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All possible options or not the manager should be enough? If the owner was not there how would you know to contact him? Not the first Specialized store to be called up on bad service and not the last. Just wont support them anymore.

I am happy - 2nd MTB event - 45km and I did 2.13 could have gone 10 seconds faster if I didn't walk the first river crossing and I don't mean under the bridge which I almost had to crawl through at jut under 2m tall. After that it was game on and distance or depth was irrelevant just hit it hard and fast. Strava reading from a Samsung S3 was 47.1km and 556 elevation gain.

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so this will be like crossing an intersection for you!

What the old guy(see what I did there) did is pretty difficult stuff but have to agree with this.

Motivation?

Almost all Spar bottle stores have a case or two.

+1 - follow cycle path through Paarden Eiland under N1, you then go over the bridge parallel to the railway line and you will see Lower main rd bridge in front of you. Go under the bridge and turn right up the pedestrian walkway in the middle of the 2 bus lanes. Turn right at the top and head down to Albert Str. Turn left into Albert, wave to Avron and go past Biscuit Mill, be careful of traffic and stupidity. At Salt River circle take 2nd exit which is still Albert, it becomes Malta which becomes Liesbeek Parkway. Carry on under N2 and turn left into Klipfontein Rd Mowbray which will take you to NW corner of common.

Ok waveduke you are right, sorry Bomberman. but maybe no one claims that and she hasn't ridden in a month waiting for a wheel and walla back on the trails.

About 25km away and a month so ja could be the same wheel.

Agreed but for someone getting into racing their money would be well spent with more of an all round package, so its also in the information provided. In this case the OP was there and thought, oh well it's a race it should be pretty good but IHO it was not good at all. On the other hand I spent extra to do The Argus and support a charity, worth it at the time because I knew where my money was going.

So how would someone new to the racing be educated, if he didn't say something afterwards? Especially if they are new to the racing scene?

This would mean that there was a CP for the 42km which I did not see so I either breezed past or it was after the split for the longer distances. Having said that if you did not tag the CP surely it could not have gained much more than a minute or at the absolute max 2.

I did 42km, my first race, the bottleneck was frustrating at Helshoogte, although it was "festive" and the mud was ok, you could see some areas were well ridden before we got there but you could get through with a little "technical" skill. The hills were tough and most people walked them at some stage. I haven't walked for more than 6 months in my recent rides but a little cold and a slightly swollen knee and that was me walking again. I think the most frustrating part is people riding at different speeds on both sides of the road, I mean surely keep left pass right applies, especially up hills where people could stop at any moment? Like really slow people riding on the right. That and changing lines on corners without looking. Also I would have liked a little more single track as that was where I was faster and had to hold back, having said that maybe I would have been more frustrated if there was. All in all I enjoyed the vibe and the race, except for the one A#shole that pushed the queue at the area going under the road toward the finish, not the metal bridge. There were lots of us that could have pushed through and made up a whole 5 more seconds. Complete chop so far back on one of the longer routes probably. I did 42km Strava read 40.7km and 1208 of climbing but I am not sure Strava is so accurate.

So I won't be the object of uncontrolled giggling from the slithering lycra boys if I wear knee pads?

Just not sure what to expect or how to tackle the hills in terms of my current strength. Had a bad fall at Tokai at speed and took my knee out. No excuse, but not sure if I should just go all out and suffer through any pain or if I should take it easier. What to base a time on? Have ridden to the mast and done Noordhoek peak but that's the longest on MTB so far.

Ahh cr*p so that means for my first MTB race a M start for 42km is not great at all. Kind of like starting The Argus in the open groups and wanting to do under 4 hours.

+1

So far all the boring trails mentioned, was hoping for a mention of some single track which would be ok to ride still. Majik or Conties?

This is the problem in that it is relative to the person and their financial ability. If you put it simply and say a novice rider, for enjoyment but can still compete in a race, then Deore/equivalent groupset with minimum Avid 3 brakes on an average to better entry level frame will "suffice". The cost of that would then be between 7k (2nd hand ) and R20k (new) for a 29er HT with air shock. But then you have to take so many things into account ie: competitive nature, enjoyment, rider weight, rider ability and progression, preferred terrain, goals and more. These could have simple effects or major effects on what to buy and when, as they may change drastically in a short space of time. IMHO the biggest issue is the novice purchasing a bike cannot explain himself properly to the sales person as he/she does not know what to expect in a race. I made this mistake and although I thought at one stage I was sold the wrong bike, what I told the sales person is what they sold me. It was way better than the piece if rubbish still lying in my garage which I sometimes use for taking my 2 year old for a ride in the kiddies seat. I hated riding it, so never progressed. Now I have, not even a year later, bought a dual sus with longer travel which has made me want to ride daily( can't but want to). Not to say it has made me better but it has sparked the want for better bike skills which in turn has improved my riding. I have not raced as yet but I am told that Conterman's blue route would be no worse in terms of technical skills but is not long enough for the average race. Not to say that I would be in the top 50 but I would probably not struggle, especially now, again this is relative to the person, their experience/skills and their knowledge.

Just as I thought we would get an answer it went quiet. Was looking to ride today but would also like to try a better option which has drained and avoid Tokai.

Which is F.......all!

You didn't have to say anything you know. My opinion is still entering turn will help but it would need to be adjusted fairly soon, mid corner will hamper.

The effect of countersteering on a motorbike is turning in faster and dropping the bike down into the corner faster with less force as the gravitational forces on the bike do the work for you, it is less pronounced due to the speed at which you are travelling,IE you don't need to steer as much, just a little will do. Same as turning a corner in a car, the higher the speed the less you need to physically turn the wheel to get around the corner. We have all been countersteering since we were tiny tots and many have forgotten as it is subconscious no matter how subtle, my 2 year old countersteers his little bike yet I struggle, go figure. I am not technical enough to comment on cpt armpies mayhem's wheelbase theory but there is certainly more visibly pronounced countersteering in MotoGP exiting the corner than when entering it, even when the front wheel is off the ground Cause and effect of throttle control and once again centrifugal forces and C of G. The difference is the countersteering is to "counter" the rear wheel slide and force the bike into the corner.

Your analogy does not work, firstly the design and componentry of most 29ers are upgraded from previous years 26ers, as in current SLX is old XT, etc so it is an upgrade. Secondly by using Audi A4 and Corolla you are downgrading no question but getting bigger wheels on a car allows the car to take corners faster but uses more fuel and more power to get the same rolling speed, not so on a 29er. But I get what you are trying to say.