Day 1 done

75km of rough untamed tracks! Some of the best singletrack on offer and plenty of rocks and grass!

Morewood handled awesomely well. BAT sealant saved the day, sealing a huge cut in my front tyre allowing me to finish with no worries.

Honda Mountain Trophy

75km today. Weather looks like it might hold. But conditions still look wet.

The 29er vs 26" debate

The debate of the 29er is well on its way, you will see some pros riding them but then they have to? Question is will the average guy take the bait and go for it.

The average guy was challenged with this

http://www.singletrackworld.com/2010/04/pace-129er/

To all the 29" slayers out there: Compare the components (frame, wheels, forks) of a 26" hardtail, 26", 140mm travel trail bike and a 29" hardtail/FS, then you'll see that indeed all 3 of them need different tires, rims, forks and frames. Thus I classify a 29" bike as just a nother category of MTB. And as such, it will be suited to specific terrain, rider sizes and rider styles. So just as I prefer a 140mm travel trail bike over a 100mm bike, someone else might prefer a 29" bike.

I would still like to see a shootout/comparison between a 29" hardtail and 26", 100mm travel FS bike on a XC & Marathon course....

He replied with this;

MBAction did a shoot out between 3 hardtails. 26, 29 and 650b. The main conclusion was that each bike was good for different things. Basically the shootout was a draw.

We need to settle this the FB way!

Let’s ask an ex-SA champ to ride 2 bikes for us on a 5km course at Groenkloof that includes rock gardens, smooth dirt and a steep climb. Let’s take his time on the different bikes and interview him afterwards on how he felt.

The beauty of this plan is that while he is tackling the course, we can set up our lawn chairs and drink beer.

Matt will have to donate the 29er hardtail. Fritz can ride his Ellsworth as the other bike.

Then we can also blindfold him and send him out on the course and see if he can tell us which particular bike he is crashing into a tree. This will obviously be much later in the afternoon when the affects of the amber brew is at its best.

If Mr. P is faster on a 29er Hardtail I will sell my Zula and use the money to buy baggies and grow my leg hairs into beautiful matted fur.

bUndi responded with this;

This is indeed a good plan, but being a bike riding scientist I can confirm that it is fundamentally flawed and is in fact more about entertainment rather than an actual test.

The FBCC has a long and rich heritage and this allows a certain amount of wisdom

This debate is not new, its just dressed differently and our memories are fading

Rigid fork vs suspension fork was the first debate

Hardtail vs full suss was the second one – only recently concluded I might add

Suspension won the first two debates not because it was new but because it was sound technology that works.

The 29er is not new technology nor is it suspension, its just plain new-pooh

If big wheels ruled then we’d all be riding

Pennyfarthings and cars with 100 inch rims and srns (solid rigid no suspension)

Lets also compare apples and pears to see which one tastes better

But let me leave you with this last thought – If you need the 3 inches extra then by all means go for it!

And lastly little Chris had this to say;

Sadly you are missing the point. This debate is based more in the philosophical world. Don't think science, think Top Gear's Cool Wall. Seeing as no member of the FBCC (By constitution I am sure) should ever be a contender for podium spots in a race, the crux of this argument is rather to determine which is cooler to ride, without being hindered by totally useless equipment (If only to reach the post-race beer quicker). And don't let any of the FBCC's other constituents' attempt at clever science talk fool you!

Oh yes, and it is an opportunity to drink beer. Duuhhh!!!

So we anxiously await the results of this “test” and in the meantime the debate rages on!

Niner Jet 9 and SRAM X-0

Good morning ladies,

 

Alas, it has been a while. Did you miss me?

 

Here are some shots of the new Jet9 from Niner. In nice lumo froggy green. Very niiiiceeee!

And then the eagerly anticipated(By those who know anything about mtb drive-trains in any way) 2011 SRAM X-0. Wonder what that will cost?

 

Later,

Captain Calfless.

Purveyor of fine bike porn since 2008

 

Zula loves the west coast.

Schwalbe Albert 2.25

I have had a 4 year sabbatical from Schwalbe tyres. I simply had such bad luck with them that I could no longer afford to run them.
Enter the Albert. Now featuring Snake Skin sidewall protection. This is the feature that has lured me back for another try and so far so good...

These tyres grip! The relatively sparse tread pattern coupled with pretty big knobs make the a joy on the ups. This morning on a 15% gradient over some loose rocks I stood up to give a shot of power. I fully expected the rear wheel to untrack from the burst of power. But it never happened. The Zula simply dug in and powered over the climb.

I have no doubt that this kind of traction will come at the price of longevity but at the moment I am more than happy to enjoy the extra grip.

Sabie 2010

Kevin Evans is once again in the national colours for marathon racing. Yolande Speedy won the ladies title. And the average guy finished.

The route was very tough for someone carrying a bit of extra weight, with 1700m climbing. I took it pretty easy and made it to the end feeling comfortable. It has been a few years since I rode Sabie and they have added very cool bits of singletrack. The Zula loved it! I had no problems navigating the steep singletrack. The roots were an issue but the Morewood was built for this kind of thing and I managed to ride everything and stay upright.

Well done to the organisers. The route was awesome and the weather less of a factor than I expected.

Sabie - pre race

My return to Sabie is going to be WET. The race this year is also our national title race.
Looking out the window this morning I get the feeling that the title will come down to equipment choice.
I will be riding the Morewood and just trying to survive.

More updates later.

Riding the Zula

The Zula and I continue to get better acquainted and I am struggling to find any weak points on the bike. It really rides very well. It is possibly not as supple over small stuff like many multi-pivot bikes but this is hardly noticeable when you are travelling the dirt roads of sunny South Africa at warp speed.

I had the chance to take the bike over some more challenging terrain this weekend, at Groenkloof and Fountains and I must say that this is where the bike really comes alive. I had forgotten how much fun a fast, light, manoeuvrable bike is in tight singletrack. My choice of a 120mm Reba XX is paying off, as the bike feels pretty stable and I feel that a 100mm race fork might have made the bike slightly more twitchy.

I also rode a 4,5 hour epic ride and I had no discomfort. The bike is the perfect length for me and my recurring shoulder pain seems to have disappeared aboard this bike.

The set up of the bike is as follows;

Fork: Rock Shox Reba XX 120mm

Shock: Fox RP23 BV shock

Handlebar: Ritchey WCS carbon low rise

Stem: 110mm Ritchey Matrix Carbon/Alloy

Seatpost: Ritchey Superlogic 30.9mm

Saddle: Ritchey WCS Streem Biomax

Wheelset: Ritchey WCS Carbon

Brakes: Shimano XT

Shifters: Shimano XTR

Grips: Ritchey WCS Foam

Front Derailleur: Shimano XTR

Crank: Shimano XTR (featuring crankskins)

Rear Derailleur: Shimano XTR Shadow.

 

Zula Pic

New bike

Despite the fact that I have been extremely satisfied with the way my 5 inch experiment has gone, I simply could not resist the chance to ride the new Morewood Zula.

The good people from Morewood were kind enough to send me a frame. I then used every contact I have in the business to build it up with the EXACT spec that I wanted.

I have only done 2 rides with the bike, so you will need to wait a bit longer for a full review. But initial impressions are very good. So much so, that I will be racing the bike next week in Sabie.

It is by far the best single pivot I have had the pleasure of riding and the downhill pedigree of Morewood shines through when this XC racer is pointed downhill.

Thanks to Morewood, Ritchey and Shimano for making this bike happen.

First edition 2010 bike pron

Howzit ladies?

 

Here is the first bike pron for 2010. There is not a lot going on apart from this little 160mm gem... Brian Lopes' input has resulted in this beefed up version of the old beauty.

 

See you on the trails.

 

Chris duP

 

 

Ritchey WCS Carbon Wheels

I had a chance to take my new Ritchey Carbon wheels for a light spin this morning. Initial impressions are that they are super smooth! Even though it is probably not really possible, they seem to really damp trail chatter. The have an extremely quiet ride. I will update with a full review, as soon as I have done some miles on them.

2010 Fox Float RLC 150mm

I have been lucky enough to be riding Fox’s new offering for about a month, and while I am still a hesitant Fox front suspension fan, I am really starting to like my new fork.
The fork works extremely well! So this is not so much a review, as some advice that I have picked up on the set-up of the fork. This is by no means my own discovery, but rather some advice that I read in the MB Action magazine. They had an expert from Fox answer a letter from a reader and he gives some advice on using the RLC forks.
It is at this point that I have to admit that I never really new what the low speed compression was for on the Fox forks. On my previous forks I used to dial in 3 clicks from full minus and then never touch it again. The advice given in the magazine; has changed my life forever.
The best way for me to explain what the compression adjuster does is to say that it is like having a shock pump with you on the trail. You can effectively increase the “pressure” in your fork.
So here is what I tried this weekend, and it worked really well. I have never run the recommended amount of sag on a Fox fork, I have always thought it made the fork feel too soft. So, for starters, I dialled the compression adjuster to full Minus (off) I then, using a shock pump dialled in 20% sag. Yes, the shock felt too soft, but by simply turning the compression adjuster you can make the shock harder.
So while riding, when things got ugly I turned the compression down and had the full advantage of the most plush travel you can imagine. And when I was climbing or on flat sections I turned it up for a pedal platform type feeling.
I hope you find this handy! I sure did!

MTN Blockhouse Marathon

Despite trying to dedicate myself entirely to the freeride movement, I still find myself drawn to racing events. I found myself at the MTN National Marathon race at Blockhouse, south (very south) of Johannesburg this weekend.
After being freaked out by some very strange looking circus people at the start line, we set off with what looked like about 300 000 people! The dust was really something to behold! As I was only in training ride mode, I was happy to start at the back. There was a some really twisty single track to get away from the circus people which was pretty fun.
The course was extremely flat, which in my current form suited me perfectly. There was plenty of single track and even some rocky stuff to keep it exciting. The YETI handled the course brilliantly, as usual. My new 150mm Fox fork did not hold me back at all and I still managed a pretty fast average over the flat course.
Apart from the DUST it was a great race, whether it should be on the National calendar is debatable, but for me it was a great day out.
Thanks again to Regent Lighting Solutions for the support.