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Bike Hub Features
How getting inner monologue right can improve performance. Self-talk, Part 1
In his recent book, Endure, the renowned endurance sports writer Alex Hutchinson reflects on his early experiences as a competitive runner (yes, I know this is the Bike Hub, but stick with me here for a minute), saying that if he were to go back in time, he would train differently based on what new […]
Trek unveils all-new full-suspension 29 Plus trail bike
Trek has unveiled an all-new trail bike with 130mm of front and rear suspension travel and other unique design elements that take the capability of 29 Plus tires to the next level. It’s built for riders looking to tackle rugged trails on epic backcountry adventures, and it speaks to those with a thirst for exploration […]
Interview: The Trek Factory Racing XC team
The Trek Factory Racing XC team visited South Africa for the first round of the UCI MTB World Cup season at Stellenbosch. We had the opportunity to chat with the team riders after the race at Meerendal Wine Estate. Hear what Emily Batty, Sergio Mantecón, Evie Richards, and Anton Cooper had to say about the […]
Momsen VIPA Ultra Prototype
The pair of Marco Joubert and Dylan Rebello are riding the 2018 Absa Cape Epic as Imbuko Momsen team on-board a brand new Momsen VIPA prototype called the Ultra. Marco and Dylan have been set the task to test these prototype bikes over the eight days of the Absa Cape Epic. Update: Geometry chart and […]
Review: Trek Top Fuel 9.8 SL
The Top Fuel is Trek’s dual suspension offering for cross-country and marathon racing. The Trek Factory Racing team race the Top Fuel in the UCI MTB World Cup but how does it get along under the steam of an amateur? In short, rather impressively. The Build The Top Fuel 9.8 model sits just below the […]
Epic Bike Check: Karl Platt’s Bulls Wild Edge Prototype
Karl Platt and the BULLS team are legends of the Absa Cape Epic. Karl having won the race on five occasions (in 15 attempts) with a number of other podium positions. In 2018, Karl and his teammate Urs Huber had a tough race finishing in 10th place. Karl Platt is riding a revised Bulls Wild […]
Epic Bike Check: Annika Langvad’s Specialized S-Works Epic
Annika Langvad returned to the Absa Cape Epic after a brief hiatus with American partner Kate Courtney. The pair proved to be an unbeatable combination, winning the women’s overall title and claiming seven of the eight stages in the 2018 race. Annika’s Specialized S-Works Epic has been customed painted to celebrate the songo.info organisation that […]
Pinner’s Paincave: Putting our efforts into perspective
Sombre is the best way to describe Zone and my emotion this afternoon. While we had a brilliant Stage 6, our elation at moving up to 55th on GC was dampened after we learnt that a rider, who we have been riding around over the course of the past few days, had suffered very serious […]
Pinner’s Paincave: Let Them Eat Cake
The most important thing to take away from today is that it’s over. Zone and I are safe, healthy and even snuck past a few ous on GC. Winning. Photo credit: Wayne Reiche. Stage 4 certainly lived up to the pre-event hype as 2018’s “Queen Stage”. Reflecting on our time in the cave today, it […]
Epic Bike Check: Bart Brentjens’s American Eagle Atlanta
Bart Brentjens was the first men’s Olympic gold medal winner in mountain biking back in 1996. At the time he was racing on an American Eagle and is now reunited with the brand. The modern carbon frame is named the Atlanta 2.0 after the host city of the 1996 Olympics. Bart loves the Cape Epic […]
Pinner’s Paincave: No Heroics, Got The Job Done
Photo credit: Gary Perkin. Stage 3 was one of those days where you just had to get it done. 122km is not to be messed with. There were no heroics from us today. It was a case of focusing on keeping things consistent. This sounds simple, but it’s often harder than one thinks. Especially when […]
Epic Bike Check: Oli Munnik’s Santa Cruz Blur CC
Oli Munnik has been riding the all-new Santa Cruz Blur from the start of this year’s Absa Cape Epic. He went to great lengths to keep the bike under wraps, organising a 5AM appointment with his local bike mechanic and taping up every reference to the brand and model name (which it turns out there […]