TYGA

Trance if you like playing. Anthem if you like racing. For the price of a new X3 there are some very nice used higher specs dual suspensions avble at the moment.

Where do you usually live / ride? Apart from riding the off-limits areas which usually constitute boring vineyards / orchards / fire roads there are more than enough dedicated MTB trails to keep the most avid explorer / trail rider happy. As for exercise, socialising and especially a healthy dose of competition...if you don't get that riding with your buddies you need new friends.

I battle to understand the fascination people have (especially in the Western Cape, I can't comment about trails elsewhere in SA) with "doing races" when you have renowned MTBing areas like Jonkershoek, Grabouw, Tokai etc to name only the better known ones which you can ride at any time of the week or weekend, UNCONGESTED, for as long as you want, looping as much singletrack as you desire, re-doing the sections that make you go Whoopee and shooting the breeze with your buddies. Total no brainer in my book.

Looks very fun to ride...why are you running a 2.4 at tire at the back and 2.2 at the front...usually it's the other way around?

Awesome bike Brussel! Enjoy it.

My LBS ordered SS specific chainrings for me no problems. I think Kiwi had some as well though you may have to wait for the stock. There was some oke on the hub some time back that was going to laser cut Titanium chainrings but don't know whether his plans fell flat.

I've got a lekker route from Somerset West via Raithby, through the vineyards and up to the back of Technopark in Stellenbosch...all in about an hours ride of which about 15K's is off road and the first 3K's or so on tar...nothing nicer than cruising to work through the vineyards with my buddy More Wood for an hour before work. Having to watch him shower when we get there not so fun... Agree with the other okes, drive in one day, cycle home, cycle back the next day, drive home...makes it nice 'n easy going. This summer going to definitely do it more often! Best tip I could give someone who wants to "start commuting". Don't let the logistics get put you off before you began, just get on your bike and do it once...hell, we used to "commute" to school every day of our lives to no ill effect, why should it be any harder now? Just get on yer bike and ride, best thing you'll ever do.

Ya Flowta I am def going to build one as a spare / geared wheel for my Inbred 29! Maybe we can pick up some old stock 8 speeds on the cheap then....

For a more affordable option check out the Shimano "Alfine" gear hub. Quite a lot of guys in the UK are using them as they are about 20% of the price of the Rohloff conversion (they'd probably last 20% as long too....). On CRC you can buy everything you need for around 3K but would then still need to build it into a rim. It only has 8 gears and I guess comparing it to the Rohloff would be like comparing a Beetle to a Bentley but as an "experiment" it's a hell of a lot cheaper than dropping 15K on a Rohloff.

Been mined before, one of my worst rides ever, smelt almost as bad as when a Kiewiet bombed me from above and hit me square in a face. Dunno what Kiewiets eat but it's siff and makes the average landmine smell like CK1.

To date I have been happy with my RST M29 and will keep using it till it falls apart and then get the Fox 29er. If you want stiffness, reliability and light weight how about this puppy? (The fork not the bike!) If anyone's interested in the fork let me know...sorry bout the hijack Stephan...! XTC12010-05-21 08:53:16

wac1 haven't tried your advice but if it works it's you've def qualified for the tip-of-the-month mini-pump and socks gift set. Will be trying that this evening on a dodgy set of hydraulics with some very disturbing tendencies...the bike gets transported in all sorts of positions in the back of my bakkie and the front brake often softens up for no particular reason.

I got my sisters hand me down scooter...decided to keep riding my bicycle instead...and still riding 20 years later! PS anyone want to buy a 30 year old Yamaha Chappy 80cc scooter with like 3000 Kays on the clock? That's a hundred Kays a year...

Oh ya and had an attempted break in at my house in Somerset West...they popped the back door with a screw driver or crow bar of sorts...luckily the alarm went off and the okes bolted. Worst of all is one of the okes shat in the garden...must have been a bit benoud while scoping out the scene of the crime!

I had two youths try and bikejack me on Papegaaiberg in Stellenbosch a few years back...one with a knife...the other had a stick...luckily I was riding the wifes GT that day as my bike was busted and I am way more scared of her than I was of them so they had to leave the scene of the crime empty handed. Another rider wasn't so lucky shortly afterwards and got stabbed a few times. Numerous incidents were subsequently reported...Papegaaiberg used to be awesome...now it's just too dangerous to ride there.

Boy oh boy did they pick the wrong oke on the wrong day to mess with. Would have paid big money to see that...LEGEND!

Dude if I had a Dale with a Lefty I'd also give it to my gardener I think this is a brilliant initiative / concept and would love a copy. Would you accept photographic submissions if they are suitable? XTC12010-05-11 04:29:44

Want jou bike is car-bon Jou vurk is 'n lef-ty My wiele is Ghet-to my bicycle van gum-tree. OK I'm officially bored I'm going home.... XTC12010-05-10 09:47:23

Awesome, would love that in SS guise. My next bike / frame once the Inbred 29 conks out will hopefully be one of these!

And here's RaymondC's view from the other side. This was taken from one of the upper contours of Helderberg looking out towards Steenbras.

Interesting thread on the RST M29 forks http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=333016&page=3<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=388104 Like More Wood says, does not look like a job to tackle over six beers on a Sat arvi.

Zula I am 90 on a thin day and that's without enough provisions to feed the WWF Road Show for a week and 3 liters in my Mule so I doubt you'll have any issues.

Zula I am running a non UST SB8 as tubeless on the rear of my trail bike...have had no issues whatsoever and ride them quite flat. Great tire for the back, used it during an extremely wet W2W race in November last year and didn't have spinning / grip issues. I do however have something a bit grippier / higher volume on the front but for the Cape Summer I would use them both sides without reservation.

Care to share? My RST M-29 is losing pressure and is in need of attention after W2W this weekend.

What time does the Friday course run? I've been wanting to attend one of these for a while but it is going to be tricky taking Friday off after taking Monday off.