Rockid

Aeropresses selling for R600 at the moment on More Flavour's website, as far as I know they are the distributors of Aeropress and Timemore etc in SA.

If you prefer thin grips also look at Race Face Half Nelson's https://www.raceface.com/products/half-nelson-grip?variant=31963013414994

Another option to up the carb intake in your bottles is Biogen Pure Carbs, it's hard to find though. It's not marketed as an endurance product and is part of their core range for some reason but it is unflavoured maltodextrin that you can add to your current drink mix to add more carbs without affecting the taste too much.

Friends in high places?

It does come across as if they were required to put out a press release but are still trying their best to keep it under wraps.

A rider disappearing from the scene after such a big breakthrough performance. Strange indeed 👀

I'm not sure whether you could grind finer but if you could that would definitely be beneficial. Alternatively using a bigger dose but it does seem as if you're already close to the maximum dose for your setup (looks like your puck is making contact with the shower screen already). I recently helped a friend with a Barista Express with a similar problem and in the end it came down to not using beans that were fresh enough, with stale beans it's basically impossible to slow extraction down enough to reach those ballpark ratio and time figures.

I recently upgraded to the DF64 single dose grinder and I must say that I would highly recommend it if you enjoy playing around between different beans. Almond no retention in between grinds and at about R8k it's great value for money compared to the other grinders I considered like the Baratza Sette or Eureka Mignon. Single dosing is definitely not for everyone but I usually weigh my shots anyway. Works great for filter coffee as well so definitely a grinder to consider if you like to play around with pour overs and espresso.

Sounds like a fun event. How will the timing be done?

Parktool website: http://www.parktool.com/repair/

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=78946&PN=1

Stay with the Fox unless you are a top XC racer who believes the few grams saved would help you to win.