TREAD Issue 1 Autumn 2009 by Retread

LA ISS UN SO UT UE CH H AF ! RI

M O U N TA I N B I K I N G W I T H S O U L

CA N

IN SIG HT FU L

BEST SA TRAILS • • • •

Mankele Groenkloof Oak Valley Otto’s Bluff

www.treadmag.co.za

TESTED

6 Top Trail Bikes from: Commencal • GT • Merida, Specialized • Trek • Ibis

LAUNCH ISSUE | AUTUMN 2009

LAUNCH I SS U E

TREAD

OR IG IN AL

Autumn 2009 R36.95 (incl VAT)

PRICE HIKES – Why bikes cost so much more EVENTS – Full calendar of local races

3/20/09 3:37:41 PM

Contents

REMARK-ABLE “Professional sports are like gambling. You take everything you have, put it on a black or red square and roll the dice. Sometimes you hit the jackpot and sometimes you end up broken in the gutter.” Conrad Stoltz, ‘Just Believe’, Page 76 “It’s a very tough time for ALL retailers, not just bicycle retailers; and it’s a tough time for the wholesalers as well. There was a long period where there were very few price changes but the last few months have been turbulent.” Alan Hodson, ‘Industry Focus’, Page 50 “Bam! I coughed up some bile in the sprint start, and then bust my chain. The entire peloton savaged past like Gauls to a boar hunt. The dust settled, I heard a cow moo. And there it was, the Transkei.” Andy Ellis, ‘Wild Man Riding’, Page 78 “I’m surprised that dual suspension bikes aren’t much bigger sellers here. It’s all about hardtails and some 4-inch travel dual sussers in South Africa. What’s with that? You have some amazing terrain…” Rob Stemen, GT R&D Manager ‘A Beer With…’, Page 14 “At 4am in Moab, I was riding up a sandy road and found myself dabbing a foot down. I had fallen asleep. On my bike. I felt like a cartoon character needing matchsticks to keep my eyes open.” Roan Exelby, ‘My Fitness’, Page 72

AUTUMN ’09

CONTENTS

SOUL PROVIDER Editor’s welcome 6 DROOL Dreamy rides in Africa

7 CLUTTER Dept. of Current Affairs

Bushveld boardwalks abound at Mankele – Page 32

CLOSE TO HOME Otto’s Bluff, KwaZulu-Natal

40 URBAN TRAIL Groenkloof, Pretoria

18 SKILL Clear a gap jump

20 FUEL Practical recovery food STOKE Sex on Wheels

INDUSTRY

42 CONSUMER Why bikes cost much more in 2009

27 HERITAGE Thirty years of MTB

TRAILS

WEEKEND AWAY Manekle, Mpumalanga

36 CLOSE TO HOME Oak Valley, Western Cape

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TREAD AUTUMN 2009

GEAR Shorts, shoes, gloves

TECH 67 MASTERCLASS Fork 101

48 WHOLESALER Omnico’s Alan Hodson 50 SPONSOR Garmin’s Jason Theunissen

TESTED

TRAIL BIKES from Specialized, Commencal, GT, Trek, Ibis and Merida

RIDERS

MY FITNESS Roan Exelby

74 MY BIKE Andrew Neethling MY CHALLENGE Conrad Stoltz

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Contents

ON THE COVER EVENTS

78 92

RACE WITH SOUL Imana Wild Ride 82 RACES OF NOTE Cape Epic,

World Cup, SA Cup, Barberton, Sabie CALENDAR Races in March, April and May

96 BLEND Trevor van de Ven

SUBSCRIBE AND WIN PRIZES WORTH R85000!

adidas freeriders – or adiridas as they’re known– Hans Rey and Joscha Forstreuter enjoy a late afternoon ride at the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana. The adiridas are a group of 12 skilled riders who are members of the adidas Freeride Crew and get to ride their bikes at some of the world’s most amazing locations. For more about the guys with your dream job, visit www.adiridas.com Photo: SVEN MARTIN

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Run/Cyc/Tre

Soul Provider

Editor: SEAN BADENHORST sean@treadmag.co.za Contributing Editors BARRY McCALLUM, ANDY ELLIS Creative Director: NOLENE SAUNDERS nolene@treadmag.co.za Contributors: AUBREY JONSSON, SVEN MARTIN, GARY PERKIN, FRANK BODENMULLER, CRAIG DUTTON, WARREN VAN RENSBURG, DOMINIC BARNARDT, SUZIE ASSENMACHER, DONOVAN JACKSON, ANTON BOSMAN, CONRAD STOLTZ, CHRISTA NORTH, NILS NILSEN, JASON BRONKHORST. Publisher: DONOVAN JACKSON donovan@treadmag.co.za Associate Publisher: JOANNE BADENHORST joanne@treadmag.co.za Brand Manager: MARK JACKSON mark@treadmag.co.za For advertising or subscription enquiries, email info@treadmag.co.za or call 0832797797 TREAD magazine is published with passion quarterly by Retread Publishing CC. All material is copyright and may not be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publishers.

Photo: DOMINIC BARNARDT

Welcome to TREAD ever has mountain biking been in such

Trails are being created or improved or

a healthy state in South Africa. It’s

simply opened to mountain biking giving us

wonderful.

an increasing number of places to ride, which

Well, I’m pleased to introduce you to

will help grow freeriding in a country custom

TREAD. A magazine created by passionate

National Marathon Series have been stepped up

made for it!

mountain bikers for passionate mountain

On the racing side, the MTN National Cup and

locally relevant and delivered with authority and quality?

a level and the events are of an international

Then there’s the industry. As road cycling

bikers. A magazine that tells the stories

grade, with the Cup Series XC and DH events all

becomes frustratingly more hazardous, more

of South African mountain biking. Stories

holding UCI Category 2 status.

roadies are switching to dirt and the industry

of success; stories of passion; stories of

The Absa Cape Epic continues to grow

is responding to that shift by offering bigger

commitment; stories of culture; stories

in prestige as the world’s most important

model ranges in mountain bikes, which our

through great images; stories with texture,

mountain bike stage race, while shorter stage

research reveals, are outselling road bikes on

and depth and colour.

races are gaining popularity and quality,

average, by 26 to 1!

There will be four issues of TREAD in 2009

offering some of the finest mountain biking and

Surely such a healthy and growing market

and, if the demand is there, will grow to six

needs solid media support. MiWay has launched

issues in 2010. If demand is there! Listen to me.

And the hosting of the first round of the 2009

a new weekly TV show called MiWay MTB,

Of course demand is there. We just need your

Nissan World Cup in Pietermaritzburg has also

which is most welcome and long overdue.

support to make it happen. Give us feedback

been an incredible boost, both for our talented

At the same time, local websites dedicated

through our website www.treadmag.co.za or

racers and the country as a whole.

purely to mountain biking are growing in

via email and help us make TREAD an even

numbers and interest.

more accurate reflection of your mountain

event organisation in the world.

On the recreational side, purpose-built bike parks are popping up with increasing frequency,

But what about a magazine for this market?

offering safety, convenience and great riding

A magazine aimed purely at the intermediate

and providing an easy entry point to thousands

and experienced mountain biker who desires

Sean Badenhorst

of new mountain bikers.

information and inspiration and wants it to be

Editor

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biking soul.

TREAD AUTUMN 2009

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Run/Cyc/Tread_Falke Ads 1/29/09 3:41 PM Page 4 C

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CY CMY

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Drool

Stamp-ede of approval Mountain biking in South Africa is definitely unique. We have some of the longest, meanest tyre-piercing thorns to contend with – and some of the smallest too. We have a variety of surfaces from soft, pineneedle coated forest floors to desert-baked tyre-slicing shale. We get to breathe easy on beautiful, ocean-side singletrack and we get to gasp for oxygen on high mountain trails. And so many of our trails are in protected natural parks or game reserves where even though we don’t always see them, the African wildlife knows we’re there. Ah, it’s good to be a mountain biker in South Africa! PHOTO: SVEN MARTIN, ABSA Cape Epic 2007.

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Feature

The

BIG

Three-Oh Thirty of the most definitive things about the world’s coolest 30-year-old By Barry McCallum

his year marks the 30th anniversary of the mountain bike. Well, that’s not entirely true because the bikes themselves had been developed, sold and ridden for a few years prior to 1979. But the name Mountain Bike, or ‘MountainBikes’ as it was then, was coined 30 years ago. The actual origins of mountain biking as we know it today are still sketchy. But that’s not really important. What is important is that this fun activity/sport was given a firm identity and since then, it’s been helping each of us find ours. We could fill 30 magazines like this one in documenting all that has happened in the evolution of mountain biking over the past three decades. But that would mean we’d have to ride less, which isn’t an option, so here’s our summary. TREAD AUTUMN 2009

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Feature THE EARLY DAYS

1979-80 Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly name their new company MountainBikes

and trademark the title. Kelly and Fisher cover assembly, marketing, shipping, sales and catalogue design. Their frames are built by Tom Ritchey, who would go on to weld more than half of the 2000 mountain bikes built in the first three years of the ‘new sport’. Kelly launches the first edition of Fat Tyre Flyer, the first – and, until 1986, only – dedicated mountain bike publication.

1981 Custom builders still dominate the market. At least 15 exhibitors

display their wares at the Long Beach Bike Show, and 500 Ritchey-MountainBikes go to good homes this year. But a more significant development is Mike Sinyard’s decision to take one of Ritchey’s frames and some of his designer’s drawings to a Japanese bike company, Toyo, which had previously made road bikes. The result: The Specialized

Early XC race in California - Circa 1981

1982-1983 Univega also looks to the East for frames, and sells 3000 bikes in 1982. The big boys – Raleigh, Schwinn, Diamondback and others play catch up and the industry enters the era of

Stumpjumper, and the entry of Far Eastern

mass production. Japanese companies introduce mountain bike-specific components like Shimano’s

concerns to the mountain bike market.

Deore XT while Sugino makes triple chainrings.

THE CHARACTERS

John Finley Scott He’s a more deserving wearer of the

Gary Fisher Need we say more? (Editor’s note: er, yes…) Okay then, in 1994, Smithsonian

Tom Ritchey Also not the best of mates with Fisher. Their parting of ways after

mantle ‘the inventor of the mountain

Magazine named him the “Founding Father of

Kelly was paid off is said to have been less

bike’ than Fisher could ever have been, say

Mountain Bikes”. Like him or not, he’s been

than amicable. He has since played a major

some historians. In the 1950s, this sociology

the face of the sport since it got a name.

role in developing parts and accessories. He

professor built a multi-geared, fat-tyred

’Nuff said.

also helped organise the first ever mountain bike race in Rwanda in 2006 as part of his

bike for off-road riding called the ‘Woodsie’. He saw what the Californians were doing in the1970s as more than just another fad. He loaned Fisher $10 000, enabling

Joe Breeze

Project Rwanda, an exercise in community

For years, the man who disputed

and economic upliftment through bicycles –

Fisher’s claim to have invented the

http://projectrwanda.org/

MountainBikes to dominate the market and

mountain bike. Building and selling all 10 of

spread the sport beyond Marin County. John

his first Breezers perhaps convinced Kelly

Schubert, writing in the January 2007 issue

and Fisher that there was a market for new

of Adventure Cyclist, says “…it is difficult to

bikes. He, like Kelly and Fisher, is still in the

overstate (the late) Scott’s influence. The

same business three decades later and is also

mountain bikes we ride today might never

a cycling rights advocate.

have happened without him”.

Charlie Kelly

Two years before the birth of MountainBikes, Kelly approached frame builder Joe Breeze to build him two purpose-built ‘Clunkers’. These are widely considered to be the first complete all-new mountain bike frames outfitted with all-new components, instead of bikes built around

recycled frames. Kelly was bought out of MountainBikes by Fisher in 1983, but would continue to influence and guide the sport by being its most prominent chronicler. He was also influential in the founding of Norba (National Off-Road Bicycle Association). The archives on his website are a treasure trove – http://www.sonic.net/~ckelly/Seekay/.

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Weekend-away Trail

Bushveld Bliss

Around 40 percent of the country’s mountain bikers live in Gauteng where there aren’t really any mountains. Ironic hey? Luckily it’s only a three-anda-half-hour drive to one of the best mountain bike riding venues in the country. By Sean Badenhorst PHOTOS: Aubrey Jonsson

hen you arrive at Mankele, the first thing you notice is how neat and clean the place is. As you arrive at the entrance,

you just see vast tracts of well-manicured lawn in front of you with dense bush covered slopes rising up from the far side about 400 metres away. You’re slightly confused by the directions to the accommodation – we stayed in the canvas-tented camp – because you can’t really see the tents or chalets as they’re hidden in the bush on the far side of the lawn. It’s very well organised and once in your accommodation, your neighbours are far enough away from you that you feel secluded under an indigenous forest canopy. There’s enough riding at Mankele to keep you pedaling for days. In fact, you could probably stay there for a week and still not feel like you’ve ridden all the trails, which aren’t just footpaths or gravel roads, but predominantly purpose-built and mostly singletrack. Built and maintained, that is, by Mark Meyer, owner of the land and hardcore mountain biker. Well, Mark’s family owns the land, a small portion of which is used for chicken farming. Mark’s dad said he can turn the rest into a mountain biker’s haven - and he’s done just that. There’s something for every type of rider at Mankele. It really is incredible in its diversity. Whether you’re an occasional novice trail rider, super-fit cross-country racer, marathon or stage racer, or even a downhiller, you’ll be in your element at Mankele. See map for most of the popular options.

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Weekend-away Trail

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PHOTO: GARY PERKIN

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Otto’s Bluff

Trail

By Gary Perkin

REGION: KwaZulu-Natal CLOSEST TOWN/CITY: Pietermaritzburg TRAIL DESCRIPTION: This one is for the more adventurous as it isn’t a marked trail, but more of a vast network of small forestry and district roads. Otto’s Bluff takes you out beyond the more famous of Pietermaritzburg rides – Ferncliffe and World’s View. The Otto’s Bluff road proper takes you up above the city of Pietermaritzburg and into the rolling Kwa-Zulu Natal hills to where the 1937 epic, King Solomon’s Mines was filmed. Another fact for history buffs is that the author of the eponymous book, H Rider Haggard, worked as a learner farmer on the Otto’s farm which gives the area its name. The main peak in the area is called Kwela in Zulu, which means ‘climb on’... so this gives you an indication of what you’ll be up against if you go with the typical Maritzburg MTB crowd. Most rides begin in the Ferncliffe/Cascades area then traverse up through the hatcheries to the Otto’s Bluff Road – and this means climbing all the way. But we all know that means descending on the way back home ... so it’s worth the effort. The views over the top are spectacular, taking in Albert Falls Dam and the surrounding hills – but the mist and fog can roll in at a moment’s notice, so be prepared. DISTANCE: As with most trails in the Pietermaritzburg area, the distance you ride is up to you or how frisky your companions are feeling. By linking many different roads and paths it’s quite easy to be out all day here ... and also possible to vary it into a quick 1hr30min after–work burn. NOVICE: 2/10 INTERMEDIATE: 5/10 ADVANCED: 8/10 TYRES: In summer be prepared for mud - and lots of it. BEST THING: The ability to extend the ride as far as you want and tailor it to your time schedule. WORST THING: Mud in summer. BEST SEASON: Winter is better, as in the height of summer some of these trails will be waterlogged and extremely muddy. But the locals will know where to go. GET THERE: You’ll need to get some locals to show you these trails as they are unmarked. Contact one of the bike shops in town: Greg Minnaar Racing in Boom Street, Hattons in Boshoff Street, Jowetts in Victoria Road and Maverick in Cascades and Hilton. Chat to the local mountain bikers and find out what organised outrides are happening. There are also after-work group rides that hit these trails so be sure to ask around. COST: None SECURE PARKING: No BE CAREFUL OF... getting lost in the mist – it comes down quickly and is very thick. BE SURE TO ... ride in a bunch. CONTACT: Greg Minnaar Racing 033 3420095; Hattons Cycles 033 3422050; Jowetts 033 3941421, Maverick in Hilton / Cascades 033 343 4512 TREAD AUTUMN 2009

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Consumer

Right Bike, F-right Price! Just when we were beginning to convince ourselves that mountain biking wasn’t THAT expensive after all, along came a giant, wallet-crushing right hook that’s left the bicycle industry reeling. By Donovan Jackson

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Consumer

itting the dirt is a great escape from the melting economy. There is a snag though. The stuff you need to keep the wheels rolling is getting seriously costly. From the consumables like drivetrain components to tyres, and on to complete bikes,

the price tags are beginning to look like they’ve been marked in Zim dollars instead of Rands. Complete bikes on the top end are testing the R100 000 mark, while a single decent tyre costs over R600. Rubber for a small car is frequently far less dear. A SRAM X-0 or Shimano XTR rear derailleur will run you nearly R3000. The figures are all alarmingly large. The question on everyone’s lips is what is behind the dramatic price rises. While some lay the blame at the door of rising commodity prices, in 2009 this one gets kicked straight back out. That most precious commodity of all, oil, has plummeted in price, to the point that fuel is nearly half the price in January 2009 than it was in mid-2008. Other major inputs for bikes include materials like steel, aluminium, and plastics. These commodities have tanked, too. Plastics come from oil, so that’s a no brainer. Demand for aluminium and steel has hit the wall with the economies of Japan and China coming off the boil in a big way; China’s growth is expected to slow to 6%, the lowest in nearly two decades, while Japan’s exports are down by 35%. That might all sound like good news, but bear in mind that the effect is such that thousands of mining jobs in South Africa are under threat, as markets for the commodities we export shrink. Then there’s the exchange rate. If you thought this a bugbear for you, imagine how bicycle industry importers must feel. The volatility of the Rand means it is very difficult to hedge against exchange rate fluctuations; what is certain, however, is that as an emerging market economy in a stressed global economy, we get the short end of the stick – your Rand buys less now than it did the same time last year. The cost of labour remains an input for your bike price. Cruel jokes abound about how the bikes we ride are punched out in the East by exploited workers, but that’s all about to change. For example, China has gotten away with it for ages – but labour laws and regulation are creeping in. That means labour costs are increasing dramatically; some estimates put the escalation at 30% year on year. Certainly many of the inputs have escalated, but as many have come down. This should come as good news for the bike consumer: remember that while prices may appear to be on an ever-upwards spiral, the market globally and in South Africa remains competitive. Only a select few of us don’t consider price when buying gear, which means the majority of importers and retailers will compete healthily on price for your custom. It is also worth noting that in the past, such as after the dramatic Rand slide against the dollar (it traded at R13.84 to $1 on 21 December 2001), the price recovery was passed on to the consumer – but it does take time, as importers, distributors and retailers have to clear stock purchased at higher prices in order to maintain the sustainability of their businesses. TREAD AUTUMN 2009

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Masterclass

LESSON 1

Marathon

Air-assisted

PURPOSE OF A FRONT SUSPENSION FORK

Marathon riders encounter many different

These would have a coil or elastomer with a

types of terrain and typically ride bikes with

relatively ‘soft’ spring or compression rate.

Mountain bikes were designed to go off road

100–120 mm of travel. These forks are not

The shock has a Schrader valve in the top leg,

or all terrain as some would call it. This

super-light but are light enough to be used by

which allows the individual to add or remove

means the bike has to stand up to a variety

even the ‘heavier’ XC riders at times.

air within that chamber to get the shock set

of surfaces and conditions; these vary in

Dirt jump

for their weight.

difficulty and intensity, depending on the

Dirt jumpers are riders that would spend time

type of terrain including ruts, logs, rocks,

on a dirt track with beautifully crafted and

• Oil is used in forks to deal with rebound

drops, roots and corrugations – just to name a

thought-out jumps and ramps. These riders

and lockout functions and can be found

few. Hop on to a fully-rigid bike and feel the

normally run 100–150mm of travel.

beating and abuse your poor body is exposed

Freeride

to. Fortunately for us, the suspension fork

Freeriders take more risks. Their bikes can be

without brake bosses for V-brakes.

was introduced to the mountain biking

ridden uphill comfortably, but not necessarily

These are sold as disc-specific front

scene in the early 1990’s. These had 1–1.5

fast, but it is when the trail points downwards

forks and most manufacturers offer this

inches (25–35mm) of travel, not much some

that they come into their own. The riders can

as an option. This is purely an aesthetic

might say, but they made a huge difference.

take big jumps, drop-offs and sail through

function.

Suddenly, riders were faster and more fluid

rough terrain with relative ease. The travel

through bumpy or technical terrain. Corners

on their shocks is around 150mm; nowadays,

were being taken with more confidence and

some even opt for 180mm of travel.

logs were being cleared with more airtime

than before. A large portion of the runaway

Downhill racers are, in my opinion, just plain

success and popularity of mountain biking can

nuts (apologies to all you ironmen out there!)

be attributed to the suspension fork; it has

These riders have incredible skill, fantastic

even helped spawn various new disciplines.

insight and the ability to quickly read any

And each of these disciplines requires a front

course or very challenging trail and pick a

fork intended for a different purpose.

line to which they ultimately commit. These

LESSON 2 TRAVEL

In order to understand the types of forks on the market, we need to understand the term ‘travel’. Suspension travel refers to

riders are the biggest risk-takers in our sport and small travel won’t work here. We’re talking triple clamp forks with 180mm to 200mm of travel!

LESSON 3

Note:

in the majority of modern forks. • The lower legs on some forks come

LESSON 4 SET-UP

Compression Experience shows that this is a grossly misunderstood application and can make the ‘feel’ of the fork almost impossible to live with. A shock properly set-up according to the individual rider will drastically change the characteristics and handling of the whole bike. I’d like to make an exception here before we carry on, to what is a general rule of thumb when setting up the fork. In some of its forks, Rock Shox uses a dual air system. This means the fork uses negative

the distance in which the axle can move

TYPES OF FORKS

and positive air within the compression

up and down in relation to the frame and

Other than the amount of travel, front

chamber (the left leg of the fork as you sit

with this, it will either be fully extended or

forks come with different suspension

on the bike).

fully compressed.

design systems.

Air-sprung

compression and the negative chamber is

Cross-country riding is normally done on a

With these forks, the compression damping

there to help deal with the smaller bumps.

course of a set distance (under 9km) with

can be increased or decreased using a shock

Decrease the negative air in relation to the

riders racing laps for approximately two

pump which attaches to a Schrader valve.

positive air and the fork becomes harder

hours. These racers normally look for the

The amount of air pumped into the fork

and would need a bigger bump to compress;

lightest possible products out there and

will be determined by the rider’s weight.

increase the negative air and the compression

will race on a front fork with 60–100 mm

Air-sprung forks normally have oil in one leg

becomes a bit softer and the fork is also more

of travel.

and this will assist with the rebound and the

sensitive over smaller bumps. Typically one

lockout function of the suspension.

would keep the air in these two chambers

In Four-cross, riders race on a BMX-style track

Coil

the same; let’s say 130psi for the positive

down a slope and enounter some pretty big

We get coil or spring-loaded forks and then

and 130psi for the negative. I normally leave

jumps, drops and tight turns along the way.

forks with elastomers. The spring rate of

the negative at 5psi less as the fork can get

These racers would use forks with 80–100mm

the spring or elastomer can be adjusted to

sucked down (I will explain the reason for

of travel.

accommodate the weight of the rider.

this in more detail in future issues).

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The positive chamber is for the ‘big hit’

TREAD AUTUMN 2009

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Without suspension mountain biking wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been able to grow into many different disciplines, such as downhill racing.

PHOTO: Gary Perkin TREAD AUTUMN 2009

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My Bike

PHOTO: GARY PERKIN

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Nice Guy’s New Ride

I have ridden Rock Shox for many years before this. Both these companies have strong roots in racing and make great products. As with the bike I felt very comfortable straight away on Fox. Fox and Trek worked closely together

As of mid-March, Andrew ‘Needles’ Neethling

on shock setup with the Session 88 and it

was ranked 14th in the world and was preparing

feels great.

his assault on the top 10 in 2009. With a rather

Another complete change with SRAM to

unique smoothness in his riding style, Needles

Shimano – how’s that been?

is widely regarded as one of the classiest

It has been nothing but positive. With a new

downhillers on the planet.

team comes changes and new challenges and I

Last year, the ‘nice guy’ of the DH circuit raced

am very motivated because of this.

for Mongoose, this year he’s racing for Trek.

Ah, very diplomatic answers. What is the

He won the first two rounds of the 2009 MTN

retail value of your bike?

National Cup Series on his new Trek Session

To be honest, I don’t know exactly because

88, which is quite different from his Mongoose

it varies according to the economy and it

Boot’R Team.

depends which country you buy it in. (Ed: About

How has the change from single pivot to four-

US$7000)

bar linkage been?

Hmmm… What do you like most about your bike?

The change has been great. I felt really

I am very happy with the suspension and the

comfortable very quickly. I have not needed to

lightness of the frame. The suspension is very

make any major riding adjustments and just

active, especially under braking, because of the

can’t wait to get out on the World Cup courses!

ABP system. I think it looks so good too. Wait

And your bones, have they noticed much

’til you see the team bikes at the Maritzburg

difference between Rock Shox and Fox?

World Cup!

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Races With Soul

Wild Man Riding

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By Andy Ellis PHOTOS: CRAIG DUTTON

n the day I answered a call from Martin Dreyer, multiple Dusi Canoe Marathon champ, Land Rover G4 titleholder and elite

adventure racer, I was fit. By the time I’d put the phone down I was fat. He’d called to see if I’d like to partner him in a bike race. And in a daze of confusion as to why a pro athlete would want to partner my hairy legs, I stuttered a dim-witted ‘yes’. Man, the stupidity. Next to Dreyer I was a blimp on a bike. It gets worse. The race I’d just signed my soul to was the Imana Wild Ride. A 200-kilometre, four-day, Transkei beach-andbundu bash from Kei Mouth to the Umngazi River. I called him back. Told him I was a slob, I’d just hold him back. And what was he thinking anyway? “It’s going to be social,” he said. First light, eight weeks later, I stood quivering on the banks of the Kei River. Not because I was chicken, because I was cold. That’s what I told Dreyer. Others joined us. They stared at the frigid water, muttering, arms crossed, shifting from heel to heel. Antsy, as if they’d been holed up with Noah for 40 days and busting for a bike ride. As the sun rose the conversation warmed. People mingled, poked fun. It didn’t sound like the start of a hard race, more like the start of a braai. Everyone was happy. Relaxed even. I swallowed a self-conscious pound of embarrassing angst and sussed out the crowd. The Imana carries a small field, but it represents the full spectrum of our mountain biking society. From Lance Armstrong to Chubby Checker, every strata of the human physical condition was merrily bumping shoulders. Teams lined up for a life-changing adventure, not a lap race. And it felt good. TREAD AUTUMN 2009

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LA ISS UN SO UT UE CH H AF ! RI

M O U N TA I N B I K I N G W I T H S O U L

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IN SIG HT FU L

BEST SA TRAILS • • • •

Mankele Groenkloof Oak Valley Otto’s Bluff

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TESTED

6 Top Trail Bikes from: Commencal • GT • Merida, Specialized • Trek • Ibis

LAUNCH ISSUE | AUTUMN 2009

LAUNCH I SS U E

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OR IG IN AL

Autumn 2009 R36.95 (incl VAT)

PRICE HIKES – Why bikes cost so much more EVENTS – Full calendar of local races

3/20/09 3:37:41 PM