Cylon

As others have mentioned, there’s very little adjustability with Brain suspension. The Specialized Suspension Calculator has worked pretty well for me though: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/suspension-calculator/app

It's in pretty poor shape on both sides. Washed out right down to the bedrock in many places with loose gravel that makes it difficult to get traction on the climbs. There's also no clear line anymore. It's definitely rideable on an MTB but you will need to be really careful if you're recovering from a broken collarbone.

I finished the Leadville Trail 100 MTB race in 2018 in a time of 8h:39m (163rd overall). I started in the White Corral which I qualified for after finishing the Silver Rush 50 MTB earlier that year. The race organizers are pretty strict with regards to seeding and won’t consider written motivations or proof of your SA results, so if you are serious about finishing in sub-9, you will need to enter one of the seeding events in the Leadville Race Series. As others have said, what makes the race so tough are the long climbs, the altitude which drains your energy and restricts your breathing, and the unpredictable weather conditions (rain, sleet, snow, heatwave etc are all possible in one day). It was a big one to tick off my bucket list and I highly recommend it to everyone. Just make sure that you put in some training at high altitude and arrive a week or two early to acclimatize if possible.

I suspect it's a reference to the Velo Life liquidation debacle as they were the distributors at the time but perhaps others might have more insight.

I'm selling a brand new 36t oval Cannondale Hollowgram Si compatible chainring for anyone that's interested as my new Scalpel purchase unfortunately didn't materialise. It's the perfect companion for an Eagle setup https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/239423-chainrings/

Very chuffed for Kent. He's a great talent. Hope Willie also gets his chance.

Apparently Racetec had a complete meltdown today so there won't be any official results ???? I'm sure that's going to please a lot of people and might lead to a new popcorn thread...

One of the toughest, best organised, most scenic races on the MTB calendar. I'll be back for more in 2017.

I've ordered a 36t oval chainring from a Ukranian company that makes both round and oval chainrings for the Cannondale Hollowgram crankset which are designed to work with the new AI frames (F-SI, Scalpel SI, Beast of the East, Bad Habit). It might take a couple of months to arrive via SAPO but it's worth the wait especially if you are running Eagle http://garbaruk.com

Nice to read an informative and creatively written race report for a change!

Don't celebrate until you cross the frikkin line!!!

I had the same problem. Ended up replacing the headset with a more durable one.

Cheap as chips for a fantastic event!

er... because it sounds very similar to the terrorist group ISIS? Regardless it's a really poor name.

They look impressive apart from the extremist name but let's be honest it's hard to beat Shimano on quality and reliability. As much as I want to like pedals made by other manufacturers, and I've tried many of them, I keep reverting back to good ol' XTs...

I've been running Conti X-King Protection (2.2) on the front and Race King Protection (2.2) on the back on my Wide Lightnings and I've been very happy with the combination of weight, grip and reliability. They've handled all types of terrain from S2c to VG with aplomb. Not sure what they'll be like in very muddy conditions so might swop out the front and/or back for Mountain Kings if traction becomes a problem in summer.

The Kask Mojito is hands down the lightest, most comfortable helmet that I've ever worn. I own two of them that I use for road and MTB. Not sure if the massive price jump to the Protone is actually worth it since many of the Sky riders prefer to race with the Mojito.

Solomons Fourways usually have stock.

Apparently Robyn has pulled out so wonder who her replacement will be or if CSA will even send a female rider?

Could you explain how to do this?

Great review. I recently bought a set of the Wide Lightnings and I think you pretty much nailed it. The extra traction and comfort that comes with 29mm wide rims is game changing, even more so when they weigh as much as a decent carbon wheelset for a fraction of the price. The only downsides to the Wide Lightnings are the AC hubs, which as mentioned in the review, take some getting used to in technical terrain, especially if you're used to hubs that have more points of engagement. They are great on flats and downhills though due to the fact that they fully disengage, unlike DT Swiss hubs for example. I also noticed a small ding in the rim after their maiden voyage at Breedstnek which could simply have been due to bad luck but I'm worried that these light aluminium rims are a little soft. Time will tell I guess.

I will happily run and cycle in the Team Vitality kit... if they sponsor me

I wonder who's funding this "unprecedented" prize money? With Zuma in attendance I can only imagine...

One word. Insane!

I entered the marathon on Saturday and don't have anything bad to say about the route or water tables as they completely met my expectations. However, at around the 45km mark I snapped my rear gear cable which resulted in my chain being fixed on the 11t at the back. Since the cable was too short for a trailside repair, I mashed/walked to the closest water point by the river where I was hoping to get a lift back to the finishline. The control person at the water point radioed for a sweeper and I heard them tell him that it would be there in ±30mins. After 1 hour there was still no sign of any sweeper vehicle and by this stage there were a number of other people with various ailments that were also waiting for an early departure. The control guy radioed in again and was told the same story. Eventually, after waiting for more than 2 hours, I decided that enough was enough and mashed/walked the last 30km in the >35C heat to the finishline. Another couple that was waiting with me eventually arranged for family members to fetch them from a nearby lodge. This is the first time that I've ever required the assistance of a sweeper at a MTN race and the fact that it was M.I.A at a 80km/110km event in extreme temperatures puts a big question mark around the quality of the organisation. Isn't this what my entry fee is supposed to go towards? Although my situation can be classified as more of an inconvenience, there were other people with far more serious problems and after what I experienced first-hand this past weekend, I would hate for my wife or child to ever be stranded in a similar situation. Definitely something that Advendurance needs to address urgently!