Ride Report: The U MTB Stage Race
About two hours north of Cape Town the winding Versveld Pass takes you up into the hidden town of Piket-Bo-Berg. Nestled atop the mountain the beautiful Moutons Valley Farm provided the venue for The U, a two-day mountain bike stage race which took place from 14 – 16 October 2016. Photos by Chris Hitchcock UPDATE: […]
Bike Check: Stefan Garlicki’s Solid Strike EVO
2016 has had its successes for Stefan Garlicki. He defended his SA National Champs title at Cascades in July, snatched a win in the iXS Downhill Cup, and has been putting up a fight on the World Cup circuit. Stefan rides for Solid Reverse Factory Racing. Photos by Zack Faulkner. Stefan races a Strike EVO […]
Ride Report: Eselfontein Festival
Eselfontein has always been one of my favourite riding destinations. The unending combination of rocky and flowing single track has always enticed me as a rider. Making the 3-day mountain bike festival an unmissable event. Team Bike Hub arrived ready and raring to go on Friday 14th October. Stage 1 was special as it was […]
Review: BMC Teamelite 01 XT
The engineer behind the BMC Teamelite 01 is a bold man. The soft tail era of mountain biking in the early 90s is generally looked back on with ridicule but a lot has changed in the last twenty years. So is the time right for soft tail to ride again? I was eager to find […]
Review: Pyga Stage Max
The Pyga Stage Max is the bigger brother of the Stage marathon/ cross-country bike. With the Stage already adding some spice to the race bike category, we were keen to put the Stage Max to the test to see what it has up its sleeve. The Frame The biggest deviation from conventional design is what […]
First Look Friday: Scott Spark; Volvo Bike Rack; MRP Ramp Control Cartridge
First Look Friday is an introduction to the gear that we are currently testing for review. This week we’ve got the brand new Scott Spark; a Volvo bike rack, and MRP’s Ramp Control Cartridge. Scott Spark 940 Since July, when the new Scott Spark range was announced, I’ve been itching to give one a ride. […]
First Ride Review: Cannondale Scalpel-Si Carbon 3
Cannondale have been brave with the new Scalpel-Si. While many manufacturers remain committed to the traditional cross-country / marathon bike formula, Cannondale have clearly taken a page from the progressive geometry book, packaging it into a serious race bike. We can only hope that this translates to fewer queues and more smiles on the single […]
Event Report: Weskus Fat Bike Adventure
The Weskus Fat Bike Adventure is a truly unique experience. The main focus is to enjoy the ride – there is no timing and no race positioning – riders simply head off once the last rider is ready (and when the tides allow). This approach creates a very social atmosphere in the campsite and out […]
Review: Five Ten Kestrel Lace shoes
Five Ten made their name with big shoes with sticky soles to grip pins on flat pedals. The launch of the Kestrel range last year signified a new direction for Five Ten. The sleeker more performance focussed SPD shoe was a departure from the skate style Five Ten are famous for. The Kestrel Lace released […]
Who needs a coach anyway?
The cycling industry as a whole has seen a tremendous boom during the last decade. Cycling has been coined the “new golf” and the industry has seen over 100% growth in both participation and sales during the last 10 years. But our new golfers are not satisfied with only participating, they want to be competitive. […]
Event report: Varsity MTB Challenge
With lungs full of dense coastal air and legs still shaky from the Lesotho Sky, we headed out to the tranquil La Paris farm in Franschhoek for the inaugural Varsity MTB Challenge sponsored by FNB. The race features two stages both approximately 50 kilometres, making for fast-paced racing on the sharp end of the field, […]
Review: Garmin Varia smart bike system
Since the launch of the Varia Rearview Radar, Garmin have grown their smart cycling device range and the degree of integration of each device. As a standalone, the rear view Radar is a smart rear bike light that improves your visibility, situational awareness and safety with adaptive brightness and a radar display. Garmin did not […]