Francis1

For the first event it was fantastic. A great mix and I must say the last 20 km were my highlight . Pedaled up very hill with out a problem. They should have taken us back to behind the central prison, as the climb there is murderous. I am in for the next one.

My trusty steed. Spez alu Crave frame custom orange paint with Hope , crank, bb, and hubs. WTB rims, Magura brakes and Lauff fork. Weights in at 9.7 kg.

i Would recommend Spank or WTB, I have Spank Trails on my Epic with Pro 4's and no problems at all. On my SS i have pro 4's with WTB KOM, s and also no problems at all. Plenty of km on both bikes. On my VIPA i have ECC hubs with KOM rims and all are laced with double butted spokes. Cheaper option but so far very reliable.

I was also looking at this helmet but reply I got was that it would not be available in South Africa.

I run a 34 oval x 16 or 18. Did the baviaans this year and stayed on the 34 oval x16. Paid the price on the climbs but still finished in 13:30. Tried a 15 but just toooooo much hard work.

Favorite bike is a SS and this has helped greatly with my climbing. Also did a 6 month strength and power training session that has increased my FTP dramatically. Single speed riding has taught me to run at a little higher cadence which has helped the legs. I run a big gear on weekends (34 oval x 15 ) that forces you to get your cadence up other wise the amount of force punishes the legs. On the climbs I try and maintain the cadance as far as I can and then stand for the rest of the duration. Just finished the Baviaans repeat on a SS and hit 14 PR's.

What a ride, and thanks to all the encouragement and WTF comments. It was my third and last year we finished just ahead of the winning SS team. We had a brain fart and decided we could also do this. SKOI ( Special Kind Of Idiot) is the caption, and we duly build our single speeds and did a huge amount of riding. We finished the repeat in 13:31 and were the first and only SS to finish. Not sure if riding a hard tail was tougher than the single speed but the Lauff fork was a dream. Gearing was 34 oval x 18 and we did have to push up the second fang, a bit of MAC and mini Mac, but were very happy with our time. Will be doing next year again on SS.

In for my third Baviaans and this time on a single speed hard tail. Not sure which is worse, the SS or Hard Tail. I have a Lauf fro fork which is a dream on the corrugations but alas my rear is going to take some punishment. Will be running 34 oval 16 to check point 3 and then switch to 34 x 18 for the rest of the race.

Entered and confirmed my 4th 947. Still debating if I must take a easy fun ride for once or head down and b to the wall. Other option is to do it on a single speed which is probably the route I will be following.

I tried this but then realised that the body can only absorbed around 270 to 300 calories an hour bit burns 800 to 900, so not point in trying to put in what you burnt. The rest comes from your reserves, which I have more than enough of. Interesting article https://firstendurance.com/how-many-calories-can-i-consume-per-hour/

Hi Janneman, Planning to run a 34 oval - 14 to check point 2, from there we will be on 34 x 18 or 20. At berg plaas back to 34 oval x 16 for the final drag.

Did my first Sani2c and it was the Race, Day one was fast and dry so lots of dust, but the following two days were tough. Not just all the mud but also just keeping mentally strong. Wind on day two was so bad it blew a couple of riders over on the paving section at the end. Even as a heavy + 100kg rider I had to be careful. Day 3 was great. Lots and Lots of mud but the comradery of those who decided to stick it out and finish what they started did wonders. Jokingly Farmer Glen also called the team handing out the T shirts and told them only dirty mud riders would qualify. Great fun but sad I missed the normal day 2 ride. Bike, well this is a another story. New BB, head set and pivot bearings required. Magura brakes performed very well and no need to change the pads or discs. Would like to know from fellow race participants, on why they balled on day 3 ?. For me there has never been a better reason than to spend time on the bike.

Will be our third one this year and decided to go the single speed route. Going to be tough but we have settled on a 34 oval -16 tooth set up.

Forecast is 100% rain for Friday and Saturday and cold weather with max at 15 to 16 C. Not looking forward to a ultra long wet ride.

Vee Tyre Rail Tracker for me. Fast rolling and good protection