Headshot

I've had a good experience with a Rapide Boost rear hub if you're looking for a cheaper option. Mine has been going well for a couple of years with one bearing replaced I think.

I think the Tread Top Trails ratings should be taken with a bag of salt. The publication hails from the big smoke so probably get to destinations closer to there than Cape Town more often, like KK for instance. If their ratings were provincial it would make more sense and probably be more accurate. From what I've seen of the trail parks in Gauteng I think views and steepness are in short supply so KK is probably a mind bending but relatable experience. In CT we are spoiled for choice and I have just fallen in love with JH again thanks to managing to ride it more in the last 12 months than in the last 5 years combined. Riding there when you're not that fit or a bit out of practice isn't easy. Its steep up and the long 4km descents are super tiring. So imagine coming from Jhb and being faced with Africa's version of an alpine riding experience and you might not rate it so highly. I'd dispute that JH isn't for marathoners - I mean the Epic and other races have been through there and there is stacks of jeep track to hit as well as easier single track like Neverending Story and the Firehut side of the mountain. If you look at other ratings you'll see bias all over. I think the Spruit is ranked higher than Tokai. 🤪

Nice, 27.5 coming right back into vogue as MX/mullet bikes become the rage.

I'm in for this one. Loving JH at the moment and my body seems almost able to cope with the long descents although my right hand still suffers from numbness by the end of a run. Long term the weather looks wettish up to Friday the 26th. I rode there on Saturday and it was damp leading to quite slithery conditions on the rocks so Iron Monkey will be tricky in parts if its wet. The rest was amazing, as was the wind assist down Armageddon.

That course had a lovely gnarly descent - saw some interesting moves half off the bike down there...

I agree it is a silly rule in the first place. The track this weekend was very HT friendly.

No issues for us - using a Mi-Box on an old FHD samsung TV. Its fiber speed dependent of course and we seem to be going through a purple patch of high speed stability at the moment. We lost FHD one or twice with a kid gaming online on the same router with a hard connection to his PC. I was very happy with the coverage. Ric and Josh are familiar to those who follow the EWS and the new ladies were great too.

It might be clever but I suspect they will ban it. Its also of dubious advantage in the age of shock lockouts and many ST courses are quite rough anyway. Lets see.

The coverage was actually better than RBTV - I don't miss Warner on XCO and the racer interviews were also done swiftly as were the short highlights. RB missed opportunities to do trackside reports and Bart is coming into his own without the Warner repeating everything and trying to steal the show. My wife says he likes Kate who asks him the right leading questions. The drone follow shots and a bit of on bike footage was great. WBD for the win. Even their app is better. 🙂

Just worried these trails ar E-Bike specific :-)

Go back to alu rims at a fraction of the cost. You wont notice the difference for more than 3 rides anyway... How is carbon waste dealt with again?

Nice - need to get out there this winter.

Not sure where you ride or how much but maybe try and wash your bike less? My bike has 14 bearings in the rear swing arm and I've only had to replace 4 in the last 5 years. That is due in part to the external seals built into the suspension bearing covers under the bolts. Some bikes don't have these I think and that may be why yours are getting water ingress.

Getting hypothermic waiting in a long Q is not part of a fun ride with your mates but it is at a race like this.

Anything new feels amazing for the first few rides until you get used to it and then the effect fades and you start looking for the next big power gain eg an electric motor. 🙂

The point is that the stuff be it South Industries or anyone else is ridiculously overpriced for what it is. A set of bike wheels. No, we don't have to buy it and I never would as a matter of principle, but it sets a mark and leads to overpricing lower down the line too. You can double the price of a decent set of alu wheels and they'd still look like value compared to these and I suspect that is what happens sometimes.

Ouch, another beyond expensive bicycle accessory. I guess guys making affordable components simply don\'t have the ad spend that these guys have because I would far rather see advertorials on value oriented products not overpriced stuff I would not buy even if I had the cash. I\'m all for innovation and local production but who cares what the pros are riding, really? If they are using it, its probably something you or I should not be using. IMO of course :-)

You may be right - I'm going on second hand information re Microshift but I'd be prepared to give it a go as the pricing is so competitive even in SA. You're paying a lot more for XT and GX. Microshift is more in Deore pricing territory.

There is no need to cry - you'll be able to get normal derailleurs for years if not forever. I reckon microshift 10 speed with 11-48 rear cassette is the way to go. Cheap and works great by all accounts.

That isn't what you nay think it is. I wonder if there will ever be an adaptor to make your older bike UDH compatible?

They dropped the HL on the Epic a few years back didnt they? Its more about how much longer can they flog the brain dead horse.. I think that there will still be courses where the even lighter HT will be favoured by weight weenies. Their marketing spiel is typical OTT BS like the SRAM Transmission hype and many others.

What's the Trek - 80mm? When a softer tyre makes a noticeable difference to how the back end of a bike feels I suspect that 80mm is more than enough for most XCO and even marathon duties. BTW, "full house" is at least 160mm at each end in my book 🙂

I think they scared Trek will get a head start on the legal action if too much detail is leaked way ahead of the big loooooorrrrrnch.

Depending on the temperature I tend to just wear a long sleeved top - either trail running or bike specific as well as a tailored wind breaker as a shell. As long as you're generating heat while riding this keeps you protected from excessive wind chill even though you're wet.