AfricaMike

Hoping for some advice from the clever people here. Budget Is R50k and so I've been watching a few YouTube reviews of the Specialized Chisel and most seem really positive and I've always figured that a quality alloy frame is probably better than a cheap carbon frame......but then I see what looks like really good value here on the Hub in considering a pre-owned Epic that might be a few years old but looks like good value........ .......what would you choose?

Cant see the dreaded green cutoff dot either.....

Hard to believe that the leaders are halfway after 20 hours! Just another level completely........

So here we go and it looks like the whole field is off-route...... https://trackleaders.com/munga25

Eish....FOMO setting in big-time.......think I'll need to get my A-into-G and start prepping for another Munga sometime..... Dot-watching marathon coming up 🙂

I remember hearing that there were 12,000 entrants at the 2025 947. Long shot from those days where we saw around 30,000 riders take on Jozi's roads.......I see entries to Comrades 2026 opened yesterday and they filled all 22,000 slots in 10 hours......food for thought.....

Had the same thought when I saw there were 'only' 12,000 riders. I really hope I'm wrong but with yesterday been my 19th trip around Jozi I found the Joburg 'vibe' less than in previous years. It seems like sponsors are also in short supply with no title sponsors like in previous years - last year Virgin Active was prominent, and it made a noticeable difference. Bike races are getting expensive and without the contribution of major sponsorships race organisers are going to find it difficult to offer a compelling event. However, it's an absolute blast being able to ride around this city on closed roads. I'll be back next year. Under probably quite difficult circumstances I think the organisers did very well. The expo was a bit disappointing but number pickup was quick and easy (if you didnt get stuck in G20 traffic experiments!) and the hospitality at the finish was awesome 🙂 See you in 2026.

So I was thinking that maybe one day someone is considering a Grit so maybe my experience at my first Grit might be of some help. Having bailed at Munga 2019 I never thought I would line up at the start of any event with the word 'Munga' in its title again - well time has a habit of dulling the senses and so I thought that instead of going big, lets start 'small' - Munga Grit Northwest 24 hour, paid and committed. Now I'm no race snake - more like making up the numbers at the tail end of the field. I'll be 59 years old later this year and figure that if I'm still gong to do some stupid stuff in my life I might as well do it now......and so maybe there's another big Munga in my future but let's kick it off with a 24hr. The idea of riding for 280k's for 24 hours made the math easy - as long as I could maintain 70k's every 6 hours the medal would be in the bag. If I rode faster it meant I could sleep more but at worst I figured I could finish regardless of my lack of sleep - and it was this argument that I used to convince myself that the 50hr Grit was just a little beyond what I'm capable of right now. Many people rubbish the idea of focusing on average speed as a measure of progress and, in a sense, they're right. If average speed is used as a measure of progress then the 50hr should be easier than the 24hr considering you would need a lower average speed to complete the event. What I find is that when I'm going through the dark places, being focused on average speed gives me something to think about. But what you need to remember is that the segments you divide your adventure into differ - some will be faster than others and the further you get down the road the more difficult it becomes to influence that AVS indicator........and then the strategy simply becomes moving forward - as long as I'm moving I'll get there.....eventually......... So here are a few tips for those considering a Munga Grit 24 hour It starts on a Friday and ends on a Saturday - you can sleep on Sunday so don't stress about a lack of sleep - I took two 15-minute power naps, one on the side of the road when the corrugations started to look like waves breaking on the seashore and another at Waterpoint 3. If, like me, you're a tail-end-charlie, then expect to be passed by the leaders of the 50hr race sometime in the early morning hours - consider it a front row seat to the other race 🙂 Don't overpack the bike - I don't like tri-bars because I cant breathe properly while hunched over, don't carry tons of food - the waterpoints, even though they are far apart, have plenty of real food, and I found that 3 x 750ml waterbottles were adequate (I had a Camelbak but would only fill the bladder if I desperately needed to - I didnt). Make sure your bike is serviced a few weeks before the event - not like I did in 2019 when I had the bike serviced a week before the big Munga and then had to deal with my front brakes binding from 20k's out....... Know how to download and follow a route on your GPS - this is critical!.......and then when you're on the route trust the GPS! I wasted 10 minutes phoning my wife to ask her if I was still on the route when I found myself on a long tar section - something felt wrong but my concerns were unfounded. Pack a powerbank - I only used it for charging my cellphone but my family found that tracking me on the Life360 app was more accurate than the Trackleaders website - so your phone is going to be working too. Pack some warm gear - I had a gillet and some leggings which made a real difference in those cold pre-dawn hours....I also rode with UV sleeves the whole way..... Lights......don't skimp on cheap and nasty, get good quality lights with long lasting batteries - I'll have to buy a new red taillight - mine bombed hours before the sun came up (any suggestions for a new one???) Thank the volunteers at the waterpoints!!!!!!! I was astonished to find everyone still awake at some crazy hour at waterpoint 2 with pap, wors, gravy and a ton of lekker plaas kos available for the riders. Ambulance (ER24) crews checking up on your progress - thanks guys!! Finally - know that you are going to go through some bad patches during the ride - they will pass and the good times will return.......During any Munga event it will be hot, cold, wet, dry, windy.......you name it.......Remember that every competitor has to deal with the same conditions so stop, look around, enjoy the scenery, laugh at being stupid enough to enter this thing in the first place and move on with a smile on your face........ Have a cold beer when you cross the finishline - you deserve it! Until next time, see you later Jack 🙂

Heat, wind, corrugations.........tough.......but lekker 🙂

Motorbike stuff gets bought/sold on the Wilddog Forum, bicycle stuff on BikeHub - everything else goes to Cash Crusaders or donated on a pay-it-forward basis....... Facebook Marketplace is almost as bad as scumtree (oops, gumtree).......

Thanks for this thread - I'm in the same situation as the original poster. Has anyone used the Lizzard Hydration pack sold by Ballistic Bike Trading - any opinions? https://www.ballisticbiketrading.co.za/product/lizzard-endra-hydration-backpack/

Thanks Chris - alas I find myself within the confines of Johannesburg (but there's some good riding here too 🙂 )

Apologies if this has been discussed before....... So I'm in the market for a new bike and with so many options I've realised that shopping-paralysis is a real thing.....My budget is around the R30k mark and my intention, as an older rider, is distance over speed, meaning that comfort for long days in the saddle is a priority. I used to be an enthusiastic Audax rider and my heart wants to get back into that space again.......I have a mountaibike for the offroad stuff. So initially I was set on a Merida Scultura and there is good value on offer in the pre-owned market.......until I watched a Youtuber say that he reckons a gravel bike with a 2x gear setup is the way to go for ultra endurance road riding........ I would really appreciate some opinions here......

PS......I also use Garmin Livetrack when I'm on the bicycle and have never had connectivity issues between the 830 and my Samsung....

I started using the Life 360 App which I run permanently in the background. Because I commute on a motorcycle and usually ride solo on the bicycle it's a great way for the Mrs to check where I am. The Life 360 App also has the functionality of a SOS button in case of emergency where it link through to an operator without the need to make a call - hit the SOS and it calls automatically. Great App - as long as you have cellular coverage.

Thanks Mamil, I'm not really in the mood to carry a Camelbak but it looks like I might have to..... I suppose the inconvenience of a Camelbak is overshadowed by the possibility of running out of water. Appreciate the insight, Thx.

Apologies for reviving a really old thread. I've just pulled the trigger on the Grit Northwest 24 hour (body nowhere close to doing the 50hr - that's for next year). For those that have done it before is it really necessary to carry 3litres of water from the start (I know this is true for the 'big' Munga). Typically how long are the waterpoints away from each other?

Pretoria Boys High still hosts one on the first weekend in September each year. Laps are all on the school property and they've got lots of forests to ride. My intention is to try a solo attempt this year....

Mampoer MTB out west in Marico Cherry Festival MTB in Ficksburg Logwood 24hr by Omni-Motion Giants Castle MTB So many memories of great riding in years gone by..... awesome thread!

So much truth in the post above. My Epic partner in 2010 (a very well known footballer) had been partnered with an ex-pro in '09 and bailed after being pummeled by his partner on consecutive days. I was just there to finish and we ended up having an awesome ride. We trained together every weekend and we talked - a lot! The following year, 2011, I was partnered with a good friend who got completely overwhelmed with the enormity of the task, overtrained himself into the ground and ignored my warnings to take a chill-pill regarding the hours and mileage he was putting into his training. He scraped through the prologue, just made cutoff on stage 1 and abandoned on stage 2 (I finished as a solo rider)..........months of training and massive financial commitment turned into an ugly memory. We have barely spoken since....... Bottom line for me (it's been said above) is know what you are getting yourself into, take a step back and consider the commitment, make sure you get buy-in from the Mrs, come up with a plan and stick to it.......(now to start working on the monkey on my back from Munga 2019).

As much as I love watching the dual at the front - big kudo's to amputee Guy Imbert, last rider to sign in at RV2, holding position just ahead of the dreaded Green Cut.

Very lekker day out yesterday. 18th medal in the bag. Always have to remind myself to take a chill-pill on the highway out to Woodmead. Pays dividends in the second half. I ride a 40 year old bike with downtube shifters - I lost count of the number of superbikes I passed (and I was gong real slow!)......Sometimes I get the idea that people think if they drop huge cash on equipment they'll have a good ride......anyway - well done to the organisers, marshalls, traffic officials and the Joburg motorists for giving us a real special day. Awesome! (PS - if the organisers read this please create a category for vintage bikes - there are quite a few of them still on the roads today 🙂 )

Not fun to be chased by that luminous green dot.....got that t-shirt in the heat and headwinds in 2019.... that's pressure no-one needs......

Looks like most of the field is off-course already.......

Just over 2hrs to the start and my nerves are shot......and all I'm doing is dot-watching........