sometime

Don't worry I keep a bucket of salt at my desk when I'm reading the Hub and it suddenly got a lot emptier this morning.

2h53 Argus puts you in the top 200 of the race this year with almost the same time as the winning ladies and serious veteran riders like Robert Sim (Masters leader of Cape Epic this year until his partner crashed), Shan Wilson (Multiple Epic class winner), the Beneke brothers etc. I know they all put in multiples of 5 hours a week to achieve those results - you've obviously got real cycling talent and should consider giving up your day job and becoming professional.

Dabs Canoe club do regular water quality tests at Emmarentia dam. The last results I saw showed more than acceptable water quality levels. Water source for Emmies is just up road in Melville so the opportunities for 'impurities' to enter the water are limited but no doubt you will get days when it is worse than others.

I also like to be different. I would ride a SC Highball instead of my Giant XTC Comp if I could justify the 50% price difference just to ride something different and a little more special in terms of its heritage and rarity. But I can't justify the 50% so I don't ride a HIghball. But if I could then I still wouldn't regard the Highball as superior to what I currently ride - just different. At that's where we differ.

My guess 20%

So your assertion that Santa Cruz is superior to the other brands mentioned is nothing more than you being a brand snob.

Care to compare how many of the frames you wouldn't touch with a bargepole, compete on the various World Cup circuits vs how many Santa Cruz's do? Care to compare how many podium finishes (over the same period) each have received in the above races compared to Santa Cruz's podium finishes?

Easily my worst race of the year performance wise. I started out riding in the top 10 I think and then just went backwards after the first 20km or so. Time to take a break from the bike for a couple of weeks and recover. It's the 4th time I've done this race this year and I liked the changes to the last third of the route and hope that will become a permanent feature. The endless zigzag single track at the end still irritates me though. I think it goes on just that little bit too long and having to go through those deep puddles and mudholes adds nothing to the enjoyment of a race. In my opinion cut out that last stretch that takes you away from the river and the trees (and through the big puddles and mud). The route may only be a km or two shorter but it'll be a whole lot more enjoyable. That ditch that you have to bunny hop along the fenceline following the Potch/Parys tar road is really dangerous. It's an easy hop but if you happen not to see it or you have a hand on a bottle or something and you hit that, you are going to have a very serious accident. They really should mark that with 3 arrows. It's a pity the race is no longer being timed by Spectrum Sport.

I have a 70km entry available - contact me

I've got mine from the last race I did there if you want it?

The route isn't too tough so give it a go. Friend of mine did it a few months ago and she had only just started cycling a few weeks before that

I'll be there doing the 60 (57) km

No thorn issues at all. Last year was very cold and wet. Tyre pressure depends on tyre size + body weight so can't answer that but with tubes you're probably need an absolute minimum of 2 bar on a 29er if not higher. The risk with tubes is snakebike punctures and there are a few places on that route where that can happen

I built a 1x9 on an old 26 HT. Yes you need a chain guide. I use a Pauls. Gearing wise I run a 38 up front and and 11/36 at the back. I do a fair bit of training on the road on this bike so the longer gearing helps. The gearing is also low enough for rides on the 'spruit and local marathon races like the Trailseeker and USN series. A proper XC course will probably have you struggling with the 38 though.

Yes @100rpm 26er 42/11 47.5 km/h 29er 39/11 49.2 km/h

It's not about what gear is good for you when you ride Bergplaas or what gear works for you 98% of the time. If that was the case then yes possibly a 28x36 is as low as you need to go. What you need to plan for is having the right gear available to you for that 5% of your riding when you're just not feeling too strong, or you're at the end of a 5 hour marathon and you're confronted with a tough, steep 5 km grind to the finish, or when you've hit the wall and just need to get home without having to walk. In that case (unless you're a pro - but then you wouldn't be asking this question) you need to be able to drop into a lower gear. In these 5% of cases a 28 is not low enough. In my experience a 26t is not low enough either. I'm 85 kg and for me a 24/38 would be the best combination. A 24/34 is there for those few occassions when you really need it and a 38/11 on a 29er is long enough to allow you to do 50km/h at 100rpm cadence. Any sustained speed above 50km/h on an MTB is on a downhill which means it's time get your head down and let gravity do the rest.

I'm running 2012 SLX levers and calipers with XT ice tech rotors. I don't know what real world benefit you'll get with XT levers and calipers over the SLX (which is prety much what the MBUK magazine article said). I'm 85kg and use 1 finger heavy and late braking to make up time where I can and I have yet to experience any fade with this set up. BTW The same cannot be said of the Elixir 5 setup I previously ran which was difficult to setup, noisy in dusty or wet conditions and faded very quickly under heavy braking

As mentioned there are plenty of groups that use that route (and variations on it). We have a small group that does that route but also climbs to the top of Northcliff and Jo'Burg Gen hospital. our route is nearly 40km. Dunkeld cycles group still leaves from Buckingham circle at 5h00 on Wed and 5h15 on Friday with a mix of pace so you should find your comfort zone.

Some people are friendly, others not Some are friendly even if they can't be bothered greeting everyone they pass every day Some people are too distracted by other things to care either way Some chose to dress in a manner that suits what they're doing Some try make a statement with how they dress regardless of how impractical it is Some don't care what they wear or how they're perceived Some feel the need to judge others who dress differently to themselves Some judge others by their possessions Some judge others on how well they use those possessions Some just want to be left alone to do their own thing, their own way in their own time As in life so in cycling. Get over the need to post judgemental comments, Rather appreciate how privileged you are to be able to ride a bike in Tokai (privileged in every possible sense of the word).

I agree with Dangle that you should be able to finish the Epic on that level of training. But whether you want to spend all day out there every day and suffer accordingly is a different discussion completely. I know a SA veterans team that finished top 100 in Epic and top 10 in Vets and they trained no more than 9 - 12 hours a week. To be fair they are both seasoned racers with years of riding in their legs. Bottom line is the race can be done with far less training than you imagine. I suspect that many guys who attempt the Epic with the level of training you describe don't have the mental and emotional stamina to get to the finish.

That's the one I have. It's like the Toyota Landcruiser of bottle cages. Pretty much unbreakable but not very pretty

I got mine from Mike's Bikes in Greenside

I've been using the Profile Design (the one with the O ring securing the bottle) for the past 6 years and have never lost a bottle out of the cage nor has the cage given me any problems. It's not the best looking cage but is very functional.

I run Schwalbe (Snakeskin of course) Racing Ralph and Nobby Nic combo on a 29er hardtail at 1.8 bar and I'm 85kg. I race hard and have never had a problem with the tyre bumping through to the rim or with coming close to burping the tyre (FYI running tubeless on ZTR Arch rims). The RAcing Ralph has done 3000km and needs to be replaced so the wear isn't great but IMO for the levels of grip and puncture resistance these tyres are hard to beat. This tyre is probably the most popular on the Epic and a number of top 10 teams were using them.

Thanks - my chainring is a Blackspear