Falagar

Did 2... one Langs Baviaans and one Trans Baviaans... very tough but an achievable challenge. I am no racing snake either. Make sure you are well prepared in terms of training and equipment and make sure you have the right team mates.

Got it at the little tea/coffee cubicle shop on the lower level. Close to Tony Impey Cycles. R99 for 3. You apparently get more than 30 cups from one cap... I did not count and mine is still working well. I used this thread as a guide for filling: www.singleservecoffeeforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=9423&p=92576 I might add that I push the cap quite hard towards the side of the container with quite a bit of grind between the cap and the side. As I said... took a bit of practise but second nature now. Hope you come right

I use the Nespresso Pixie with refillable caps (bought at Bedford centre). Works very well... I have tried it with Lavazza ground coffee and it compares very well to the coffee coming out of my friends high end Jura with the same coffee. It does take a bit of practise though but not that difficult. I have tried it with my own ground coffee but I think my grinder is a bit of a cheapy

Here's a review from bikeradar... Weight according to crc is 1685g. http://m.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/wheel-sets/product/review-fulcrum-red-metal-3-wheelset-09-34129

They are 26... I think they are very strong.... My friend weighs about 80 and finished the Trans Baviaans with his this year no problem. They have sealed cartridge bearings... I think the red metal 3's weigh in the region of 1650g.

Enjoyed it although it was windy

Also consider fulcrum... Dont know if they are more quiet than hope... Solomons had a huge special on the red metal 3 full ust wheels... They are quite light and my friends who ride with them are very happy. I have put more than 7000km's on my xt wheels including 2 trans baviaans without any issues whatsoever. Yes they dont have sealed bearings but I have a lot if respect for them!

I used an xt 10 speed front derailleur with a 3x9 setup for a while and had endless hassles with the chain catching the f/d. I suppose it depends on your specific situation i.e. which chain you are using etc. I changed the derailleur and the problem was solved.

I am not sure on the river crossings since I have only done the Langs Baviaans and there was only one real river crossing. With regards to food... it was as follow... CP1 : Roosterkoek and Syrup CP2 : Sosaties, Boerewors etc. CP3 : Soup CP4 : Chiprolls CP5 : Jaffels CP6 : Unmanned so no food.... Every checkpoint had water, coffee and coke. Hope that helps

I love spd's and will stick with them for a lot of reasons but after last year's Trans Baviaans I would have to say that mud shedding is not one of them. Was also looking at Quartz. Apparently the setup is finicky but once done they are a pleasure... Won't know till you try I suppose.

Willowmore is about 1000km from Jhb. Make your way down there at least 2 days before so you have adequate rest time on the Friday. Guest houses in Willowmore are mostly full at this stage so you can try the following: 1. Stay in Uniondale about 60 km away for the Friday night. This means going to Willowmore on the friday for race briefing and number collection and driving through on saturday for the race. 2. Try a camping spot in Williwmore caravan park. The ablutions are excellent and brand new. Each stand has it's own bathroom and you live right behind the town hall where the race starts. Kabeljous in Jeffries is booked by the organisers so you can camp there for free although from experience I would suggest trying a guest house there... Nothing like a well used ablution block after a race hehe... You would want a nice clean shower/bath and a bed to sleep in after doing the 230km. Regarding finding your way in Willowmore you won't need a gps since it is small. If you mean to find the route while cycling the baviaans I am sure it would come in handy with a downloadable route although I haven't used that so cannot comment. You will be fine in Jeffries. Try travelling down to at least Graaf Reinet on the Thursday... That leaves you with about 170km on the Friday so you will have enough time to take in the vibe in Willowmore and get organised for the race. The TB is an amazing experience with a wonderful vibe... Enjoy every moment!!!

+1

I use cyclemeter. Brilliant! Battery life is not bad... Had it work for more than 10 hours. I put the iphone in a waterproof baggie I got at the 94.7 and then in my pocket/camelback. Next is to get an ANT+ supported shockproof case which will also add cadence, HR, power etc. although personally in no hurry to add that... Tons of info on std. cyclemeter... Map, profile, speed graphs, splits, rides saved to calendar, comparitive info while riding, calories etc. You can also use the earphones and it tells you where you are compared to previous rides on the same route i.e. seconds behind best or ahead of worst ride etc. Check it out here http://www.abvio.com/cyclemeter/ I think it is $2.99 on the app store. 5 star app.

Thanks for the reply... Will have to change soon so might give them a go...

If you use 42/32/24 chainrings with 11/32 cassette you get exactly the same range as a 42/28 with an 11/36 cassette. In effect all you lose if you go with the second option is the diiference between the 44 and 42 chainring.

Yeah... you would have to go to your local post office to pay the customs/VAT charge. The post office usually puts a note in your address PO Box but that said.... with the SA Post Office you never know so I would go to the Post Office and find out what is going on. I have stopped ordering CRC orders to my street address. I order it to my PO Box at the post office. Also myself and about 3 friends usually order together so our order is enough that we do not pay shipping and the order gets shipped with Parcelforce. Haven't had much hassles this way except for the fact that sometimes items are out of stock after you have placed the order. In this case we usually just replace the out of stock items with something of similar value that is in stock. CRC usually will do a straight trade even if the items you replace the out of stock items with is a little bit more expensive. Mostly have good experiences ordering from CRC.

I have XT and I am very happy with them... I am not light and I have done in excess of 5000km on them without ANY issues. Still running as true as the day I bought them. They spin really well, are good value for money and quite light and are full UST. Can't comment on Mavic but would recommend the XT wheels any time!!

I am using the led lenser B7 with bike mount. A very nice light but battery life is horrible on high as experienced at last years Trans Baviaans... The H7 headlamp is amazing though... Also rather get the rechargable versions. They are more expensive but aaa batteries are very expensive. What we did for TB is to run the headlamp full time and only switch on the handlebar lamp at high speed which worked very well.

Did TB last year on a Scott Genius dual and a very similar ride this year on a Silverback Sierra HT with fox f100 fork... Cannot comment on 29ers but imo a dual is definately the way to go... Genius locks out completely in the back and front and has different travel settings... The ideal all rounder

Thanks Kranswurm I did notice your link after I posted this.

How much does Cycle Mashatu Cost if anyone has info on their pricing?

Forcing consumers to use certain brands or products is what vitality is all about... Also the benefits you gain especially if you dont have a Discoverycard is not really amazing. I do log races through Sa-Active but Vitality is definately not motivating me to do them...

Thanks Scotty

The photos?