mtbDobby

I have the anthem 29er, I did epic, I ride the mtb series - I am that XC guy with the gadgets and let me just say if u think the 29er is slow on single track then u are hugely mistaken - I ride up the hills so I can bomb down the mountains - trust me when I say there were and are some serious descends at the epic that are pretty much single track for kilometers. On the short sharp climbs the 29er struggles. That's my 2c worth

I have this bike as standard (Giant anthem x1 29 full suspension), my weight is 12.5kg withour pedals/bottle cages etc...are you sure your weight is correct?

There is a tracking option that will record on the unit the route, as long as this is off I believe you will be fine (its off by default)- how you could ever really ride and follow the route is beyond me anyways - I too am in this boat cancerning epic and have phoned around...if asked I will plead ignorance and ask "what is garmin connect"...Barry and co use garmin, there is a garmin team, and many other top guys use garmin and I dont see them switching off the gps functionality....

http://kingskloofmtb.co.za/ Tweet from Andrew Mclean:- AndrewMclean Andrew Mclean Who say you can't do an Epic ride in and around JHB? Thanks @brucediesel! King Kloof is King! 110km and 2000m climbing.

northern farms and teak are good as is breedts - I am trying kingkloof this weekend. As for Northern farms, you can go out the farm and do some of the roads around the back - make sure if you do that you go in a big group though and is less safe, within the farm, you can do a number of the loops that only repeat slighly and get in around 80km. They have quards within the farm so its very safe and there are plenty riders.

I had the same concerns - finally went for durability - maxis crossmark full ust front and rear, not light but would rather have the extra security

Im curious as to how best approach this - its essentially 3 weeks to go till the start of this race and the past week I was struck down with flu, and today I start training again. I plan to have a good 2 weeks of training (not just riding, some runs/gym/swims) but I feel I need to push fairly hard (try catch up some ground on the week lost), then take it easy (relative) for the last week. My goal is to finish and obviously do the best I can but as they say "fail to prepare and prepare to fail" - I am interested in how others would approach this scenario

I ride both - but must admit I only road as a source of training, mtb'ing is way more fun! It is also alot more expensive... I have not needed to service or replace any parts on my road bike but have already spent a small fortune on my mtb and I bought a brand new one just before xmas

Im sorry guys but I am not a fan of Dunkeld Cycles - I went there for advice and was told my shocks/tyres were to hard etc and they made me drop the pressure in both....my shock was bottoming out in the first 1km of a ride and my rims "bubbled" due to the tyre pressure being to low, this after having disagreed strongly in the shop. I think Mikes bike and Morningside cycles are pretty descent and then Solomons in Woodmead - Agter is a legend

one last question...does the full ust tyre mean u dont need sealant? I have put in as rather safe than sorry but the review I read seem to suggest sealant is not needed or is a bit of overkill - I think in a race like epic u need the sealant for incase??

thanks - yeah thats the issue I am trying to address...I have no doubt the rims and hubs are better...I was worried that the tyre choice would negate any advantage gained....seems I am feeling a bit better about my chioce then..

Hi all - I fear I may have made an error in purchase I bought a new wheelset for my 29er - ztr arch rims with hope hubs and was considering what tyres to put on...I finally decided on the new crossmark ust tyres as I went for durability for the epic.... so today I pick them up and they felt heaview than the current wheelset(standard wheels) on the giant anthem x 29er (bontrager xd tyres and same rotors and cassette)...now it wont be be much but it certainly feels heavier...have I made an error, should I have gone for lighter tyres such as schalwbe and lost some durability :-(

I requested a quote about 2 weeks ago to have wheelset built - I am still waiting for it, subsequently ordered it from another SA online store which has built and delivered it to me already...some people just don't really want ur business it seems

Hi all, I have bought a new wheelset(ztr arch with hope hubs - thanks cwc) and now need to add rotor and tires. I have phoned 4 different bike stores and each one tells me a different story regarding the rotor size on a 29er. To put things into perspective - I bought a Giant ANthem 29er which comes with a 185mm Rotor - 2 of the shops say keep that size, and 2 say the Rotor will warp, its just a matter of time...so who do I believe? I am 85kg's if that has any bearing and doing epic. My next question is what set of tires should I use for the epic, racing ralph / rocket ron...is it worth the price? or should I go with mountain/ race king or the bontrager team edition?

I've had egg beaters for close on a year and half....no hassles - I'de choose these over shimano everytime

They have security guards stationed there now through out the park, some are even driving around in rss cars

Bianchi and campag all the way

Hi all - which 29er wheelset should I get? My options are pretty much the ztr arch on hope hubs or the American classic. Is there another set I should consider, basically the ztr are my 1st choice and the cheapest option. Ps - it needs to be able to get me thru epic swell

Have a look at serfas bikes - great entry level bike

Does anyone know where to get them or which ones if any are descent - I need to get my bike from jhb to ct and on a flight and was wondering what the best option is?

I was in the same boat - components are better on giant and went with the giant - it's the only one also actively being advertised in any reputable magazine, home and abroad - see add featuring car decker winning sea otter super d on it - anywho I bought the giant and no regrets.

you might want to consider getting a different speed/distance/hr display if you doing the epic and not just because of the recharge issue - I had the same questions and found out that you are not allowed to "map" the route of the epic (which the edge does), you can turn off the garmin gps ability, but then loose speed and distance display, so I am in the same boat....

I bought the giant anthem x 29er with the standard wheelset - with I think the same dt swiss rear hub and standard giant front hub you mention, rims are the p-xc2. I to am looking at getting the american classic but if u mention only a 90gram gain, is that significant? And worth the R5-6k for new wheelset?

a month ago I was not a fan of the 29er....but research on the web and on magazines etc made me buy into the hype - I have done around 200km on the new bike and wow. Glad I made the move especialy with epic coming up!!!

I have just bought the giant anthem x 29er for the epic...I can honestly say I have no regrets having moved from a volcan dual sus 26er - granted I have had the bike 3 weeks but I have done some good distance and technical stuff and so far no major disadvantages and plenty advantages