DonatelloOnPinarello

I have always been a fan of giant, but that Marlin is a seriously good package all together. Whatever you choose, just make sure you enjoy riding it

I think there used to be local support somewhere in the western cape, but not any more. It really is a boutique brand, and you are basically on your own with importing etc. They do look might sexy though

It would be very much dependent on the material used, pure cotton or even high cotton count poly blends don't sublimated well. But as these are riding t-shirst I would assume polyester quick dry type shirts. So they should sublimated well. DTG is best for intricate designs and also for longevity, but it's very costly. For the OP. I also would find it very hard to answer your with no idea of the designs, the shirt material/quality/cut etc, and the price

I think a lot of people are put off by gripshift because of experiences with the absolutely terrible first editions of it in the late 90s early 2000s. I remember in school having gripshift and everyone thought it was so cool, but it required almost weekly adjustment and it was actually just rubbish. So when it started making a comeback a while back I thought it would be the same. But this thread has me thinking maybe it's worth a second shot. But, I But if Shimano made it, they would have got it right the first time around...????

Holy smokes this took off. you guys obviously have way too much time on your hands. Back on topic, I'm just going to say two things: 1. Yes, spend your money however you see fit. I made that clear in my first post. But that still doesn't answer the question. The question is why the epic? When there is a lot of other seriously awesome Biking you could do for the money. 2. I don't buy the "it's targeting the international market" story. International riders pay more for the "privilege" of riding here. They also need to travel to get here, and it's a lot more expensive than any other international event, including the other epic series events. My question also wasn't, why it is so expensive, but rates why it is so important to do?

Paid in 2016, was "sponsored" in 2017. I guess the S-works analogy makes sense. Touchè, I guess I walked right into that one. For the record I no longer own any road bikes, but if I took up road riding again, a Dogma would be the bike I aspire to.... so I guess I should stop chirping the S-works guys so much

That's really disappointing, but understandable. It's become pretty clear that producing anything locally, and at a fair price is completely impossible.

Okay, I found Core Merino, and that was just what I was looking for. Mods, feel free to close/delete this thread

I have done an initial Google search, but only seem to find links to producers (like the actual wool producers) I am trying to find a local manufacturer of merino clothing. Not technical gear/rising gear, just casual wear. Like t-shirts/sweaters etc, and then also maybe some base layers and so forth. Anyone able to point me in the right direction? I find it hard to accept that we are one of the worlds top producers of merino wool, but export it all so we can import it back again in garment form.

Serious question. I don't want to get into the merits of whether or not the epic is overpriced. It is, grossly so. Most stage races are, and the epic is the top of the crop. but it is also under normal circumstances completely oversubscribed, so there definitely is a market. But this week a couple of entries have popped up in the classifieds and it just got me wondering again. So to those who actually pay for their entries, do you think it's justifiable, and why/how? (Full disclosure, I have done it twice, and it's a very special experience, but unless I am offered a free ride, there is no way I would do it again. Also, it's your money, spend it how you please, just interested in why the epic is still overbooked, even at upwards of R120k per team) When you compare it even to international events, like the Transalp, which I will be doing next year for a third time with my own money, and am happy to pay for, it just gets absurd. Transalp entry, which includes all the logistics etc, race villages, catering and all that, is like R20 000.00pp if you include the basic accomdostion package. (Dorm rooms, school boarding houses etc). We arrange our own bnb accomodation as soon as the route is announced, and shared by a group of 4, all in, with flights, accomodation and a few extra days in Lake Como or Trieste afterwards, its still half the price of just the basic entry fee for epic. Even the Swiss Epic, which is organized by the same company, is significantly cheaper, even though it's all luxury accomodation in Switzerland throughout the whole event. So for the epic regulars, what keeps you going back? For first timers, what made you choose the epic? Considering other options available?

Axis is a really cheap low budget bike to begin with. I really don't think this is a worth while project. It's a heavy old hunk of metal not designed for any hard riding. The welding is questionable at best. Just walk away

Perhaps the real question is, does it really matter what country a yellow jersey rider is from? In my opinion the idea of nationality in Profesional sport is somewhat outdated. A Profesional sports team, regardless of the sporting code, is made up of people from various countries, not only the athletes, but coaches, doctors, management etc etc. Teams recruit riders that fit into their structure and "gameplan" or vision, as well as their budget and then play to their strengths. So this obsession with nationality has always been a bit of a funny quirk to me. . . . . *that said there is obviously something to be said for national bodies and the support/platform they provide to young athletes coming up through the ranks, and that will obviously have a meaningful impact on representation once those athletes enter the Profesional realm. But my point remains, beyond the olympics/commonwealth games/world Champs (which are all officially "amateur" events), why should nationality matter? At Profesional level, it's is all business.

Just go and have fun. Without ridiculous expectations of top 20 (or 50) finishes, the half will be a fun morning out. With a 2l camelback you will be sorted. The Super technical climbs scattered with the monkey head stones are only on the full marathon route (to the best of my knowledge, 2019 was my last race). For the techy stuff, consider it somewhere half way between hennops and iron throne, leaning more towards hennops. Especially on the half marathon route, which turns back before the really techy climbs.

Was about to say concealing an ebike motor that well was akin to cheating, then I realized it's a gearbox. All I can say is wow, and who do I need to make a cheque out to (after winning the lotto tomorrow night obviously)

Thanks. I know I often talk a lot of rubbish and I'm in the running for longest post awards, but I tried hard to stay on point here, and just get my past experience across And seriously, those monkey head sizes marbles.... watch out for them. I have the X-Rays to back this claim up

Van Gaalens Trail seeker is basically the mini Magalies Monster. If it's your first one, and you arent a Van Gaalens regular. Then all I can say is, forget what expectstion any previous Trailseeker event has created. This will be a lot harder. If you doing marathon distance, I suggest you ride with a camelback (I know you perceive this as akin to devil worship, but seriously, take my word for it) Its going to be hot, it's going to be tough. Even the jeep track type climbs get technical. Depending on your pace, expect some some congestion/traffic on the last few km, especially in the bamboo forests along the river. All the distance groups converge and share the last few km of Trail. If your flying through the marathon, like with the top finishers, you should miss the traffic. If you mid pack, your going to get held up in the last few km by the kids and the grandpa's doing the half marathon slowly.... If your a leisurely (4hour plus) marathon rider, you should again miss the worst of the traffic. Final note, the magalies area is full of almost perfectly round sandstone/quartzite stones about the size of a monkeys head.... they make climbing hard, and going Downhill super sketchy

Are you sure? I think overdrive maybe didn't read the opening post properly. Or maybe he is taking the piss, because all of those pictures are XC bikes as well The request is to post pictures of "YOUR" trail hardtails, not just random pictures of droolworthy hardtails. The other thread is for Bikeporn, I think this is meant to be for own pictures. I will try take some worthy shots this Sunday.

Hey don't get me wrong. I'm also having time of my life riding now. I just know there is no ways I'm even going to try keep up with the 20 somethings on the enduro trails, nevermind be competitive against them at the highest level in world cup downhill. All I'm trying to say is Greg is truly a legend, and an inspiration. We all may be doing some of the best riding of our live now, but Greg is at the pointy edge of the pack in a very elite group of riders that are mostly 15 or more years his junior. He started out racing world cups at the same time as the guy that's now leading the commentary, and as much of a legend as RW is, he could not race the youngsters and be competitive the way Greg is. It is remarkable what he is doing.

I think the recently crowned world jump might disagree with your agist views. ????

I'm probably going to be stoned for this, but I think Garmin and Suuntos native apps are probably better than strava for analytics purposes. Strava is really just social media for cyclists/runners/triathletes, and it's good in that sense. If your main focus is data analysis you probably already have better tools in the app linked to your device and you don't have to pay extra for it (on strava most detailed features are behind a paywall). If bragging rights matter, than the KOM and local legend features on strava are cool. The heatmap/route planning between Strava and the native Garmin/Suunto apps is much of a muchness, and other apps like Komoot and a few others are actually better for that. I will keep strava linked, mostly because it'd the easiest way to sync my rides to hubtiger and stay up to date with my drive train maintenance. But when my next annual renewal comes up, I'm not gonna bother with the premium package anymore. But I don't really use the social media features on strava. My account is set to private and I am super selective of the friends I allow as followers. So I don't benefit from the social features, nor do I care to.

Sadly I think you will find it is only a perception of a comeback based on a small sample group of you and your likeminded riding buds. I am willing to bet you either directly imported your yeti, or got it through a non franchised, owner run enthusiast bike shop. If you walk into a mainstream bike shop in South Africa at the moment and tell them you want a hardtail and your budget is anywhere north of R30k, they are going to look at you like you are mad. If you insist on a 130mm+ slack trail bike with 2.4-2-6 wide tires, a dropper post and riser bars, the salesmans head might literally explode. I don't agree with it, but the market appetite for aggressive hardtails just doesn't seem to get attention in SA. It's very sad.

What an absolute champ. And a nicer humble more deserving champ there couldn't be. How many times is he going to have us ask ourselves how many good seasons he has left... I hope a good few still. It's crazy though. I remembering my ballies 40th, and thinking the old man is getting on in years now. He was a proper topie by that age though, now I'm only a handful of birthdays away from the big 40, and I feel old when I go out riding the trails. Amazing how Greg just keeps on keeping up in a sport meant for young guns.

Good cardio training for the bareknuckle fights. Wonder what he keeps in his "bidon" though. I'm almost certain it will be some sort of malt liquor

I would take on the inclement weather far more happily than taking on the drivers/traffic back in SA. You can dress appropriately for the weather, but all the lumo colors in the world won't help you with our drivers. I miss euro/UK road riding.

That's a very lekker looking device, but at nearly R5k before shipping you really really need to be sure you need it. I suppose keeping high powered lights charged up over multiple day adventures it could be a life saver, but I have had great success in the past on 4/5 day bike packing trips using a large power bank from Rommos (think 30 000mah) and a small solar charger. Just strap the panel to the top of your bag and connected to the power bank during the day, and never ran out of battery for charging phone/GPS/watch small lights, and it cost a lot less than 299usd. This is the power bank I use: https://www.takealot.com/romoss-sense-8-30000mah-qc-type-c-power-bank-white/PLID53431117 And the older version of this solar panel: https://www.decathlon.co.za/powerbank-solar-panels-batteries/168693-2803-trek-100-10w-portable-solar-charger.html#/6702-demodelcolor-8485459/9-demodelsize-254 So long as the power bank is fully charged before heading out, it's never gone below 60% over a 4/5 day trip