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I am very specific when it comes to size and components .Some bikes are just specked silly .All my bikes have been auction buys or new used ones .Only once did i buy off the floor and then i replaced the wheel set immediately

Just for interest sake .Go on the site of THEPROSCLOSET in the USA .Their used bikes are substantially more expensive than ours .A year old used bike sells for maybe 5% less than a new one

Quality sells at higher prices , but for the average it is lower .High end bike are not found in shops anymore ,they appear in the used market .

Three shuttles .You have to book .Big question to anybody that knows current gravel conditions on route .HT ,DS or gravel bike ??? Did the race a while back .Only part i remember was , JOU MA SE , on strava

Three shuttles .You have to book

I have fitted 35mm gravelkings .That would be the max size .Dry conditions will be fine , muddy not

Santa Cruz improved the hardtail to where the highball is currently . If they splashed money on XCO races they would probably win a few of them .Like everything else we will see if there is a market for a DS /HT/ gravel $$$$ in time .Spez created a monster and now it needs feeding .That,s how i see it

They are .I have four pairs

Minimal noise .I also have eagle on other bikes .Cost of a GX sram cassette is more than a complete 1 x 11 groupset

Going 1 x 11 is a good and cheap plan .I ride with a 32 oval x shimano 11 x 46 cassette .

Train 5 to 6 quality hours in the week .I try and do as many road 100km races as i can before such a long event ,they do wonders for your legs and endurance .Ride over four hours at least once . Pace yourself . Cramps in the last 30 km will be the biggest challenge for most riders .Have a plan for them .Get your core in proper shape .Eat and drink normal food .Energy drinks ,gels help but they do not replace proper hours in the saddle

Gauteng gravel roads are not the same as in the western cape .Even on a MTB it is rough .IMO all the gravel sections will be faster on a mtb .Only the last section is 20km on tar.It can be done with a gravel bike ,but on corrugations and cornering a mtb is saver and faster

I rode Groenland berg in 2019 Epic in the rain .Riding up was slippery and you kinda lose every third pedal stroke .Downhill is fun and fast .If you hesitate disaster looms ,if you trust your abilities and gun it down its awesome

Scott pays his salary .They decide where there is the best exposure to their paid representative .Probably gets a bonus for winning

If amateurs were allowed to enter Le Tour at the same numbers as the Epic and allowed double the time to finish like Epic ,i see a lot of people taking that on year after year .Your 120kg CEO can make it if he prepared .It will be hard ,but doable .You need to be fit and be able to ride technical trails .Some of these amateurs spend a year preparing .Show me another event motivating to such a degree

This has been my regular route since Covid . I have ridden there many times alone . Buffels no more , now delmas no more .Groenkloof trails unkept .I prefer to ride alone .Since the sinkhole is fixed the trucks are abundant again . Not safe anyway

Done & dusted my first one .Really beautiful route with excellent road conditions .Missed under 4 h by 1minute .Must be the gravel tyres .On the smooth tar i battled to keep up with the groups ,but on the rough tar on chapman's peak ,i felt i was faster .My first impressions .Well organized .I think 94.7 ridejoberg have a lekkerder roadside crowd .Chappies is the hardest hill ,but suikerbossie is the wrong hill at the wrong time .The last 20 km takes looong .The City is very clean .Well done organizers

Riding my first CTCT . Prep was bad .I will be riding on the road converted to gravel bike and be using that as an excuse for not coming near 3h30 minutes .My goal was to ride with my daughter and her husband ,but their prep was /is to pump their tires and ride ,so i think i will be frustrated riding with them .Looking forward to a beautiful day around Cape Town

The lions don,t pay entry fees anymore .The Epic has some form of addiction that very few other races have . I have done two and would certainly do more if life permitted it .The only other event i have experienced such an addiction is the Magalies Monster .You know you are going to suffer and that brings you back . It is an evil race . The six month,s before the start your mind seems to lock onto the idea of it and it cannot be removed

For Nam you need large 4x4 tires at 1,8 bar and never go over 100km/h on the dirt roads to avoid punctures .If you have Michelins ,take two spares

Very entertaining and lots of info on cars .

I see you avoid VW and Toyota like me. First priority is safety for me to .Too many noob drivers have either been killed or have been in accident,s . I don,t want my child to be a carjack victim either ,the reason i avoid above mentioned makes .Student,s don,t drive that much if they live on or near campus so economy is not that important to me ,reliability is .They often have to park outside and they will bump the car at some point .You don,t want a high insurance premium either .

Spez and Scott .Buy the Nylon sole type .Amateurs like us don,t need carbon soles

2003 model R6900 .25000km .These cars were built to do 700000km .Lexus USA reputation is built on this model .Best selling SUV in North America .Same 3L petrol engine as the Toyota Camry