Audible Anarchy

http://old.cyclelab.com/Seeding.asp if you havent been racing for a few years, theres a good chance you wont be seeded any more. Got to start from scratch and build it up again.

Mavic Aksiums would be your best bet for that budget - I would save more to be honest if you want to feel a bigger difference with the upgrade. As with the previous post you need to look around the 5k mark or higher.

Is there a way to collect the numbers for The 94.7 MTB and the Road race at the same time?

edge 5 for sure

thanks guys, good advice all round - so now that i know what i have to do to improve on the technical stuff how do i pick races that suit my current level of ability? To be honest racing and fast times are why i race a road bike, i just like the MTB for the scenery and relaxed vibe, leaving the heartrate monitor at home and not worrying about results ,seeding etc.... But in the same breathe i want to do events where i can at least ride most of the route! ive seen some trails are graded like at the bike park in 4 ways and kings kloof for example - is there a race difficulty rating? is it safe to assume the marathons are more technical than say the half marathons? should i stick to the half marathon events until i can nail trails like kings kloof,van gaalens and thaba trails in practice? i managed most of the sections during the race on sat e.g. that first climb from the dual concrete - just those hardcore super rocky ones i really battled with.

i live on the spruit in parkhurst, odd ride out towards cradle side with cycle lab 4 ways. ride mostly road.

biggest tip for for 94.7 - dont go too hard in the beginning , i promise you will pay for it later. Theres a lot of tension in those starting pens with the long waits and mini races every time the bunch moves forward - and when that gun goes off , better believe the red mist drops and guys give it horns from the start. Dont fall into that trap! If its your first, you will probably start with a later bunch anyways, so just pace yourself, take it easy and enjoy the day

is it better to pick a line through the rocky stuff going up or just hammer over it all? i found that worked better on the downhills... @rouxtjie - i finished despite the stitches and blood donation and believe it or not - had a great time! I had to HTFU big time and gave it horns believe me.

Having been dabbling with mountain biking for around 6 months now (been riding road a lot longer) i decided i would give my first marathon a go at Van Gaalens this past weekend for the Nissan Trailseeker (or as i now call it trailweeper.lol) Long story short, i had the fitness (rode JHB-DBN the week before on the road), but nowhere even close to the technical ability needed to tackle something like that and thus got my arse handed to me big time as i had to walk the vast majority of the technical stuff. limping home in 6 hours or something silly. So with this experience in mind i wanna ask the fellow hubbers who have ridden in the area and / or similar events a few questions... 1) Is it possible to ride the entire course from sat without getting off your bike? if so , then god-damn you got some skills! 2) Did the fact that i rode a hardtail make my life more difficult? 3) The middle 20 or so kms along that rocky ridge past the view of the satellite station and then back down to the valley are what really got me - with lots of walking and crashing along the way. What is the trick to riding both up, down and to be honest, even along those kind of trails ? i battled to even walk along the freakin things! hahaha 4) The greek loop at the end i found not quite so rocky , but freakin steep - any tips for next time? 5) Do marathon events have a grading system? I would d love to try again in future - but obviously something not as gnarly until i have more experience - how can you tell if your ability is suited to an event? These guys should make you ride qualifying races before you can even enter ! ideally id like to give another marathon a bash thats somewhere between say babbas and the van gaalens in terms of technicality. i spose the biggest advice that could help is how to learn to ride the really rocky steep stuff? Any help would be appreciated - otherwise il just have to limit my mtb rides to the braamfontein spruit / kids course from now on

i have a box of old club kit n stuff i can donate along with one or two helmets etc - based in Parkhurst

https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/107379-speed-wobbles/ i had this problem with a new frame last year - scariest freakin thing ever - makes you lose all confidence on your handling ability! i managed to sort it by moving my position forward a bit with a longer stem and moving the saddle to get the weight a bit more over the bars. i still lift my bum a bit and rest my one knee on the top tube to be safe though!

My favourite part about all this never ending 29" vs 26" debate is the fact that the bike companies marketing hype has convinced you 29er fans that ROAD BIKE size wheels (700c/29") are the way to go - endless arguments about why mountain bikes should be more like road bikes.... when i bought my last MTB - the sales guys tried very hard to convince me that 29er was the way " cos it let him keep up with the roadies on the club rides" If you're into road riding buy a roadbike, if you like jumping buy a bmx.if you wanna look cool, buy a miami style cruiser... carbon, alu ,titanium, 29, 26, single speed, 1 x 9, 1 x 10, 3 x 10...whatever! its a freakin bike at the end of the day, not a fashion accessory to associate yourself with a unique market segment or niche - if you like the way it rides, the way it makes you feel - then its the right one for you.

Last year was a bit congested coming back into sun city / narrow finish line due to people protesting / toyi -toyi'ng something or other. otherwise fine. but ja, its not totally closed off to traffic. Only the bigger ones like Amashova, Argus, 94.7 etc.. are fully closed off to traffic. just keep your wits about you as with any time you ride your bike and you will be fine.

After a long winter of buggering round on the MTB instead of burning up the 5am Road rides from summer - Lost city coming up next weekend! Am i the only one who's gonna K@k bricks?

at the average i did on sun im guessing a 70km would have taken around 3 - 3h15, that any good? the 32+ winning avg of Julius is crazy! im guess im trying to find out what the average, semi serious guys are doing on a course like that . from what i gather an average of around 26-30 odd km p/hr? tme to shake off those winter cobwebs !

what would you guys call a competitive avg / time for a venue like babbas? Think A level or top end open men. over 30km/h?

i like to think im a pretty competent road cyclist (sub 3 argus this year) and i found it quite tough! hahaha, a very different style of racing. Was like one long interval session the sand patches stopping all your momentum the whole time. i bust my butt to get a 23 avg over the 35km (came 30th) . and i have admit just shook my head when i saw how fast the guys are racing the 70km!! damn.. one thing is for sure, riding MTB is sure gonna help performance on the road. but yeah i have to admit, the most fun i have had at a bike race in a long time!

Rode my First MTB race at babbas yesterday - What a jol! very well organised - some road event organisers should take lessons! I will be back for sure.

Thanks guys, So if its flat and fast, can i treat it like a bunch / road race? or is it all single file on a track? I gather i will be starting at the back as its my first MTB race, but i like to think il be able to give it a good go with the ol' big ring (my road seeding index is under 10)

The Big 5 plus 1 MTB Super Series 2012 Category: Mountain Biking Events Event Date: 29 July 2012 Entries Close: 26 July 2012 at 12:00 Venue: Babba’s Lodge, Bultfontein Province: Gauteng North Distance: 70km (R130), 35km (R110), 12km (R60), 1km Brats (R30) Starting Time: 09:00 Timed By: Spectrum Sport Timing Number Collection: At the venue, Babba's Lodge, Bultfontein; Sunday 29 July 2012, from 06:00 Additional Information: You will be required to produce your valid CSA license or proof of provincial affiliation at registration or you will be required to purchase an event license. For all the new CSA Racing and Licensing Rules and Regulations please visit the CSA website, click here More Information, click here Prize Money, click here How to Get There, click here Alternative ditrections to venue, click here GPS Coordinates: S 25° 29′ 06.86″ ; E 28° 11′ 11.76″ Results will be listed on, www.spectrumsport.co.za Contact Details for the Race Office is: Cell Number: 082 954 9628 Email: francosportevents@gmail.com Website: www.francosport.co.za you can get to the online entry on the cyclelab site

As a seasoned roadie, i will be riding my first 35km MTB race at Babbas on Sunday - any tips or advice? Been riding the MTB mostly on the Spruit thus far. But ja, have no idea what to expect.

You can get a full carbon road bike with 105 10spd for less than 15k if you shop around

Sanchez - "ive got it, ive got it.. whoosh.... WTF! "

jeepers Cavendish made em look like they were standing still, would love to know how fast he was going over the line!

the wait between the starts of the various stages is the worst - it would be much better to hit it all in one go. if you think you are fit, get fitter! the last stage is the one to look out for. judging by the food etc... last year, i dont think it warrants R500 (before accom and travel for us out of towners to boot) so i wont be doing it again this year, but otherwise it really is an awesome tough and challenging ride with some of the best climbing youll do all year.