RallyRob

I am fortunate to have owned a Camber (the model with RS1 fork) which was replaced with the Stumpjumper ST and now the Epic Evo. I absolutely loved my Camber and thought the new Stumpjumper ST would pretty much be a direct replacment. Although the Stumpjumper was definitely a good bike (especially in technical terrain) it felt a bit too “lazy” in comparison to the Camber….I’m definitely not a race snake but in Pretoria one needs a bike which can perform on the flats which doesn’t really suit the Stumpjumper (even the ST version) Just over a year ago I was fortunate to move onto the latest Epic Evo model and immediately it felt like I had my Camber back…..in fact my new bike felt even more racey than the Camber but was still good enough to handle the rough and technical sections with ease. In my mind the Epic Evo is definitely the best of the 3 models and I have definitely not been disappointed by this bike….bike is definitely better than the rider. One thing to bear in mind however (and without trying to sound pretentious) is that I was fortunate enough to have owned the SWorks version of all 3 bikes so I’m not really sure how the other models in each range might compare…..with the same geometry as the SWorks models I would think my experience of the 3 bikes would still be relevant regardless of the model.

My baby.......????

I have fairly wide feet with a high arch and presently using a carbon sole Garne shoe, which I largely chose because of its supple upper which allowed my toes to move around during the ride......I have been especially struggling with my right foot after breaking the leg badly a couple of years ago and requiring surgery. i am now looking at getting some new shoes and was considering the S-Works Recon as this appears to be a great shoe.. I previously had a pair of S-Works shoes around 5 years ago which were great, but when I replaced these with a newer version a couple of years ago these were too narrow and game me endless problems with my feet.....hence I eventually settled on the Garne option. i am now again considering the S-Works option as I’m told the latest models are far more user friendly and able to accommodate wider feet, but after my previous experience I am obviously a bit nervous of wasting money on these shoes only to find they are uncomfortable. Hence I was wondering if Hubbers could perhaps give me their impressions on the S-Works Recon from a comfort perspective, or suggest alternative shoe brands and models which may be worth considering?? for instance the Shimano XC9 X-Phyre seems to be highly rated from a comfort perspective (especially for wider feet) yet still offer great performance.

Hi everyone (especially Pall who helped me out last year) I am heading for Dullstrooom this coming weekend (seems to have become an annual trip) and this year will be staying at the Highland Gate estate which I assume is linked fk the golf course. The Highland Gate website mentioned a 43km route from the gate house but doesn’t make five any further directions, so was wondering if anyone else had any interesting MTB routes (40-50km or around 3 hours) starting from Highland Gate?? Many thanks

Does anyone know if there are perhaps luxury tent accomodation options available on Sani2C (as with many other events nowadays) or just the standard 2-man tents and the B&B option??

Been using the S-Works Evade helmet for a number of years and always been very happy with the comfort and overall performance of this model range......although the lower profile of my latest Evade II took a bit of getting used to. A friend recently escaped serious head injury because of the more trail orientated helmet he was wearing, and without the added protection at the back of the head he would have taken a direct blow from a rock and judging by the damage to his helmet the injury would have been severe. Although I typically prefer to use products which are aimed at providing out-and-out performance (this is unfortunately not evident from my actual performance) I am not a youngster and need to consider safety as my main priority....hence I think it’s time to move to a more trail orientated helmet with added coverage at the back of the head. I have been doing some research online and cannot seem to get a clear indication as to which product offers the best combination of performance, comfort and protection. Having been very happy with my previous Specialized helmets my initial thought is to go with the Ambush model, however the more I look the more options I come across and every helmet seems to have a good write-up somewhere. Would appreciate your comments and recommendations to try and narrow down the number of options.

Probably not the cheapest solution, but to get things working without any drama I simply bought the Wahoo HR and cadence monitors which were paired easily with my iPad. Using this setup together with a sufferfest works great without any compatibility or linking issues.

Oops.......double post as didn’t realize the original had already been posted

I cannot recall this being such a big problem in the past, but recently I notice that the total ascent recorded by my Garmin Fenix 5X watch differs by as much as 20% from the ascent recorded on my Garmin Edge 1000. I know what to expect in terms of ascent on my normal weekend rides and the Edge 1000 GPS is definitely much more realistic that the Fenix 5X watch. For instance this morning the Edge 1000 GPS recorded 560m climbing in 43km whereas the Fenix 5X recorded just 370m of climbing over the same distance.....I know from last experience using other devices that this route is definitely more than 500m climbing. I have checked that the watch software is up-to-date and even double checked the watch settings, but cannot find anything obvious which would explain the discrepancy is total ascent. Any thoughts or ideas......has anyone else experiences a similar problem with their Fenix 5X??

I cannot recall this being such a big problem in the past, but recently I notice that the total ascent recorded by my Garmin Fenix 5X watch differs by as much as 20% from the ascent recorded on my Garmin Edge 1000. I know what to expect in terms of ascent on my normal weekend rides and the Edge 1000 GPS is definitely much more realistic that the Fenix 5X watch. For instance this morning the Edge 1000 GPS recorded 560m climbing in 43km whereas the Fenix 5X recorded just 370m of climbing over the same distance.....I know from last experience using other devices that this route is definitely more than 500m climbing. I have checked that the watch software is up-to-date and even double checked the watch settings, but cannot find anything obvious which would explain the discrepancy is total ascent. Any thoughts or ideas......has anyone else experiences a similar problem with their Fenix 5X??

Seems part of my post got cut off...... Hi Pall....rode the first of your proposed options today and had a great ride. With the extra bit from the Walkersons reception it ended up being a solid 45km loop. After yesterday’s heavy rain there was a fair amount of mud and standing water, but everything was still rideable even though the bike needed a PROPER clean afterwards. I thoroughly enjoyed the route you put together and the bit along the railway line included a few technical surprises so one had to stay away. The not so pleasant surprise was that th first 20km was pretty much flat or downhill (<100m ascent) whilst most of the 2nd half was very uphill with some long sections hitch punished the legs You did warn about the 2nd half being uphill, but the length of the climb and steepness still came as a shock. If anyone is coming to Dullstroom I can strongly recommend Pall”s routes and can definitely say that Dullstroom is underrated as a mountain bike venue. Thanks for all the effort Pall, as finding my way around without your assistance would definitely have been a challenge and I would not have experienced such a great riding experience.

Hi Pall....rode the first of your proposed options today and had a great ride. With the extra bit from the Walkersons reception it ended up being a solid 45km loop. After yesterday’s heavy rain there was a fair amount of mud and standing water, but everything was still rideable even though the bike needed a PROPER clean afterwards. I thoroughly enjoyed the route you put together and the bit along the railway line included a few technical surprises so one had to stay away. The not so pleasant surprise was that th first 20km was pretty much flat or downhill (

Thanks for all the help.....really great to come across someone prepared to share his passion for the sport but helping people enjoy their riding in a new location.

Looking 40 to 50km ride......probably something in the region of 3 hours. Any thoughts??

Hi guys.......staying at Walkersons next weekend and was wondering what route you’d recommend for MTB?? Ideally want to ride from the resort without having to load up the bike. Thanks