Li Mu Bai

if its rainy and muddy you will get all the 'experience' you need

Both road and mtb races are great. Town comes alive for the oyster festival. great riding if the rain stays away. Road route to Hoekwill (Wilderness) and back is well worth the trip, trees, fresh air. N2 is quite rough tar. amount of climbing whether its to Plett or to Wilderness is approx the same.

YOU ARE DOING IT ALL WRONG, YOU SHOULDNT BE SITTING ON YOUR NUTS...

This is an interesting link to what 29"er tires are out there and their weights... not many are available in SA though. My new Nobby Nic snakeskin + stans tubeless is about 200g lighter than the thin Rocket Ron + Slime filled tube installation on my front wheel. Busy setting up the rear wheel with a Racing Ralph snakeskin and stans. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApcNMgTrSzkTcmpCbmF5Y0Q0cmd6VGdTN0JsUWotQnc&hl=en#gid=0

Biggest problem with XX is that maintaining it costs a fortune

yah, love my XO gripshifts. will get the new XO gripshiftsfor my 2x10 as soon as they are available. XX is just waaaay overpriced for what you get, weight wise etc. compared to XO the extra cost takes some justification. The trim feature was done away with on the newer 3x9 front XO gripshift models, a pity becayse it was nice to be able to get rid of the front deraileur rattle/chain rub.

you should also not forget the weekly discount vouchers that CRC (and Evans) offers, either 10% off, £10 or £15 off depending on what you buy. Somehow after regular comparison I usually go with CRC who is mostly cheaper than Evans, Wiggle, Total Cycling, High on Bikes, Planet-X. Its all a matter of finding who has what you want at the best price. Small items are rarely bought locally to save the effort of waiting and vat clearence etc.

Scott Spark Pro. best value for money.

Its not a real MTB race if you dont get off to walk a small section...

who needs live TV when you have 'the Hub'? no work again this morning...

Does it really matter as long as the race continues year after year?

Make sure you are in a largish group - bike jackings around the farm are not uncommon.

changing chainrings and/or rear cogs/cassettes of different sizes usually requires adjusting the length of the chain.

you can get very nice Custom wheels built up for you by Chain Reaction Cycles, good fun choosing components etc, I've done 2 sets. shipping free and it was cost effective. If your current wheels are shearing nipples / breaking spokes, then there is indication of much metal fatigue due to usage. an overhaul on most of it might be needed. Thus, much more fun building up something new and fresh...

some sage advice I once got from a seasoned rider for climbing: 1. relax your arms and shoulders 2: relax your hands (hold your bars like you would hold a bird) 3: breath steadily through your nose and mouth. 4: stay seated, move slightly back on your saddle (still keeping front wheel down) 5: keep a steady cadence (85rpm) and rhythm, pedalling full revolutions in a comfortale gear 6: relax your arms and shoulders again because you have tensioned up whilst worrying about the above pointers. Hill repeats once a week( find a consistant steady hill with enough distance): 15min warm up, 3min uphill as fast as you can, 3 mins down to recover = 1 set, do 10 sets, 15 mins cool down. another way tobuild leg power is to visit Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve for a loop (Dont Litter) Patience: it takes time to get stronger and fitter. you will see improvements if you keep at it.

Just eat less salad A, haha

hungry now, thanks...

Well actually if you put any men (or women) on bicycles and bring them together they will race. You just need to see the interest in the time sheets at the end of the days riding in the adventure (and now trail) to see this 'non-racing' in action. The adventure and Trail are unofficial races, the Race just has the pro's fighting for number 1 spot. All are great fun, great food and atmosphere, same great route, and good people from all over the country.

if it was a puffadder yes, haha... harmless little anaconda...

bizarre...

yup, my experience is that stitches are mostly breathing related. a small bike might influence you back in climbs etc, not sure if it would cause chest cramps.

Yup, hardtails require a lot of fitness and concentration in chosing the right ride lines. bumpy flats and rocky decents require you to absorb most of the action' with your legs. thus you cant pedal and need to be pretty fit in the legs and upper body. Dual suspension is definitely quicker on the flats and downs as you get oppertunity to pedal more. if you duff a ride line, the consequences are not as severe, and as for climbing, I think the percieved advantage of a hardtail vs a dual suspension is not really that significant. if need be you canlock out your shock and fork for more efficiency in climbing on the dual suspension. it is slightly heavier riding a dual suspension, but imo the advantages outweigh the disadvantages by a long way. Much more comfortable and enjoyable ride, especially if you are not a rubber limbed 20 year old anymore. the debate between 26" / 29" still rages on.

I find something removable with velcro works well, you can easily clean out the grit etc from underneath the protector each time you wash your bike. No scratching of the frame then by grit vibrating under a more permanent(cable tied) protector.

Go for it then, what you waiting for...

yah, use something sharp to make a nice groove and tippex fill it. not. for heavens sake, measure the length, write it down, use a white/yellow pencil and draw a line where you need it. Introducing scratches/scores etc just creates nice 'weak' spots for the metal/carbon to fatigue on or create stress risers, and break sooner than later.