Ride report: Climbs and cowbells at the 2018 Swiss Epic
When you get that phone call with an offer to ride your bike in the Swiss Alps you’d be a fool to say no, right? On a casual Friday afternoon ride, I received one such call from a school friend and regular riding partner. With less than ten weeks until the 2018 Perskindol Swiss Epic […]
Bike Check: Sam Hill’s EWS winning Nukeproof Mega C
Sam Hill was crowned the 2018 Enduro World Series champion this weekend at the last round of the season in Finale Ligure. Sam’s Nukeproof Mega C received a custom Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) inspired design for the end of the season. Día de Muertos is a South American (largely Mexican) celebration of […]
Race Report: Dodging Donkeys at Lesotho Sky
Lesotho Sky keeps pulling us back. This is the fourth year Bike Hub has taken part. It’s a combination of the friendly people, wide open scenery, and challenging natural trails that we keep returning to enjoy. Help the organisers of Lesotho Sky host an even better event in 2019 and WIN R2,000 to spend at […]
First Ride Review: The new Specialized Turbo Levo Expert
The Specialized Turbo Levo set a new standard for electronically assisted mountain bikes when it launched in 2015. At least, we certainly thought so. Specialized today announce the latest Turbo Levo, and we’ve had the chance to ride it on home trails. The new frame The new Turbo Levo is ground up redesign incorporating learnings […]
Review: Specialized Epic Expert EVO
The Epic EVO range boasts influences from the trail bike scene bringing some everyday practicality to Specialized’s out-and-out race machine. But how much of the original Epic’s speed is lost in this transformation, if any? The Epic is a race bike built with few compromises in mind as it aims to be the fastest endurance […]
Race Report: Piket-Bo-Berg Cycle Challenge
The Piket-Bo-Berg Cycle Challenge and Trail Run took place this past weekend, showing off plenty of spring splendour and sublime singletrack. Ashley Oldfield got to grips with what’s said to be a must-do event on the Western Cape mountain bike calendar. After 63km and 1600 metres of climbing I began to wonder, ‘why does Jeep […]
Inside the home of Canyon Bicycles
Having only officially opened their digital doors to South Africa earlier this year, we more recently had the opportunity to visit Canyon’s real world headquarters in Koblenz, Germany. The town is just an hour and a half’s drive from Frankfurt and is home to close on eight hundred Canyon staff spread between the head office […]
Review: Rondo RUUT CF
The Ruut is a gravel bike from newcomer Rondo out of Poland. Like most gravel bikes, the Ruut promises versatility over varying surface types while still feeling light, stiff, and sporty enough to do duty on the road. It’s a bold promise to make but can the Ruut deliver? Rondo’s aim with the Ruut is […]
Bike Check: Matt Hunter’s Specialized Stumpjumper
Matt Hunter has crafted a career living the mountain bike dream. While he’s a household name in some mountain biking circles, his style of riding often gets overlooked in South Africa, so here’s a brief introduction for those who need it (and an excuse to link you to some rad riding videos). Matt made name […]
Inside the SRAM European Development and Training Center
On the heels of the Eurobike Show last month, we hopped in a rental car and headed on a road trip through to a little town called Schweinfurt in the Bavarian region of Germany. Known for its metal and manufacturing industry, the town is home to the SRAM European Development and Training Center. This 17,000 […]
Review: Camelbak T.O.R.O. 8
The Camelbak T.O.R.O range is designed for trail riders wanting a hydration backpack that offers protection for riders who fear landing on their back in a crash. The Camelbak T.O.R.O. 8 offers three litres of liquid storage and five litres for other cargo in a narrowly shaped backpack with an integrated back padding for crash […]
Long Term Review: Darkhorse SLF 36c wheels
Darkhorse Wheels is a South African based company who provide carbon wheelsets at competitive prices. They offer road and mountain bike wheels in different widths and depths. Darkhorse updated their road range last year to incorporate the latest know-how in carbon design and manufacturing. Being based in the blustery Cape, we elected to test the […]