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Waiting to see what CRC are going to do about their stuff up...

Yes, except that CRC have fooked me over rather. The rear hub they advertised as a 148 is in fact a 142 and therefore useless to me. The packaging and invoices all show it as a 12x148 hub but it arrived as a 142 and their website now lists it as a 142. I suspect they have a lot of unhappy customers right now. Feeling so disappointed.

I can just imagine the faces of the SANP area rangers when we sit down with a few renderings of the DH track we have planned.

Another large box arrived today with very little in it. A rim and two hubs. Hubs look and feel great. The engagement on the freewheel seems quick and I suspect it will sound like a fishing reel with a Tuna running against the drag when its got a cassette on it. Now spokes and a build....

Platteklip... From 1050 m to 413 - 638 m descent over 2.8 km. Some gradients of 90 odd percent up top. Would need a bit of work to be bike friendly... But just imagine the setting on TV. Wow.

Platteklip is several percentage points steeper than anything else out there I suspect.

Clearly we need a chair lift at Tokai ...

I am rolling - with a bit of a wobble up front :-)

I have some heavy duty Novatec hubs coming with the order - I hope... CRC sent three items on 4/9/19 then sent item 4 - the second rim, on 5/9/19. I paid about R100 handling for this second package (not that i realized there were 2 at this stage) It arrived before the first package because it was lower value I think, so SARS didn't get excited. The First package is somewhere in a truck I suspect. I paid about R450 vat and handling for the package I have yet to receive. I suspect it will be in my office tomorrow morning... Oh, and the Novatecs were around R1000 for both, if that. #crcblunders

I need hubs for the wheels too - I'm getting rid of the silly Spaz 28/24 spoke arrangement and going 32. I'll order the spokes locally once I have measured up the rims and hubs. At the moment I'm having to explain to Skynet whats going on and point out that there are two invoices with different tracking numbers...eish.

Hi Ben!

Met a guy on a carbon Ripmo this weekend. Said he loved it but very different to previous more enduro style bikes he'd owned. This AF one sounds more like best of both worlds. That said I'd still have an HD4.

Well, CRC and Skynet have managed to confuse me badly. Goods arrived at ORT within 2 days. I get a shipping invoice showing 3 items instead of 4, i.e only one rim. I advise CRC who confirm that I did order and pay for 2 rims. I wait to see what arrives after paying some Vat and handling fees - (Around R500 in total). I am advised customs had released my goods yesterday. Arrive at the office today to find a massive box in the boardroom. It has 1 solitary rim in it and the invoice with it only lists the one rim. I have put 2 and 5 together and got 8 - that is that the order was split and the remaining three items are still on their way. I hope my maths is good....

I'm still fantasizing about a DHWC at Jonkers. Track to start at the upper Saaltjie aerials - more than enough steepness and drop for a gnarly track.

The US boys are showing their MAGA spirit. Except for Gwin who sounds like hes getting old.

But it would be great if VDP did try his hand at DH...

I'm with Bruni and Brosnan. Cabirou for the ladies. I think those jumps wont bother Tahnee, after all she does ride a lot with her brother :-) Sorry, not Brosnan, that other guys, Brooks team mate, wtf, getting old.

Its time they changed the name to the SA Epic - the whole country is Epic, man.

Maybe they should shift the Epic to KZN/EC for a change - let them ride a bit of the Freedom Challenge route? Haven't 29ers and uber expensive carbon bikes made the Epic too easy? Maybe they need to insist everyone rides a 26er to make it really tough again?

Well CRC got my stuff to Jhb rather quickly but according to the invoice they only sent one rim. Oh dear. And I have to deal with Skynet. Feeling worried about the charges they are going to invent...

The track walk vids are out and the last race of the season should be good. There are a few WTF features but also some good old fashioned horrid rock gardens. Compared to MSA I think it will seem too short and a bit smooth overall, but hey, no foreign VPN's needed.

Is the Sapim online spoke length calculator any good?

Thanks for the tip - thats half the price some shops charge. I think with 32 spokes double butted will be fine. Its not going to be a light wheel set but at least it will be strong...

Okay, my new wheels are in the process of acquisition. CRC sale to the rescue. Those R250 WTB 29mm rims plus Novatec boost hubs. D542 32h XD out back D6 something 32 up front- heavy duty. Total before tax/duty R1600 incl a 10% discount that just kicked in. Now for some spokes and a build in due course. Whew.

Will it work as a commuter - that is really the question.