Dubber

If money is no object - buy the gravel bike. If you have only have one road bike or multiple road bikes that don't take wheels larger than 32 mm - buy a gravel bike. If you have an old hard tail mtb that you don't really ride - convert it to a gravel bike. But one way or the other, get a gravel bike. Bombing down a dirt road a 40km/h in the drops with 40mm tires is fun. Yes, you can do it on a MTB - or even a skinny wheeled road bike - but it's not the same.

This may be worth a read - make of it as you will... https://www.businesslive.co.za/money/2020-02-26-you-will-never-have-to-emigrate-financially-from-sa/

if they were administrating cpr correctly he would have sufficient oxygen. This is a great effort by all involved. Thank you for the effort.

I have no illusions of getting the 9 hr medal. I will be more than happy with a finish

Yep - those are better examples. Not that I'm anywhere near those times ;-)

But it becomes my problem when he rides into the back of me a 50 km/h on the pavement while I'm walking pick up the Sunday paper ;-)

That's an interesting question. I'll ask around and see if anyone knows. The major milestone in terms of finishing time is 9 hrs. (This can kinda be equated to the 3 hr finish at the Argus in terms of prestige etc). And by all accounts this is near impossible without a decent start group - much like CTCT. It would be a bummer for international travelers not to be able to have a crack at the 9 hrs simply because they can't do any seeding rides...

Billed as the biggest gravel event in the USA, if not the World, Dirty Kanza has something for the whole family. From the short 50 km routes through to the bum numbing 565 km XL version, there is a challenge for everyone... All going well, I'll be able to report back in June as to whether the event lives up to the hype.

Event Name: Dirty Kanza When: 28 May 2020 Where: Emporia, Kansas, International Category: MTB Dirty Kanza Promotions was founded in 2006 by Jim Cummins, with the assistance of fellow cycling enthusiast Joel Dyke. At that time, gravel grinding was just beginning to catch the interest of the endurance cycling community. However, Jim had grown up in the Flint Hills of east central Kansas and had been riding gravel for decades. Inspired by some of the early gravel grinder events… and convinced the Flint Hills had the best gravel to be found anywhere in the world, Jim and Joel decided to create Dirty Kanza 200. Initially, these two gravel aficionados had no idea the extent to which this whole gravel grinding thing would grow, nor did they give it any real thought. That wasn’t what motivated them. They both simply felt their lives had been enriched through cycling. And DK200 was their attempt to give back to the cycling community. Since then, the popularity of gravel grinding has exploded and is now the fastest growing genre in the cycling industry. The popularity of DK200 has grown too, from 34 participants in 2006, to over 3,400 registered riders in 2019. And while that growth has brought with it a few changes to our format and the way we have to manage certain aspects of the event, one thing has remained constant… DK200 is a grass-roots event, organized and managed by folks who are passionate about cycling, and done so for the primary purpose of providing life-enriching cycling experiences for our event participants. Thank you for your interest in Dirty Kanza®. We hope you will choose to join us in Emporia, Kansas the first weekend after Memorial Day. Should you have any questions about us or our events, we hope you will visit our “Contact Us” page. We look forward to hearing from you. Go to Event Page

So the plot thickens. As mentioned above, the only real way to get into this event is via lottery. And by all accounts (and their own admission) the organizers stuffed up the lotto process big time this year. In short, they sent out a bunch of 'yes's that should have been no's. The organizers haven't said how may extra yes's they sent out - but I haven't heard of anyone actually getting a 'no'. So that makes me think everyone got in. Anyway, because they are now way over subscribed, they are offering deferrals to next year. And to sweeten the deal they are willing to chuck in a free entry into any one of their other events through out the year. While the free event is cool (around $150 to $200 depending on the event), the real bonus is that these events act as seeding event for Leadville. As it stands I would be starting right at the back if I rode in 2020. This would in turn make a long day into a really long day. So at this point I'm considering the deferral, riding a seeding event and then doing Leadville in 2021. So if anyone is thinking about 2021, I've got a spare room in the basement ;-) Just remember to pack your lungs...

That is a real bummer. Will be worth it when the folks eventually make it out. Might not seem like it at the moment though.

I've managed to secure an entry for this year - not sure if that is a good or a bad thing :-) For those considering doing it in the coming years, here is a little background: The majority of entries is via a lottery system. Generally opens December before the race and close early Jan - 'winners' announced mid to end of Jan. Thus giving you around 7 months to get your affairs in order. There are a few other options to get an entry: there are qualifying races throughout the year. You need to place in the top percentile to earn an entry. There are also a few lucky draws for entrants of these qualifying events - but the odds of 'winning' a lucky draw entry is a lot less than the overall lottery. And finally, you can sign up to a Leadville organized training camp. I think it is around 4 or 5 days in July. Along with the training camp comes a Leadville entry - but cost is high - around $2200 I think. Should you win a lottery entry, your bank account will be debited on the spot - $450 entry fee. As for the race itself: by all accounts there are very few technical sections. In fact, the race has been completed on a cyclocross / gravel bike by some. There are a couple long climbs (an hour plus in duration), heat is generally a factor and of course altitude. I ski in that region fairly often and can attest to the fact that breathing isn't easy. (Try take a liqui-fruit straw, stick it in your mouth, close your nose and do a few intervals to get the feeling :-) I'll add some more info as I get it

Event Name: Leadville 100 2020 When: 15 August 2020 Where: Leadville, Colorado, International Category: MTB This is it, the race of all races. One hundred miles across the high-altitude, extreme terrain of the Colorado Rockies, this event was created for only the most determined athletes. Starting at 10,152 feet and climbing to 12,424 feet, you’ll be challenged to catch your breath — while the views try to take it away. Go to Event Page

Perfect for J2c - days 5 and 6 :-)

Not sure about Oz, but in the USA it is difficult to get a white car. I think it is only SA that is hung up on white cars and resale value etc?

Possibly the Rand/Dollar has made it less attractive. I think when the thread started it was around R1/$9 ? I've just finished building a gravel bike - but I'm paying US $, not Rands.

I have a '4' and '6'. Use them for most of my races - edit the video down into about a 4 minute video for memories and to share with friends back home. Also use it with the kids at water parks, ocean and other outings. I guess most of this can be done on the phone, but I much prefer giving the gopro to my 9 year old than my phone! Apart from losing it, there isn't much chance the 9yr old will break the gopro! If someone offered me a deal on the 7, I would probably go ahead and take it. Don't actually need it, but like and use the product enough to be able to justify it to myself. I have footage from Jober2c, Sani, Grape Escape (remember that one?) etc. Probably what I also enjoy is listening to the soundtrack. So I can queue five or six video and watch in the background - but they all have songs I enjoy as background. So works as a playlist too... One of my first rides in Colorado:

I had the same question. I bought a few 'new' tires from someone that didn't use them. Came with all the manufacture packaging etc - nowhere on the packaging did it say tubeless / tubeless ready/ non tubeless etc. Checked on their website: none of the IKONs are marked as either tubeless or non-tubeless. So I assumed they all are. Fitted them, sealed them, pumped them up and rode with them - no issues to date... https://www.maxxis.com/catalog/tire-278-140-ikon#

If you don't come right, try getting hold of BOGUS. He has all the decals on file to print when he re-sprays...

Done properly it shouldn't take more than one minute a tire - 2 if you are slow ;-) All about having the correct tools for the job.

yeah - $25 a month is STEEP! Even if that includes the band. Haven't heard too much about the Oura. Will have to check it out...

I think the differences with the Whoop are the metrics/software behind the band. The hardware is fairly standard across the board. The Whoop takes into account all of your daily stresses - not just exercise related. And then gives a fairly simple traffic light report on where you are at. I haven't used Whoop or many other trackers - but from what I've read, this is one of the more user friendly / easy to understand devices...

Pics! CRC are in a mess. I'm sure the courier issue is putting off potential customers. That along with the fact they are no longer selling Shimano and SRAM outside of the country. I would imagine those two products accounted for a large proportion of their international sales. And now they can't deliver the products that they do sell - it can't bode well for them...

That's come out really nicely! Speaking of gravel, I've just ordered this frame: http://www.carbonda.com/road/gravel/80.html Looks something like this when finished: Will keep you posted on build etc...

If I'm doing a structured workout I run Trainer Road on my phone. This controls the trainer resistance etc. I then run Zwift on my main pc screen. The visuals are a nice distraction compared to just watching the TR countdowns. This obviously has the drawback of two subscriptions. But I do use Zwift on its own for when I just want a free ride or test the legs in a race etc... So I find I do get value out of it other than just looking at the pretty pictures :-)