MuddyMike

Its simple. apply it when you get home, go have a beer and wash it off the next morning. It takes about 10 hours to strip. its slow but so effective.

Its not expensive. About R90 for a litre and I only used about 750ml for the frame and fork.

Bwahahaha.......Sorry Sidewinder! Its a new striper from Plascon called RemovALL. Waterbased, safe, eco friendly and the best part is the only tools you need is a paintbrush to apply and a hose to wash it off. NO SCRAPER or SANDPAPER needed! Its available anywhere you can buy Plascon.

Just started my single speed build project. 1st job to get the frame and fork stripped down to be resprayed. It was so easy and now the frame looks so good I think I might just polish it up a bit and keep it naked . The fork has been resprayed white. Deciding what to do with the frame now is the hardest part! The Fork after application of stripper The frame after application of stripper Paint peeled off in sheets Quick rinse with a hose to remove the paint. The frame after a soapy wash.... now to decide what to do with it!

If you cant get a S2C entry, do Berg and Bush. Its a superb event and with the new Great Trek entries should be easier to get hold of.

3 Towers sucks..... too many people, not enough food, horrible, boring tracks..............

I am just starting my SS project. Got a Giant XTC frame and a Rockshox Duke fork. I have stripped the frame down to bare alu this weekend (Original paintwork was shot, but frame is 100%), It looks fantastic with the original brushed alu look. Now not sure what to do with it now...... The fork has also been stripped and ready for a respray. Waiting for some goodies from CRC to finish off the build. Really excited to get out there and try this SS thing.

3 more sleeps until we roadtrip to Berg & Bush...... yeah.....

Come to B&B, they put very lekker food on the table and lots of it too.... Sorry you cant make it.....

******sigh******bored*******

What a brilliant event, my 1st but won't be my last. The trails are as everyone before me said, unbelievable, it's hard to imagine better. Juniors and Sappi bush tunnels were mind blowing and that new off camber single track tested your concentration skills. The Sudwala Cave Carnage st was an andrenaline rush of note. Monster climbs and The views, well, we're heavenly. Other highlights was the size of he event, nice and small = very short queues for food etc. The food excellent and plentiful. The race briefings a good chuckle. Tons of giveaways incl 4 bikes. Great relaxed family vibe. Real fun finishing each day around the bmx track. Best value race around. Only downside was one or two of the juniors who were racing the challenge who need to get their mouths washed out with some soap the way they behaved when stuck behind some race riders in singletrack. Get an entry next year!

sorry, didnt check the Vida pricing The road bikes were also very competitive. the new Scalera Carbon machine with Ultegra Di2 (7.5kg) was around the R27k mark.

Look at the new 650b Silverback Dual Sus. High spec, lots of travel and RRP of R21.5K

And the components arent cut back either, proper high quality components like SLK stems and bars.... could not see any obvious shortcuts, except on the pricing...

Yip, I was lucky enough to be at the launch. 29er Sprada 1: XT, Stans, Fox +/- R24K 650b Slyder: As above only 650b +/- R21,5K Storm Race: FULL SRAM XX R35K There is no better bang for your buck out there. I dont know how they do it, but the value is unprecedented, or someone has been pulling the ring out of bike prices...... just saying....

RRP Just over R27k. XTR drivetrain, XT brakes.

And that baby is going to retail for a shade over R27K. XTR drivetrain. XT brakes and 9.5kg out the box. BOOM!

32GI is quite different to Epic Pro. For me a "normal" drink like 32GI, Cytogen etc are fine for short events, however for longer events 3 hours plus or stage racing you need to add protein (peptopro) to your usual drink or use a drink containing peptopro such as USN Epicpro or Biogen Cytogen RS-Pro.

That just makes me look bad......the above usually happens the night before we leave! hahaha

Just about perfect, wouldn't you say? · Fri 0%, 0mm 14° / 29°C Sat 0%, 0mm 13° / 27°C Sun 0%, 0mm 14° / 27°C

you can also add in "Grumpy Middle Aged Men" to the race (only grumpy if we cant ride our bikes)

For those of you doing your 1st stage race and wondering what to pack, this was my packing list for this years Epic. It all fitted into my Epic bag, so cut accordingly for shorter races. I also packed all my supplement per day into small ziplock bags so there was no measuring out each day, just grab the days pack and go, which means no huge supplement containers to drag along. The meds list is just in case. One other tip, start taking a probiotic NOW ( I start a week before a stage race) and for the duration of the race. The stomach is one area of your body you want to have in 100% condition comes race day, plus its key to keeping your immune system strong. You will be eating different food from normal and drinking water from a different source so take those probiotics. GENERAL Sleeping bag Pillow Garmin Charger Ear Plugs Headlamp Water Bottle Phone & Charger Camera Sunglasses I-pod 2 x combo locks (Tent & Bag) CLOTHES Salamon Trail Shoes Slops 4 x Underwear Tracksuit pants 2 x Shorts Swimming Costume 4 x T-shirts 1Long T-shirt Cap & beanie PJ’s Windbreaker 2 Casual Socks Jeans Belt CYCLING KIT 4 Pairs cycle kit 4 Pairs Bike Socks 2 Pairs Gloves WATERPROOF Rain Jacket (not water resistant, they are just useless if it rains) 1 Thermal Under shirt FOOD & DRINK Oat Energy bars Fruit sticks Super C Biogen Recovergen x 16 servings Bigen Cytogen Race mix x 48 servings Biogen Gels x 48 MEDS Vitamins Cal c vita Probiotics Myprodol Panado Immodium Buscopan Arnica massage Vaseline Fissan Paste Tea Tree Oil Bactroban Corenza C Rehydrate Transact pads Xysal Airmune Cotton Wool ADMIN ID Money Wallet Air Tickets & Car Hire Accomodation Details Toiletries Shower Gel Razor Shaving Cream Toothpaste Toothbrush Sunblock F50 Labello Lip F30 Towel Chamois Cream (Milking Cream works a charm) BIKE STUFF Bike shoes Helmet 2 x water bottles Garmin hrm & strap Oakleys UV Sleeves Camelback (if required) 10 sp chain link Multi-tool incl chain breaker Spare tube x 1 Rear drop out 4 x Cytogen refills CO2 adaptor & 2 x Bombs Valve core and tool Sunblock Pump Mini Leatherman Zip Ties & Duct Tape Phone Credit Card Small Lube Puncture Repair kit / Gators Tyre Liners

For everyone doing their 1st B&B, relax, its one hell of a fun event. Really a chilled vibe and the food... well lets just say you will go home heavier than you arrived. The 1st day is one of my favourite days ever on a mtb. Dropping over the escarpment down Solly's Folly is just toooooo much fun. Day 2 has the famed Spioenkop climb maxing out at 25%, buts its on paving so just dont stop. Coming down Spioenkop via "Princess Margaret Drive" is also brilliant single track. If you love downhills this singletrack will put a smile on your face. Day 3 around the dam is also nice and Puffaddder pass is great (even if I landed up in the bushes last year when skill levels were below that of speed levels). The tracks are great and nothing too technical but there are some tough climbs. Its still a long ride but if you've done the training you will have a fun time. To get your car from the start on day 1 to Winterton just book a transfer on the website (word of warning - dont leave any valuables in your car. A mates car was relieved of a few items last year, but this was an isolated case). Bags will be transferred from the start to Emseni at the start of stage 1. Just go drop it off at the truck allocated to your race # and pick it up when you get to Emseni. An "epic" size bag works just fine, after all its just 3 days not a week. I for one am counting down the minutes to the Fedgroup Berg and Bush 2012.

Thanks Richard for a great event again, and a storm again! Looks like it gonna be part of the event! great course, wow, it had everything and it made you work hard for every lap. Best vibe at any MTB event in the country. Fun and friends is what its all about. Everyone had time to say hi and the racing snakes never seemed stressed when behind slower riders. This is what sport is all about. see you next year for #4!