Muddy_Mike

I had a great experience with CRC. Ordered a whole box of stuff and was sent via parcelforce. This was just when volcano 1st erupted and as soon as the airports were opened it was 5 days and it was at my post office. I had good repsonse from CRC when I enquired. The discussion about CRC vs LBS is a whole different discussion. My LBS will get me the best local price if I show him what I can get on CRC - He negotites with the suppliers to match the price, which he often succeeds with. Be open with your LBS and build that relationship. Remember that getting stuff from CRC you still need to pay the freight (if applicable) plus the 14% Vat at the post office, so my advice is do your maths and speak to your LBS and make an informed choice. The problem is the local suppliers not the LBS and the local suppliers are starting to realise that they must become more competitive and the prices are starting to drop. What we would we all do if we didnt have a LBS? Food for thought.

Messenger: Actually I raced it pretty hard and finished 8th in the 20km. I will ride it again, but some basics should still be there even if it is a new race.

Hi Guys, I am very new to the mountain bike scene. I started riding a month or 2 ago and did my 1st two races over the past weekend.. The 1st event was the Beest trail in Skeerpoort: The biggest problems was the huge bottleneck at the start and then the 20km turned out to be 28km - Not a big deal if you are a seasoned rider but for lots of new riders and especialy the many kids riding, it was a very poor show. The organisers didn't even have the courtesy to tell the riders at the start and their excuse was that a farmer in the area pulled out at the last minute. The route could easily have been reduced to 20km by leaving the last loop out. 2nd Event was the Avianto Mtb Race: 1st problem: Not having decent event markers to the venue as it was not at Avianto venue but at the unknown residential development 5km drive away. 2nd problem: Didn't have enough cable ties for all the riders race numbers. 3rd problem: 20km route ended up being 16km! DONT THESE ORGANISER'S HAVE A COMPUTER! At least the Avianto route was awesome with great climbs, decents and variety. Someone please tell me that not all Mtb races are organised like this? Maybe I have just been pampered in my road running days!