Stumbled accross this article. Don't think it's been posted yet... Anyway, cool read and a mention of the hub! Source: http://www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/article565939.ece/Bike-High Bike High Sport Jul 25, 2010 12:00 AM | By Claire Keeton -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weekend warriors take their bicycles off the well-travelled road and into the wild. Claire Keeton gets in on the action -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cycling past lions in the bush or along cliff tops or next to a waterfall are experiences unique to mountain biking. On winter mornings, the exhilaration of being outdoors on a rocky trail and the chance to have fun and stay fit gets riders out of bed. Across the country "weekend warriors" - the majority 30- and 40-somethings with testosterone, although the ratio of Amazons is rising, hit riverine and forest single-track at dawn and unwind later at coffee bars and cafés with cycle racks. One Sunday, I spotted five groups of lesser-muddy Swampdogs riding along the Braamfontein Spruit, about 40km of paths. Allan Laudin, founder of the 300-member Swampdogs club, says: "Mountain biking is not about the speed; it's about pleasure. This lifestyle has attracted a diverse collection of individuals, not clones in club kit but free- spirited, lateral thinkers, men and women from eight to 60, couples, singles and families." I like mountain biking too much to be objective, but it is possible to measure its ascendancy by the increasing sales of bikes and gear, the number of races and the membership of clubs and online forums. Marc Wiederkehr from Dunkeld Cycles in Joburg and Gedden Ruddock from Manic Cycles in Franschhoek agree the sport is becoming more popular. "First there were caravans, then 4x4s, and now people are investing in mountain bikes so they can be outdoors," says Wiederkehr. Ruddock says he has customers who have swung from spending their time and money on golf to mountain biking. SA national race official Richard Durant, from the elite Rock Hopper Mountain Bike Club, says: "The number of events staged and the number of participants is growing monthly. It has become a lifestyle." This year's Freedom Day holiday saw 13 mountain-bike events organised across SA. And today's Bastille Festival Freedom Ride from Franschhoek is expected to draw in the crowds. Profits will fund the development of cyclists from townships in the Boland. The carnival atmosphere of the Mr Price Karkloof Classic Mountain Bike Festival in the Midlands in May also attracted thousands of entrants to its night, cross-country and marathon races. And, of course, mountain biking has more surprises than road cycling. Swarming bees on the Karkloof cross-country race last year forced cyclists to divert into the forest. This year the Mabalingwe Lion Man Mountain Bike Race in the Waterberg in May had close to 1500 riders - a tenfold increase on 10 years ago. The Lion Man is the only race in a Big 4 nature reserve, although the riders of the tough 80km course are probably going too fast to do much game watching. But along the sand and bush paths of the 35km course, I saw a giraffe loping (faster than me), elephant dung - what do you do if you see an elephant on a bicycle? - a warthog and birds. The lions, which I heard roaring in the night, were in another camp. Mountain biking is "just wild", according to riders on the cycling forum thehubsa.co.za, who see it as an escape from stress and daily routines. As Foxy writes: "It is the closest I will ever get to feeling like a kid again. I can have a bad day and go on my bike and forget all my problems." Wiederkehr says mountain bikers have a different mentality to road cyclists. "It's about riding to have fun and keep healthy, not to be the first in the pack to the top of the hill. Our clients enjoy being outdoors. A lot of them, who were historically on the road, have moved across to mountain biking." Road cyclists are not the only ones to add to the ranks of off-road riders, many of their offspring have also become fans. Mountain biking is a sport that allows parents and children to have a good time together. The youngest rider in the Lion Man 35km was a six-year-old boy, who got by with a little pushing from his dad. Many moms and sons also rode together. Durant started riding with his son when he was 13. He is now 27 and they still go out together. "You can ride in relatively safe conditions with the family: mom, dad and the kids," he says. However, when it comes to safety, Joburg mountain bikers should not ride alone. Laudin says the Swampdogs have pioneered routes in France, Switzerland and Scotland, and in Southern Africa at Mashatu, Waterval Boven, Mount Anderson, Transkei, Magaliesburg, Natal Midlands and the Free State, where they own a farm. Gustav Erlank from Bike & Saddle in Cape Town says: "We have township cycling tours and tourists really enjoy the exposure. Typically, they are leisure cyclists and we organise trips tailored to their ability. Trail riding that is more challenging, like the eight-day Cape Epic covering 722km with 16km of climbing, is becoming more popular." The Epic is an iconic race, as are the three-day Subaru Sani 2 Sea and the four-day Sabie Experience. But these extreme races are not the reason most mountain bikers go out. What gets Laudin onto his saddle is the "freedom of riding the trails in the company of fellow mountain bikers with a passion for single-track ... meeting new communities, seeing beautiful and panoramic vistas, resting beside the streams and sharing food and conversation". And, of the course, the parties.
