Cranky

Techniblock. Tried everything. This works for kids and dirty MTBers. Brilliant stuff at a decent price. Get it at Dischem and you get a handy free small spray bottle too.

"Thesis" in SA is a term reserved for a PhD! Are you really at a University?

Burry is 2nd on the World Cup standings, and 3rd on the World Rankings. Brilliant stuff! When does he leave the U23 category? 2011?

The Anthem X1 or X2 is the way to go. Light and great price for what you get. Even in the men's geometry, much better for a woman that the Merida. More relaxed geometry, less twitchy. Next best is the Specialized.

He took codeine (a weak opioid readily available), not morphine. Codeine is broken down to morphine in the body!

Nothing in my box either, despite subscribing months ago for issue 2! I'm jealous.

Awful news. But at least we got the opportunity this year and it was great to be there. Any chance we might still get World Champs down the line?

Go to the UCI website and look at the MTB rules, if you want to see the exact specifications for each race type.

The JD Bug is brilliant and well worth the money. I paid R650 last year. It will last from age 2 to 5 years. My kids ride them everywhere, even up and down the passage in our house.

Hey Wheelz, there are much better and tastier iron supplements than raisins. A good steak or Nando's chicken breast has more iron than a fistful of raisins, and the iron from meat is better absorbed than that from fruit/veges! But lots of raisins will improve gut transit time, if you're keen on that!

You can recover the lost plasma within two days, but it takes about 6 weeks to recover the red blood cells (you'll lose about 10% of your red blood cells through a blood donation). Red blood cells carry oxygen so maximal aerobic performace will be impaired, and studies show an impairment lasting for 7 days. For sub-maximal exercise you're unlikely to notice much of a difference.

Hey Habib, glad you enjoyed it. We'll have to be there next year. For now I'm planning to have another go at the Berg and Bush Impi. Did it two years ago and loved it (second only to Sani2c, so far). They're launching a new 3-day race, as well as the brilliant original 2-day. Have a look at bergandbush.co.za!

Like the website, Colin. Seems a good idea, but: Is there any data from a published scientific study showing that Koru really is absorbed by the tongue and not just washed down the throat with saliva? And what does the strip contain? A quick search says it has aspartame - how much? I'm not keen on regular doses of aspartame.

If you're young and/or strong a hardtail is fine. I use a duel suss because of lower back pain problems on a hardtail, but I wish the bike weighed less on some of the long hills! And like linnega says, Sani is not too technical or rough. So you need to be comfy on your bike and have put in some good training on the bike before the race. I'd recommend a Giant Anthem X or Merida 96 (Specialized Epic too pricy now) as the ideal bike for the race. But many riders get by on much cheaper bikes. Just make sure you have good drivetrain components (SLX or XT, or SRAM 9) and good disk brakes.

Sani2c did stats and Giant and Specialized came out tops for bikes used. I'd get a Giant Anthem X1 - great bike at an excellent price. Cajees quote R22500. The new Anthem (like the costly Spesch Epic) offers a more relaxed seating position than the old version, and is relatively light. The UK bike mags just love it.

After all the Absa Cape Epic action, I can't wait to see Sauser and Stander racing Absalon in the XC in PMB in just over two weeks' time. And Minnaar, Neethling, Hill and Atherton flying downhill. Get the latest issue of Mountain Biker magazine if you'd like an early copy of the programme. I hope there will be huge support from Hubbers. Tickets incredibly cheap, Easter weekend - no excuses!

That's a good price, especially with additional Discovery PnP discount.

I'd train at Groenkloof Nature reserve on at least some of the days. It's usuallly used for about 30 km rides, but last year I did 3 consecutive days of training, riding 65 km there each day. You do have to travel over the same tracks several times, but you can go in any direction you like, and the wildlife (giraffe, wildebeest, zebra etc) help keep you entertained. And there islots of single track ,and rocky sections for variety. On weekdays there will be only a few riders there - it's blissfully peaceful.

Compare the Merida with GT Zaskar Expert (similar price). I think it has better wheels and fork. SLX parts can be upgraded to XT when they wear out.

Mikes Pass on its own is a tough 600m climb in about 11km. Riding on the plateau when you get to the top of Mikes Pass, through the reserve on foot paths, is incredible. Like riding on top of the world. I did it on Cathedral Peak Hotel's mountain biking weekend two years ago. They're having another MTB weekend at the end of May. It's a great 3 days of riding in the most beautiful setting.

I'd get the new Nokia N79 phone with polar belt (about to be lauched as a sports package). Provides all the functions you'll need.

You're likely to be compressing the ulnar nerve. I changed to cushioned Specialized grips on my MTB and the problem vanished immediately. See http://www.bicyclingaustralia.com/bicycling-news.php?id=65 for advice and details.

I think it's a great idea. But not too many are interested in Bicycling's website. I think it would be a huge success if hosted on the Hub.

Agree. Asked FPC Witkoppen to order me a pair of Specilaized shoes. They promised to do so and call me within a week. I'm still waiting a year later and I got the shoes elsewhere. Had a bike serviced. Got it back with loose headset and grating bottom bracket. Went to Irene and got shock serviced. It was put back on the bike backwards!