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Who is Mighty mouse?
Andrew McLean
Thanks for the comments guys. This should add another 2 hours of easy riding to my day at Oak Valley.
I am going to be on the South Coast for easter and is thinking about a good 60 to 70 km mountain bike route to do in the Kleinmond area. I've played around on Googlemaps and found some maps on Cape Nature's website. The idea is to do a lap at Oak Valley with my wife and some friends and then to ride from Oak Valley to Kleinmond off-road (or at least off the N2 highway).
See route mapped out below. My questions are as follow:
- is this route open for the public. I don't want to tresspass.
- according to googlemaps its about 39km in distance, what is the general condition of the road.
I have a 120mm Reba on my Zula. I have not tried the 100mm alternative, so I can't comment on any subtle differences between the 2.
The 120mm allows me to do much more than what I thought I would be comfortable with. I also ride a flat bar and have not had any issues with steep climbs or lower back problems. The pro pedal and remote lockout on the front also allows me to stiffen her up a bit for those long 10 to 15% climbs on good surfaces.
I run a GEAX AKA 2.2 on the back. Super grippy in dry-ish conditions and rolls quite fast. I have also run the GEAX Saguro on the back, but prefer the Sag on the front at the moment.
My wet weather combo is Conti X-King 2.2 back, Mountain King 2.4 front.
I seen loads of people coming from that side of Bottelary on the farms long before this trails were started...always when I road cycle past they come from there, don't you think its a bit unfair they have to pay now as they been using those farms long before? Same as I won't join Tygerberg MTB to cycle at Magic Forest cause I been going there since I was 11....*don't attack me, just a question*
<hijack on> I think that part of the issues with local residents wanting to prohibit mountain biking at Majick Forest is exactly this. Too many riders and too little control. If it was not for the efforts from Tygerberg MTB club, their good standing with local council and the trail maintenance that they are doing, we would have been out of there a long time ago. I first joined TBMTB club just as they were opening up Hillcrest. Not to ride Hillcrest for "free", but to support the trail maintenance at Majick Forest as this was my regular after-work ride. I am hoping that the club and local authorities can come to some sort of fee arrangement for the majick forest area to ensure that these trails remain accessable to us. <hijack off>
Its sad that mountain biking has evolved into a sport that has to be governed by electronics. Gone are the days of doing a race and having a time recorded on your word of honour. I've had occasions where I needed to abandon longer rides and the first thing I would do is to report it to the race director / timing official or email them when I get home.
Now we need to have expensive timing equipment and timing chips with timing mats throughout the course to govern riders.
try a Profile Design Wahoo suit, usually retails around R3200.00 for a new suit and you have piece of mind that no-one has pee'd in it before you
Which shops stock these wetsuits?
Hi fellow hubbers.
I need help in finding a good second hand tri-athlon wetsuit in the CBD / Norhtern subs of Cape Town. I don't feel like forking out many ZAR for a brand new state of the art Orca and then discover that I don't like the tri-athlon scene.
One suggestion was the Tri Shop - 304 Durban Road Tyger Valley. Any other suggestions will be appreciated.
Oi! Give that lass a BELLS
Thanks for the honest reply Sarah. I think many riders simply wanted some acknowledgement from Grandstand's side. Now lets make 2012 a huge success.
One of my mates did the race last year and invited me to ride with him, otherwise I would still have been on the waiting list. I love the idea of loyal riders being given preference, but think that the Cape Epic has a better system with the amabubhezi concept.
This year they also decided to cut back on the number of entrants to ensure that those who ride get a good experience.
Perhaps what could be done is to do the following:
Have a promotion / relegation system:
The top 100 teams in the "Adventure" gets invited for the following year's "Race"
The top 300 teams in the "Race" gets invited to do the ride again.
Use the "Adventure" as an open entry procedure where riders obtain entries on a lottery system
Use the "Race" to attract the loyal supporters of the event.
Fill up the "Race" first and then open the "Adventure" for open lottery entries.
Did they get your time right VS your Garmin?
Garmin showed 3:39:15 Their time is 3:41:01, so not too far off.
Have they tested this Stevenson chap that won the long route? Decent average at 39km/h. I want what he's taking from the chemist.
I currently use Assos and Vermarc, and find the Vermarc just as comfortable as the Assos. Still an expensive bib, but great value for money. Can almost buy two Vermarcs for the price of one Assos.
I've got 3 Assos and 3 Vermarcs. My observations:
- My older Assos (previous range Mille) is much more comfortable than my 2x current range Mille's
- Assos shorts tends to wear out quickly around the lower back section, resulting in some crack-showing 
- My Vermarcs are overall more comfy than my Assos shorts
- My Vermarcs lasts a lot longer than my Assos shorts
- Wash your shorts with the correct washing detergent and and the correct tempratures per the care label.
- Use chamois lube for every ride. The chamois will keep its integrity for longer.
My next set of shorts will be Vermarc.
So, Friday has arrived and no results yet! Just the fact that you have to pay a premium to enter this race makes one want to expect premium service. That includes results before the next year's race.
I didn't make the podium, so don't care much for the results (I've got my time logged on my garmin for my own records). What would be nice is some communication in this regard. If they tell us that sorry they forgot to time the damn thing or the 12 year old kid they asked to write down the numbers and times is dyslexic then at least we know 
We've been riding this for a while, now we need to pay.
I think it is pretty much on par with Meerendal, not as if it is the single track haven out there.
Not happy that we need to pay now, but yes, it is another option, and another R300 per year to enjoy MTB'ing.
I think you will find that a lot of work has gone into the trails. Signage, bridging areas that was not ridable, cleaning up of the riding surface, modifying boundary fences so that we can get across without damaging the fencing etc. I understood from TBMTBC that the funds will go towards expanding the trails and ensuring that the area is concerved for the future.
Having riden the scouting ride with the club, I have recognised the enormous potential immediately. If this is well supported and well managed, it will definately be one of the premier mountain biking destinations in SA in a few year's time (think Eselfontein, Mankele and the like)
You can try justify it till you're blue in the face(no disrespect) Its crazy money, end of story for me. Just look at the state of F1, not the best example to use as its lost the appeal it once had.
I don't have to justify how I spend my money, nor does the guy who goes to Monaco for a race in stead of going to Killarney to watch the modified saloons on a Saturday morning. The point is that if the Epic was too expensive, it would not be oversubscribed every year. We pay 30% to 40% more for motor cars in SA. Are they (too)expensive? YES, compared to other countries. Do we still buy them? YES
If I paid R300 000 iso R400 000 for my last car, I would have been able to enter for the Epic, pay my partner's fees and have enough cash for 2 brand new 29'ers to ride the race with
There should always be an estimation of late or on the day entrys, especially with organisers and events that have been running for a number of years.
Why? This is one of the reasons early entries are so expensive too. They have to factor in a "margin" because some folk can't or won't enter early. If you knew exactly how many entrants there are, you know exactly what to provide logistically. You don't have to build in "fat" for refreshments, marshals, medals etc.
cashflow goes hand in hand with this: These orginisers have to pay upfront for facilities hire, sound equipment deposits, marquees and gazebo's etc.
Furthermore there is a huge cash risk. What happens if they take 1000 entries x R200 rand. That cash is not insured and this could be a very soft target for criminals.
I recon your chances is pretty good. Now that you have to pay to register, I think the days of getting all your buddies to register to help your chances is minimised. Otherwise train your butt off and wait until 3 weeks before the race when some riders realise that they are in way over their heads and start selling off entries at discount prices.
I Phoned them yesterday to complain and the lady I spoke to at grandstand events management was not aware of the issues. I told her to look at this forum to see the issues.
She further told me that they outsourced the event logistics to another org as this seems to have been the problem
Well I mailed grandstand management on Monday to find out about results etc. I always try to keep my comments constructive, but to date I have not heard from them. Its not quite the service I expected from them.
I'm curious. Did anyone see any Silverbacks at the Epic this year?
Some events log what bike you ride in their database. It would be interesting to see the stats sometime. That in itself will tell you what works in extreme conditions.
They asked at the finish whether I completed the long or the short route. Haven't looked at the medals yet, but I suppose they differ 
Or they packed up when all the medals were finished. They do say that they'll try to have the results up by Friday.
Perhaps they should outsource the Vigne a Vigne next year to another events coordinator. Clearly they have too much on their hands with the Epic.
CRC sent the wrong fork!
in The Bike Room
Posted
I had a similar issue a while back with an incorrect order that was sent to me. I got a pair of Campy shifters, cables and cassette in stead of a GoPro camera, race face blades and some other mtb goodies that I ordered.
I mailed them and asked what I was to do. I had to return the parcel at my own cost and they would then ship the correct goods.
I asked about the VAT and import duties and they said that they will mark the parcel replacement goods.
After a 6 week wait from sending the incorrect parcel back, I enquired about my parcel. They said that it was sent with the cheap courrier option, so no tracking number, but then said that they will send a replacement parcel with Parcelforce.
In the meantime some items went out of stock, so I substituted some of the order.
2 days later I get a parcel from CRC. It was my original parcel and I was forced to pay import duties and VAT again. I needed the camera to take footage for a race orginiser, so didn't argue about it.
I came back from the race and got another CRC parcel. The second parcel came through and I asked CRC how they would like to handle the matter.
They could reimburse me for all my postage and the additional import duties and VAT paid on the shipments and I would return the second parcel to them or I would keep the second parcel and forget about the whole thing. 2 months later I have not heard anything from them, so I will soon be selling off excess items in the second parcel to cover my costs.
I will think twice before using CRC again.