LanceB

Going to be a phenomenal event. A race through the 'Hoek, finally.

As with the different grades of aluminum, there is notable variance in the quality of composite and the lay-up structures used in producing carbon-fibre frames. The inherent strength and dimensional stiffness is inarguable, and yes: as Hennie noted, there should be a pleasant improvement in power transfer; all things considered equal as regards components, between an aluminum and composite bike. If you have a big off in rocky conditions, your repair liability is substantial. There is the enviromental issue too: as a mountain biker, do you feel comfortable riding a bike that is is no way at all recyclable? As opposed to an aluminium frame which is recyclable at the end of its lifecycle or in the case of severe damage? A point not often considered but one that I think warrants some pondering. That said: if the brand you are buying into does support environmental sustainability projects and manufacturing in some other way, thereby offsetting the issue, it is less of a debit.

Thought my calender has suffered a failure. Guy who works on my floor is doing the DH. Myles Kelsey, super nice bloke. Mad quick. I expect he is going to do rather well, being an ex-PMB local.

Has a circa South African Repack feel to it. Superb upload. Makes one feel guilty for complaining and wholly inadequate for not riding with greater skill considering the equipment we now have. Again: an outstanding upload by TheRitz...watching it has humbled me.

Concise and detailed summary. Kudos to Headshot for providing these insights. Forgive my ignorance, but the track on day two, was that a new addition to the Walvanpas trail system or something Enduro specific that is not usually ridden in Bains?

Pappa Bear, there is a new route being planned. At that altitude at night it can get very cold, you'll probably get a rather rubbish cold. Kids were evacuated a few years ago, and it was a massive mission, because they tried to overnight. I understand they were banned. One does not want to jeopardize any possible Jonkershoek happiness, especially as it is now, quite possibly, the best riding in the Southern hemisphere. So, I would probably wait a touch before trying to overnight or check with the guys at the gate; who would probably say no, but with some good reason. PS: fantastic trail maintenance on the fire hut run by Bennett Nel, rode yesterday after being overseas for a month. These trail builders, they are the most important people in mountain biking and get the least credit.

Dirt-rider "All those pivots" do their job rather well. Best mate got me into the brand. We both ride 'made-in-the-USA' and therefore slightly vintage Santas... These days, though, the boutique pricing remains but no longer quite as boutique in outright appeal, due to the Tallboy's rampant popularity. The upside? Many people are riding a rather fantastic suspension system, and inadvertently supporting South Africa's greatest ever MTBer. I can deal with that.

Kudos for him attempting it. There is no other way to learn. Any of the DH/AM crew available to tell us what went wrong? He seemed to hit the jump at a fairly proper speed...incorrect brake intervention in the air? A posture issue perhaps? All told, he is a proper MTBer in my book. A speedy recovery.

Good to see the custom builders, and most specifically, Rob English, get the credit they deserve. Steel is real (stiff).

Jonkershoek is a world class mtb venue with technical challenges for all skill levels. And it has proper forest. You can scare youself stupid there in the best way possible. Kudos to the Tygerberg guys with Hoogekraal, another addition to a very impressive mtb expansion project in Cape Town's northern suburbs.

Murray is a respected environmental reporter, who also happens to be a very keen outdoorsman. Nice guy; did a job or few with him years back. He happens to be in quite a senior position at the one of the major English title Cape dailies. Fantastically mature responses by some people regarding what is in fact a terrifying issue for bike owners at the moment.

Octavian, "My main offroad hassle with my Jeep Cherokee was that it had the most terrible clearance", "I would recommend atleast 250mm's. Anything less than that and you are looking for big trouble..." It's not quite as simple as that. The two vehicles you see deepest into darkest African, Hilux D4-D and Cruiser 70-Series run 212mm and 230mm of clearance respectively. Lots of other factors to consider. Depending on wheels fitted, standard Cherokee is quite capable.

Lukep, for the driving you want to do, a second hand Suzuki SX4 is what you want. Really. Should be in the budget, smallish, but you are not going on four week Kalahari trips.

If it’s the latest model (which was launched second quarter 2011), then it’s very much next-generation Jeep. Looks quite a lot better than the original (has the Gran Cherokee’s vertical seven slat chrome garnish grille) and has much improved noise, vibration and harshness levels under operation. Some of the old issues remain, though: the engine’s terrifyingly inefficient and as such severely heavy on fuel. Gearchange is horrid. Cabin architecture improved, but materials hardly class leading, and with oversized A, B and C-pillars it’s quite claustrophobic to some, especially rear seat passengers; especially kids. It has lots of kit though. All soft-roaders are similar in terms of off-road performance and new Compass has the regulation ABS actuated slip-mitigation system operating on each individual wheel if you break traction; clearance is commendable too: 205mm. Standard 18-inch alloys are a bit of an original equipment disaster, ride quality depreciating and those lowish profile tyres are hardly candidates for longevity if you do notable volume of dirt road driving. The black plastic cladding fore, aft and on the lower door panelling along the flanks, sure, it looks silly but should reduce scratch repair bills notably. All things considered it’s much better than the original, but the Koreans have a some very compelling alternatives.

Link did not resolve properly: new singletrack fund for Jonkershoek. Money where your mouth is kind of stuff.

http://www.dghugo.com/jonkershoek-single-track-fund/2012/05/26/

I came back from Switzerland yesterday. The bike culture is tremendous. But, in the canton of Bern they are really lobbying for a total ban on MTB riding. The hikers are unhappy. Switzerland is a small country and nearly everyone is an outdoorsy type, so huge competition for space, or rather: the politics of space, as they call it. Best riding is around the South and French areas it would seem, MTBers are valued there. Weather varies wildly, as mentioned. 26 Celsius one day, rain the next. Massive temperature changes when the wind is on, it drops staggeringly low even in only a hundred or so metres, especially if you are riding through an exposed (to the wind) area. Food is of a very high quality at supermarkets, better than what you could get at Woolies, and nearly all organic. If you shop at COOP, you can significantly drive down your daily costs.

Thanks Blacksmith, will do.

In Switzerland week after next with the other half (she’s Swiss/South African). Dearly wish to ride. Looking to rent a bike (probably take my own helmet, shoes), but my French is shocking and they’re a climbing family, not MTBers. So not much luck googling or quizzing the family. Anybody rented a MTB bike there before? Staying in the West, close to the French border, in Estavayer-le-Lac.