Charlie600

This is a brilliant setup, absolutely bullet proof with tons of grips although not the fastest rolling. Magic Mary at the front (super trail version) with the Big Betty (super gravity version) at the rear - you will love it whilst losing your fear for punctures and sidewall cuts in general, which is great for one's confidence. Whilst I don't expect them to last super long, they still look realtively new after 400km of fairly intense riding.

A nice autumn day out, temperatures are rapidly decreasing which also means super fun whilst navigating some of the "downhill" sections being covered completely by the leaves. It's sometimes a borderline Russian roulette exercise in that never know when you might hit a rut or something similar (which is fortunately very seldom).

The obligatory new bike pic on her first ride this morning...It was AWESOME!

Another beautiful day in Belgium, although I was k@kking in the heat - I seemingly became a "heat pissie" the past couple of years!

New Balance 880 / Brooks Ghost / Brooks always rock my world. I usually buy the 3x pairs at once, after which it's great for rotation whilst they provide endless love and joy.

Electronic products (whether it be a Fenix, iPhone or washing machine) are by default covered by a 24 month warranty in the majority of European countries My iPhone recently went bust after 14 months of ownership and needless to say that it was replaced on a no questions asked basis. This however made me realise how often I've historically had to fork out for a replacement product (yes Garmin, looking at you for all those heart rate monitors) when the exact same product is in fact covered for twice as long in Europe. I'm no expert regarding the legislative requirements that forced the manufacturers into this 2 year warranty period but the SA politicians should implement something similar from a consumer protection perspective, given that it can clearly be done (similar to some countries that forced apple to provide chargers with their phones in the event of wanting to sell the product within the said market etc.).

Although the winter weather means that (for me at least) no weekend rides commence before sunrise at around 08h, the trails remain incredibly beautiful! I've also discovered a WW2 bunker on today's route which was pretty cool.

One can always rationalize what you believe is the best for yourself (especially so if you've already purchased the item) so just ride whatever makes you happy. Although I for example also had a Trek Checkpoint and did love the bike, I clearly did not NOT utilise the bike's full range of capabilities, based on what is clearly possible as per the below video. Probably yet again a case of a bike can only be as great and enjoyable as one's skillset allows????? Nonetheless, a gravel bike remain an incredible versatile bike and I will most definitely again acquire one in the event of only being able (allowed!) to own one bike.

Smeysberg is an ugly beast en jy k@k altyd af, selfs met 'n 10-52 kasset op die MTB!

The teams are currently busy with their practice/exploratory rides and seem to take it really easy and relaxed - here are a couple of the guys appreciating the scenery in front of our house (at the start of the Smeysberg climb).

Although I played around in the gravel bike world with a lovely Trek Checkpoint SL6, my personal take on it is that it is indeed the perfect type of bike if you ONLY have one bike. I've subsequently sold it after getting a decent MTB and will in future purchase a decent road bike - a gravel bike is a great all rounder though and also perfectly suited for commuting etc. However, not as comfortable as the MTB nor as fast as the roadbike - a great bike yet a good example of a horses for courses approach. Also, are there really as many spots (other than the Karoo etc.) where you can truly exploit the true potential of the gravel bike on a frequent basis?

So just some feedback...I hate all of your that raved about the greatness of this setup, given that all of you forced me to pull the trigger on the AXS upgrade kit. And honestly, this is AMAZING and so much better than I ever though it would be! Absolutely loving it, the crisp shifts together with the overall awesomeness as well as geeky app and Garmin integration for additional data is epic!

I'm sorry to hear about this. At the same time, this is one of the funniest incident descriptions in a long time ("when he took off i shouted " jou stuk p*%#")! Hope your bike can be recovered or alternatively, that the insurance payout will be without hassle.

After browsing through this topic, my life (and even my wife) suddenly seems to be super uncomplicated...Thank you as such for the insight and bringing about fresh perspectives.

I so don't need this...But oh sooooo badly want to do the upgrade My current mechanical GX ain't bad bad although I was considering transitioning to the M8100 XT setup for shift crispness however, this seems to be a total game changer...Damn you SRAM for tempting us with this!

Although I previously despised of e-bike riders, I've seen the light and now commute to the office on an e-bike. Not only do you get a reasonable workout, without sweating (much), no more need for additional clothes, shower at the office etc. Haters be hating, including me when I'm on my mtb or roadbike but for every commute, e-bike FTW!

Still absolutely loving my Fenix 3 after 4.5 years of "hard labour", whilst the battery is still good for a week or so at worst. For me the Fenix 3 is like the Land Cruiser on the farm, one of very, very few items that are simply indestructible!

An amazing "quickie" in-between all the silly conference calls!

Another beaut of a riding day in Belgium! Although I'm (masochistically?) longing for a Thaba trails session, despite some of these gnarly forest climbs!

I hope this counts, given that I truly did push my bike out of the garage onto the driveway in order to share in the vibe. Mathieu van der Poel and friends came past a couple of times during the 192km Druivenkoers race in Belgium.

Fully agree with you in this regard, I absolutely love my gravelbike (Checkpoint SL6) but my "chassis sensitivity" took some time to adjust to the bumps etc., especially after only being used to my mountainbike...

Moral of the story - the Racing Ray / Racing ralph combo in tubeless format is a damn fine combination!

"summa summa" is here!

Sun's out, guns out!

This morning's solidarity ride, dedicated to all my mates back home in SA that can't currently enjoy the splendid beauty of mother nature.