esCape-ist

Okay, I must have gotten confused somewhere, I always thought the RC was the more XC race focused version with 100mm and the regular/non-RC Spark had the 120mm travel. My bad

Will definitely be doing so. Already decided I will sign up for an annual membership as well, even though I’m only gonna be there for 10 days. You guys seem to be doing amazing things

I see the trails are on strava, will they be available to the public after the event. Asking as I can’t make the event, but will be spending some time there later in August.

If I may ask, why move from the Evo which is more in the class of the regular spark with 120mm travel to the shorter travel of the RC instead of going for the normal spark?

Shouldn't be a problem. I have brought friends bike back with my own before with no problems

Thanks. I have ridden Harkerville before, and it is super. Will consider giving Cairnbrogie a try, time dependent. They probably don't realise how good they have it.

Okay, just checked now, at R350.00 for the year, I'm happy to pay that for the week I am there. That is seriously good value for locals that could ride those trails every day if they wanted to

Cool. I am happy to support the trail builders. Will look into the annual permit, but it depends on price, as I won't be going there more than once a year.

Yeah, generally pretty straightforward. 20Kg for an international flight is pretty limited though. If your tickets aren't booked yet, consider looking at Qatar or Emirates - you might end up with a crappy lay over, but the luggage allowance is a lot more generous

I will be spending a week in George at the end of August, and am excited to check out the trail networks around there that everyone rates so highly. But I'm battling to make sense of where to start, or where the trail heads etc are, and what to do in terms of permits or access to the trails. Is there a sineo permit that covers all the trails, or so you need to pay separately for each, and what does it costs. I'm sure it would be easy to make sense of it all once I'm there, but it's now to be a bit prepared.

Just check the airline policy. This varies widely across the industry, some airlines being very accomodating and others being happy to rip you a new one for excess baggage/sport equipment charges. As for the process, it's really no real hassle to fly with a bike. Arrive a little earlier to make sure check in goes smoothly. At OR Tambo, the bike box gets checked in with your regular luggage, but at Cape Town, the check in counter will give you all the relevant tags, and then you need to go back downstairs to the “non-conveyable luggage” drop off to hand in the bike box, so budget a bit of time for this. Also, make sure they check your luggage through to the final destination. Saves you the hassle of needing to lug your bike box around during lay-overs.

Best would be to find someone else that is doing the race as well (there must be other South Africans going), and ask them to fly your bike back with them, and you pay for their excess baggage. If you use any of the courrier options, the bike will need to go through customs and you will be charged import duties.

Will def be using knee and elbow pads. Would a “halflid” trail helmet be allowed? I was under the impression a full face was compulsory?

Okay thanks for confirming that. So what if any is the benefit of a 28h wheel then? Surely the weight saving can't be of any real significance?

Why are all the Trance models in the classifieds M?... I am searching high and low for a large 29er Trance, if anyone knows of one

Hi guys. Seems to be a few wheel builders with experience on here. What is the benefit of 28 spoke wheels? How much lighter are they really compared with the more common 32h wheels? Myself also being a heavier rider (ie on the wrong side of 100kg) I have always opted for wheels with more spokes, as in my head, they ought to be stronger, and have broken very few spokes even when riding like a moron. It also seems that it is normally only the more exotic, high end very pricy stuff that comes with the 28h options. But if one was to compare apples with apples, meaning the same brand and model of rim, spoke, nipple and hub, would a 28h version be equally as strong and be rated for the same weight as a 32h version?

Okay lekker. The excitement is starting to brew now. First MTB “race” I have entered in about 5 years, and now that my major concerns have been answered I just have to work on the fitness so I can enjoy all five stages. I think I will leave the beer tent for after the ride though.

Thanks for that. I have just entered. I Saw when I did the entry that I could choose Lite or Full, and I went for full anyway, but the article on Bike Networks makes it sound like the LITE category is only for juniors and then Open (up to 30), which was where my initial confusion came in…. Pedalling back up to the top of Jonkers 5 times in a day is going to be tough. One other question, obviously Enduro rules say you need to be self sufficient, so no water points or snack tables etc, but do you need to carry your water/food etc for all 5 stages from the morning, or can you go and restock from the car park or the kiosk between stages?

Sorry if this is not the right place to ask, but I am looking to get started in Enduro. I have no experience racing Enduro, and have only watch a few series of the Enduro World Series on YouTube - which looks incredible, but obviously way above my ability. Would I be able to enter and compete (at a social level) in this Western Cape Enduro series on a 130mm Trail Bike? I have ridden most of the trails on Jonkershoek on my Stumpjumper before, but do take the chicken run on some of the really hectic stuff. I have no ambitions of podium finishes or anything, but just looking to do some fun racing again, and I have grown bored with the typical XC marathon racing idea. I see the Enduro Lite category is only for sub-30 year olds and Ebikers, so I would have to enter the Full Enduro. What is the difference here? Does the full enduro mean no chicken runs and stuff, or is it just less stages on the lite? I still need to get a full face helmet, but could probably loan one from a mate that used to race DH for the first event. So would I be fine if I brought my trail bike and a full face helmet and rode within my own limits or would I be opening myself to a world of hurt? Is a CSA license compulsory to take part in this event?