Lone_Ranger

Everywhere was pretty soggy. The sections which are clayey were pretty ok, just a bit sticky. The sandy sections were really muddy. Lots of people using the Your roots section to bypass the road. Also lots of fines on the road up to the Bridal Path were washed away, road very rocky now, but still rideable. On the plus side, the section from Vasbyt down through My Roots was super fast. Saw loads of DH guys taking advantage of this yesterday afternoon.

Just wanted to give everybody a heads up on a slope stability problem on the Bridal Path in Tokai. A fairly severe slip has reduced a short section of the path to very narrow, and then covered a lower section of the path. Looks like it happened very recently, maybe with the heavy rain we had the past week. I rode it this afternoon, but didn't have my phone with to take some pics. The narrow section sort of catches you by surprise if you have a bit of speed, and the drop off the path is quite hectic if you don't hug the upper side of the path. There were a few slips elsewehere on that face of the mountain as well, one fairly big one just below one of the roads. Please be careful up there, cos you could seriously hurt yourself if you get this wrong. And up there, "No one will hear you scream", cos of the fairly remote location. Stay safe folk.

Thanks ACM. Don't know why I never saw it there, cos I did have a look. The one they show is 50mm tho, and I' looking for the longer version (75mm). Also a bit expensive, I've seen it on overseas sites for less than $100. I'll put in a query with them and see what they say about stock and the possibility of getting the longer version.

Anybody know where I can get one of these locally? Made queries at two LBS's without success. I managed to crack the one which came with the bike, as it was a bit short so I had it extended sligtly longer than recommended. Anybody know of alternatives for integrated seat posts? I need a 38.3mm diameter, 70mm long, and as far as I can find on the web only Ritchey make a reasonably priced version. Any suggestion would be appreciated. Thanks http://www.ritcheylogic.com/dyn_prodfamily.php?k=299427

Scalpel is way overpriced for me. It is a damn fine bike, but I struggle to justify dropping that much cash for something which is incrementally better than something which is 75%(maybe even half) of the price. If it was out of sight better than the Vipa I'd go for it. So for me, Vipa is better bang for buck, and it's local . PS I'm not racing at the sharp end of races, so incremental improvements are less critical for me. If I was a racing snake competing for 1,2 or 3 every week it might be different.

YHO!!!! But that's sexy!!! I think I just wet myself. Now ride it like U stole it????

I'd give Constantia Nek a skip altogether. Its not only the HB side which is dangerous, the approaches from the other side are also quite tight. I'd rather do Ou Kaapse Weg twice or continue throught HB to Suikerbossie / Camp Bay if I were you. I've had some hair raising experiences on the Nek, so I give it a skip. Best riding for me is still from home (Plumstead) to Tokai and then up to Silvermine. Once you're up there anything's possible. Round the dam, down to Fish Hoek (either off road or on road), down Ou Kaapse Weg or on to Simonstown.

I think a decision / assumption was made early in the design process, and the entire design was built around this decision / assumption. And during the design process the "founding" decisions / assumptions were not revisited to check whether they were still valid. Seen this happen in my line of work as well, you end up with a monstrosity and you wonder how it got to this point. And by that stage its too far down the line to change things, and too many egos involved to say "We cocked this one up boys".

Loving the righteous indignation .

I've got this crank on my bike, and it's great. Genuine FSA replacement chain rings are expensive though, so probably going to get an alternative brand. Only downside, and I suspect its the same for all carbon cranks, is that it doesn't take knocks very well. The ends of mine have taken a bit of a beating due to poor technique through some rock gardens. I'd suggest buying some crank socks (I think thats what they called) to protect the ends of these if you get it. Also get some adhesive film to protect the side from rubbing. I read somewhere that this is one of the reasons that Shimano sticks with aluminium for their mtb cranks. As Ali takes knocks a bit better than carbon.

Omega 3 capsule every morning works for me. Or it tricks my mind into believing it works for me. Take your pick. Leaves me with fishy burps for the rest of the morning though. Anybody else get this?

It actually started as an internal company event, but the organisers decided to open it up to the general public. Just so happens to clash with the Burger, but that's just bad luck. Should still be great fun, especially considering the race format.

More info

Event Name: MAD Mountain Cycle Race Fundraiser When: 3 August 2013 Where: D'Aria Wine Estate, Durbanville, Western Cape Category: MTB This race is a fundraiser being organised by a group of young people in our company as part of a community development project. The funds raised will be utilised to improve the conditions at the Noxicule Creche in Khayelitsha. Contact Katelyn Naidoo at katelyn.naidoo@aecom.com or 083 411 1862 for further information. Go to Event Page

BTW 29" tires are going cheaper than 26" at the moment. A lot more specials. I've been struggling to find specials on 26" tires, so don't believe that just cos they smaller they'll be cheaper. I'd go for 29er if you can get one in your range, other wise Silverback for the win. My first bike was a Silverback and I still have it. Converted it to single speed and loving it.

I must say that the Bridle Path area is where I feel the most vulnerable in Tokai. I ride Tokai on my own every weekend, and that is by far the least populated area, so it makes sense that the crooks will target it. Does make you think though, that these guys are there in Tokai and watching, cos they obviously know that they'll be able to do their thing there with few witnesses. Going to be more careful in future!!!

Seriously considering a dropper for my next bike. Got a solid knock in the nether region coming down Vasbyt at Tokai today.

Fully agree. Don't know why the Scott's come with such poor wheels. Friend of mine neary lost his teeth when his standard Scott wheels buckled on him. Lots of similar stories on the web.

Not recommended for the faint hearted. The alternative was to drive all the way back to town, without doing the race, which I definitely was not keen on.

The standard rims on Scotts definitely worth an upgrade. Had a buddy come off badly on a technical section cos his standard Scott rims buckled. Think head over handlebars, hitting ground. Happened to him twice, then he upgraded. He got Stans ZTR, not sure which one.

Awesome ride. Changed to the 32km after I brought two left shoes. That's what happens when you pack in the dark . Right foot super sore, but it was worth it. Loved the singletrack overlooking the dam, super smooth for super fast ride. Definitely going to be back for the 45km next year. Big up to the race organisers for a well organised event. Just the right amount of chaos to make it fun . Nice to see some of the big names there as well. Had a chance to watch the pros start, and it really was a who's who of top young riders. Forgot to say that the course was also just wet enought to make it interesting and fast.

Looking forward to the race tomorrow. A bit worried about the climbs in the second half of the race, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I also thought my Avids were useles, but my LBS suggested new pads and a bleed, and they're now 100% better. My suggestion would be to try that first as a cheap fix, and if the problem persists replace with Shimano or other. For now my Avids are ok. In all fairness, I haven't tested them on a long descent since getting them back, that's normally where the turkey starts warbling behind me.

I for one didn't know I needed my racetec chip, and I defintely wasn't alone. Lots of guys without chips. I checked the Racetec website the day before the race, and my entry for Knysna was not recorderd, so I assumed they were not timing this race. Bit disappointed as I did a good time, but no use crying over spilt milk.

A cappucino is a pretty good recovery drink. Many recovery drinks are high in whey protein, which is a milk extract. The high percentage of milk in a cap is thus good for recovery, with the caffeine giving you a short term kick after a hard work out. Works for me. Burry was known for drinking Steri Sumpy after a race, which is basically the same thing minus the caffeine. My 2c