Thursday, April 28, 2011

Video from the XCO World Cup in Pietermatizburg

The MTB World Cup in Pietmermritzburg delivered some awesome racing. If you missed out on the action checkout our mtb world cup video of the mens final. Burry Stander had a bad day at the office with two wipe outs and a major mechanical to his derailleur that saw him pushing up the steep climb with no gears. His second wipeout in the notorious rock garden was spectacular. Looks like those big 29er wheels don't roll over everything after all.

Share your views by commenting at our blog or leaving a comment on MTBOnline Facebook.



Thursday, April 21, 2011

KZN is SA mecca of MTB?

Is KZN the mecca of mountain biking in South Africa? If not then they are rapidly on their way there, lets see how it stacks up. To be the mecca you would need at least some world class events, some local world champions and enough world class trails.

Well this weekend sees the MTB world cup in Pietermaritzburg and it is here for the second time so you can tick off the first requirement. Then competing in this event with realistic chances of winning will be two local world Champions in Burry Stander from the south coast and Greg Minnaar from the maritzburg area, so you can tick off the second requirement. Then lets talk about MTB trails, well without thinking too much you can quickly tick off Giba Gorge and Hola trails, two world class facilities. Having spent the last week in the Howick area I would also add in the Howick MTB trail network, an incredible network of awesome trails right on the doorstep of Howick.

So don't think of KZN midlands as the sleepy hollow but rather the rising giant of MTB in South Africa.

Share your views by commenting at our blog or leaving a comment on MTBOnline Facebook.




Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Giant Week of Riding

This weekend sees the 15th edition of the Giants Castle MTB Challenge being held in the drakensberg. This is one of the original, oldest and longest running MTB races in the country. It is one of those special events that gives MTB riders access to really remote trails that are not available at any other time. Its a race of extremes, starting off with a blistering fast 80km/h dash downhill on tar from the Giants Castle Reserve, to the compulsory portage up the Ntondolo ridge to get to some of the best mountain top single track, then its the legendary Giants downhill that defines this race and you end off with a brutal climb back up to the finish area. This race should be on your MTB bucket list. Entries open at the end of each year and are usually taken up quickly by the returning faithful in search of their personal number boards. So mark it down for next year April and take part in some SA MTB history and make a significant contribution to wildlife conservation in South Africa.

If you are still suffering from an Epic hangover after the feast of pro MTB racing that we had during this years epic then we have got just the cure for you. Take a few shots of UCI MTB World Cup racing next week from 22-24 April in Pietermaritzburg. Round up some mates and head to the trail side to the worlds best riders and to support our local hero's Burry and Greg as they gun for victory in the first round of MTB world cup for 2011.

Share your views by commenting at our 
blog or leaving a comment on MTBOnline Facebook.



Wednesday, April 06, 2011

29er or not To9er

29er bikes are all the rage at the moment thanks to many pro teams at the recent ABSA Cape Epic. The 29er is seen by many as the ultimate solution to providing a smoother ride and getting over difficult obstacles more easily. The main difference between a 29inch and a 26inch is the wheel size with the 29er having a larger wheel diameter. On paper it all looks good, but how that translates on the trail is still quite debatable and there are pros and cons. So the best is to get some bikes and test ride them for yourself. That is what we did, checkout the Turner Sultan 29er review thanks to Dion. If you have ridden a 29er and have views then please share so that we can learn

Share your views by commenting at our 
blog or leaving a comment on MTBOnline Facebook.