Rigardt@Scott

Was just thinking the same thing

For the sheep. I followed the link the the Insta profile credited - he has a little back story about the house. Very interesting!

Blasphemy! Don't insult my baby like that.

Nah, the Ground Control is an XC tyre, it rolls fast. The Eliminator rolls well too. There isn't much of a weight difference between 2.3 versions and 2.6 versions either, to be honest the 2.6 is actually not much wider than 2.3, they just have more volume. In fact, these roll a hell of alot faster than the 2.3 Aggressor / 2.5 DHF combo I usually run. I did the Brewery to Brewery a few months ago on this combo and can't say it hindered me much - it's obviously not an XC or marathon setup, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better "all rounder" trail setup than this.

So, I sold my gravel bike, my hardtail, and Transition Sentinel frame all to build the dream "quiver killer" of a bike - a Yeti SB130. Build list: - Yeti SB130 Turq, Lunch Ride Edition - Fox DPX2 shock - Rock Shox Lyrik Ultimate 150mm - XO1 Eagle drivetrain - Formula Cura 4 brakes - One Up 180mm dropper - Spez Power Arc saddle - cSixx END carbon bars - cSixx END 9 Series carbon rims - CushCore inserts - Spez Ground Control and Eliminator 2.6 tyres - One Up EDC tool in the steerer tube - Shimano XT trail pedals - Fidlock bottle cage 14.3kg all in with everything listed above. Absolute stunner of a build. All I still need to do to finish it off is get black decals for the handlebar and shock. And... as luck would have it, I am sick, so I can just stare at it until I am healthy again.

What a place. A couple of us did a bikepacking trip last year and stayed there a night - will definitely be staying there again in future.

Says the guys who's name I see popping up on the forums more than anyone else

Nee, kyk op daai stadium is dit net 'n slang wat 'n mens jou broek laat vuil maak! Dit is maar daai tyd van die jaar, moet maar jou oë mooi oop hou.

I rode straight over one in the trails behind my house yesterday. I am still recovering from the shock. And I need new bibs...

My brother actually bought my Slade from me a few weeks ago knowing it was a bit small for him (It's a Large, he needs to be on an XL). He bought the bike with the idea that he is actually buying a bunch of parts which he will build over onto a bigger frame when he has the cash. My initial recommendation to him was that he buys a Nukeproof Scout 290, but I am definitely going to try convince him to go for this instead. But yeah, agree - it has all the right standards, features, and numbers to be a do it all bike for someone. Build it up relatively burly with a 140mm fork to do trail duties, then drop your fork to 120mm and slap a set of fast rolling tyres on to do bike packing and marathon duties. Even has bosses for 2 bottle cages

I hope Wayne manages to sell a bunch of these so this stays economically viable for him. As far as I know this is the only local option if you want to buy an affordable steel hardtail with all the right geo numbers. I'm not in the market, but when I am again I know where I will be making my first stop.

And it is a beaut! Yours was the first I saw in person, the pics don't do it justice. And... 2 water bottle cages. For me that is a huge deal. If I don't have to ride with a backpack I am very happy.

Cannot hit the like button hard enough!!

Wow

Except for those that must see a grown man in tights.

It's not the tyre you need to check - have a look and see if the rim has cracked anywhere. Unlikely, but that is what usually get damaged.

Sounds like a much better option than shoelaces. I've always found shoelaces have a bit too much elasticity to it.

There are 32mm and 35mm versions of the SID.

I loved the Evil, cannot say a bad thing about the bike at all. In fact one of the guys I ride with is on one that he absolutely loves. I was stupid, I was between a Medium and Large, and bought a Medium without test riding. I could never get comfortable on it. Another factor is that I do have a hardtail trail bike which does trail and flow trail duties and is my "all rounder" - there was too much overlap between the Following and the hardtail and I wanted a big bulldozer of a bike... That said, had I bought a Large to start with, I probably would still have it...

Haha ja that tilt makes it look way slacker than it actually is (64). But it is very long! In a size large (I am 1.78) it is longer than most DH bikes of the same size. Reach is 475mm, which was super long when it was released, but not so outlandish by today's standards. When I initially built the bike I had a 51mm offset fork on it while I was waiting for a 41mm offset CSU - it was honestly quite horrible, steered like a bus. With the short offset fork (bike was intended to be ridden with a short offset) it actually is quite nimble. I have taken it on a few longer rides (60-70km with 1500m to 2000m climbing) and although you feel the weight, it's actually not such a slog to ride. I am just happy I live in a place where a bike like this can be ridden!

With the addition of the Super Deluxe Coil my dream build is now complete. I got the frame about 18 months ago and built it up with parts from the Evil Following MB I had before this. I changed out parts one by one until I had this... Upside is all the old parts went to my hardtail, so it's looking pretty dam good as well. Frame: Transition Sentinel V1 Alloy Fork: RS Lyrik Ultimate (160mm) Shock: RS Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil (140mm) with 600lbs spring Wheels: cSixx 9 Series END Carbon laced to Hope Pro 4, with CushCore and Spez Eliminator 2.6 tyres (Black Diamond back, Grid front) Groupset: Sram XO1 Eagle with 170mm crank, 32t cSixx chainring, MRP bash guard Brakes: Formula Cura 4 with 203mm rotors front and rear Cockpit: cSixx END carbon bars, ODI Rogue grips, Lyne Contour 170mm dropper, Spez Henge saddle Pedals: Shimano XT SPD pedals Other: OneUp pump, OneUp EDC tool in the steerer tube Weight: A spritely 17.2kg. The joke is that except for the frame there is nowhere to save weight. So even with the carbon version of it (which I am okay without) it would weigh mid 16kg... But, this thing is a beast. It's limits are waaaay beyong mine. And for what it is, it actually climbs well. And by that I mean comfortably for an hour - not fast. The seated position puts you over the pedals. The length and head angle of this bike means it is stupid fast when the trails point down - I just wish I had the balls to pilot it as fast as it deserves to be piloted. Will take some better photos this weekend.

I've entered. Only seeing the registration only on Saturday bit now. That's a bit of a pain coming from Somerset West... Looking forward to it none the less.

Lekker event, well done to organiser, I will definitely do it again. Only dissapointing part was how 2 beers and a burger at the finish line became one beer and a prego roll haha

Doable on a gravel bike for sure. But if you have the option of mtb and gravel the mtb will be much more enjoyable. I was also considering gravel until I spoke to some people who did it on gravel bikes last year and have said mtb is definitely the better choice for this route.

Yes! The AMP carbon will definitely be my next wheelset. Well done Lyne!