Lance Cruz

Increasing, enriching and standardizing the lexicon, will most certainly be done with valuable feedback and reader input. There are many technically literate engineers and artisans, who can add interesting source words from their field of experience, which could evolve into Afrikaans versions for many of the English cycling terms.

Country has vast touring bike potential. The gravel bike movement has taken riders into areas where the mountain bike racing routes don't always go. Some of the Karoo gravel rides that have happened this year, especially a recent 'epic; into the Tankwa, are the stuff of legends. Whether you do it on a steel gravel bike or roll 2.1" fast-rolling tyres on your 29er hardtail, it doesn't matter. Get out there. Explore. As Weg has proven: South Africa has nearly limitless potential for domestic tourism/traveling. And bikes are a wonderful way of doing that. Local communities are swift to react to new trends. We could see a range of new overnight facilities for touring riders, in some great locations, at very fair prices: bed, shower, single meal.

Orientation appears northbound. Probably routing to Donkergat, for continuation training with 4SF.

My understanding is that a small group of radicals are holding the community hostage, with the promise of undeliverable expectations. The uncomfortable truth, if you matrix the housing issue in Stellenbosch, is that the Jonkershoek informal community simply don't have the numbers, or location, to be a priority for local government. Will Cape Nature allow a housing project on its land, bordering a nature reserve? If an angel investor and NGO manages to deliver the swift miracle housing solution, considering how few people there actually are, does this trigger massive protests on the other side of town? All I know is, it's been a very cold winter here. Which we are grateful for, in terms of the water table, but living in an informal home, in the shadow of those peaks, creates horrible TB conditions. And people who are desperate, will be lead astray by radicals promising the undeliverable. There are some very clever people who live in the valley and have a better understanding of the issues, and more resources, than most of us. We hope they enter the debate to mediate.

Broadly there appears to be an issue with supplying what amounts to a public works project and service delivery, on land which is being leased by one entity – and in principle belongs to a national government agency. An agency which serves to protect ecology – an aim usually diametrically opposed to housing projects. The Jonkershoek valley has a low saturation point for absorbing relatively unskilled labour – here aren’t any massive fruit farms, for instance. And in the hierarchy of demand, there are a great deal more people who are clustered together in a more serviceable scale, and have been waiting far longer, for homes and service delivery, on the other side of Stellenbosch. Priority for local government is to serve the need on the north western side of town, not in the Jonkershoek valley. That last issue undoes much of the claim currently being tabled by the protesting faction. A faction which also appears to have no community cohesion – and is resorting to extreme tactics in an attempt to elicit any response from stakeholders who control resources. A very uncomfortable impasse. I don’t think a mountain biking show of force would do any good – and I’m a daily Jonkershoek rider. The only solution will be found between community leaders, MTO, Cape Nature, local government and the private land owners who border the informal settlement. We hope for resolution, as the Jonkershoek nature reserve in itself, does serve as a relief zone for many outdoor enthusiasts.

Seeing it separated into frames, you always think what the rider could have done. But he's effectively a passenger, that sequence is running at 1/2500th of second. That's a lot faster than a blink of the eye.

Outstanding capture of a very unfortunate event. Frame rate and focus tracking collaborated perfectly.

160mm 650b. Light bike 30mm id carbon rims. 1x10 #becausecheapskate. Pike front. Kashima factory rear. SLX stoppers.

My intention with the article was for it to be a departure point for collaborative debate, which is certainly has. Would like to thank those who have had real-world experiences with partners using e-bikes – due to health or fitness reasons – and benefiting, for their contributions. Adds substance to my estimate that this is certainly a great ebike benefit. Trail damage potential and access issues and arguments, I do believe my original conjecture about these have stood up to scrutiny. I was virulently anti e-bike two years ago, but experiences with friends riding them, have been illuminating.

Dust Monkey's experience is exactly what I refer to as one of the ebike-benefits in article. Great to hear of a real life example validating a point in article. If battery life cycle and disposal are the issues of criticism against ebike, all composites are to be vilified too.

I'm heartened by the robustness and quality of debate here. About trail wear, I highlighted this issue: "an issue around trail wear and maintenance that’s conveniently ignored in South Africa: mass and bike set-up. Heavier riders, will harm a trail more. Heavier riders on relatively narrow, stage-race width tyres (at high pressures), will do this even more so." About trail access, again, I think a point which is being ignored: "The momentum of trail access is empowered by participant numbers and people of influence – and they’re mostly mature stakeholders, unlikely to threaten Nino in a VO2 max test. If there are bikes that make these influential stakeholders ride more frequently and further, they’ll chair the negotiations for greater, lasting, trail access." And of course, this: "Of all the unconsidered benefits of e-MTBs, safety is the outlier. Imagine a member of your riding group has an off in technical terrain, and you’re at the bottom of a valley, with the nearest mobile phone signal at the drop-in point you’ve just descended from. You have a problem. The ability of an e-MTB to get back up faster than anything else, and make that emergency call for help, might gain those crucial few minutes between a manageable evacuation and the delirium of an emergency evacuation." Pedal assistance and open throttle. Two very different things.

YT has won a World Cup series. Canyon has a very extensive portfolio of product: road to DH. Hence the choice as referencing them in the main, as opposed to Silverback, which has (arguably) stronger African roots then either.

The Switzerland of Africa. If you can tolerate the absence of trees. Phenomenal gravity trails around Windhoek and a lot of raw stuff everywhere else.

Nils Hansen. He's so hot right now (for those old enough to have seen the original Zoolander) Coolest individual in South African cycling. Top bloke. His infatuation with bikes is so natural and effortless, comes across with vivid authenticity on this edit.

" I love that fork! Great build." Fox 36 on XC frame. Makes sense to the slightly mad amongst us. Others just stare.