Bub Marley

I got to say Im still confused about this whole gravel bike phenomena. The thing now is to get a gravel bike and then fit the widest tyres possible. Some bikes even allow you to fit a 650 wheel with even wider tyres. Surely going this route kinda defeats the whole purpose of a gravel bike. The only benefit i can actually see is having drop handlebars over flats and even this limits your handling if the terrain is just a bit sketchy. How much faster would a gravel bike be compared to an XC hardtail on a straight, flat road? Does this benefit actually outweigh all the other advantages you’d get with a hardtail? I’ve never ridden a gravel bike before so genuinely curious.

Last I checked, today was Wednesday. Cmon guys. You should know better and leave threads like this for Froiday please.

I was listening to the Lanterne Rouge podcast where they discussed the incident in detail. To summarise, SD Works ****** up massively with tactics. Firstly, not calling Reusser back early to pace Vollering back before they actually hit the climb. What actually happened was by the time Reusser joined them they immediately hit the climb and Vollering obviously dropped Reusser. Then Vollering had to wait for Reusser at the top so she could be paced back. They also mentioned that Vollering waited for one of her teammates as well on the side of the road wrt the peebreak instead of carrying on. So basically questionable tactics from SD Works and you cannot blame AVV for this. They also had more than enough time to get back on to the group. The fact that the deficit never really went under a min meant the chase was pretty pathetic.

Thanks. I see melovelo has them as well. Much cheaper as well compared to Farr although with the latter you’re probably more aero as your hands are further inwards.

Where can I buy this?

I’m also thinking of doing this race and will do it on a hardtail c XC bike. Mainly because I cannot afford a gravel bike nor do I have the space for it so for me the XC hardtail allows me to do both gravel and trails. im thinking of getting one of those Farr clip on aero bars for gravel events. Will allow me to get slightly more aero on the long Flat district roads. Any thoughts on this?

You do you, mate. I was merely pointing out that Meerendal is full of hikers and if you can’t accept that you’re likely to encounter them there then best to use another trail. Majority of people are okay with it and have no issues.

Anyone doing this? I’m tempted just deciding which route to go for? current fitness not that great after being off the bike for a month in Ramadan. Might just go for the 50 miler.

Just to add to this. Meerendal are like geared towards trail running. I would say even more so than mtb’ing. That place is full of runners on weekends especially. So I would say if it bothers you that much perhaps don’t visit over a weekend. There are loads of other trails in the area where there are no runners.

Wow. What an amazing route. Way more technical than what I was expecting. Super rocky, rough terrain throughout and some seriously technical singletrack especially on a hard tail. That climb at the end with tired legs was so challenging. Was a great event. Well organised and route was marked quite well. My distance said 49km so a bit more than the 45 advertised

I entered the 45km as well. hopefully it’s good🤞🏼

Another size discrepancy with Ciovita. Honestly never seen a company this bad with inconsistent sizing. BTW, I wouldn’t swap for a medium just yet. It’s more than likely a mistake on their hand. If you search this forum there’s plenty of comments of Ciovita sizing just being all over the place.

WOuld Golden Syrup not be difficult to actually dilute with water. Never tried it myself but it’s just seems like it’ll be a mission to actually mix it properly.

I must be missing something here or just not getting it but can someone please explain how this dual suspension bike is going to kill the hard tail?

Cool. I will also buy at sportsman’s to maximise discount though.

Most helmets sizes have a range either 54-58 or 52-56. As long as you’re in that range you should be fine.

Anyone know the release date for South Africa? I need one as well.

South Africa in terms of weather is certainly slap bang in the middle. In terms of winter, well it gets cold here but certainly nowhere near as cold as European cities. So you need to really choose your gear wisely. There is nothing worse than overheating. Im in Cape Town and what works for me is a light packable wind jacket. I used the Castelli Aria Windjacket (https://www.castelli-cycling.com/US/en/Men/Cycling/Top/Protection/ARIA-SHELL-JACKET/p/4520058_030) last year through winter and it worked for like 95% of the time. There were a few rides where i felt something warmer would’ve been nicer at the beginning but once you’ve warmed up that jacket gave me enough protection. Just couple that up with arm warmers, vest, knee warmers, gloves and you’re sorted. The reason I like this jersey is because I can pack it away in the back pocket if the weather gets warmer. If you get a proper thermal jacket, they’re not packable so you’re stuck with it for the whole ride. I also found that majority of the time, my feet were the guilty party in terms of coldness. So I need to get some sort of toe warmer or something for this winter.

If anything last years TDF proved that Pog is human and can be beaten. There’s no point in guessing whether or not hes clean or not. I just watch and enjoy the sport for what it is.

This man is just an inspiration. Honestly he makes me want to race my bike again.

Anyone perhaps have the route for this event? Website is offline. Seems like it’s now a 1 day event only. Im going to be in Worcester that weekend so thought i might as well give it a go.

Which is a better ride to do? This one or Ride Darling?

So many sizing complaints i hear from Ciovita on the hub. They seem to be the most inconsistent brand when it comes to sizing consistency.

I think Pog is the most likely to win. Paris Roubaix will be his biggest challenge. I think he will win MSR because of that uphill before the finish. He almost did it this year and I’m confident that there will be a year where he will manage to get the gap he requires. And then hold it on the descent. Paris Roubaix is a different story though. It wouldn’t surprise me if he tackles this when he’s older, and maybe he’s not focused on the Grand Tours. Perhaps put on a few kilos and get a bit more muscular. This will be a challenge for him. MVDP for will struggle to win Lombardia because it has proper climbs and not just minor hill bumps. I think its more likely Pog will win at Paris Roubaix versus MVDP at Lombardia.

Go for it. I listen to his podcast.