MuddyMike

Going go out on a limb here......How about a Stumpy 650+ and buy a set of 29er wheels. Two bikes right there. The 650+ is a fab trail bike full of fun and when you need to do a stage race or a fast marathon, pop on the 29er wheels and presto. No worries about any changes to the geometry.

This was really bad. I feel for the guys at CC, but come on, barely month after the 1st incident and no real effort to improve security. Those camera positions are not exactly optimum. Maybe good to keep an eye on the shop during the day but not very effective for this type of event. There is so much more they can do. 1st thing is roller shutter doors - Who cares about a window shopper at 1am? They could even install teargas canisters that would discharge if the windows are shattered. If I was their insurance I would be asking some very pointed questions and be putting some pretty strict security requirements in place. Look at West Rand Cycles - No window onto the road, Decent gates and fencing, Roller shutter doors, Alarm = zero break-ins..... Hope the scum who did this get caught.

Because events are a business not a charity. Let the organisers make as much as they want to. The simple value equation of entry cost vs the event experience will determine the success or failure of any event.

OK, so I have always had some discomfort with which ever saddle I have ridden and I have been through plenty brands. The one that always suited me best was the WTB range which has a "whale tail" flare at the back of the saddle which is similar in concept to the Power Saddle. So yesterday I got my hands on a power test saddle (143mm) after a measurement check to make sure its the right width. 1st Impressions: Immediately the saddle has a different feel to it. It seems like you are sitting "in" the saddle instead of on it. This morning I took it for a 2.5 hour ride. As with any new saddle you need to adjust to the new pressure points and within 20 minutes the saddle was invisible, no discomfort at all, quite a weird feeling in fact. However around 2 hours into the ride there was a little more discomfort from a burning sensation, but nothing really uncomfortable. Again I will put this down to new saddle / position. The other thing I noticed was a little bit of pins and needles in my left hand which is unusual. Tomorrow it will move over to my road bike for a 2-3 hour ride and lets see what the verdict is. I have a feeling that this saddle will be incredible if you add a proper bike fit when you buy it. I have a suspicion that to get the most out of it, it needs the perfect setup. Well, I am pretty excited about it and will see how it goes after a few more hours this weekend.

You will be surprised, these bikes make most people look good, I have the skills of a log, but its taken me to places and routes I have never dreamed of. Enjoy the ride.

Pity, man, you get way more than R10k worth of bike. Good luck either way.

If I was you I would REALLY REALLY REALLY try go one up to the Alu Camber Comp for the following reasons: 1. FORK is a big upgrade: Revelation vs Recon Silver 2. RIMS: 29mm internal Roval Traverse vs 24mm internals - That makes a huge difference in trail shredding and ride quality on 2.3 tyres at 1.6 bar pressures. I would keep the Crests for your SS. Not really a Camber type wheel - but it also depends on your riding style. 3. Race Face Crank - You say your crank is done, so that's a nice upgrade. 4. SRAM 2 x 11 GX - What more do you need? Great Grouppo 5. Shimano M506 Brakes - You said you need new brakes - These are not bling like XT but absolutely bulletproof and just work all the time. In short: Buy The Camber Comp Alu, Don't mess with swopping out parts - Build a cool SS and sell the rest on the hub. It WILL be worth it. Its a no brainer for me. PS: Just the cost of a new fork, through axle conversions and new brakes justifies the step up to the comp model. Did I mention that you should buy up to the Alu Comp model??

Just as everyone says, these bikes are quite different. My take would be to go for the Camber because a Camber can do what a Viper does well far better than a Viper can do what Camber does well.

Those are both a hell of a lot of bike for a mid field 55-70km rider.... unless of course you've just won the lotto...... If you want to feel freaking fast and maybe end a bit closer to the front of the mid field, get the Scalpel....... if you want a bit more versatility, comfort and fun factor get the Camber......

Oh and 1 more point on the Spez tyres, they are so damn well priced at around R550........ Never had great experiences with Schwalbe..... just seems to puncture so easily, maybe I was unlucky because so many other people love them so they cant be bad. I guess there are so many options out there depending what you ride, how you ride etc. During both my Cape Epics I rode Conti protection X-Kings and I will never ride anything else in those kind of conditions. Totally indestructible. Horses for Courses.

I would never consider a fast track on the front.... ever.... Conti have never let me down..... Not your question but I am now running 2.3 Ground Control on the back and 2.3 Purgatory on the front on 30mm internal Easton ARC 30's and they are chunky and have buckets of grip at 1.5 bar - But this is for trail riding, not marathons or anything remotely fast......

Back: Spez Fast Track, Conti Race King or Maxxis Ikon Front: Spez Ground Control or Conti X-King

FC and Munga, similar but so very different in my opinion FC - 2300km in 26 days = +/- 88 per day Munga - 1085km in 5 days = +/- 217 per day If I had to stake my life on finishing 1 of them right now, I would rather do the FC. yes, I know there are many other variables such as terrain, time and weather, but this is my top line view of the 2 events.

Its the 5 day limit that makes it so hard. If was a 10 day limit and you had to do 110km a day, no problem.

Go Max. We need a Saffer on the top step again. Leo is a monster and with your experience I have no doubt you will be right at the sharpest end of the field. Good Luck!!

I have a Lyne, faultless so far. Great piece of kit. Local is lekker.

This is great news. Epic 2017 is shaping up to be a cracker....

The pros get tested regularly out of competition. Ask any of the Pro's how often they get woken up at ungodly hours to pee in bottle by a SAIDS "official"

I think we are all on the same side here. My point is that the posts below portray the opinion that Max has something to hide and there is a skeleton about to fall out of a closet somewhere. You are also right in terms of what 3 or 4 hubbers think about Max makes zero difference to potential sponsors. Any sponsor worth their salt will protect their brand with some serious anti doping clauses. It must be hell trying to be a clean rider trying make their way through a drug riddled sport. You don't know who is really clean or doping. You choose the wrong partner and you are labelled with them. Its a small group in SA and I am sure most of the guys are mates at some level but they make their own personal decisions behind closed doors. 100% correct, its the dopers who make life hard for clean riders to get sponsored and make a living. I guess, if Max had to go on and win a major international race the hub would be bursting with pride, claiming him as a Saffer and a great rider. I guess I believe in the inherent good in people 1st, that's why I support Max in his endeavours. He is the best SA has BUT if he was ever found to be doping I would be seriously pissed off because he has great talent.

I wonder how many of the keyboard warriors criticizing / accusing Max have spoken to him or even know him? Geez, your assumptions are a bit over the top. Yes, he has been let down by partners before and I am pretty sure he is really pissed about it. Have you ever thought that could be a reason why he races for himself and teams up with various different riders so he can take part in selected multiday races. Max is most probably one of the most tested MTB riders in SA considering his dominance of the Ashburton National series and winning the SA champs. As far as I know Max has never returned an adverse result. I know Max has always stated he rides clean and is 100% committed to racing and winning clean. Until otherwise proven, Max has my support as the best Marathon rider in SA and I am hoping 2017 will be even bigger than 2016.

The race was well organised so no complaints there. Good start area, no bottlenecks, interesting route and great finish zone. Big up to the Anatomic water point. Now that's how its done and to the tech zone there which was most friendly and helpful. Whacked myself properly on a hidden pipe in one of the tunnels but no harm done, thanks goodness for decent helmets......BUT.......I don't think I will go back. Some of the areas were disgusting and yes, its the reality of JHB but for a few hundred bucks I don't think riding a route where you get warned to be careful of the poo is very appealing......If some areas weren't so filthy and the danger of getting sick wasn't so prevalent it would be a great day out. Nice vibe by most of the riders out there......

So who is going to Avalanche this year?

2 days if you bought a Spez from west rand cycles...... :ph34r: Glad you're sorted.

I have been riding for a few years now and back then I used to ride a race or maybe 2 every month, they were cheap and cheerful and FUN. It worked. Then the big corporates arrived and we thought cool. Ummmm not so cool. Focus drifted from giving riders great day out to ensuring that every tree, toilet and dog was branded with the sponsors logo and the entry fees started to climb and climb. Shouldn't entries get "cheaper" with bigger cash injections from sponsors or does that go straight into organiser back pockets? Somehow many organisers have forgotten why we do this and why they organised races. So what do I do now instead of paying out loads of cash for below average events for the riders? I go to Van Gaalens with my mates, smash some awesome trails for 50 bucks. Stop and take in the beauty around us, we laugh our asses off most of the time and then get back to have a few beers for half the price of a race. Now that's why we started riding in the 1st place. So instead of doing "races" week in and week out I rather pick and choose very special events where I don't mind paying the cash because at these events, riders come first and sponsors a very distant second. So for this year I have committed to 1 stage race being Berg and Bush and the rest of the time you will find me tearing down some or other trail in baggies, camera in one hand a beer in the other. (and have extra cash saved from over inflated races for those cool upgrades like a dropper post ) PS: Advendurance had water problems (Read: NO WATER deep into the 120km race) at a very hot Dullstroom Ultra in 2014 and vowed they wouldn't make the same mistake again? slow learners? I have never ridden another of their races again.

C....... I am going to die.......