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Have you considered that the 70km race you do on the dirt, can equate to roughly double the distance on the road? Throw in about 1000m or more of climbing and I would be surprised if you didn't feel hammered. To give you an idea: I rode a 64km race last weekend in just over three and a half hours. Climbing was 1232m and Calories burned was 2679 (got my trusty Garmin file handy). Would you burn the same amount of calories over 64km on the road? Probably not. Eat natural foods on a long race or ride (boiled potatoes, lightly salted with some olive oil are the best) and keep an energy gel or similar handy for the last 10km, if your legs are giving in.In my bottles I have water mixed with Enduren , 3 for a 60km race. Keep a Ziploc bag with powder for the third bottle on you for the water point. I have changed to Red Bull Power Shots. Liquid not goo and one bottle really gets the legs going in the home stretch.Hope that helps.

www.tablemountainbikers.co.za is live. go check it out.

I hope everyone is making a note of the date and clearing their diary. We want to try and outnumber the walkers,so that we can be recognised as a strong and unified mountain user group. San Parks still gives preference to walkers, but Table Mountain has been designated a cycling area, therefore we need to come out in numbers on the 28th of August and show that we don't just want to ride there, but are also prepared to get involved in making the mountain safe. 2 hours out of your morning is nothing and you are doing what you are passionate about- mountain biking. I am working on getting some freebies to sweeten the deal. Print out the attached banner and remember to wake up on the 28th of August and head up the mountain.

As part of making Table Mountain a safer place to cycle and walk, I am asking all of you to join in the Table Mountain 100. This is not a race, it is a group ride to show that mountain bikers support the initiatives of the Table Mountain Forum, San Parks , SAPS etc and everyone else committed to getting rid of the criminal element from the mountain. The ride will take place on the 28th of August (it is a Sunday), 9:15am. Meet & Greet will be at the parking lots, top of Kloof Nek Road, left hand side where you turn up to the Cable Station. The route will take us up Tafelberg Road to the first hairpin turn, where we veer left on to the Jeep Track. From there we ride across the front of the mountain, through Deer Park and up to the Blockhouse. Cycle back to the starting point along Tafelberg Road. The date was chosen for the following reasons: There will be a Safe Mountain Day on the same date and we as mountain bikers showing up in a huge group will show support for the initiative. It gives everyone enough time to clear their schedules and make those 2 hours available. I get time to find sponsors who might want to get involved. I would like to print t-shirts with TMB logo for the event and perhaps there is a company out there which would like to support this. We are getting some signage together to mark hot spots on the mountain and the extra time will hopefully allow for them to be approved by San Parks and placed. Hopefully I can convince a pilot I know to fly over the area on the day and take some pictures of all of us riding. The later date will hopefully get more riders out and we can turn it into the Table Mountain 1000. Go to www.tablemountainbikers.co.za and join the mailing list to be updated on this event and all issues around cycling on Table Mountain. I expect the website content to be up in the next 10 days. Regards Robert

I have printed 500 cards, so there should some left over and you are welcome to have one. Get hold of me after the weekend.

There will be a Table Mountain Safety Day on the 19th of June from 9am to 12am. This will involve the community, SAPS, SAN Parks and other Enforcement Agencies going out on to the mountain for 3 hours to show that we want to work together to make the mountain a safe place to walk, hike, run or cycle. Mountain Bikers will meet at the top of Kloof Nek Road (the parking area where the SAN Parks Information Centre is) at 9am and ride to Rhodes Memorial and back. If you are a regular mountain user, please make an effort to come out and show your support. This event will take place rain or shine. If you need more information , please contact me or go to the Table Mountain Bikers Facebook page.

There will be a Table Mountain Safety Day on the 19th of June. Starting at 9am, we will meet up at the parking area at the top of Kloof Nek Road and then do a loop towards Rhodes Memorial and back.We will hand out Safety Cards to those we encounter along the way .The card has the new dedicated Safety Number printed on the front and space on the back where you can fill in your name, blood type, allergies, medical aid and emergency contact. Get it laminated and carry it with you when you ride, walk or run on the mountain. I hope to see loads of you out there.

Hi. I just created a page ,so you can go on FB and search for Table Mountain Bikers or you should find it under : www.facebook.com/pages/tablemountainbikers

Hey SteveCT For now we are an email based group who go out and ride the mountain. Nothing happening which would concern TMNP. We are however on their radar and discussions will commence shortly on a number of proposals.

We are up to 27 riders and we have a Facebook page as well. Go check it out and comment on our new logo.

there is a simple customs document (either green or white, they are the same) you can buy at any stationary shop in Germany. this is for export of goods into non-EU countries. when you buy over the counter, give the document to the shop owner and let him fill it in. you fill in your details and when you get to the airport (before checking your luggage) , go to customs and let them stamp the document. post it back to the shop and they will refund you the 19% vat. post it from the airport if you have time, otherwise do if from SA. don't let SA customs see the document as it shows the true value of the goods. a German account for the refund is best. by the way, bike spares are duty free. buying online and getting it sent by post, there is a duty free limit of R300 only, (R3500 if you come in on a plane). you will always pay the vat on any declared amount, even if there is no duty payable. factor that into your calculations.

www.fun-corner.de Have bought many times from them, parts and a complete bike.Just ordered a new bike from them. if yuo know how it works, you can claim back 19% VAT on your purchase, if you have an SA Passport.

Table Mountain Bikers is up and running. Anybody interested in joining the email list can let me know directly at zulurob@iafrica.com . A website will be up soon. The objective is to facilitate communication between riders who are using the mountain so they can join up and get to know each other. We are a pool of 13 riders at the moment and I am sure the numbers will grow. I would also like to set up some marked routes, starting from a central point. Similar to Harkerville or Grabouw.

I am going to import 3 bikes, one for myself and 2 for sale. Probably for R24k with the XT spec.Will bring in 1 medium and hopefully another Large, otherwise 2 medium.

Sure it's difficult,hence my suggestion to offer a service where you can book a test ride for a Brand and once there are enough guys, you go out on a Saturday morning for 1-2 hours. Do it on a monthly basis then, you can't wait for a year to test a bike, buying decisions go on all the time.

No offence Ratty, but I won't make a flippant statement. From what I hear from guys in the industry that I know, agents are not shy with their margins.I do my research before risking a comment on the Hub. For example. There is no import duty on bike spares, only the Vat on the invoice value. Bikes can be imported in a broken downs state and declared as spares too, nothing devious about that.Spares are imported all the time and if the Rand is so strong, why have prices not come down? Bikes get sent from various factories in the East to the destination countries, not to the Company Headquarters first. So logistics costs can't be blamed. Prices are simply higher here than overseas, why else does Chain Reaction Cycles do such a roaring trade in SA. Chris Willemse imports directly and has good prices and the agents on his case. He has overheads too, but cuts his margins and still makes a decent profit.

By the way. check this link out: http://www.fun-corner.de/index.php?cat=WG000607&product=A006423 This is an online shop I have bought from a couple times. I ride one of the Rotwild FS Carbon bikes (see attached file) and it is a well thought through piece of machinery and I have had no major problems. They have a HT 29er out this year and the price looks pretty good considering the components. I am considering one of these and can import them with one of our containers. Should anybody feel this is a bike worth getting, I can arrange for shipping by sea at a very good rate to Cape Town. You buy the bike at shown cost ( I can get a discount) and a shipping fee which I will work out and put on the Hub. Just a thought, not a business I want to get into. Check out the full range at www.rotwild.de

I think when a first shipment comes in there should always be a demo bike or two which can't be sold until they have been used for a certain amount of time. Same as with a demo car at a dealer,those get sold when they have done x amount of km. It gets my goat that we are asked to pay so much more for bikes locally than overseas (this applies to the brands I have looked at, can't speak for all), but have to accept that we can't test the material before we buy. If you buy and the bike is not the right fit (it probably takes about 4-5 rides of an hour or more to get used to a bike) the dealer is not likely to give you your money back. How about a demo weekend? If an agent gets a minimum or 4-5 inquiries for a bike in a week (via the shops), he sets up a ride on the weekend where bikes can be tested in a controlled environment.How much effort would that take? It won't be done, because the local agents probably work out how many bikes they need to sell in a year to cover their Camps Bay Bond, Private Schools and Mommie's Prado. This keeps demand high and guarantees orders for the following year's models.

I am considering a 29er and checking out what's available in the local market. Not much by the looks of it as most Agents underestimated the demand and don't have enough stock. I am told some brands will only have new 29er stock available in 2012. Well Bully for them. I thought that if I was in the market for a top end FS 29er like the Specialized Epic S-Works at a cost of just under 80k, I might be afforded the option of giving the bike a good test ride, before parting with all that cash. How can I commit to such an obscene amount of money when all I can expect to do is bunny hop the bike off the pavement and maybe get lucky and ride up and down outside the shop for 5 minutes? In my opinion this is a ridiculous situation. None of the shops or agents I called had a test bike available and actually the fact that I asked surprised them somewhat. I might as well order a bike from overseas, it's the same scenario, the only difference being that the same bike costs substantially less. S-Works 29er FS frameset cost R32000 in the US and R44k here. Bike parts are duty free and you can claim the Vat back overseas. My dad bought a second hand Land Rover Defender this morning for 70k (less than the bike) and he got to take it for a lekker test spin around a few blocks! How can anyone know what a bike feels like under your bum when you can only ride it for a few minutes, before having to make the buying decision? Please enlighten me.

Hi Brian K Distance depends on where we go, but riding for 2 hours on the mountain can be anything between 25-30km. Not sure of everyone's riding ability yet, that will sort itself out. What are you looking for? The point is to get a regular weekend ride going and then look at weekday afternoon and a night ride too. Send me your email address then I can put you on the mailing list.

Sunday Morning, 8am. Meet at Deer Park parking area.

I would like to ride on Saturday morning, but i have to look after our daughter from 8:15am for about 2 hours. Either ride early (6, but it will be dark), or later? Or go out on Sunday morning. Let me know who can or can't .

Like I said, this is what I heard from someone working with one of the pro teams. Was a heat issue. Aluminium does sound unlikely, but fact is that material failure was to blame.

Hi Drongo, or is it "the Drongo"? I rode 2011 XTR brakes and rotors at the Epic and they gave me zero problems. The braking power for a true one finger brake is awesome. The brake pressure control is also superb. I heard at the Epic that Kevin was using an Aluminium rotor which seized due to the heat build-up. Can't take this a gospel , but heard if from someone who was working with the winning Masters team. New XTR is a real jump forward, I recommend them highly.

If any of you are in town on the weekend of the 30th, we could also go for a ride then? I live at the top of Kloof Street and get on to the mountain at the Bengis Sportsfield, below the Deer Park carpark. We could meet there?