beanz

That would account for 18 of the 5000 cubes but happy to chip in.

I might just go check it out, but I think that part between 6th st (victory rd) and the blue bridge is private land.

I was thinking exactly the same thing - it's a pretty big area in a good location and nobody is particularly precious about it.

I went there yesterday and found the blue trails rocky and eroded. I hadn't been there for quite a few months.There were sections that I've cleared before which look pretty impossible now. The fact that it was slippery didn't help. I only did the first blue loop because I was just walking too much. Otherwise the green trail is lovely and the game there is thriving. It's a nice spot to ride.

I'd say it's some bike-hater who's been skrikked once too many while walking the dog. You can't be too careful on the spruit - you just can't assume that manhole cover, bridge or landing is where you last saw it.

Cool thanks

I've got a an XT 2x10 crankset which I'm going to be using for a 1x10 conversion. The outer ring is 104BCD so I believe that you can just bolt on the desired chainring, which in my case is a RaceFace narrow wide 34t. With this configuration, the chain line may not be optimal, especially when on the big back cog. Is it better to put in spacers between the spider and the chainring to shift the chainline across slightly? Is see that for the 30t chainring the chainline will be shifted across slightly to the left by design of the chainring because the chain wouldn't otherwise be able to clear the spider. I'd be keen to hear from others who have set up 1x10 using a 2x10 crankset if they have felt it necessary to do anything like this.

Super keen if I can get the weekend off. Keen to try out the enduro race format.

How much earth do you have? Enough for something like this? http://fthumb1.mtb-news.de/cache/670/auto/1/1/fstatic2.mtb-news.de/img/photos/3/4/0/2/2/_/large/Pumptrack_Luxemburg_Pete_Stutz_19.jpg

I would love to have. I just couldn't make it then. Friday was my only day free.

Big plans it seems! What's the story at Chamonix / Mont Blanc? Pretty much the same scene as Morzine?

I'd be keen but I'm not kitted up for dh. I'm squarely in the am / trail camp. I did go check out the dh at contermans yesterday briefly while in ct. Dh racing sure ain't for old sissies (like me). Pretty rad stuff. There were quite a few lighties and even a 10 year old pinning it down there taking all the doubles. Where can you go in jhb area anyway where you can get a decent run with uplifts? Where's 139?

If there are visible signs of forced entry (eg broken locks) you should be covered for stuff stolen from the outbuildings. That's what my insurance told me when I had a bike stolen out my garage a few months ago (a gt avalanche) - the garage wasn't locked so they rejected my claim. The fact that there was forced entry I'd say there's a good chance you're covered.

Hey sorry to hear this. I hope you get them back or get properly paid out.

Also check this thread... https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/120579-drakensberg-mtb-trails/ You don't really need GPX files. The trails from All-Out adventures are so well marked, you can't really get lost. The trails connect all the resorts in the area, including the Cavern, Hlalanathi, From the Cavern you can get onto the Grotto trail (without driving). From Hlalanati you can ride to the adventure center in about 10 minutes and from there you have the most options. Being the drakensberg, some of the longer trails are quite hard going. Next time I go there I'd like to arrange to do a (mainly) downhill ride from caterpillar and catfish to all-out adventures. Some landowner permission may be required, but it would be fun.

From the BikeMagic review on the pyga oneten 29er Where’s the bottom of this Pyga? No matter how hard we tried (yes other riders rode the Pyga), we just couldn’t get the bike to bottom out. Don’t ask me why (I’m not an engineer – no point in pretending), but what I do know is that even when running 40% rear shock sag, the rear end never, ever bottomed out. The front did, but not the back. If we had fitted a bigger-hitting fork this bike would be more than comfortable on any uplift trailer. Full article: http://bikemagic.com...yga-oneten.htmlhttp://bikemagic.com...yga-oneten.html

Sunday pm

The bottom bracket would end up being too low.

I read this article and the motivation for 27.5 wheelsize provided by Giant (referred to in this article as "shamefull tosh" - their spelling not mine). I can't really say I find this article to be any more scientific than Giant's. I did my own thinking on the what giant had to say at the time and came to the conclusion that although there are factual inaccuracies, their arguments do generally seem to hold up. They essentially motivate that that 650b is closer to 26'' where 26 is strong an closer to 29er where 29er is strong. http://www.thehubsa....gy/page__st__48 Caveat: The part on the contact patch is a bit flawed and needs a bit more thought.

Thanks Mayhem

I got some five tens and flat pedals and finally got around to putting them on this last weekend. I've heard much about cleats allowing you get away with suspect technique which will limit you in the long run ("cleating" is "cheating"). So I put them on and first time I try to bunny hop I go up and the bike stays rolling on the ground. I got a bit more used to them after a couple of rides, but I'm open to suggestions as to how to get the feet to stay planted especially when hopping or popping. On or two small jumps or drops I tried it was quite disconcerting when the feed left the pedals mid air. Maybe it just takes a bit of getting used to to get the feet and the bike moving together. So too early to tell for me whether flats are the way forward, but I'm going to stick with it for a while at least and try to get a proper bunny hop and some other skills going. I'm much happier to try things like wheelies and manuals in flats. As for riding with cleats I never had problems getting out in a hurry, but have had the odd issue with unintentionally unclipping. The embarrassing noob phase of forgetting how to unclip and wiping out in the parking lot doesn't last very long and is nothing to be afraid of. Ultimately I don't think it's a bad thing to learn to do both, obviously depending on the type of riding you do.

Yea sorry I didn't get it that way - maybe 20% respect but 80% gloating if you ask me. It goes without saying that we'd all rather have the soutpansberg to work with. Anyway if you guys are building need some help I'm happy to come by and pitch in - will only be able to make it around 4pm.

Have you ever ridden these trails? The guys here enjoy riding them and plenty of people put work into it and are proud of them. For in the middle of a big city they are flipping good and add immensely to the quality of life for many people here. So rather than turning this into a pissing contest as to who's got the best trails, why don't you rather start your own thread and tell us about it there. Post some photos or the odd video clip. Maybe some of us would be willing to make a weekend trip up there if they're that good.

If you can get an anthem x1 29er for R25k, which I think you can, you're going to find that you'll need to spend a lot more money than that to get a better bike. There's just about nothing you'll need to upgrade on it. A the price point the spec is spot on with the mainly SLX components. It's just a great bike. I have a giant anthem x29er which I've had for about 2 years. I put some new wheels on it (which is not really necessary - the stock ones are a bit weighty that's all) and got a dropper post (which is an indispensible upgrade if you ask me). It's been hammered through just about everything and abused in a way that an XC bike is probably not supposed to be, so it's definitely earned it's stripes on the trail. Maestro suspension is both plush and efficient. It you're weight conscious, the frame alone is about a 1/2 kg lighter than anything else in it's class and comparable to some of the carbon frames. If marathon or stage racing is your thing you can't go wrong. A small criticism is the slightly longer than average chainstay length, but I'm not sure if it makes a noticeable difference. Take the numbers out of it, it's a smooth comfortable ride and handles great in all situations - no problems with tight twisty stuff or hopping etc. My biggest single criticism is the Overdrive2 headset which makes it difficult to upgrade the fork or change stem. Scour the internet and you'll find there's massive all round user satisfaction for this bike - and not just image fanboys - it's not like Giant is a cool brand and easy to love. With the rand tanking Giant has kept the pricing compellingly aggressive and the lifetime warranty is the best around.

Beaver Creek and Clearwater are pretty much next door and it's the same trails.