Bos

I've checked Windguru and use to swear by it. But they have had it pretty wrong a few times. I'm more going by the typical patterns which is that often it rains less than predicted, and its usually earlier on or during the night. The wind could a factor though, since we're going in the general NW direction however. It's not predicted to be strong. Let's forget the weather and start enjoying the leadup!

Are you in for the Chardonnay? My App predicts rain for Thursday night Friday morning, Then again for Sunday afternoon. So we will get some stray drops somewhere, but nothing to wild. The wind will be more of a factor.

Great. Spend that money at the bar then ????

A week to go! Excited for this. I've picked up a bit of a chest cold, which is hanging on longer than I'd like after a surf last weekend. Haven't ridden this week as I'm on the taper Better come right soon! Will do a last 2 hour endurance ride tomorrow regardless, and then its rock and roll! Thinking about bike technicalities.. Maybe want to get a holy rail so I can fit a larger bottle... could also just live with a bottle in the hip pack. ..puzzling

Oh My.. We are right back in K.. probably because I have done zero races for 3-4 years suddenly very grateful for the non technical start.

Since I have not done the normal route, how do you expect the switchback route will be? uphill? Rotary drive at the start will be quite the wakeup call. I will be honnest. I don't know the route at all. I've done the Hemel and Aarde trails lots, but I have the feeling we wont even be riding there.

So I have a 2nd wheelset which takes a kg off the weight. And the bike feels completely different. One wheelset has 30mm rims with 2.5 DHF the other American Classic with light rims and 2.25 icons. Then, second biggest thing. I've taken the new Debonair spring out and reverted back to the older one with the bigger negative spring. It has much more small bump sensitivity which is good for longer rides. (Harsher on big bumps though so will change back for Enduro) I have been doing all my rides with a stock cockpit 50mm stem and 780mm bars. So last night I installed a 70mm stem and 740mm bar. I was feeling cramped when trying to go aero on flats. So will how big the difference is.

I was somehow convinced to take part this year, which will be my first W2W. I've done a couple of other events, but I have not done a stage race or any serious racing since 2015. My annual mileage has taken a serious dip over the last 2 years not even making 800km with working late hours and getting up for toddlers taking priority.. I've been riding trails and doing the odd Enduro race which has been great, no pressure, and fun. But some mates are doing the W2W and needed a 4th, although I'm quite cash strapped at the moment, plans were made and I'm in! The thing that scared me more, was that I was on a all-time low with regard to fitness and there is nothing worse than being the weakest link! Knowing how I would suffer in my state at the time I have tried to get on the bike for at least 2 hours most Saturdays and Sundays. The thing that got me the most was how my body would just be empty some Saturdays.. feeling tired before starting the ride. Ive had to starto looking at my sleep patterns and eating more regularly. I'm glad to say my fitness is slowly starting to resurface. I can at least ride for quite a long time at an ok pace. Don't ask me to follow wheels and get the HR up though. None the less It has been refreshing rediscovering some longer riding again, feeling fitter and I have turned my 150mm Enduro bike into a 12.5kg Down Country machine! 2 more weekends of big miles and then ease into the last week. (We are doing the Chardonnay) Pitty the Jonkershoek Enduro is the week before the race, As I've adapted my bike a bit for the distance stuff, and I don't really want to risk crashing the week before the race.

Speaking to some locals, they say Plett is expanding on their trail network at a rapid rate. Apparently a flow trail is in the making somewhere.. No Idea if its Hellsend worthy, but flow trails are the buzzword at the moment, and a sign of the intentions of whoever is sponsoring the trails.

Thanks @PhilipV. Good to know Lebanon is not worth it. anymore. Some good gravel roads about though for distance. I know Hermanus quite well, perhaps worth a mission that way from the back through Karwyderskraal, through the back of Hemel and Aarde area.

OK, so I am heading to Kleinmond for a long weekend. I am doing the W2Whales in Nov so have enough motive to put one or two big days in. From this thread I gather the highlands to Palmiet traverse as we did for the gravity festival a decade back is a no-no. So this far I'm thinking of Using the highlands climb, to get to Lebanon, do some Lebanon, and back. However it may be just to far.. Perhaps park at Arabella.. Otherwise, ride to Wildekrans, ride there, and back. How far can one ride at Wildekrans? never done it. Will appreciate some feedback/advice.

Aish 35! No wonder. I thought it was like 28C and just not use to any heat..

Francoin and I made a plan to come back after loving the raw unmanicured tracks last year. Again, we had such a good time. Ended up doing some recons on the Friday, which were valuable, as there were some nice and tech stuff this year! On the way up I was thinking to myself, I hope this year isn't a letdown, as last year was just so awesome and would be hard to beat! But behold.. I finished absolutely stoked. Probably because stage 5 had me on the edge and coming down there ended up being so sick, and made up for one or two of the more pedal sections. All in all, great day out. The heat got me, on the day, but really enjoyed it and my own local trails seem pretty tame all of a sudden. (sad face) How tasty do those rocks look

Getting super amped for this! Leaving in the morning, will try recon some stages tomorrow afternoon. Thinking 1 and 4. Were staying around the corner from the trailpark. Chris, do we need day permits for this, and are they available at Solidground bikepark?

Absolutely gutted for Louris & Nicole..

Sick Bro, getting amped!

Thanks for the replies guys. I may just do this. As Drew suggested. Hope it works. SRAM cassettes are not cheap! Coming to Witfontein Enduro Drew?

So, to my question. Do you guys think it will skip...? I'd like to pull the trigger on the above.

Yes. That's it. I don't ride much flat or longer distances, mostly straight up, and straight down. So like I have said. I have 2 gears that get a lot of use. I cant really go up size on a chainring as the hills are either to steep, or I'm to weak but I hardly ever touch my 10t Even for R750 its a fraction of a full new drivetrain, which I will have to put off until bonus time later this year. https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/chainrings/494189/sram-30-thoot-chainring

Basically.

Sorry, I left out some important detail. I want to use a different size chainring... I want to go from a 32 to a 30T. As I've said, there are one or two teeth on the cassette that's got far more wear than others which will get worse to the point that the chain will eventually skip on the cogs that I don't often use, while the ones that gets used on every ride up the same climbs wears the whole system down. I have two chains at 0.7 which I can keep rotating. My thinking is, If I change the chainring, I will get away with using the cassette and chain a bit longer. I don't care about the chainring that will wear down quicker. they are relatively cheap in comparison

OK, thanks guys, So, there is some method to the madness. Because of the specific routes we ride over and over, our cassettes wear unevenly, so I actually want to extend the life of my cassette which extends the life of the entire drivetrain which is big $$$ A chainring however, is R250 -350 on classifieds.

Hi Guys Something I've never really dabbled with .. I don't want to start a new thread. My Chain is at 0.75% can I still put a new chainring on or is it going to skip?

Dude you deserve a medal for just getting people out there last year, I was seeing double at that stage anyway, and probably @Chewbacca as well! 100% Blind means its mostly even for all for the serious competitors, like us ???? but more importantly I think it adds to the anticipation and excitement since none of the out of townies, and probably only one or two locals would have ridden it. Just building some hype here.????‍♂️

Yes! That was my undoing on Stage 5 as well. I missed the split, and went what felt like off course. I was having the blinder of my life down the first half, 1s behind Savage, and then I hit ACDC and got lost.. got off eventually before some ladies shouted that I must just keep going.. of well. #Unfinishedbusiness!