Cranky

There are some links to accommodation, and I've e-mailed a few. I wanted to know if anyone had a really good experience anywhere?

I'm planning to ride the Seweweekspoort MTB race in October and am looking for a place to stay before and after the race, in and around Ladismith. I'd appreciate recommendations from previous riders? Thanks.

I did lots of research before getting XT wheels 2 months ago. They're great - I lost about 400g over my previous wheels and the hubs and extra stiffness have made riding so much easier. I had to get a 6-bolt adapter from Shimano for my Avid discs - it was easy to fit, light and neat. The wheels look great too. Spokes look fine to me and no problems yet. Tubeless tires kind of "snap" in to the rims as you inflate and there is almost no air leak if you leave the bike for a while. The best alteration I've made to my bike.

Not a pdf. You use Zinio software, which is free, and very user friendly. So you can't just pass it on to all.

Print edition of MBR to South Africa is GBP 63. Rather pricy in comparison. Not too different to CNA prices.

Forgot to mention that a subscriber can send 3 free digital copies of both MBA and MBR (every issue) to friends. So that means 4 people could pool together for one subscription, i.e., you'd pay only 25% of the annual subscription. An absolute bargain!

I just subscribed to the digital version of MBR (Mountain Bike Rider) for only about GBP 20 per year (www.mbr.co.uk). Much cheaper than paying R80 at CNA each month and getting an issue two months late. I now get both MBR and MBA (Mountain Bike Action, even cheaper) in this way. It's cheaper than subscribing to Ride and Bicycling for a year, and much better content. Only downside is that you can't really read on the loo, unless you take your laptop with you or print out pages!

I'm very disappointed by this move too, especially after the comments they gave about raising so much money. I think I'll give up my place and try the KZN Expedition instead. Only R2000 per team. See cyclingnews.co.za

Yip. Keep the bike whole and have the staff push it into the cargo section. Put in in a box and watch them throw it in!

Big list of tyres at end of article. Karma UST 2.1 scores ok, but only 3 out of 5 stars for pedalling efficiency.

It is a classy production. I enjoyed seeing the daily highlights again. Any news yet on entry fees for 2009?

Yes. It looks like Kevin might be responding to the criticism. I'm not keen on Cape Town to Cape Town - completing a journey from point A to B is more satisfying - but if the new route eliminates long sections of district road and allows better organisation at overnight stops, it could be the way forward.

Great pics. It's an awesome riding venue. I love coming out of the forest and into the fynbos over the ocean cliffs. Earlier this year I fell down the cliff while admiring the view, near the spot in your second photo! Idiot!

Not Maritzburg. Close to Pinetown. There is good signage after you take the Stockville offramp from the N3.

I'm getting XTs next week. Can't wait to try them out.

That's what I loved. There was no one policing the BMX track. Just the kids - and quite a few adults on MTB bikes - having fun going round and round the track. Heading back this afternoon, Linnega, so I hope to explore some more. And I'll try the BMX track too, even if I have to eat the dust of 6 year olds passing me!

That's great news about Fourways. Thanks for the update, Ali.

Finally got to ride at Giba Gorge this morning, while on holiday in Durban. What a great bike park. I have never seen so many kids riding, having great fun on the BMX track and nearby freestyle areas. The future of cycling in KZN looks great. The MTB single track was excellent, if not scary at times. You have to watch out for the black routes! I hope Fourways Bike Park offers something similar for Gauteng kids! And some fun for us older folk too. The restaurant and other facilities were excellent too, as were the friendly staff. All in all, an awesome setup.Cranky2008-07-04 05:33:52

As above, preferably in unexplored, scenic area. No overlap of half-marathon and marathon riders. Balance of climbing and descending. Good water tables, well spaced with accurate distances given. Clear and accurate route profile provided before race. Fair entry fee, and good sponsors. Activities for supporters, or shorter family race distances.

If you're going to buy new, rather than second-hand, Silverback offers the best deal. Rather get the Nabraska, than the cheaper Dakota or Phoenix. The most important things to look at when buying a bike are: the frame, the brakes, and the suspension fork. The Phoenix offers the excellent Rock Shock Tora (with lockout) and Avid Juicy 3 brakes. Also has LX/XT drivetrain and Shimano clipless pedals (essential, and about R500 bought separately), and good weight. It's a bike you'd be happy with and not need to upgrade (for a while, anyway!). See: http://www.silverback.co.za/bike_specs/nabraska.htmCranky2008-06-22 07:59:36

Get the Giant. Beautiful frame. Lifetime warranty. Light. Wins lots of bike shootouts in international mags. The old Merida design is not worth it, even at a discount. Their new bike looks much better, but you'll have to wait. The Raleigh design is not great, so much so that David George got a prototype design (very weird) for the Epic, rather than using the Marathon layout.

The placebo effect can be huge, with up to 50% of patients receiving placebos for pain, actually reporting pain relief. That's also why so many people believe that "treatments" like herbal remedies and copper bracelets work. They don't, but the placebo effect does.

Not sure what happened in the Epic, but at Sani2c many two-man teams were split up, well beyond the 2-min gap allowed. So again that doesn't help with safety.

It's the first of the UCI's world cup events in 2009. The best in the world will be in SA. Here are more details from the Cycle Lab website - looks like a week's accommodation must be booked! Hopefully we'll see Burry and Greg on top of the podiums on their home turf. "The event will be staged from 10th ? 12th April 2009 and will incorporate cross country racing, downhill competitions and 4 cross ? a discipline of mountain biking that has never been competitively staged in Africa before. Although a Downhill Mountain Bike World Cup event was staged in South Africa in the late 90?s, an event of this stature or magnitude has never been staged on the African Continent before. The Pietermaritzburg leg of the Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be one of twelve events that will be staged across the globe next year. Treble Entertainment (Pty) Ltd will be the event organizers and Alec Lenferna will act as the Event Director. This is the same team of organizers who successfully won the bid for the 2010 UCI BMX World Championships that will be staged in Pietermaritzburg in July 2010 that also sees the 2009 & 2011 UCI BMX World Cup events staged in the same venue. The 2009 UCI BMX World Cup will be staged on the 13th & 14th March 2009. Treble are also the organizers of the Worlds View Challenge international road cycling race that sees the very top international cyclists and teams competing. The 2009 Worlds View Challenge will be staged from 13th ? 15th February 2009. The Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Pietermaritzburg will be the culmination of a week long festival of mountain biking that will take place at the newly designed venue just behind the Cascades Shopping Centre. The week long event programme will see a national event being staged on the 4th & 5th April to be followed by development clinics staged on the 7th April. The 8th & 9th April will be open for practice by the competitors of the World Cup on the courses, but will also see the best proponents of their craft giving master classes to developing riders and coaches to assist in the development of the sport in the country. With the highest quality events in road cycling, BMX and Mountain Biking all taking place in Pietermaritzburg in February, March and April 2009, the positioning of the City as the cycling capital of Africa is fast becoming a reality." Cranky2008-06-18 11:39:48

Pietermaritzburg 11-12 April 2009! Book your accommodation now. This is going to be a great weekend!