Headshot Posted February 16, 2017 Share Is it really mountain biking if you don't look after your own bike?? On a race I prefer to do the servicing - I know the bike better than anyone else. Admittedly I haven't done the Epic, but have always managed to sort my bike out after a long hot day in the saddle. I am slightly amazed at how everyone recommends paying another R12k for servicing or whatever it is. Then again, if you can fork for the race entry, why not :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcza Posted February 16, 2017 Share Is it really mountain biking if you don't look after your own bike?? On a race I prefer to do the servicing - I know the bike better than anyone else. Admittedly I haven't done the Epic, but have always managed to sort my bike out after a long hot day in the saddle. I am slightly amazed at how everyone recommends paying another R12k for servicing or whatever it is. Then again, if you can fork for the race entry, why not :-) Paid R5k last year excluding spares. Worth every penny, broke spokes twice and replaced a tyre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velouria Posted February 17, 2017 Share Is it really mountain biking if you don't look after your own bike?? On a race I prefer to do the servicing - I know the bike better than anyone else. Admittedly I haven't done the Epic, but have always managed to sort my bike out after a long hot day in the saddle. I am slightly amazed at how everyone recommends paying another R12k for servicing or whatever it is. Then again, if you can fork for the race entry, why not :-) Is it really cycling if you didn't hand build your frame from steel (obviously, because only steel is real) mined by pygmies on the slopes of Kilimanjaro? Is it really cycling if you didn't distil the tears of virgins yourself to fill your bottles? Is it really cycling if you didn't wrestle a merino sheep on the high altitude plains of Nepal, gently plucking it's wool with your teeth, before hand weaving enough yarn to make a genuine wool cycling top? WTF! NelAndre, Iwan Kemp and BigDL 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDL Posted February 17, 2017 Share Is it really mountain biking if you don't look after your own bike?? On a race I prefer to do the servicing - I know the bike better than anyone else. Admittedly I haven't done the Epic, but have always managed to sort my bike out after a long hot day in the saddle. I am slightly amazed at how everyone recommends paying another R12k for servicing or whatever it is. Then again, if you can fork for the race entry, why not :-)Are you being serious? I suppose you don't drive to the trails either. Or, is it really mountain biking if you ride on a trail? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk NelAndre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipV Posted February 18, 2017 Share tbh, if you don't know how to fix your bike, then the service package is a great idea. We had a motorhome as part of our sponsorship, so I had al the tools on hand. And I know how to strip and rebuild a bike. I replaced all our cables, brake pads, a wheel, a derailleur hanger, a tyre and a bb between our two bikes. But I had enough time, tools and space to do it. If I had to do it now as a privateer living g in the tents I'd probably get the service package as well. When doing the epic you have two jobs: Ride your bike, and recover fast enough to ride your bike again. If you add "service your bikes" to this, one of the other focus areas will suffer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilipV Posted February 18, 2017 Share Is it really mountain biking if you don't look after your own bike?? On a race I prefer to do the servicing - I know the bike better than anyone else. Admittedly I haven't done the Epic, but have always managed to sort my bike out after a long hot day in the saddle. I am slightly amazed at how everyone recommends paying another R12k for servicing or whatever it is. Then again, if you can fork for the race entry, why not :-)Don't confuse something like Houw Hoek Tour, W2W or Sani2C with epic. Servicing a bike yourself on a three day stage race is easy. If you are on day 6, and just got off the bike from 7hrs of riding, refilling stans or replacing a cable is not something you want to do yourself. Then that 12k service package seems like a bargain. Francois Pienaar 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francois Pienaar Posted February 18, 2017 Share Any specific agents / cycling shops you can recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLuvsMtb Posted February 18, 2017 Share If I had to spend the same amount of money (say R5000) on either tech support, guest house accommodation or post stage massage, I'd pick accommodation first, massages second and tech support third. Sleeping badly in the tents can turn any difficult stage into a very difficult stage, recovery massages will also mean shorter / easier days on the bike, and unless its a wet Epic, if you look after your bike you will only need to clean the drive train after each stage. If you run into more serious trouble, there will always be a mechanic that will sort you out, all be it at a price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichA Posted February 20, 2017 Share Any tips for those of us first timers camping: What to take: sleeping bag, torch, anything else? What rating sleeping bag is required in March? 2 Season? Any other tips for camping at Cape Epic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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