Tankman

Yup, that is bottom clamp. A top clamp deraileur like this might solve your problem. Most of them these days are dual pull (the cable can be pulled from either the top or the bottom) But you should be able to mount it much lower with a top clamp. Try and borrow one somewhere to test it ... before buying. (I have one somewhere you are welcome to borrow ... but I cant find the bloody thing now)

Is the that a top clamp or bottom clamp deraileur you have on there currently?

Did you win rookie?

Doesnt ignore it no. Just depends on what you want to see. Total Ascent or Total Descet Both available.

Then some hubbers can pick up a brand new bike at a bargain price! Seriously, how many people have you heard of that gave cycling, especially mtbiking, a go and end up totally hating it? Buying a crappy enrty level bike might just leave a bad taste in you mouth and that might put you off. I see it daily, people buy the cheapest bike they can find. They also expect much more from the equipment than it was intended for. Couple of weeks later they are frustrated, have broken bikes and start realising they need the correct equipment to get the job done . And that the more expensive bikes are more expensive for a reason. All those things about the gears, shifters, weight, wheels, suspension, tubeless ... etc that didnt make sense at first, starts dawing on them. Best advice ... determine your budget, spend 95% of that budget on the bike and upgrade your helmet, shoes and accessories when you can. If his budget allows R25k per bike, go for it! Buy new and he will end up enjoying the bike much more than a secondhand bike that comes with its own problems. Goedkoop koop, is duur koop!

We actually need to see the other side of your hanger ... if yours look like the one below on the flip side, I have one for you @ Flandria Cycles - Stellenbosch.

Another SS selfie in the geen fields of yet another winefarm during yesterday's ride!

I pressed some grapes in the Winelands with my SS

Pansy! 2 Epic's done on my hard tail. Regards Superman No doubt you take s coule of shots more on the HT ... but I just love that direct responsiveness feeling on the HT that the dual doesnt give you. And the HT helps me on the climbs and on the climbs I welcome all the help I can get. Might consider a dual for my 3rd Epic ... I must be getting old!

You have your head so far up your own arse, you wont see daylight at next years Epic! Will you be rubbing shoulders with the pro's or hiding behind you keyboard during next years event? I have completed the Epic at both ends of the field and it is two completely different worlds! I am by no means a racing snake or a pro. The first I did, we finished just outside top 100 in the mens category. We might have finished higher if I wasnt so farked on stage 6 & 7 from going flat out from the get go! We started strong, fit and fuelled by the adrenaline of competing in our first Epic. We started just after 7am in the mornings in normally the second group and usually finished around 1 or 2pm. We then had our woolies food, had a shower, got our bags, sorted out our tents, washed bottles & kit, took bikes to the mechanics, charged garmins, went for a massage, took a nap in the shade somewhere and pretty much had everything sorted by 6pm, before dinner time. We were fast asleep with full tummies by 8pm. Some evenings we would see the warriors/hero's that finished just at 5:30pm walk into the dining room at 6pm, still fully kitted with cycling gear and helmets, sit down, stuff their faces and hurry off to go and do all the stuff we had already done. I remember discussing this with my partner, we were glad we did not have to be out in the field riding the whole day, having to do all this admin after dinner. I remember thinking "darn, that must be tough!" This year I found out just how tough it really was at the back end! I rode with my (now) fiancee and realized after stage one that this Epic was going to be a complete different kettle of fish. This was to be her first mtb stage race, ever! I tried to prepare her mentally and physically as best I could for what lied ahead. Luckily the week before, we had a lekker heart to heart chat and decided that we want to walk away with good memories from this awesome experience and privilege we were able to share. We decided to ride at her level and maintain good spirit. She was pushing her boundries from stage one, we were pushing the bikes a couple of times also but we pushed through! There were a couple of scary and nasty technical descents on stage one! It very quickly became clear that the riding style at the back end was much different that what I am used to. There was way more breaking, walking, slowing down and getting off than the free flowing, keeping your momentum going riding I was used to. We stared in the last group every morning, sometimes at 8:30am. We normally finished at 4:30pm, 5pm or later. My massage was booked for 5:15pm so some afternoons I would get up from finishing my woolies food, run to quickly shower, massage, only to be in the dining room again at 6pm. Not all that hungry and not having done any of the other admin. I thought I would service our own bikes this year but I made a huge calculation error since I did not realize how little time we would have after finishing every day, based on my previous experience! Your day on the bike is just so much looooonger. On the nights where I did service the bikes, around 8pm in the dark, I would only get to sleep around 9:30pm. As the stages went by, it did not get any easier at the back. Fatigue, exhaustion, tiredness and the elements made people ride more cautiously and carefully. Sand becomes stones and stones becomes rocks and rocks becomes boulders. Small little inclines becomes hills, hills becomes mountains and mountains becomes passes. The legs are sore and tired, the concentration scattered and everyone is out there hoping to survive just one more day. Previously we never once worried about the cut off times, this time it was a bleak reality, we were watching the clock a lot more, riding to such an extent what we would have a buffer, should anything go wrong. We completed stage 5 in 9hrs40min, 20minutes before the cut off time of 10hrs that day. Should we have had a technical issue that day, puncture, broken chain or whatever we would not have made it! And we did not mess about that day either. We had a bit of walking to do do at rusty gates but our motto of the day was "just keep moving". If you get off, walk, crawl or do whatever you feel like but "just keep moving". Groenland berge was just never ending and it broke many spirits a couple of time when you think the peak is in sight, only to see a string of people pushing around the next corner. We went over that finish line ... broken, tired, sore, lightheaded and relieved that we made it across the line. Emotions were running high! In 15years that was the longest I have ever been on a bike! 9hrs40min! BROKEN! And knowing you are getting up and dowing it all over agian tomorrow. Sure you can probably do a stage or two of the Epic with a fair level of fitness. (depending on YOUR level) But you will not survive 8 days in a row, unprepared. The cut off times are calculated by the event organizers when they test ride the route. I am just not sure if they ride all stages consecutively or individually because that will surely influence the cut of times. But, again, if you are unprepared you will not survive and you will not make the set cut off times. The back markers are out there pushing their own boundaries and expanding their capabilities, testing their limits ... and these differ hugely from person to wanabe pro to pro. At least they are out there pushing their boundries and not pushing buttons on a keyboard! Up to now I have refrained from calling the hero's and warriors at the back funriders, simply because it sure as hell is not fun! I have a new found respect for the hero's at the back, I take my hat off to you and I bow. You ladies and gentlemen are the bravehearts, you are the warriors and you are the real hero's of the Epic. You earned your medal, you earned throwing your hands in the air when crossing the finish line. You earned your bragging rights. You completed the Absa Cape Epic and no di*kwad can belittle you or take that acheivement away from you. I put it to you: It is much harder at the back! Your welcome to tell me if you think we look all fresh and dandy after Stage 5 here:

YES ... she did, luckily!

Yup carried it the whole stage! I actually had it in my rider bag during the whole event! It was a surprise so I did not want to tip anyone off, both our families were there and it was very special in having them share the moment with us! On Saturday night I was stressing out as I tried to figure out how carry the ring safely to have it with me when crossing the finish line. Luckily we slept at home Friday and Saturday night. I started going through some stuff in the bike room while Ilse was already in bed, pretending to get our stuff ready for the next day. Found a neoprene pouch that was just big enough for the box to fit into. Velcro'ed it closed and use safety pins to pin it inside my middle back pocket. I must have checked a 100 times during that 68km to make sure it was still there without causing suspicion. And every time I pulled Ilse uphill she would grab onto my left pocket with me thinkink "just dont grab the middle, just dont grab the middle!" It took me a minute or two after crossing the line to get her to stand still, she just wanted greet familiar faces everywhere and I just wanted to pop the question!

I have never seen so many fake Pinarellos like I did on our last roadie race before the world funride champs, the Bouckaert Soenen! Seems they are everywhere in the WC also. Edit: world FUNRIDE champs

Wat meen jy? Ons party nog steeds!

Haha! Thanks buddy!

Turn your Bryton off with a hammer, then get a Garmin. Its a pleasure.

To be KOM of course! People segment all kinds of crap these days ... driveways, stairs, IDT ...

You called it Cassie!! Ilse is now my missus to be! Dropped down on the knee after crossing the finish line! :wub: Loved every moment (ok almost every) of the race and the opportunity to share this Epic adverture! I saw wat she is capable of and that just made me love her more! (Ilse not the Epic!)

So only one stage was too easy then? How can you understand what you mean if you have no experience? Or experince in what type of terrain is cover? What it feels like to be on you bike for 8 hours a day? for 8 days consecutively? Covering 800km, 16000m, river crossings, mountain passes, rocks, mud, sand, dirt, jeep, single and downhill tracks? All of which is unkown to every rider, having to expect the unexpected, concentrate and be in the moment 100% of the time? Fighting fatigue, exhaustion and the elements? Show us your finisher medal and then we might understand what you dont. We agree, good luck (P.S. I am in an fantastic mood today )

I would keep the frame number private until such a time that you need to prove it is yours. Hope you get her back!

There is your problem also! Just read the U.S version of Bicycling online. All the articles in there will be copied to the SA magazine 3 months later and then be repeated every year or so.

There is your peoblem right there!

If you want to donate (or offer a reduced cost) this package to a worthy cause, feel free to look our way. We are riding for a charity. Our entry fee has been sponsored but the rest is out of our own pockets and on a non-existing budget! Here is our team page on the Epic website: http://www.cape-epic.com/teams/2014/7137/chaelicampaign and our FB page: www.facebook.com/ChaeliCapeEpic Speedy recovery to your partner. Best Regards Henk

We got wind of the amount of sand and walking that awaited us on stage one. We also got a great tip: Get some of that white athletic plaster and strap that around your heel and ankle before putting your socks on! Worked a charm! And you dont even know it is there while riding! No blisters and you know what they say ... prevention is better than cure! I am not that sure ... !

We had your name here on the hub before the man in the white lab coat had test results back. Just kidding.... we nearly did! If they failed the test, tested positive and are being given a life time ban ... why keep their names a secret? Are they perhaps not guilty, are the tests inaccurate or have they not been given a chance to plea their case? Why release this information then in the first place?