2. My eyes are open to the potential that those bikes bring to a ride. BUT . . . I will also just say the bit that few people mention. E-bikes absolutely CHEW through consumable parts. Tyres, brake rotors, brake pads, cassettes, chains, chain rings need replacing much more frequently due to the torque they put out. That is a major deterrent.

exactly the point. It's about the extra power when you need it. I was given the opportunity to ride a mates eeb up the Conties mast climb. It was the one and only time I managed to pull that climb in one go without getting off in 12 years of riding there. Was it easy? HECK NO! I was cooked by the time I stopped by the mast. I had to have a sit down for a bit. People who think riding an e-bike is for lazy people are missing the point, completely. And I will just mention that seeing as I am now riding with eebs all the time, I am much faster on the climbs overall because I am forever trying to keep up. Sometimes they call me out to slow down. Granted, they are not smashing the hill in turbo mode to conserve battery power, but still, they ascend just fast enough to keep me in a elevated state of energy expenditure. That has done my fitness a world of good. I won't be spending money on one soon though, as I just bought a new bike and had some other very large expenses as well recently, so I will be sticking with my Stumpy EVO, but I'll definitely be wishing I was on one on every ride.