mountain_lion

Thanks; My number must have been to covered in mud or just had too much glare - search found nothing on mypicture, but Mrs Mountain_lion found some of me while browsing the unidentified section. I considered shouting "Willehond!" at the start and see if I get an answer, but then decided you would be too fast for me up that initial climb, so not much point in starting together. I guess that the 10 minutes you finished ahead of me were mostly from the climb on the road and I doubt if I wanted to do that any faster. I also passed the white single speed, I think somewhere on the section where we where going parallel to the N2 - he was having problems with cramp. Are you riding Dewdale on Sunday?

Anybody know if there are any photos online of the Knysna MTB? mypicture.co.za lists the event, but does not seem to have any photos up (or is that just silly me??)

OK, so the social did not happen and we misssed nothing. Maybe next time. Mrs mountain_lion and I stayed in Plet with friends. On the way to Knysna on Saturday morning there were a few drops of rain which made us doubt if this was such a good idea... Fortuneatly we did not chicken out. We arrived at the start a bit later than intended due to having to turn back to the cars when we realised that neither of us were wearing our transponders... Appart from that I had a wonderfull ride. I was not sure if I could trust my distance measurement from the map (easy for the organisers to add in some more single track), so decided to pace for 85km just in case. As a result, I still felt reasonably strong at the finish. I managed to stay on my bike for almost the entire route: There was the tree in the single track of course and then a forced dismount on that muddy section of grass near the finish - nothing serious. Even rode that steep climb where we joined the 50km route! I came in at 4:42 & mrs mountain_lion finished about an hour later. We both thoughly enjoyed the event. I see willehond manged a 04:32 - should have met up with him; with a bit of motivation I am sure I could have managed 10 minutes faster. However I certainly would not have been able to match his 2nd place in 46km road race on Sunday; not even without doing the MTB the day before. Well done! We would have loved to join the Harkerville ride on Sunday, but had to go and say hello to grandma (96) in Mosselbay and be back in the office today. Any idea who the photographers were? I think there should be a nice one of me jumping those little steps on the track next to the road near the end. It is a long way to go to Knysna, but I might just be tempted to do it again next year...

Nee man! Baie modderig ja, veral daar agter waar ek gery het nadat vele wiele dit pap getrap het, maar moeilik?? nee baie lekker met iets van alles. Afstand was net ver uit 75km ipv 85km.

I consider myself to be a "fun rider" and normally finish middle of the pack at the organised events. I am 39 years old, so there is no way I will be winning any races anyway. I mostly ride MTB, but every now and again I manage to convince myself to do a road ride, especially leading up to Argus tour (of which I have completed 10). If this license rule is to be enforced, it might just mean that my road riding (and Argus days are over). I will need some serious convincing to take out a license or join a club (I am a member of PPA, although their membership fees have become steep). If this means I cannot participate in fun rides anymore, then I won't. I am quite capable of riding on my own. It might even be nicer to just go riding with a group of friends. It will be a sad day in SA cycling if this rule is enforced. I guess many "fun riders" feel this way.

Inderdaad!!! https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=13890&PN=4 Big H en Hendrik Petoors het nogal albei iets te s? gehad in hierdie thread 'n dag of wat gelede...

Yip, she has to actually ride the bike before deciding (even if she really likes the colour). The more bikes you are able to try (even if it is just in the parking lot) the better. The bike has to feel right for the rider. Frame geometry does make a difference to the feel. Responsive geometry (e.g. the Anthem) gives sharp control on single track, but remember that it also amplifies pilot error. I always recommend hard tail for someone starting out with MTB. Better to learn the basic skills on the hard tail rather than relying on a full sus bike to make up for your bad choice of line. Note that full sus does take a bit of getting used to when upgrading from hard tail.

My wife and I both ride Giant Anthem2. Very happy with it. Much depends on your wife's intended riding style, but for XC use the Anthem does the job well. It is suited for racing, but will also work for recreational use. The Anthem only has 3.5" travel, so strictly speaking is not a "trail" bike. If you need more travel look at something like the Giant Trance. Does not sound as if budget is a major problem, so you could go Cannondale if you want to spend that kind of money. Out of my budget. R13k will buy you the Giant Anthem2. Anthem 1 is around 20K; same frame but higher spec components. mountain_lion2007-06-19 13:44:17

I did a Stans conversion on my normal rims with the non-UST Kenda Blue Groove tyres that came with my new bike. Been running it like that for 2 months without problems - sealed every time. After the Robertson ride last weekend, I noticed that my back tyre had been damaged. One of the side knoblies half cut off with the weave of the tyre showing below. Still intact (no work for the stans to do), but since I am not impressed with the Blue Grooves, I decided to replace the tyre with a UST. My LBS had Kenda Karma at a good price, so I will be installing that today. I will also top up the Stans in my front tyre since there was several squirts from thorns coming from the front at Robertson. I hope I don't have to break the seal completely - will attempt top up through the valve - the Stans kit valves are supposed to be removeable. Non-UST can work, but I would only recommend it with new tyres and you should expect sidewall failure after time. After all non-UST tyres are designed to have the added support of a tube. Proper installation is the key to success with Stans. It is very important to get the whole tyre properly sealed before using it. This could mean a lot of shaking and then laying flat (see the video on the NoTubes website). The side walls and bead of the tyre only comes into contact with the Stans when laid flat. Mine inflated OK and most of the major leaks seal quickly, but it took a whole day of laying flat (left it over night) and shaking and turning over every now and again before there were no more leaks. I suggest you try again and take your time before giving in to the temptation to try and ride it.

R13K each, including SPD pedals, computer, bar-ends & bottle cage. mountain_lion2007-06-04 01:56:05

Yes ; replied to your other post re: Giant Anthem 2

Bought my Anthem2 two months ago. Love it! Could not afford Anthem1 because Mrs Mountain lion also wanted one, so had to buy two Anthem2s... Frame is exactly the same on all the Anthems and components can be upgraded over time. The Anthem climbs well, is responsive on single track and flies down hill. It takes a bit of time getting used to it when upgrading from hard tail and you need to play with the shock setting to get it set up right for you. Note that it is a responsive bike, which means that it also tends to amplify pilot errors (like mrs mountain_lion found out on her first ride... ). It only has 3.5" travel, so is not a big hit play bike, but if you want a mean XC machine - get the anthem. Read a comment somewhere (can't find it now, but think it was by a Cape Epic rider) describing the Anthem as a short wheel base land rover. Now that I have one too, I understand what he meant! mountain_lion2007-06-04 01:53:52

Hoog tyd!

Nice!!! Out of my budget But my Anthem2 still rocks! No way you can ride anything but the long route on that - hope you get the bike in time for Saturday!

Most shops should do small alterations like change the stem and/or shorten handle bars at no cost if you buy a new bike. The frame is the same on all the Anthem models (not sure about the womens specific though - is it is available in SA?). The front shock on the Anthem3 is really low spec; the bit extra for the Anthem2 is certainly worth it. For the rest of the range it just comes down to your budget. If your budget allows for the 1 (or 0) go for it! Anthem2 is what I had to settle for. Very happy with it. Best advice I can give is to test ride a few bikes, even if it is only in the parking lot. (ride up and down a curb and or what ever there is to simulate a trail). If possible try to ride different bikes in quick succession so that you can compare the feel. How the bike "feels" for you is important. If you don't like it in the parking lot, you most likely will not like it after an hour on the trail either. Also remember that it does take a while to get the suspension settings right on a full sus and to get used to the different kind of ride when moving up from hard tail. But once you have it right, there is no going back to hard tail. My Anthem climbs like magic, is very responsive on the ST (which does mean it amplifies pilot errors too) and flies down hill. Just remember with 3.5 inch of rear travel it is a XC bike not a down hill rig...

There certainly is some merit in this. On a hard tail you feel it if you get your line wrong...

Forgot to post the end result... Eventually got my shoes (there was a bit of a mix up between my LBS and the suppliers over all the public holidays in April). I went for the Olympic Adventure (R450 @ Flandria) They fit me well and the rubber sole enables me to hop over a few rocks without slipping when exploring off the bike. It took a while to get the cleat positions set correctly, but I think I have a got it close now. Thanks for the advise (also in other threads relating to cleat position) mountain_lion2007-05-18 15:21:44

Try this thread https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=11518&KW=cleat&PN=1

Very happy with my Anthem 2. Takes a bit of time to get used to the full sus when upgrading from hard tail and to find optimal settings for the front and rear shock, but now that I have it sorted out, it rides like a dream. It climbs exceptionally well (better than my old hard tail), is responsive on the single track and flies down hill. Juicy3 disks give controlled breaking. Getting the correct frame size is important. The Anthem is responsive (which is good) but remember that it also amplifies any pilot errors... Bought ours (wife wanted one too) from Flandria in Stellenbosch. R13k each, accessories included (clipless pedals, bar-ends, computer, bottle cage).

can't go unchallenged You post it, you take the But I guess ignorance is bliss... Save up Slowpoke - I still can't get the smile off my face every time I get onto my month old Giant Anthem 2 (no need to get the Anthem 1 or 0). And that is after riding hardtail MTB for 10 years; actually started out with rigid fork too...

Proof of the pudding is in the eating. Try riding a steep rocky climb on a proper XC full susser (not a down hill rig) and then decide. You won't understand until you do. mountain_lion2007-05-14 04:56:12

I bought Anthem2 last month (actually two - my wife also wanted one). R13k each. Looked at the Anthem3 as well, same frame but lower spec components, most significant is Suntour front fork on the 3 vs. Rock Shock Recon on the 2. The little bit extra to get the Anthem2 is money well spent. The price jumps significantly for the Anthem 1 (and 0) - out of my budget at present. Very nice bike - was not sure what the guys meant when they said it is like a short wheel base Landrover, but now I understand - this bike climbs like magic!! and of course it can speed downhill too.