MockTurtle

Let's face it guys, the main event was the Epic. Vigne a vigne was but a sideshow. Staff probably disappeared to cheer the Epic finishers? Anyhat did the 27kms, thoroughly enjoyed it - awesome ride. Some dude overtook me near the finish - he was going really fast round the corner - doughnuted and popped his back tyre - eish - awesome bike control/recovery though!

Just read this thread. Been riding Tokai for years but have no idea what the process is/how its maintained etc. The bureaucracy sounds like a proper cluster****. Spread awareness. Not everyones on the hub. Flyers are a good idea. Even el cheapo ones that can be tucked under windscreen wipers at the parking lot. I'm sure people will volunteer. "HELP US IMPROVE TOKAI/VOLUNTEERS NEEDED" stating dates/building materials needed/issues etc. Now that I am AWARE I will be checking this thread out for the next maintenance/volunteer dates.

Wasn't the Trance X a 4" travel and the Trance Xn's 5"? Would that shock still be compatible?

yeah it was awesome. saw a bunch of guys turning left by the flea market robot. i was going straight though to the harbour. i guess that is the route to cbd\town? anyhat looking forward to the ride back this afternoon.

right, did the ride this morning. only 18.96 km according to endomondo. easy pace, just under an hour. those railroad tracks are vicious! i wiped out on the first one! bike just disappeared beneath me - it was wet and the tracks were at an angle - fortunately i wasn't going too fast... scar on my left knee just healed... now there's no skin again.... hahaha.. broke/scratched my evil eyes as well... never leave your shades in your pants... i fell on em. (took them off because well, it was foggy/misty). other than that what a pleasure! i could see myself commuting everyday!

okay i ride a '09 trance x1, and yes its an awesome trail bike! my advice - hold on and save up if you really want a trance frame. or watch out for a good deal on the hub. main thing you want on a dual susser is quality of the suspension. imho. no use having a great frame and crappy shocks. you will want plush suspension. you will want ust/tubeless setup. 'upgrading' always works out more expensive. get good parts on the get go. for now, keep riding. enjoy your hardtail. save up for that dream bike. my 2c.

Okay that's good to know. How is it safety wise? In two minds about taking the trail bike... think I'll rather take my el cheapo hardtail. Need to upgrade the brakes & forks tho. In any case much appreciated! Might see you guys out there!

Anyone else do this route? Am seriously considering commuting to work every day - if/when weather allows. I can take the bike lanes up to Paarden Island - but is it possible to cut through the harbour? ie how strict are they with regard to permits etc? I work in Sea Point so if I cut through there its just harbour - waterfront - greenpoint... bypassing the N1 altogether. Oh yes will be doing this on a hardtail mtb. Any inputs/suggestions appreciated.

OldFlow: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2527/4048601499_625a24a82f.jpg Jevan: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2748/4049389072_4f28ebe410.jpg Werner: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2804/4049402812_1d952f5673.jpg OldFlow: Glad you like the pics. I've uploaded the rest on to flickr. Just click my sig - see the Tokai set - click all sizes to see higher res (800x500). My bandwidth's a bit low so hope these will do for now. The full res orig ones are huge. Just let me know when you're in Tokai and I'll burn a CD or summing.

yeah. they're good guys. well, hopefully they pitch up here so i can send 'em the rest of their photos. we'll be back tomorrow. but i prolly won't take my camera gear - too heavy - would actually like to be able to ride a little bit

so we was at Tokai today. saw the crazy unicycle folks (hey!) and met a few other riders doing the jumps (howsit! i've more pics from the set - yell if you want them. you know who you are. sorry am just bad with names!). btw.my bro's the guy who bought Brad@TheRiot's bike. so yeah he's still just getting acquainted with the whole dh scene. well since this supposed to be a photo thread... http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2442/4040304490_f717980b9b.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2619/4040289530_e8a24d6efe.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3512/4039550801_11b3fddb7e.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2702/4040312182_e76f5b3b6c.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/4040297510_3ecf48a6ea.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3488/4040285242_0e81387e8a.jpg

hehe went through the same process last month. also my first full suspension bike. had my heart set on a fuel ex 8 (cons: cost... specs). ...then santa cruz blur lt (cons: availability, support, cost). ...then anthem x1 (almost bought this actually...). ...but in the end i bought a trance x1. i'm not really a 'racer', and i'd rather have the extra inch of travel. yeah am still getting to know her. for sure its definitely more bike than i am a rider at this stage... http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs007.snc1/2844_70981628558_620453558_1586395_4826836_n.jpg

had to make the same choice last week - had my heart set for the anthem x1. ...ended up going home with a 2009 giant trance x1. go figure! took the trance out for a spin on tokai on sunday. needless to say i was grinning from ear to ear! well my prev bike was a boggo hardtail avalanche 3 so yeah...

at the training wheels graduation david bellairs mentioned that in the whole history of the argus only one bike has been lost. i guess your dad's would be the second... btw. i'm assuming you did have the bike sticker on yeah?

there is a difference between grey imports and fake knockoffs. for instance, i buy my Canon lenses online, and not through local distributors. that does not mean i buy fake Canon lenses (fortunately professional grade lenses are covered by international warranty) - but it does mean they are 'grey'. in this case the added cost added by local channels does not benefit me in anyway - hence i choose to purchase online - its cheaper!

nothing wrong with grey products. i struggle to understand why grey imports are 'bad' for consumers who knowingly purchase as grey? if they are willing to take the risk, then why not? it will be harder for distributors to line their pockets perhaps, but i rather the money saved stay in my (the consumer's) pocket. if a market for grey imports for a particular product exists, it only means that the value that is supposedly added by the local channels is either substandard or non-existent (be it service/support/warranty/etc). if anything else, grey imports, or the possiblity thereof, provide a necessary function to keep official distributors honest. note: selling grey products as 'official' is another issue altogheter, so are fakes, knockoffs, etc etc