arendoog Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 before the start... 1) buy new tyres and fill up with with sealant2) fit a new chain and cassette if needed3) fit new brake pads and bleed your brakes4) service your fork and shock5) Check headset and BB bearings6) Check your wheels and consider replacing spokes if your wheelset is older than say 3 years. Also get them to loosen up the spoke tension, some wheel builders tension spokes crazy stiff.7) test your bike properly and make sure everything is 100% two weekends or so before then go ride the epic, wash your bike, lube your chain, bushes pedals etc. every day and you will be fine... carry plugs, a tube, multi tool, derailleur hangar and throw a spare tyre, foot pump, leatherman etc. in your over-night bag. there, I've just saved you the need for a maintenance plan This is the way i always do it and never had issues .Teach yourself how to change a derailer hanger and refit the rear derailer and you are good to go
Mike Bike Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 i normally never do the service package or accom, however at berg and Bush i got an entry cheap that included both. It was awesome to just dump the bike and walk off. i needed a new tyre after day 1, just gave the one i always carry to them. My partners bike had drive train problems, all sorted. bike went really well after. And the airconditioned room was amazing when it was 39 degrees outside at 4pm
arendoog Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Another important point is your equipment .A 12,5kg fully XT or standard groupset bike with aluminium rims and fewer carbon parts are not the one,s being fixed next to road . Think twice before heading off in stage one with your carbon wheelset and 9kg fully carbonized bike if you have not tested it properly before
GLuvsMtb Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 A few years ago I did BC Bike race in Canada. I recall the service package being something like $600 at the time (exchange rate then was around R10 / $1). I took the option as I was already spending a bucket load on plane tickets accommodation etc. Conditions were rather extreme and I believe that we got full benefit from the package. I did not miss a shift in 7 days of hard riding. I did manage to bust up my RD on an off camber rock plate covered with green stuff and had to fork out an additional $500 for an X0 RD. I paid it with a smile after single-speeding for half of day 5. The question is not whether or not service packages are expensive or not, rather ask yourself whether the bike shop in question has the expertise and resources available to make good on their service offering. Its no-good trying to line up 20 customers if you only have 10 hours to get through 20 bikes on your own. On top of that these guys are being ripped a new one by the race itself who is asking mad money for the privilege of doing business in the village. It is after all supply and demand. With the race now frequenting towns closer to CT for the majority of the event I anticipate that the more innovative guys out there are going to find ways to by-pass the supporter village costs in order to get fees down to an acceptable level.
NelAndre Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 If you feel it is a rip-off then you should not pay for such a service . I think it is a bargain because I am lazy and don't want to mess around with a bike after a hard days racing . I could not care less if he just dust off and lube my bike everyday , but that bike better be race ready the next day . Comparing a sport therapist with a bike mechanic is a bit unfair . BTW my plumbers hourly rate is R790ph .I am in this movie........I will pay.........for the massage, mechanic, plumber and electrician. I am built that way, have tried to "do-it yourself" and I just frustrate myself and everyone around me......the spending is an insurance policy?
Marius Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 If you silly enough to pay to ride the Epic don't complain about anything price related, you've given up that right. If you getting sponsored let them pick up your maintenance bill.
GLuvsMtb Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Consider what is involved for a shop to send (say) 3 mechs to a race:1. Vehicle and fuel @ AA rates for a small van = 4.61 (based on a VW Caddy 2010 model) x 300 km (cape town - tulbagh - wellington - boschendal - meerendal)= R1 3832. 1 senior mechanic salary and overtime for 7 days = R8 000 (guess)3. 2 x junior mechanic salary and overtime for 7 days = R4 500 (guess)4. Epic supporter Village fees R 10 000 (+- R1000 per night was charged in 2013, escalated annually)5. Food and refreshments for staff = R300 x 7 = R 2 1006. Consumables per client (say 30 clients) = R100 x 30 = R3 0007. Cost of stocking (say) 10 RD's, 10 Chains, 40 sets of brake pads, 5 head sets, 5 BB's 5 sets of pedals, 5 handle bars, 5 seat posts, 30 tyres, extra consumables, 15 different chain rings (single, double, triple, etc.) 10 cassettes, 3 stems, 5 saddles, 10 water bottle cages, and other niknaks on consignment = R5 000 (guess)8. Opportunity cost for sales and services that is reduced during the Epic = R15 000 (guess) Total cost = R49 000, making the cost to be at the Epic around R2 450 per rider (lets say they take on 20 riders) . Factor in trips and phone calls to the shop for parts required, insurance on the vehicle and equipment, doubling up on equipment if the shop is still running (which it probably is) etc. and you realise that R5k to have your bike looked after means everything needs to go right for the shop owner in order for him to make a reasonable return. While we can debate the finer detail in the numbers, the high level picture is that it costs way more to have technical support than (say) a massage or a food truck at these events. I for one appreciate what our bike shops are doing at these races.
Skinnyone Posted October 28, 2015 Posted October 28, 2015 Well put G! I have done the Epic support as a mechanic a few times (5 to be exact) and every time I have done it "under my own steam" so to say I have only JUST broken even - the one year I actually arrived back in Joburg with a loss as the van I was using had a bit of an issue so I had make an unplanned overnight stop in the Karoo. Over night stop and mechanics fee to fix the car put me back over R1000 that was not budgeted for... So by all means if anyone thinks it is too expensive then they are welcome to go to the "neutral service" people and have a bleary eyed mechanic look over the bike at midnight after having 30 bikes pushed on him before yours and hope its ok in the morning...
rudi-h Posted October 30, 2015 Posted October 30, 2015 Another important point is your equipment .A 12,5kg fully XT or standard groupset bike with aluminium rims and fewer carbon parts are not the one,s being fixed next to road . Think twice before heading off in stage one with your carbon wheelset and 9kg fully carbonized bike if you have not tested it properly before if i look at the trends and the latest tech, i don't think its fair to still claim that carbon is inferior to alloy components when it comes to durability. i upgraded to a carbon frame specifically for better durability after I cracked 3 aluminium MTB frames. My old frames typically cracked on the welds and carbon frames do not have any welds that can crack, nor does the material suffer from fatigue damage... I don't have experience with carbon rims, but the fact that e.g. top the top end build kits for e.g. the entire Santa Cruz range come with ENVE rims would suggest that it isn't too flimsy.
Cat2forLife Posted October 30, 2015 Posted October 30, 2015 Consider what is involved for a shop to send (say) 3 mechs to a race:1. Vehicle and fuel @ AA rates for a small van = 4.61 (based on a VW Caddy 2010 model) x 300 km (cape town - tulbagh - wellington - boschendal - meerendal)= R1 3832. 1 senior mechanic salary and overtime for 7 days = R8 000 (guess)3. 2 x junior mechanic salary and overtime for 7 days = R4 500 (guess)4. Epic supporter Village fees R 10 000 (+- R1000 per night was charged in 2013, escalated annually)5. Food and refreshments for staff = R300 x 7 = R 2 1006. Consumables per client (say 30 clients) = R100 x 30 = R3 0007. Cost of stocking (say) 10 RD's, 10 Chains, 40 sets of brake pads, 5 head sets, 5 BB's 5 sets of pedals, 5 handle bars, 5 seat posts, 30 tyres, extra consumables, 15 different chain rings (single, double, triple, etc.) 10 cassettes, 3 stems, 5 saddles, 10 water bottle cages, and other niknaks on consignment = R5 000 (guess)8. Opportunity cost for sales and services that is reduced during the Epic = R15 000 (guess) Total cost = R49 000, making the cost to be at the Epic around R2 450 per rider (lets say they take on 20 riders) . Factor in trips and phone calls to the shop for parts required, insurance on the vehicle and equipment, doubling up on equipment if the shop is still running (which it probably is) etc. and you realise that R5k to have your bike looked after means everything needs to go right for the shop owner in order for him to make a reasonable return. While we can debate the finer detail in the numbers, the high level picture is that it costs way more to have technical support than (say) a massage or a food truck at these events. I for one appreciate what our bike shops are doing at these races. If only the costs were that little.. A mechanic would generally get around R10k - R12k for his weeks work. Times that by 3 or 4 guys and you're already up to R48k. Packing the BARE MINIMUM for Whines to Whales, we're up to R20k already in parts. For Epic you would easily reach R50k plus in spare parts.
Shebeen Posted October 30, 2015 Posted October 30, 2015 obviously the answer is yes. but it's the EPIC. did your credit card not point you to signing up for this too when you entered? http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/07/Vaseline.jpg
DIPSLICK Posted October 30, 2015 Posted October 30, 2015 Epic what ever it costs to be a "REAL CYCLIST" Dips runs
V12man Posted October 30, 2015 Posted October 30, 2015 Epic what ever it costs to be a "REAL CYCLIST" Dips runsA successful lifetime diet....
DIPSLICK Posted October 30, 2015 Posted October 30, 2015 A successful lifetime diet....Mmmmmmm,,, I'm see over the years you have mastered the art of many angles of justifying "essentials"
Matchstix Posted October 30, 2015 Posted October 30, 2015 From working on the epic. . . Yes some days one can spend 30 min a bike, however, then you get the wet days, Spending over 3hours on a bike, because you have to take the bb out to change th cables (niner and open). Through this having to rebuild a wheel only to finish 6 o clock the next morning before the riders start. Also find someone that will do a complete service before hand. Having completed 3 epics on the bike and maintaining my own bike during these. It does give you piece of mind.
raptor-22 Posted October 30, 2015 Posted October 30, 2015 try servicing an older DLR (xfusion cartridge) Lefty at 2am in the morning. Ever assembled and engine through the exhaust pipe?Then ya know whada i mean
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