Iwan Kemp

Some wise words. When we bought our daughter's 16", which was two years ago or so, I could get a good discount on a brand or two, but she wanted a pink or red bicycle. So a Scott Contessa it was. When we bought the 20", earlier this year, I showed her the purple Titan Racing Calypso 20" Disc and she liked the color. Granted I did not show her ALL the bikes, but she liked the color. No amount of arguing or persuading would have convinced her to go for the SE. When she saw the Junior Trail she fell in love cause a) it has pink in it and b) it has two colors. She is not a trail rider so the heavier bike would not make sense for her, and, again, the air fork and lighter weight of the TR SE would make more sense, but a black bike ain't gonna happen. For me it's more important that she rides, and that she enjoys doing it. So unless I nudge her in a direction by only showing her a select few options, logic is not going to win the day.

Who can a potential sponsor contact to get involved?

I don't have any experience with the Levitate mount. The Wille Honde ones are great and does exactly what it says on the packaging. They are easy to mount and use. They are on special on the Extreme Lights website https://www.extremelights.co.za/collections/willehonde-survival-and-emergency-roadside-kits

Maybe more!

Admittedly, I play a very small part in all of this. Mostly, mainly the Lutzville Vineyards Hillclimb challenge and the shenanigans around it. It really it a great event with great people. Eddie and his team are legends. I shared some images over HERE.

Asking for a friend... What are the South African running clothing brands? I can think of - First Ascent - Inov-8 Anything else?

Agreed. One of the reasons this keeps happening to people, is when it happens to someone they let it go. Yeah maybe the OP gets his money back, but if a scammer wants / needs money, they'll just move on to the next unsuspecting person. Open a case of fraud - even if for R500.

Sure, this is not the place, but while I'm here... Yes, add some specs to your ads. FULL specs in detail. And then add: 1. What is an "amazing fork" 2. Model Year of the bike? 3. OE spec or any upgrades done? 4. When last was it serviced? 5. Was it a full service? 6. What was replaced during said service? 7. Tubed / Tubeless?

The Titan Rogue Cruz offers great value for money. Great spec with a 5YR Warranty. Reviewed by Bike Network "It’s staggeringly impressive how solid and fun this base-level hardtail feels. It has a calm and planted disposition on the trails that’ll suit rookies. Experienced riders will enjoy the easy handling characteristics. Titan Racing easily gets a ‘Bike Network 5-star rating’ for their Rogue Cruz. It performed far above its pay grade." https://bikenetwork.co.za/review-titan-racing-rogue-cruz/

I ride in the Vye trail shorts. A great option at a great price. Locally made which is also great. I prefer being able to decide which if bib, if any, to wear underneath trail shorts. https://vye.co.za/collections/mens-trail-shorts

STOP THE PRESS! It’s back! The Vasbyt Hill Climb Challenge, sponsored by Lutzville Vineyards is back for this year's Vines & Views MTB Classic. Vines & Views MTB Classic made some tweaks to last year’s hill climb Strava segment to create an even better rider experience. Grind your way to the top in the shortest time possible to take the prize. The KOM and QOM will each win 3 cases of Lutzville Vineyards’ superb Classic Collection wine! 1st Prize - 3 cases of Lutzville Vineyards Classic Collection Range 2nd Prize - 2 cases of Lutzville Vineyards Classic Collection Range 3rd Prize - 1 case of Lutzville Vineyards Classic Collection Range Time to get training!

Check out the Titan Racing Rogue Cruz https://bikenetwork.co.za/review-titan-racing-rogue-cruz/

Sales staff that are SALES staff. If they're ex pros, cool. But I'll take an average rider with good knowledge of gear and who can engage with customers, over an ex pro who was seemingly raised by wolves.

Vye for sure. I wear some of the Hasie & the Robots kit and it's everything one would expect. Comfortable, good fit, reliable sizing, durable, etc.

Buying power. I don't know exact figures so note that these are plucked form the air. Specialized, Trek and Giant are by far the biggest manufacturers of bikes as we know it, ride, and discuss here. Their buying power is MASSIVE as they have a) volume and b) range. So they're buying lots of everything. From entry to top end, in all cycling genres. When they go to SRAM and buy thousands and thousands and thousand of groupsets (each!), they pay less than the brands buying a thousand. They will also get priority in the supply chain, will get first word on new developments (quite often develop it with component brands) and have racing teams sponsored by component manufacturers - both for dev and marketing reach. Simply put, they pay SIGNIFICANTLY less for every part on their bike than smaller brands. To add to the cost for smaller brands... R&D quite often transfers. Not always 100%, but once an engineer learns a trick it's much easier to adapt than to work it out from scratch. So carbon tech transfers between bikes. Shock tech and research transfers between bikes. When you have a bike in each category on the face of the earth, the tech transfer scales at a ridiculous level. Smaller brands have to learn the lessons the hard way and usually on one or two models each in MTB and road. Smaller brands do not always have their in-house carbon / mold / manufacturing experts. Yes, they can design bikes in-house, but those then need to get tested somewhere else. All of this costs money, and usually comes with a long queue. *********** Big brands can easily offer better value for money. Smaller brands offering value for money cuts deep.

It's the other way around. By FAR

Between those two options I would opt for the 2nd hand Thule. Provided that it is in good condition.

I have been using Westfalia's towbar-mount rack. It can fold up for easy stow and carry, is fairly light, is ebike rated, allows access to your boot / rear door for easy access, bikes lock to the rack & rack locks to the towbar, and is on the affordable side. Check it out and add it to your list of options.

@Iwan_Kemp Link to Insta Profile

A night ride, yes. On your indoor trainer. Behind locked doors. Lights off. And even then, only with all your other bibs in the wash and all you have is a goody bag bib that happens to be white...

https://www.instagram.com/p/Caj1N0oK-sv/

Does anyone have an idea how many entries there are this year?

Are there any Titan Racing Bikes riders doing the cape Epic this year?

Does anyone know where or how I cab track the winner down?

Yes! Sneakers he did https://www.instagram.com/p/CPBqcayh6UN/ Road shoes https://www.instagram.com/p/B5ZjJ1SlLX5/ You can find him here: https://www.instagram.com/hasie_and_the_robots/ and here: https://www.hasiecustoms.com/product-page/prime-trail-shirt