Lone_Ranger

I knew there was a good reason not to buy a Porsche Cayenne , besides the million ZAR price tag

Mr Min jou doring!!! Real pity about Gwin.

Yep. SuperSport 12

What a LEGEND!!!! Just watched the run, and it is absolutely amazing what this guy does on that bike. Pure genius!!!

My bad. Forgot that SRAM was one of their title sponsors now.

Nino has traditionally used DT Swiss forks, but I think Scott have now moved to Fox. Hence no RS-1

The trails in Bredasdorp are great, and in great condition because they aren't that well known. Really enjoyed riding out there.

Rapide rims are awesome. Not the lightest, but great value for money. And certainly strong enough for most riding. I have a pair with Superstar hubs which I'm going to be selling soon. Having said that, the wheel builder is a crucial part of the mix in a custom wheel set. Had mine built by Lance at Epic Bike Shop when he was still there.

Brian May (Queen)

Crest is 380g. Rapide TR21 is 449g. So not a significant difference. Rode the Rapide rims for 9 months, still true. Been on the Crests for just over a year, need to be trued. Having said that. I don't know who built the Crests, so it could be that they weren't built as tough as Lance built my Rapide's. He made a few recommendations where he preferred spokes and nipples based on durability rather than weight.

I have a set of TR21 rims built onto Superstar Evo hubs. Used them for nine months and loved every minute. Only upgraded because I got an amazing deal on ZTR Crest with Chris King hubs. IMHO, from a durability perspective the Rapide rims are as good, if not better than the Crests. But I expected this as the main reason for going for Crests was weight. If anybody is interested, the TR21's on Superstar hubs are looking for a new home. Built by Lance when he was still at Epic Bikes. PM me.

Good option. I unfortunately couldn't do that with my Fox fork.

I have a OneTen 29 with 100mm fork. Works for me for the moment. If you're not that aggressive it will probably be OK for you. On some of the very steep stuff (Top of Contermans Black route for example) you do have to get your weight right back, but everything still rideable. Also debated this issue on this thread, and the feedback was that the 100 would be OK. Not ideal, but OK. I was looking to save some cash on my build, so wanted to transfer existing fork, but if cash is not a problem I'd suggest a 120mm minimum.One advantage of 100mm fork is that they're normally quite a bit lighter than longer travel forks, especially longer than 120mm. Long and short, 100mm will work, but I suspect that the bike will really come alive with 120mm - 140mm.

Been using a transition shoe for the last six years, Saucony Kinvara is my weapon of choice mostly, 4mm drop, moderate cushioning. Haven't had an injury in that time, just had to (slowly) allow different muscles to strengthen to accommodate the different style of running. Took about a year more or less. I find that the shoes for natural type running last forever, as cushioning is a minor component of these shoes. I'm still using a four year old pair of Kinvara's, only got newer version as an online store was running a special. I do on average about 30km per week, so probably well in excess of 1000km and still comfortable for long runs (>20km).

Awesome blogs Stuart. Racing over there sounds downright scary. Big up to you for following your dreams. And thanks for giving us weekend warriors some insight into racing. It looks so easy when Nino and Julien are powering up the hills and floating down. But it's obviously not as easy as those legends make it seem. Really makes me appreciate how good guys like Burry and Greg really were / are to compete at the very top of this sport. Truly inspirational.