Headshot

Look here. There is nothing better than a Magic Mary for any armchair tyre expert.

That describes me too dude. Maybe I'm just lighter?

I took my hardcorehardtail 26er equipped with Maxxis Ardent EXO casing tyres on a 125 km Tankwa Karoo ride last weekend. The bike and tyres did better than me. No punctures or burping despite a 50km/h descent down the Ganaga Pass. Several other had punctures and there were a few plug stops on both days. Havent had any issues with EXO on the HT around CT either. So far all good on my Enduro too. What do you guys do to your bikes that require tougher casing? (For the record the wheels on my Enduro are stuffed - dinged and taco'd but no tears or pinch flats)

What I think many people fail to realize is that no matter the activity, we do, harm or even death is just over the horizon. Not to be pessimistic or anything, but there have been a few recent incidents that illustrate this, the Northern Farms incident being one. In Squamish BC a week or so ago, a young woman, a Canadian Ski Cross pro was killed mountain biking. She crashed into a tree and collapsed her chest apparently. The thing is that in most cases help is relatively close by and medical assistance, even in the Cape mountains is a helicopter away. I'm not sure what went wrong in the NF incident, but surely a heli should have been requested? Last weekend I rode around 125 km over two days in the Tankwa Karoo, proudly proclaimed as the driest and least populated area in SA. I can believe it. There is no cellular coverage and very little water or shade. The riding wasn't that hard, but hard enough to stress and strain the middle aged males who made up our group. Imagine a heart attack out there - no telephone and therefore no ambulance or hospital for a few hundred km. A life threatening incident out there would probably be fatal.

Its at Vuurberg. I haven't managed to shuttle that place yet. What is the track like from a tech i.e steepness and jumps point of view?

Wow, that's tragic. Sorry to hear, what a terrible ordeal for all.

Same, there's no shame in a DNE hey Hairy.

Enjoy this one guys. I've been enjoying the enthusiasm and training tales on this thread. I'll be keeping my record of not making one enduro race this season intact. This weekend off on a semi arid dirt road commemorative ride for a fallen family member. 130km on my 26er HT. Should be fun ....

Kirstenbosch?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrqBEw9r4PQ How an HD5 should be ridden. Cape Town needs its own North Shore don't you think?

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FROOTT/on-one-tiktik-frame

Worried this might be a bit too #Enduro for Hairy's thread?

As I'm sure you realize my comment is somewhat facetious. The truism that is lost in all the wheel size cr#p is that a good bike is good no matter what wheel size. My HT is a tad too small for me but still great. If I could afford it I'd get a custom frame with a 63 deg HTA, 500mm reach and a 77 deg STA and run my 26" wheels.

Yep, but every time I ride my 26er HT I get a big smile on my face. Poppy, nippy fun machine. And not slow either. Scary at times too, but so much fun. Aren't 29ers the equivalent of dumbing down a trail? Making it easier to ride in other words?

You and Jeff will be a limited duration relationship if your previous promiscuity is anything to go by.

i wish it was 26"

I need a lotto win asap. That would be my next bike. A bit more reach a, bit more fork and a bit more slackness. XL in black please.

Some say that you have gone full #enduro will be at JH looking for a medal?

If the shoe fits :-)

Got a 3 Black. The only way to get a vaguely smooth vid is to chest mount it. I havent used it for ages until recently. The light was perfect and at 60fps it was quite watchable from a smoothness pov but I didnt crash so dead boring.filming in high contrast and dappled light conditions is a waste of time IMO. The day I rode there was high cloud and nice even light with no shadows.

https://enduro-mtb.com/en/best-enduro-bike-you-can-buy/ Compare weight and rip off pricing here ^^^ BTW, CRC are giving me a full refund and I keep the old hub. I like them a bit again.

The problem with boost is that adapters don't a boost hub make. The flanges are wider apart.

I read a couple of reviews of the Strive. The bike has a steeper head angle than is currently in vogue and the commentary on PB for instance was quite negative. It has turned out to be groundless - the bike rocks at the EWS. Barel and the Canyon team know what they are doing. There is also a GMBN vid of Neil racing the Garbonzo on one. That is a steep gnarly track and it handled it well. The Spec of the 6 is good bar the brakes. I have Guide R's and although they have a nice feel they are weak compared to my ancient SLX brakes on my HT. I think the XT equipped bike will stop better and I must say I prefer Shimano shifting overall to SRAM. My Saint 10s is much smoother than my GX11, and it has double upshits ( to a higher gear) which no SRAM shifter has. Do the maths with a view to future upgrades eg brakes and see which one comes out tops.

Yes, they deserve one Bass turds!

Well CRC cannot help me - other than sending me a 10 Pound voucher and letting me keep the hub. Anyone need a brand new 142 x12 hub?