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29'ers are best because only clever rich people ride them. I've also heard that there is a direct correlation between wheel circumference and the size of your c0ck. This is why you find so many monster truck drivers moonlighting as porn stars. Apparently Assos are designing a new 29'er specific bib with extra sag built into the crotch area. Thats very funny LL - methinks Mr Traut is a wee bit over sensitive - perhaps all those bucks on the Spesh 9er aren't making that much difference to his speed on the bike. Hows that for an assumption based on very little info?

No man, you can't be serious. I bet they'll never do that ...

Indeed so would I - decent strong tyres add weight, as does the pump and other lovely accessories...

Did a 3h28 in 2007 on a Giant ATX 890 with medium width slicks and tallish 1994 LX crank gearing. Its still horrible compared to riding a road bike with drops and proper narrow tyres...

Anyone know what happened to the male rider who rode over the edge of Chappies on the down side - rear of field - a friend of ours helped at the scene - apparently he was badly injured...

Mmmm, I have a problem with SW - their staff are more often than not clueless re the products they sell and they are overpriced - a pair of FF gloves I bought at C/Lab were about R200 more expensive at SW - perhaps an error but the staff at the time didn't seem to think so. It all looks so like a big fat monopoly in the performance sports wear and goods retail space to me...

No doubt core strength and stretching is important, but so is bike set up. I suffered hugely on longer races - I recall stopping repeatedly in agony on the Knysna 85km MTB several years back. I adjusted my bike set up to provide a more stretched position - by lowering my stem which seems strange. However, it worked and I did all the training and a sani2C without any problems. Perhaps get a professional bike set up or start experimenting yourself...

I am almost over the injuries from a self induced hi speed impact with a tree and barbed wire fence after a jump went wrong on my MTB - minor compared to a car hit but all foms of the sport can be dangerous. I was hit by a car about 10 years ago - I was very lucky and did a complete summersault over the bonnet with minor injuries and had a successful insurance claim. That and numerous near misses keep me off the road in the main . Hope your injuries heal quickly and there is no lasting disability!

Tubless tyres - UST - are the best option, but they are not all the same - a Maxxis is heavier and stronger than the equivalent Conti "tubeless" tyre. Then again, it depends how and where you ride... If you can afford it, rather buy proper tubeless rims than a conversionkit - they are far easier to inflate than a converted rim.

I have the older towbar mounted rack with a key lock - its excellent for short jaunts - do a long drive and gravel roads and the hang on racks take strain - the platic pivots wear away, the horizantal arms hang down, and the bikes can actually slip off the back . The newer ones may be better, but be aware the Thules are not all rated for the same loads

Huh? And you call Niner beligerent? 'My flow's more important than a stupid robot" etc.Hell, many times i wished i didnt have to stop cos well, i'm just njoying the riding so much. But there's more to just my own needs when out on public roads. Whether niner, or any other red robot hero acknowledges it or not, every single cyclist out on a public road, has some power over the safety of other road users. While i dont always like the rules of the road, I accept they are there as a common basis for public safety" I at any rate ,am not talking about "flow" and the "attitude" that goes with road riding - I am talking about simple safety and the inherent danger cyclists face that motorists don't. Add the average motorists attitude and you have a very dangerous situation for a cyclists. I am certainly not advocating a wholseale disregard for road rules though, and although you think I am stating the obvious, what is not so obvious and what you seem to miss is that the danger cyclists face on roads dominated by heavy motorised vehicles isn't properly recognised or dealt with on most roads or in the rules of the road themselves I didnt know the stats before 20 mins ago and frankly they are shocking. Most cyclists deaths seem to be related to drunken drivers and simple reckless or negligence on the part of the motorist. I doubt there is any significant correlation between cyclists breaking the road rules and their injury or death in accidents at the hands of a motorist. I also doubt that fewer cyclsists will die or be injured at the hands of motorists because we all stop at red lights all the time. I also doubt that motorsits will drive better around cyclsists if we all do that - it might remove some of the aggro from the situation, but cyclists will continue to get mowed down by motorised vehicles and in my opinion a safety conscious cyslist should ride defensively to take him or herself out of a danger zone even if it means breaking a road rule to stay alive.

"The risk of being killed in traffic per kilometre travelled, is over 4 times higher for pedestrians and cyclists than car drivers (ETSC, 1999)." This is the sobering statistic off the Arrive Alives website. I think the stat for injured as opposed to killed is probably even higher...

Thats not actually what he is doing or saying. Cyclists are vulnerable on the road in ways a car or even a motorcyclist isn't. I have been hit by a car whose driver simply didnt look. Many other near misses attest to the fact that motorists, and especially I think, non cycling motorists have little idea how to share the road with non motorised transport. The way I read him, Niner is saying that staying alive or safe on our roads demands a different approach from cyclists. The chorus of "but you have to comply with road rules to have your rights respected" has some merit, but if jumping a light where there is no traffic approaching helps ensure you have a safer passage through a busy intersection, then shouldn't it be tolerated? I ride on the pavement on my MTB at times to stay out of the way of cars on my route to a local riding spot - in doing so I avoid the scene of my knock down and avoid some seriously dangerous intersections in my area. Also breaking the law I think, but I do it to stay safe, and do so responsibly so that pedestrians are not harmed. In the absence of cycle lanes, is my behaviour acceptable or simply illegal and not to be tolerated, despite the fact that its my life at risk? Or should I as I have seen on a Brit web site, simply choose a different route? There are many grey areas in this debate, its not as clear as you and other seem to think it is...

http://forums.mtbr.com/drivetrain-shifters-derailleurs-cranks/issues-2x10-chain-drop-669708.html This may (or may not) assist - haven't read it...

Tubeless is good provided you use decent tubeless tyres IMO - a conversion with lightweight race tyres is asking for trouble. best combo for reliability I have ever ridden is a Maxxis Xmark UST rear and Ignitor UST front - absolutley bomb proof. Tade off is they weigh a bit. As fir the fat vs thin tyre debate - if you are a weight conscious racer go for the ligtest narrorwest rear tyre and a slightly fatter front - you need the extra traction the most when cornering in the front. If on the other hand, you enjoy a bit of everything, go for fat everywhere. I currently have a 2.25 X Mark at the back its fatter than the 2.3 Ignitor in front. I can feel the extra traction on sketchy ascents and the voume is great when riding rock gardens and drops... For a comfier ride, go wide!

What you say is very true - one persons black route is anothers gentle descent. I can't afford to have multiple bikes so I ride a 100/120mm dual suspension bike with fat tyres and a short stem. Most of my riding is short - less than 40km trails like Tokai with some of the easier dh sections thrown in which I ride as fast as I can. If I do a marathon again, I'll pop the old stem back on, some lighter tyres and off I'll go. My first bike was a steel Giant atx 760 in 1994 - it had a sus fork, canti brakes and I rode it into the ground. I'd hate to go back to that bike, but an updated steel frame, disk brakes and even a ridgid fork would be an experience indeed. I am just not sure I need that experience enough to shell out the moola for the Ritchey, good as it seems to be.

Great video. I get the whole minimalist idea - rigid fork, ss, steel (is it?) et al, but I cannot imagine thumping this bike down a rocky descent or off some drops and jumps. A bike for a person with several in his/her garage perhaps?

agree, can't see how the lbs could have cause that kind of damage - R4k km on a rack - could easily have happened then...

My attitude as well - have been on too many fun races where the crowds clog the bottlenecks and good singletrack is rendered meaningless by the walkers and fallers. I generally have more fun doing a loop at Tokai or elsewhere. Plus I am not as fit as I used to be

Pretty much my attitude too - and I am riding a 7 year old bike I'm more than happy with. I think the Epic has more competition now - all the three day races, the CPT - people look at the cost and training time required and opt for a shorter race perhaps. Then again, wasn't the Epic sold out when entries opened? If so can we say its lost its appeal?

mate of mines wife has bad arthritis in her hands -she rides with various bar end add ons to make cycling easier - a bit like the one's in this pic. Can't imagine riding anything too technical with all that pokey stuff on the bars - imagine impaling your knee on the rear facing bits...

Yeah, better luck next time bru.

Lol - and I think you completely didnt get it - don't be a hater, just have a laugh or is it not allowed to poke fun at DH helmets?

In my opinion, those DH FF helmets look like they belong on a gimp outfit if we're talking bike kit and sex toy comparisons.

Mmmm, not great - have always felt safe there esp the top parking lot. I also have a wagon - nowhere to lock valuables except the cubby which I shall do from now on.