Blackadder

900m to 1,000m would make it less than the Amashova. The Route Profile on the 94.7 website says that there is 1,438m of climbing. This seems rather high

I am doing the USN MTB race this Sat, and lots of Suikerbosrand training.

Richard it's just about practice, and getting enough weight forward but not so much that your back wheel spins. I speak with the authority of someone who has tried and failed the steep climbs that make up the Fire Station section at Thaba about five times, flipped my bike once, and, finally, last Sunday, somehow managed to get up all of the climbs without any problem at all. I think the Crow's advise about looking up not down, coupled to just relaxing a bit, is spot on.

Any chance we can get details on the route/length?

Its a concern, but I would not overstate it. E numbers simply mean they have been approved for human consumption by the European Union Food Safety Authority. Some of the colourants used by 32GI (E122 and E129) are quite controversial though.

Tomac PYGA

I have bought quite a lot of vinyl from Amazon

Very nice, the Martin Logan speakers are brilliant. My Plinius amp has a good phono stage built in, Would like to upgrade one day, but need to get some decent speakers first.

I am a Hi Fi nut as well. Main system: Clearaudio Concept Turntable Plinus 101 CD Plinius 9200 Integrated Amplifier Monitor Audio GS20 speakers (OK, but weak link in system) Digital system: iTunes Graham Slee Novo headphone amp Cambridge Audio DacMagic DAC Grado SR325 headphones

+1 Really well organised.

A

Thanks, intuitively I think you are right. 32GI seems to work well for me so far.

Is this true?

+ 1 If the aim of CM is to educate the public, then it is at best a partial success. Nearly all the riders I saw interacted respectfully with the traffic, but a significant minority, especially after the pit-stop / beer break, did not, and that comes back to bite. We don't want a repeat of the sage with residents in the cradle.

Enjoyed it a lot. My two concerns were the number of people without helmets -- I thought there was a no helmet no ride rule -- and the number of people driving drunk towards the end. Seriously, this defeats the entire purpose of the event

Trailflow website says 06:30 to 13:30, Sat-Sun + Public Holidays. Opening times getting shorter each month, it seems.

How does this work: 1 lap = 20km, 2 laps = 45km?

Why go with such a light set of rims? I went through the same debate as you recently, and decided to have a wheelset made up around Hope Hubs - much better quality than the factory wheelset hubs, and easier to service - and Mavic EX 721 rims. The Mavic's are much tougher than the Crests, can take wider tyres more easily, and will withstand much more of a battering. I am also 68kgs

For what its worth, I shift between an HG 81 (on original bike, now road wheels) and an XT cassette. No unusual wear and tear on any of the components so far.

Diamante frame, R25,000

Does anyone have any first hand experience with Basso bikes? Especially the Diamante. I came across these yesterday when checking out a BMC Race MachineRM01, and they look really good, but I can find very little information on the web. I am looking to buy the frame, and equip as budget allows, probably Shimano Ultegra

I am a great fan of 32GI - the drink and chews on a ride, and the recovery after

From Johan Borman / Yellow Saddle Cycling. If I remember correctly, the rims were R620 each.

I considered the Crossmax wheels, but decided on the new Mavic EX721 rims instead (with Hope hubs). The rims are a lot stronger, wider, and not that much heavier.

Its £44.99 on the UK sites. I am looking for a replacement for my old manual pump. I have not bought this yet.