George Mungrel

That seat looks well used and very comfy!

That's such a comfy looking setup!

Jip, it's a Calculus, such a privilege to have a custom frame.

I'm always fascinated by the individual ideas on what the perfect custom bike should look like. It's like cooking good food, the ingredients and recipes are endless! Why not let the photos do the talking! I'll show you mine, then lets see yours...

a Small bit of Loctite works great for me.

This is also a great option for an extra water bottle. https://www.evobikes.co.za/wolftooth/wolftooth-b-rad-double-bottle-adapter.html

A few more photos

In the last photo I have the SON hub wheel. For normal training and riding I use the DT Swiss.

Yes I do have a 29" back wheel option for shorter faster rides like the 360. Frame will also be able to accommodate up to a 2.6 29" at the back.

Thank you. Yes the SON Dynohub will be used for sure

Thanks for all the great comments. Just to answer a few questions so far: I'm using a SON Dynohub charging my power bank during the day and for the light at night. Yes I agree, the small FARR aero bar will be great and is on order. The drop bar is a SALSA Cowchipper carbon 44cm. Cassette is a 9x45 and the chainring will be a 36, still running a 34 at the moment. Back tire is the Schwalbe G-One all round 27.5" 2.8 Regarding damping...Yes the Lauf has no damping and progressive spring rate. I do not find the Lauf bouncy at all when sitting but yes it do have a bit of a bounce when standing. Tire pressure on a plus size tire is important, it will for sure bounce if the pressure is really low and the cadence high. There will always be a compromise between speed and comfort. If the spring rate matches the corrugation frequency its a extremely smooth ride but can be hard on big wide corrugations.

Calculus Munga Built When you say you plan to ride the Munga, responses vary from “You’re crazy “to “Wow” or “That sounds painful” As a keen middle age amateur rider, the last statement might be the most accurate; so when I planned to be “crazy “for the third time this year, I decided from the start the “painful” part should be addressed as much as possible. When planning a bespoke Munga bike you need to look at the conditions you’ll be riding in most of the time. Over a 1000km race like the Munga you get a bit of everything, sand tracks, a few rocky single tracks and never-ending corrugations. You also have strong winds, night riding and sleep deprivation to contend with. Building a bike to handle the worst of these conditions was the starting point. I’m sure all Munga riders will agree the corrugations for hours on end is the worst. I’ve done the Munga both times on a duel suspension carbon bike. For 90% of races this is a perfect bike, responsive, light and with lots of suspension travel…just what you need for 10% of the Munga! So, let’s get to my Calculus Bike. What you need is a bike for the corrugations, wind and stable for those sleep deprived nights. Thinking a bit out of the box it was decided that you don't need a lot of suspension travel, you need volume in the tires and small bump compliance on the front and keeping it as light as possible. You have to consider the vibrations, which is a killer for the hands and tiring on the body. A slack Head Tube angle to keep the bike stable on those long straight stretches plus a variety of hand positions. Working together with Millar Nienaber from Calculus Bikes in Hermanus, the following were done: • First a custom geometry Titanium hardtail/gravel frame, designed to address vibrations. • Lauf fork at the front for small bump compliance and to keep the weight down. • 29” front carbon Nextie hoops with a 2.6 tire for lots of volume to protect the hands. • 27.5" back wheel with a 2.8 tire, again for maximum volume and also to keep the weight down. • Drop gravel handle bars for a variation of hand positions and riding on the drops for those head winds. • 5 water bottle cages on the frame and a frame bag for travel gear. I know a bike is like a saddle, what works for one may not work for another but thus far this one works great for me!