Headshot

26" territory :-)

$$$

when is the timed practice going to start - 2pm? Interested to see how the trail bikes do - and the SA contingent...

we can wait for the ali version ...

So would I if they didn't cost R100k without carbon wheels...

http://www.junkmail.co.za/sports/cycling/western-cape/cape-town/city-bowl/2013-specialized-trek-cannondale-bikes-33344303 and this?

http://www.junkmail.co.za/sports/cycling/western-cape/cape-town/scalpel-29er-carbon-1-bike-for-sale-34084753 and the same for even less in Cape Town

Ya, just saw that too - the Nomad is at least more like a dh bike than an Enduro 29 and its got those fab enduro specific 650b wheels. Note the 180mm fork though - that's definitely not enduro spec :-)

What is truly mind blowing is that this crook is still operating despite clear evidence of multiple fraudulent websites. So much for law enforcement.

Lol maybe, but that Spaz rider - Gwins buddy - loves his niner so much maybe he's arrogant enough to have left it behind...

Nigel I hope you have thrown in some surprises for these foreigners and their trail bikes - I hope their bike choices prove to be horribly wrong. Go Greg.

That step was a fun feature to improve skills up and down. That whole section was also far more fun on the way down in its original form... Maintenance is one thing but dumbing down quite another. The fairy agents must have planned this for a while to arrive tooled up and with a gum pole. Niner riders probably;-)

Firstly - well done guys - the new divert is great - I rode up it and later down - the rock/drop/roll in is nice but the small jump into the second left hand berm is even better. The fairy story. My wife and 2 friends were riding on Saturday morning around 0830 - it was v busy. Her friend had a puncture on Fairy going up (I can't imagine how :-) ) They spotted the trail changing perps in action while fixing the puncture. It was two guys and a blonde woman and at least one had Cycle Lab kit on. They were apparently fixing loose planks on the bridge and also placed a chicken wire covered pole to make the root step up under the tree after the bridge easier. They had tools and stashed their bikes around the corner. Wifey thought that were up to no good... Quite bizarre - that's the last place on earth I'd have thought needed maintenance.

I agree, although Bridge sells old stock Spaz stuff at great prices and I like their seats...

Something that strikes me about the whole debacle is the fact that fake bikes seem quite common. Not so with the Honda Fireblade mentioned earlier - no Chinese fakes I am aware of. This poses the question - why? Simple - a motorbike is a complex piece of machinery - not simply a frame you can hang some components on and therefore not something you can produce out of any old shed. All this quality checking Golefty mentions is really neither here nor there - surely all motorcycles are checked just as much before they go out the door? Notwithstanding this, they are sold at what appears to be good value compared to a carbon push bike. I am also aware that Scott carbon bikes like the Spark 910 have a cost price in the twenties but are sold for a lot more than that new. To what extent have the bike companies created the problem themselves by charging such ridiculous prices for bikes? If Dogma's were a fraction of the price I'd buy one and Mr Fake would be out of business. Pinarello would also sell a lot more bikes. Don't lets start talking about MTB tyres...

Flowta, I second your comment re the journalist. Its "Die Son" type tabloid journalism - its starts with a particular slant - eg the trails are dangerous and works with that ignoring the facts that don't suit that line and throwing objectivity out of the window. You have to try really hard to sell a free paper it seems. A far better article would have highlighted that MTB is a dangerous, sometimes extreme sport regardless of where you ride. We can all relate to that.

Fun, but damn that is a short run.

Keep an eye out if you are in the Cape Town area please. I have re-posted this in teh correct forum. Scum climbed into my walled and very private back yard area at 5am Sunday and took: 1. An old (1998) but under restoration Giant atx 890 HT bike - gray unpainted ali, XT 26" wheels, RS Reba fork, Spaz Phenom seat and Spaz lock on grips on Ritchey WCS bars and stem. Crank is an original 1994 LX with Middleburn rings, brand new chain and 8spd casette This was a fun project bike that I had spent lots of fun time on and is greatly missed. 2. My sons old 20"Merida 7 spd kids MTB - hanging up ready for his brother in a few years, now gone. 3. My Camelbak Mule circa 2007 - orange and gray, with alloy Lezyne pump, tube, Tokai permit and greencard, blue and black Cape Storm bike windbreaker and pair of Darcs mirror cycle glasses. 4. Urge, Enduromatic helmet - black/yellow/red, no foam inserts as these were being washed. PM me if you have any info. I will be checking the local usual suspects on an ongoing basis...

Hoogies has only one dangerous piece of trail in my opinion. The "widowmaker" . Its an artificially created obstacle and is just begging for OTB type accidents, the kind where necks and collar bones are injured. It is however well signposted as are the other obstacles including the Cape Cobra dh. I rode the whole trail a few days ago and found the Cobra in good condition after the rain, as was the rest of the track. After trying the Contermans DH line, the Cobra seemed easy - its all relative. One riders fun trail is another's nemesis and the trick is to know your limits. There is no shame in getting off and climbing down a section rather than smashing yourself up. The difference between starting MTB now and back in the day is that the trails have become more interesting. There is more single track and more technical features. Bikes are also better but there is no substitute for skill and I would like to see more shops offering skills courses with bikes and all new cyclists attending some kind of training - it makes a huge difference. Lee was very unfortunate and there is no chance at all that TMBC or the land owner are liable in any way for what happened. That article is poorly written trash journalism, typical of the parochial rags that these community newspapers usually are.

The law says that period - no need to even try and read the CPA, incomprehensible as it is.

The hardest part about the ACE is getting an entry and then paying for it

I will try and clarify but I think in the last two weeks or so.

March 2014.This may be old news but I could not locate any reference to it here. A young (24) woman was killed on her commute back home in Milnerton from work at Century City. A car hit her and she sustained multiple broken bones and brain damage with no hope of recovery. My wife works with her boyfriends mom. Its getting ridiculous out there. Be careful and ride defensively.

Do some reading re helmets and safety before buying one. Tests have shown that there is very little difference between cheap and expensive helmets in terms of outright protection. You are paying for a name and in some cases a better fit and finish. Cycling helmets are a compromise - the inlet/vent holes weaken them and allow sharp objects to penetrate more easily and yet air vents are used as a selling point! If you want a warm but maximum protection open face helmet get an Urge Enduromatic. Mine was doing great work until it was stolen last weekend :-(

This isn't about who is on a Game special vs an S Works, merely the wheel size. Perhaps I could have been clearer. Whether Shurter is on a quality sixer/650/700, he would still have come second today and teh chaps that won would still have won.