Tatt

Little bit disappointed! As mentioned, basically the route we did in 2016. Was hoping for something special for the 20th!

I have a Garmin Virb Elite from around 7 years ago. still using it, and it includes your metrics.. And compared to my GP, it is a simple slide the button forward to film and back to turn off. Don't think they make them anymore, but have seen secondhand ones around. If you are going to get into filming, then I'd go new, otherwise, a second hand camera will do the job.

And the Amabubesi don't crack the nod for breakfast at registration anymore!!

That looks like the *** hill we had to go up on Day 4 in 2014!!

I hooked my b*lls on my saddle once going over a drop off at Tokai.. Lycra didn't help at all and it hurt. It hurt a lot.. An hour or two later I had a Specialized Command dropper post.. Nobody told me that you had to ease them up slowly with your thighs, otherwise they shoot up with speed.. It hurt. It hurt a hell of a lot for the second time that day..

Has anyone done the sums of the m/km climbed for each event. That is a good estimate of how much you are going to k*k, especially if you are one of the back of pack. After that you can factor in heat, sand, terrain, etc. Out of interest, lots of rain also makes it k*k to ride (2014 Day 2 & 2018 Day 3), when everything is covered in mud and you end up using all your water to try and keep the chain clean..

Agreed! Heat played a massive role. And that 2017 Tankwa was hectic, and a heap of epic teams who were doing the ride pulled out at WP3. I was stupid enough to go to the school at the bottom of the forest climb, and then decided to call it a day and go drink beer!! The 2014 Tankwa was even hotter if I remember correctly..

Nino should learn about duct tape 😂😂.. Works a treat with plugs and got me over Rusty Gates and home in 2014...

Howdy All For me, the combined weight of myself and my ebike is less than my previous combined weight of me and my non-ebike (I realised I was a fat-****and decided that pies and chips shouldn't be my staple diet anymore). So in my previous buffalo weight category I guess I would have been damaging the trails more!! The other interesting thing that I find is how I use the power on the ebike.. Sure you can turn it onto turbo mode, but on technical track, all this does is just get you to the accident you're going to have much quicker. So my approach is exactly the same as on my standard bike, which is slow and steady. Would like to hear other ebikers thoughts on this. Tom

Hi Chris Have you considered a dynamo hub, it might be an option instead of taping a big battery to your bike? https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/bike-dynamos/ How much life do you get out of your 520, my Giant has over 30 hours life which I generally find pretty ample? Tom

A 9.7 with a 750Wh battery and full carbon frame (nope, only the 9.8's and up have this), and for only R89k! Definitely a scam!

True, but I've got full-on range anxiety still! Have only 400 kays on the clock, so still busy figuring it out, as i don't SWMBO will be happy to come and fetch me 😂

I think I've posted here previously as to why I got an ebike... If not, I always said that when my medial bills from cycling exceed R500k, then I'll get one, I got past that number last September... I must admit, that range anxiety is one of the things that is top of my mind... So, probably contrary to most with ebikes, I spend a lot of time riding with the motor switched off... Just to make sure I always have battery when I need it!! So I am getting a pretty good workout every time I hit the roaf. And as per Hairy, it has all the metrics, can upload routes, etc, so it can basically be described as a glorified spinning bike that takes you places.. And I must admit, ebikes make you remember why you started riding in the first place, they are absolute fun. Tomorrow I'll be heading over the mountain to work, will spend an hour mucking about; the exact same time it usually takes me in my van to drive the 10 kays to town.. Tom

I spent a lot of time admiring the view.. When we got down the other side we were going to have a swim in the dam at the bottom, but then decided not to.. Lucky for us, because they had extended the route, and we only found this out at the third water point by the medusa... Had 21 kays to do in 55 minutes..

Did this route in 2014, UFO and Rusty Gates on the same day. This is a pretty tough route!