RyanV

I'd have to ask whether you and your buddy are riding a 26er or 29er. 40/28 is a good setup for a 26er, but you need to look at a lower gear ratio for a 29er (38 or 36/24 is standard). It's not just the size of the gears you are pushing, but also the size of the wheel! A 29er also gives better stability and traction when climbing.

One can only imagine how many positives would come up if SAIDS had the budget and resources to test with the necessary frequency to stamp this out. It is difficult to side with those athletes who declare themselves to be drug-free, only to find out they are tested positive. My sympathy lies with those who use their god-given talents alone to take themselves to the top of their respective sports. They may never get there in a drug-fueled society. There could be a particularly useful strategy to aid the fair-play athletes. Any sanctioned athlete should be required to pay a substantial fine to SAIDS, the proceeds of which should be used to improve testing. The sanction alone is not sufficient.

Yep, was waiting to see the weather forecast before committing. According to PPA it is to ensure that they have the necessary contingency in place for the event (ambulances, water stations etc).

Hi Stevief, just spoke to PPA and they are reluctant to consider substitutions. I am keen to explore. Can you PM me?

Been riding with the Giro Code MTB shoes and they have been great and well priced. Mavic just too narrow and Spez just a tad too wide. Giro Guage are also an option.

Try Topeak, especially if you never want to lose your phone. Brilliant piece of kit. Use with Strava. Try CWC. http://www.topeak.com/products/PanoBike/ridecase_ip5_bk

hey chris, will bring the fat takkies along and see if I can keep up. somebody has to maintain the MTB presence whilst hentus is away

Big J-WP, where do they show this on their website? Interested to know more!

Couldn't wait to get my hands on the Conti X-King Racesport 2.2's. These tyres are claimed to be tubeless ready and at 480g, I just had to get me some. 4 tyres, two different wheelsets and two weeks later I still couldn't get the tyres to hold air (3 and then 4 cups of Stans per tyre). Put the tyres in a bath and guess what...these things leak air like a sieve through their sidewalls and carcass. So a big thumbs down to Conti and their tubeless ready claim. Real pity as these could be a great tyre if they sort things out! Big up to Evans Cycles for replacing the tyres with the UST versions...back to the tried and tested stead! Took a while to get a response from them, but no quarrels regarding replacements.

Agents are apparently out of stock of replacement spokes (silver flat blade) for the Fulcrum Racing 1 wheelset. Can't find a single LBS in the Cape with stock. Really not an acceptable situation...we really do live in the deepest, darkest Africa, where customer support and spares holding is not a consideration (wheelset was purchased from LBS). Can anyone assist with spares prior to the Argus? Any bike shops on the way to the expo with stock. PM me if you can assist!

add MAJIK to the list....how friggin long did it take to find info on that!

Hi Desi, Not so difficult to find...went out to find it on Tuesday with a very vague idea of where it is. As the other posts say, from Bothasig circle (accessed via Plattekloof or Milnerton), turn into Tiekiesdraai. Go past the new Checkers and petrol station. U will pass through a set of traffic lights and the next tar road left is Contermanskloof. Take that, go past the quarry, all the way until you get your first tar road on the right. It is marked as Contermanskloof Rd and there is a small silver sign signalling Contermanskloof MTB trails. Head up towards the kloof until you see Contermanskloof Farm on the left (you will see the dam and huts being built there) As you pass thru the gates you will see a parking sign and a small wooden bridge on the left marks the start of the route. Be careful if you go all the way up...the switchbacks are pretty steep coming down. Plenty of climbing and tough route in the galeforce SE, but route has lotsa single. BTW: Signs were a little confusing, so a route map will help at some point. I decided just to take the most direct route up (one is also led to believe that one should climb some of the single track sections, but I don't think that is the intention). Goal is to climb to the top of the radio masts if ur fit and head down from there! Route needs to be ridden in more to get better...so hopefully more riders will be out there to do so! Be careful on the chicken run too...some rocks in the way!

I know the feeling! I recently upgraded from a Giant XTC1 to an Anthem 1 and had the same experience at Jonkershoek. The trick is knowing when to unlock and when to lock out. Riding unlocked wastes a huge amount of energy (as i found out in my 1st race on the bike). This will cause the HR spike! ProPedal is fine for all but the most demanding bumpy downhill sections. It still has some give and will absorb most of the small bumps. Once you learn how to use the rear shock it will be an absolute dream! If you have smooth singletrack, unlocking won't help much. If you need to pedal/put the power down to get over obstacles (downhill/uphill) it is better to be locked. If you are flying downhill unlocked is shweet and you will fly past the hardtails....lock it shortly therefater. Climbing up a steep gradient on loose gravle unlocked is not advisable....at any point where power is needed it is better to be locked. If you are going up a steep, but bumpy gradient that is kicking your butt out the saddle and the terrain is firm, then unlock. It will help maintain better traction and you can maintain the seated position. The ride comfort is definitely better on the full suss and the it does help save the legs in longer rides. I think I probably ride faster on the full suss than I ever did on the HT, but that is probably a combination of more training and more experience. However, it is still great to sail past the HT's on a technical downhill! On a flat route like Koeberg, HT's and full suss's are evenly matched and the only benefit a HT has is during a flat out sprint to the line! Oh by the way...be careful on high speed jumps with the full suss unlocked...you migh start arcing head-first into the ground as the shock compresses and then releases! Also..I have had to drop my saddle height about an inch from what was recommended to get to the point where I felt comfortable . I can't say how much weight these points carry, but they come from trial and error. I have trophies to prove it!