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.

I ran the tensioner both ways, pushing down at first, then after shortening the stretched chain, pushing up on the chain - the skipping problem still persisted. It wasn't the fault of the tensioner, just the combination of loose chain, ramped teeth and bumpy terrain. The tensioner is not spring loaded so it's a static system, as soon as the chain stretches too much, you need to stop and tighten it, a spring loaded system might have worked better but in the end it was more of an irritation than a major problem.

Hi guys, thought this would be the best place to post pics of the SS Giant that I rode the Freedom Challenge on this year. It's a stock XTC1 29er converted to SS using an On-One chain tensioner. Rigid forks saved some weight and the wheelset was built up specially, using a Hope SS rear hub and a SON Delux dynamo hub for the front. (The hub powered a handlebar mounted headlight as well as a recharging unit (mounted on the stem) to keep the compulsory tracking device charged as well as a Blackberry for blogging.) Cranks are 180mm Stylo's and gearing is 32x17. Couldnt get hold of a dedicated SS rear cog in time so was forced to use a 17 tooth taken from an 8-spd cassette - worked fine initially but as the chain stretched and became looser, I had to keep tightening the tensioner, otherwise the ramped teeth would throw the chain off when pedalling through bumpy terrain. (Also compounded by the lube freezing and making the chain stiff/dry) Ended up having to change chains every 400-500 km. Bike weighs 10.3kg (size XL) without all the race extras (spare tyre+tools in bottle) and 11.5kg all loaded up. It's my first 29er and I'm sold! It feels quite smooth over choppy terrain and carries speed exceptionally well. There's definately some advantage in the bigger wheels - most noticeable when I was able to freewheel downhill must faster than others on heavier 26ers (and I'm quite light so normally get left behind in those situations) The rigid carbon forks did a good job of absorbing the trail buzz but the big hits came straight through and I eventually had sore hands and wrists but then the terrain itself gets pretty nasty so even with front shocks it would be tiring. They also flex a lot fore/aft, especially under braking, which is a bit worrying at first but not a problem - they are actually really tough and are none the worse for wear after the race. Their biggest advantage comes when standing and pedalling, which is a given on a SS, as you don't lose any energy into a bouncing front shock and they are nice and light too.

That powdercoat finish looks even better in the flesh... maybe I can persuade him to give my ride a makeover for Christmas

In my experience (mtb tandem) it depends more on the individual riders. At the front you have to pedal AND steer so it's harder work and your arms and shoulders can get really tired - especially if the stoker moves around a lot at the back or keeps trying to look over your shoulder. The stoker can affect the steering from the back so a lighter stoker would have less effect in this regard. But even if the stoker is heavier, as long as they sit still and pedal smoothly (and don't try to steer from the back) then the lighter rider could still be the pilot. I've ridden both back and front and the general rule is when at the back, just focus on pedalling and let your partner up front do the rest.

Hey, I can offer them a spare room if they are passing through Mpumalanga. (also have a lawn if they prefer)