Sewanee

As far as I know there are two South African riders starting the 2014 Tour Divide race which starts today in Banff in Canada. They are Colin Anderson and Alex Harris. It will be interesting to follow their progress. Alex finished third last year and Colin is a rookie. Alex is aiming for 15 days and Colin for 20 to complete the event which is approximately 4418 kms long. It follows the Rockies from inside Canada down to the mexican border. You can follow the two intrepid travellers on the trackleaders.com website. Colin is on a Santa Cruz weighing about 30kgs with luggage and Alex's Lynsky hardtail weighs about 13kgs fully loaded. Good luck fellows!!!

Did they catch the Scum?

Did the 2 River MTB Challenge last year and next to Rooiberg it is by far my second most favorite race. The description posted above is apt, it has 35 kms singletrack heaven along the river. It is similar to the last 5 kms of the first day of the Berg and Bush descent along the banks of the Tugela River (Garden of Eden). The koppie was close to the end of the race and took quite a lot of effort due to its position in the latter stages of the course. The hospitality of the Bothaville community is fantastic and the race is followed by some great entertainment, Boeresport and various arts, crafts and food stalls. For the non-cyclists, last year there was also a cross country horse ride and a running/walking trail race. Altogether a very enjoyable day only about 200 kms away from the big smoke. Will be back.

The race is spectacular. It is mainly single and jeep track with a few hills thrown in. The Donga is something special but the race snakes will not appreciate its beauty and it is approximately 1km long. Ride with tyres slightly softer due to the rocky nature of the terrain. Have already entered so should have a tee shirt coming. Not a race to be missed! I envy you pre-riding the course this weekend.

RIP Burry. You made us proud! My and my family's condolences to Charles, Mundy, Duane, Charl and Cherise.

Six of one half a dozen of another. Both very good and smooth. Ride both and see what you prefer.

Rode the Berg and Bush with not much training on a 29er hardtail. Was broken. Am going to get a 29er dualie for next year and also do a bit more training. Hard tail is fine for weekend riding, but when racing over a few days, it wears you out. New Lynskey 29er dual on the cards early next year!

I have always had superb service from Dunkeld Cycles and have never even bought a bike from their shop, so in my opinion, the R50 000 story does not hold water. I think that the issue is not a merida warranty matter, but a shock manufacturer issue as it has previously been sent to Cape Town. The Merida agents are based in Johannesburg and that is what makes me think that it is a Fox or Rockshox issue as their agents are based in Cape Town. I think that you should give Dunkeld a chance, remembering that today is the first day after one of the largest races in the country and I am sure that they were extremely busy. I am sure that either Marc, Jacques or Merlyn would lend a sympathetic ear to your problem if it was raised with them direcly. Hope that you get sorted soon and can enjoy the trail.

Seem to recall Mark Lynskey saying in the video review that the X-type link in the pivot point below the top tube assists with the stiffness as does the larger diameter axle (15mm) of the rear wheel together with the large diameter tubes. There is also a 2 inch front steerer headtube which should also help. I have ridden both the litespeed Sewanee and Niota dual suspension bikes for numerous years and never found flex an issue. Granted the bearings did wear out which resulted in flex, but this was easily remedied. I have never ever felt the flex bucking in any corners. Both bikes were full titanium. Am now riding a 29er Lynskey pro. Ti Rules

Lynskey have just released a picture of their new Ti Dual Suspension on Facebook looked on their websit but could not find any further details. Hope attachment comes through to the hub. Looks interesting and I assume from the picture that it is a 26er. Mark Lynskey says that they are working on a 10 minute full walkaround video for youtube which should be up and running now. Lynskey Performance Designs a hair under 23 pounds, ready to ride. Lynskey Performance Designs ‎$3695 in Ind Mill as standard finish. Lynskey Ti Handlebar! Lynskey Performance Designs ‎600 with 9.5 degree bend, SRAM MTB (SRAM, Avid, Truvativ), RockShox Suspension, Lynskey Performance Designs and Enve Composites

Industry throws weight behind the 29er by Mark Sutton Friday, April 8th 2011 at 10:44am LikeEmail . In News Larger wheel size may one day become 'standard' suggests Mark Lynskey "Any UK rider that travels around to different trails is going to end up having both a 26 and 29-inch wheeled bike in his or her garage." That's the belief of Lynskey founder Mark Lynskey, whose firm is this year to produce two full suspension frames for each wheel size. "In the UK we have seen acceptance of 29ers grow significantly in the past two years. However, the UK with its widely varied terrain is the perfect example of a region where both wheel sizes will always have benefits," added Lynskey, who is convinced that, in certain territories, the three-inch larger wheel could become dominant in the long run. "This is based upon the reality that most riders are out for recreation, fitness, and enjoyment of the outdoors. Larger wheels do offer a smoother ride. The larger contact patch offers better braking and better overall traction, and they are much more forgiving when it comes to that unexpected rock, or ditch."

Evidently the dualie will only be released late this year. It will first come in 26er and later a 29er version will be released. I don't know what format e.g. race, all mountain or big hit it will be in, but it should be good considering my experience with the current hardtails. Photo will be pasted later.

Got a Pro 29er (the one with the twisted tubes) and it is a treat to ride. Went from a dualie 26er and haven't looked back. Tim Shoobridge is the local agent and he owns Buxus. He can be contacted on his cell 082 901 9307 or by e-mail at tim@buxus.co.za. You won't be sorry about buying a Lynskey as they manufacture great bikes. Can't wait for the Lynskey dualie 29er to be released later this year and it should take the market by storm. Bling Bling

I have had three sewanee's over the years. I have never experienced the problem mentioned. I cannot say that I had a crease in any of the frames as mentioned. It would have been visible as it would have stood out like a sore thumb. They are great frames made by a great company. One of the best racing frames out there.

I am considering converting my 9 speed Sram XO to 10 speed XO to better make use of a 36 tooth cassette which will suite my 29er. The problem is that I am riding a shimano XTR 960 9 speed crankset with fairly new blades. Will it be necessary to change either the blades (if possible) or the whole crankset which will be rather expensive to facilitate the change to 10 speed. Thanks in advance for your comments.