Rouxenator

Yes - in it for #9

Nuy Valley MTB is still on every year. Those lovely just-above-zero-degrees cold starts as the sun is about to peek over Langberg. Massive thanks to Lans and the team from Onsite events for keeping it going. Nuy Valley Festival – Experience Our Whimsical Valley

Before the clouds roll in.

Before it's an airport.

Wasgoed da Gama

If you follow the railway road from Mellish to Klipheuwel you will go past it - as well as the old Klipheuwel railway bridge. It's my usual gravel grind route.

It was good. I rode on Rock Wolf 2.35 knobby tyres just in case there would be an unexpected rock slide - better safe than sorry. Nice ride in a nice ride: Respect to the low riders:

Did a 110km test ride before next weekend.

Sadly it seems the "Untamed" section above "Gutted Baboon" is no more...

My 12th 99er and very happy they removed the "on number 99 Odendaal climb" part of this one. I rode the last bit of tar after joining Adderly from Spes Bona on a totally flat front tyre. Would not have finished if it was up Odendaal Road again. Langvlei is one of my favourite roads and it was great to see so many people riding it. Gravel seems to be getting more popular, I see lots of future graduates to MTB.

Never seen anything like this happen. 26 Chaoyang Double Hammer, I have the same on the front, but it is fine. This bike only gets used a few days at a time every 3 months or so. Replaced it with a new, but very old, Hutchinson Bulldog 2.1

In for the 80km gravel! Langvlei is waiting....

Only had two hold ups, as per the photo on Gutted Baboon and when starting the Up single track on G-Spot. Smooth sailing the rest of the way. 2024 2 : Origin of Trails - Stage 2 | Ride | Strava Huge thank you to the organisers of this event. I recall years ago when there was something on every weekend, nowadays its few and far between. This is a special event; hope we can get more of the ones we lost back on the calendar.

This is the 3rd one I have done; it changes from year to year. 2022 1 : Origin of Trails - Stage 1 | Ride | Strava 2022 2 : Origin of Trails - Stage 2 | Ride | Strava 2023 1 : Origin of Trails - Stage 1 | Ride | Strava 2023 2 : Origin of Trails - Stage 2 | Ride | Strava 2024 1 : Origin of Trails - Stage 1 | Ride | Strava

Recovering from flu so I crawled in just over 4 hours - still loved it!

Steak knife always works for me.

I think the last one I had that was replaced on Friday lasted over 10,000km and it was an entry level Deore/6100 12speed upgrade kit. Thankfully it did not let me down on Durbie Dash but two days later the chain broke the first time and then a few more days later it went a second time. That is all the confirmation I need that it's done - there is no more meat on this bone. Question : should I alternate between chains on my new drive train in order to make it last longer or is the gains of that approach marginal?

I think I might need new pulley gears... these are wearing kinda thin.

The long gravel route looks like a treat - I love Langvlei off Slent road, it is part of my usual Sunset Seventy ride. Only problem with that is on my Sunset Seventy I do around 500m of climbing, not the 1700m required for Durbie Dash 😁