Thug

As a philistine I don't need an expensive bean to cup machine, so have just purchased these..

If you are looking for a 1 person sub 1.5kg tent, I still have my Alpkit Soloist available.

Well done on your RASA tubed.

Unfortunately @Rouxkeloos, although I do enjoy my coffee, I'm going to be a philistine on my trip and drink the Starbucks instant roasts.

@Shebeen, I see you use one of Graeme Murray's saddles.

It’s a Katabatic Flex 22 quilt with an additional couple of grams of fill. https://katabaticgear.com There actually is another Hubber who together with his wife rode the race in 2019.

Thanks. Yes, riding flats. There are a lot of hike-a-bike sections so don't need to take spare cleats. Having one set of shoes also helps weight wise. All my sleeping kit is on the front with electronics, cables etc. Link to tracking posted above.

Tracking on www.silkroadmountainrace.cc

Securing your bike at night:

I'm loving the Sardinha with its relaxed geometry and all the mounting points. I'm running a Redshift shockstop stem for the corrugations and it hasn't been too bad after multiple trips on the Mini-Munga routes. Normally, I run a suspension fork. Tyres are generally 2.4's but in this instance I have a 2.35 on the front as I was too lazy to swop out the normal front 2.4.

Thanks. Wolftooth 28t Oval. I don't normally run a 28t but in this instance I'll be either going up or going down

I actually imported my whole sleeping system, except pillow. I couldn't find anything light enough and well proven enough to last the rigours of a 15 day trip in Central Asia. Tent, incl poles and ground sheet & drybag - 1039gr Sleeping Pad (4.4r rating) - 529gr Quilt & drybag - -8degC rating - 772gr

I'm actually leaving next week to Kyrgyzstan to do the Silk Road Mountain Race which is a self-supported bikepacking race. Starts 22:00 on 13 August and one has to be finished by approx the same time on 28 August. It covers 1 800km with over 30 000m of ascent.

The best advice I can give you is to have a look through https://bikepacking.com/ , which has a whole host of information. There are a couple of local retailers that stock bikepacking equipment: https://www.cycletouring.co.za/shop/ https://gravelandtour.co.za/ but if you want to purchase lightweight tents, sleeping bags etc, then you'll have to import from overseas.

Sorry to hear that. Recently purchased a number of OneUp components for my new bike.

Thanks. Yes. My older Revelate saddle bag is just too small and I am fortunate that Grant had stock. As long as one has a -ve PCR test you'll be allowed in.

I see his tracker is moving again and still in Stettyns. Couldn't have been an easy night.

Why not look at the updated Navara? I bought my previous generation 18 months ago and love it. Never had an issue.

A new saddle bag for an upcoming trip.

What's happened to Axel? Has he finished as his tracker hasn't updated for past 6 hours and it appears he's still in Stettyns?

He's on his way and I'm sure given his experience, he'll make it through.

Looks like Fjord, Axel and Gavin should be leaving Kudukaya tomorrow morning all together.

I have fond memories of my R2R in 2016 and will definitely be back for more racing versions. 2 years ago a group of us toured the Cradock to Willowmore section but instead of finishing in Willowmore, we turned left coming out of the Baviaans, stayed overnight in Uniondale, then rode the K2C track and finished in Knysna. They're doing the Rhodes to Cradock section later this month but finishing at Toekomst. Unfortunately, I have another ride planned in August so wont be joining them.

1st riders approaching Dennehof. A totally new experience for the new owners that took over on 1 May.

I'm using Brave and had a similar issue a couple of weeks ago. I deleted the Bikehub favourite shortcut, logged in again, saved the favourite and haven't had an issue since.