hillbilly

This year Guy ran a 32x20 and Glenn a 34x20 - both riding 29ers

The route up The Ladder is an historic route that has been used for many generations. The landowners'website confirms this: All produce from farming had to be carried out on pack donkeys via a few routes and even up the now famous ladder route; http://www.diehel.co.za/overview/ The law relating to historical rights of way is clearly set out in a recent judgment in the Western Cape: http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAWCHC/2012/50.html From the judgment it is clear that the public right of way exists completely independently of any proclaimed road. As The Ladder is a public right of way the permission of landowners is not required. I understand that a number of the farmers of the area are also aggrieved by the attempts of the landowners to restrict access and have expressed their support of the Freedom Challenge in asserting this right.. All over the country these public rights of way are being unlawfully closed off. The question really is what is the role of members of this forum in protecting these public rights of way?

You can draw your intended routes on Google Earth (it does take a bit of time to do accurately), save them as .kmz files. Upload and convert using www.gpsies.com (will convert to .gpx files which your Garmin can read). Then upload to your Garmin.

This might help - many years ago I rode south from Royal Natal via the Busingatha valley and eventually ended up at the Mweni Cultural Village. The route was a mix of dirt roads, paths and animal tracks - good fun on the bike. I know from Mweni, one can get around to Cathedral Peak along the district roads - so technically you could do the same in reverse or drive around to All Out Adventures and start from there, heading back to Cathedral Peak. The whole Mweni area is full of trails and it's still tribal land so the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife ban on mountain bikes doesn't apply. (That's the problem with the Contour Path - it could be a great MTB/multi-use trail but you aren't allowed to ride it.)

http://www.sanispoors.co.za/

Any info on the route from hubbers that have ridden it before? Is it hilly/flat/tight/twisty, lots of singletrack etc?

We asked for it and we got it... solo entries opened on 21 Dec

Come on EcoBound, give us a solo category - this event is perfect to do as preparation for FC..... (even the timing is spot on.)

Max rides for Ghost Bikes - they haven't had a 29er in their line up so far (the 2012 range does though) so he races a 26er - doesn't seem to matter to him though...

Second that - Hoss gear is top quality and they also make them in a 3/4 length

There were 2 or 3 titanium HT's this year, one was a 29er. I've spent some time on a steel HT and can vouch for the extra comfort it gives, Ti is supposed to be the same but much lighter. In 2006, there was a Ti HT frame failure (cracked at a weld) which was repaired on the trail with a piece of steel bar and cable ties.

Most of the guys actually ride full suspension bikes. (Anthem, Epic, Scalpel, Mojo etc are all popular choices) Full suspension makes things more comfy, especially with the extra weight on your back and the long riding days (8-12 hours) Many guys do still use hardtails but I've never come across any suspension seatposts. 29er hardtails are becoming more popular though, there were 4 this year. Having done it on both types, I would opt for a 29er again, hardtail if I was racing and being a weight weenie, full-sus if I was just cruising. Bike reliability is an issue so you tend to ride more conservatively (not hammering down sections you normally would) Interestingly there have been multiple bike failures over the years, across all brands and material types. This year's fastest finisher, Carl Crous, broke one of the swinglinks on his Mojo (aluminium part that failed, not the carbon...) and took a second bike and a 12 hour time penalty - this bumped him down to second spot overall. Afterwards, he said if he ever did it again, he would choose a hardtail.

Sorry, based in Mpumalanga. There are a few in CT though, I think 'Moretrails' on the hub has one, otherwise ask Kiwi who has one down there.

I've been riding a 456 Summer Season for the last 8 months and really loving it. A great trail bike - running it with gears and 2.5 tyres. It flies down tight singletrack and takes the edge off in the rough stuff. Highly reccommended, a really fun bike.

Thanks Dangle. What make/brand of tensioner is that and where did you get it? (Looks very similar to a Rohloff tensioner.) I couldn't find anything locally and ran out of time to order something before the race, the On-One tensioner was the only thing available at the time. Probably would've been fine together with a dedicated SS rear cog without ramps but that's how you learn I guess.