renayg

What has happened to Luke couldn't really have come at a worse time. Luke has a big transition to make from u23 to elite racing this year. He has spent the last few years catching up from missing two seasons of racing due to Covid travel restrictions and finishing school, and last year he finally managed to get back to the sharp end of the field consistently which is no doubt a huge boost for his confidence and morale. With Candice and Darren having chosen to continue the privateer route, it doesn't necessarily mean it will work for Luke. The Lill's have done this for many, many years and have a system that works for them. They know all the ins and outs of the WC racing scene and have many connections that help them do what they do well. What works for them is probably not the best option for Luke. I had the opportunity to travel with Luke in 2023 for a few of the WC races, helping with logistics, shopping, cooking, cleaning bikes, sorting out spares and helping at the race with feed/ tech zone. It's a hell of a lot of work, and at times requires more than one person to help. Being a solo athlete is also a tough game to play, and at the current stage of his journey he would probably also benefit massively from the motivation of being in a team and being surrounded by more experienced riders. I truly hope he can get the support he needs. He has earned it many times over.

Hey @white tiger, the Sling Cycles team are super helpful and responsive. They will go the extra mile to help you out. That's been my experience dealing with them. The bike has also been great thus far. I'm running the GX AXS mullet setup with a fairly big ring on the front which has made the bike super versatile for being on the road too. Hard to go wrong with this bike. If you DM me your number I can send it their way for them to make contact.

The ones I rode were also tan walls.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I find that interesting, as I borrowed a set of carbon gravel wheels from a friend earlier this year that had ByWays on and I had no issues with rolling or punctures. I did not find them the grippiest in the corners though. I rode Swartberg 100 and Gallows with them and had no punctures. I was previously riding Vredenstein Aventura which felt heaps slower and also not that grippy, although that was on a set of alloy wheels, so perhaps I was just feeling the weight advantages more than anything else. The ByWay tyres were also not new by any means when I got onto them.

Thanks guys. Didn't think to give Bridge a try.

Hey hubbers, Does anyone know where one can source Look S -Track cleats from? I have looked online with no success. I have number of pedals in good condition still, but the cleats are unfortunately needing replacement. I run them on a few of my bikes and shoes, so trying to avoid buying new pedals for all of them just because of the cleat situation. Thanks!

I think that's certainly debatable. Let's not forget that Burry was also u23 XCO champ, won 2 x World Cups, multiple world cup podiums, a bronze medal at XCO and marathon World Champs, 5th place at the London Olympics(after a terrible start), as well as 2 x Cape Epic wins. It's incredible that after 10 years we have another rider at that level who will hopefully inspire the new wave of talent much like Burry did for Alan. Long may it last!

Most insurance companies replace on a new for old basis. Agreeing on suitable second hand replacements or values would be extremely difficult for them which is why they work this way. This means that you can insure the bike for the price of a new downhill bike with similar current day specs. You would just need to have an evaluation done through your bike shop confirming the specifications, with a quote to replace with a new current bike when insuring it. The downside to the above is that you will also pay a higher premium. You can also go the route of insuring it for what you bought it for(or a bit more if you choose) and have a lower premium, but your settlement in the case of theft would be limited to the sum insured of the bike. Hope that helps!

@Holmsie Yes. Apparently, I won the tandem race on my own!

The new MTB route was good, and actually harder than the old one. What didn't make sense to me was the convergence of the short and long route over the last 30km along with a high number of e-bikes at the same time. Having a fast race come from behind on a shorter race really isn't an enjoyable experience for any of the riders on the route and unfortunately, we experienced quite a few negative riders out there who wouldn't give way despite being asked nicely to do so. The road race was great, although the start was a bit harrowing with a big number of mixed-ability riders starting together, but that quickly sorted itself out once we hit the first climb. Great weather on both days, which made for an excellent weekend on the bike!

Agreed on the price. I thought the climbing at the start was good to spread the field out ahead of all the single track. It wasn't that steep and mostly on good surfaces so it wasn't too bad. The marking could have been better. Many, many high-speed sections with an arrow all of a sudden right on the corner indicating a hairpin corner. Overshot many corners this way. The self-seeding was a double-edged sword. Way too many e-bikers who can't ride single track ended up at the sharp end of the race and were blockers in the single track. I ended up with a broken Garmin when one crashed in front of me. Awesome day or riding though. The weather couldn't have been better and the trails were in great condition!

Sorry to hear about the mugging. I ride there often too and have always thought it's a safe place to ride as escape options are limited. Was the person armed? Definitely let SanParks know about the incident otherwise it could happen to someone else. They might even be able to catch them if they try something like that again.

Hard to go wrong with Enjoy. Great design team and seamless process.

The OP hasn't stated what their entire situation is, but in a pro-team scenario, the riders generally aren't responsible for the replacement of the bikes. Every situation is different though, but if you have a financial responsibility towards an asset(ie you are legally responsible for its repair or replacement via a contract), then you shoudl be able to insure the asset if you needed to.

Santam Switch(Previously JaSure) will cover you during organised sporting events. The only exclusion here is that you are not a professional that earns a salary from racing.

Also noticed this. Especially if you change filters.

This is also an option for the drive train... https://www.bagbox.co.za/Drivetrain-Cover-p514893448

Another great way to add value for any brand is to do something for a "cause" . Companies love getting behind something where their funds have a lasting impression. Find a charity or organization that you identify with and then approach local businesses in your area to sponsor you the entry. In return for the sponsored entry, you can run a campaign with your family/ friends/ school/ other local businesses to sponsor you a Rand value per kilometer etc. and set an ambitious target or goal to raise. This creates value for the company that sponsors you the entry as their name is attached to the campaign and shown in a good light, but their money enables their funding to go much further if your fundraising target is double/ triple the cost of getting you to the race.

There are two speedy Stuart Marais out there. One who used to race multisport(as you remembered), but also happened to be quite fast on the bike, and then another Stu who predominantly focused on XCO racing whom this article focuses on.

Another one to add to the mix is a Nissan X-Trail. I've had my 2011 2.0l petrol one for 7 years now and it has never skipped a beat. I currently average about 8l/ 100km. It has big ground clearance and the back seats fold flat. The space in the back is huge! You can definitely get one within your budget with reasonable mileage. Maintenance has also been reasonable over the years. Great car for hauling bikes, longer road trips, and handles gravel roads superbly.

It sounds like they consulted Eksom on this one. At least you can still use the product that you pay for.

It's understandable that brands from time to time need to change their strategy and make cuts. At the end of the day, most companies aim to be profitable, and changes are inevitable to help achieve this. What is not great in this situation is, how it was done. It's a rubbish move to leave riders scrambling to find new brands to align with at such a late stage of the year. Imagine if employers were just allowed to terminate employment contracts when it suited them with no notice. Can't help but feel for these guys.

As someone who lives in the area, I always think twice before riding this section of road. It can be so sketchy. I think it's safe to assume that a change in infrastructure cannot be expected here for a very long time. What always boggles my mind though is the lack of awareness signage(eg legal passing distance) for other types of road users(specifically cyclists) around the whole peninsula, as there are som many alternate road users in this area. How come there are signs all over Noordhoek telling you to be aware of the Western Leopard Toads, yet not one sign recommending a safe passing distance for a cyclist(or runner or horse for that matter).

This probably belongs here https://www.hellopeter.com/meerendal-boutique-hotel

It sounds as though Swiss Cycling has suspended MF from participating in events, while the UCI has not done so as yet as the B sample is still pending. I'm guessing if the B sample also comes back positive then the results will be amended and he will receive a suspension from the UCI.