SurferChild

I'm a roadie and very proud of it but lately bought a MTB and went for a spin or two in the veld... like it! My company has a few MTB enthusiasts of whom 4 did the Sani... and i've been asked to do the 45km Magalies ride. Question is thus: I'm a VA road rider, but this will be my first MTB race... open category i guess (automatic seeding which will put me in the very last group as i don't have a MTB seeding, or do i pick the group as i've seen some people mention here?) If the latter, where would you suggest i plug myself into?

My offer still stand... pay for my flights

You won't find me wearing anything else but the Sidi Mega shoes... I was struggling with numb feet/toes for quite some time and shopped around from Louis Garneau's to Specialized... Nothing resolved the issue, until I tried out the Sidi Mega shoe. I wear size 46, and the 46 Mega shoe is absolutely perfect. If you have really really wide feet, go for the half size up. These shoes are awesome!! I've got both road and mtb mega shoes... won't change

So I decided on this bike https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/87222-brand-new-stumpjumper-comp-carbon-2014/

Cyclefit... without a doubt!

Also not a bad looking bike...

I really am interested in this bike... it was just the sizing that i'm not to sure about. However I'm going to the bike shop this afternoon to make sure if an XL will fit me. If so, I'll definitely look into buying this bike

I understand that hardtail is a good all rounder and good for general racing as well. I was told that the duals suck up quite a bit of pedal power. 29er I understand is a better rolling wheel especially over rugged terrain...

I saw the add See my comments at the bottom of the add

Thanx for the replies thus far... Now that you mention it JB, I had a look at a Momsen from my LBS going for R34k... full house

I'm seriously in the market of buying a mountain bike. I've been convinced to get one now, as I'm a sturn roadie (although i've been quite interested in the mtb side of things as well for additional riding time and experience) Firstly I have no idea what size to look for... My road bike is a 58cm if that is anything to go by. My question is, how much mountain bike can i get for R30k? Ideally I'm looking for a carbon hard tail 29er. I can get a new Bianchi Ethanol 27.1 Shimano XT/Deore which I suppose is not a bad deal. Any advise would be appreciated

I would have put up my hand for this... unfortunately i live in JHB and getting to the institute 5 times might be a costly matter... unless you pay for the flights

Thanx a mil... it's just now the financial burden to get everything fixed... eish

What a day, what a race... at least for the first 11km in VA's, when my race abruptly ended with my first crash. Pothole in the road, water bottles flying, guys ducking and diving... crash boom bang. I saw my water bottle jump out of the cage as well because of the pothole, and somehow bounced from my leg into my back wheel. Locked up my wheel completely which left me scouting the tar for where i will fall. Bike is broken badly, so I'll see this week what the financial damage is. Speaking to a guy after the race, he mentioned that our group had 3 different crash incidences... Sho! To the Road Ranger who assisted me on the scene... You were absolutely brilliant and your concern about my well being was overwhelming. You guys do such a brilliant job and often go unnoticed (until we hit the tar mac and actually realize how helpful you are), to you my friend I take my hat off, and say thank you so very much. You got the medics there in seconds attending to myself and another cyclist that also fell down, and ensured that I get back safely to Emperors (with my broken bike). Now it's to heal up, fix/replace my bike... and start riding again

As far as i know... No. Last registration is on Saturday 9am to 3pm if i remember correctly

Meintjies is a machine!! Well done buddy

Does anyone know where I can hire/rent a mountain bike in the Pretoria area? I would like to go an ride in Groenkloof with a bunch of mates but my road bike won't love me much if i use that there... hence mountain bike required. I phoned Groenkloof, however their rental shop closes at 1pm and this planned ride is from 4-6pm today. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

I'm quite tempted to ride in this event however it's Emperors the next day... pondering pondering

Ola JVZ, send me a pm with your details. I'm going to Emperors on Saturday to collect my goods.

I see there is an Mzanzi App for Android also available

At least it seems as if there is a little more focus and exposure this year than last year. Hopefully it grows year on year in attendance and coverage

Just give your wife your number... she can pick it up. If you're riding in the racing groups, remember to give her your licence

I'll see you in that VA bunch

I've moved to Kempton Park recently and found out that a few guys leave the Shell garage at Finish Line cycles at 5am each morning (besides Mondays). Tuesdays are specifically for MTB. Don't know of any afternoon rides though

Be sure to keep some reserve in the tank for the final km. That little uphill towards Emperors takes it toll on tired legs