{"id":12801,"date":"2022-11-18T06:24:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T06:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/2022\/11\/18\/bike-check-abdullah-zeinabs-rhino-run-winning-curve-gxr-r8505\/"},"modified":"2023-03-20T08:50:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-20T06:50:56","slug":"bike-check-abdullah-zeinabs-rhino-run-winning-curve-gxr-r8505","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/bike-check-abdullah-zeinabs-rhino-run-winning-curve-gxr-r8505\/","title":{"rendered":"Bike Check: Abdullah Zeinab’s Rhino Run winning Curve GXR"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWe watched the dots, and the thrilling race between Abdullah Zeinab and Kevin Benkenstein at the inaugural Rhino Run<\/a>. Then we heard from Benky about his experience and bike setup<\/a>. Now we’re taking a look at the race-winning bike, and hearing from the victor and ultra-endurance weapon,\u00a0Abdullah Zeinab.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\"bPnou.jpeg\"Sometimes a picture says a thousand words. Abdullah refuelling during the Rhino Run. Image Rae Trew-Browne<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat are your concerns and considerations for a ride that long:\u00a0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tFor me, the major concerns can be split into 4 major categories.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n\t\tThe Bike<\/em><\/strong> – Making sure the bike is equipped to be able to carry all the necessary equipment and durable enough to make it to the finish line<\/em>\n\t<\/li>\n
  2. \n\t\tFitness<\/em><\/strong> – Making sure that your body is in good enough shape to be able to complete the whole event and be resilient enough to handle the stress of whatever may happen along the way.<\/em>\n\t<\/li>\n
  3. \n\t\tMental<\/em><\/strong> – \u00a0Making sure you’re mentally prepared and trained to be able to deal with whatever you mentally may experience throughout the event.<\/em>\n\t<\/li>\n
  4. \n\t\tThe Route<\/em><\/strong> – Making sure that you have studied the route enough to understand where you can sleep and re-supply for fuel.<\/em>\n\t<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \n\tHow do you charge your devices?\u00a0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tI carried a 20,000 mAh battery pack with me in my top tube bag. The aim is to stop every 24-hour period and recharge it a little bit but sometimes it doesn’t work out. 20,000 mAh was just enough to see me through the event with only a few hours of recharge.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tDo you carry clean bibs?\u00a0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tI only had one pair of bibs for the event. Every time I got the opportunity to shower I would run some soap through them and air them out to dry.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tDo you stop to shower?\u00a0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tWhere it was possible I definitely stopped to shower. Over the whole race, I had four showers.\u00a0<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\t\"EB7db.jpeg\"The endless quest for calories. Image by Rae Trew-Browne<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tWhere do you sleep?\u00a0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tIt was a mixture of sleeping in hotels and camping outside in my bivvy. Ideally, I would stay just in hotels but sometimes it doesn’t work out due to opening hours.\u00a0<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tHow much does what you carry weigh?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tI honestly have no idea. I refrained from weighing anything because I didn’t want to know.
    \n\tI would guess the bike total with all the bags and water would be close to 20kgs.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tWhat keeps you coming back?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tThere are several aspects of it I really enjoy. Number one is the training. Having something to work towards for several months of the year is extremely enjoyable. Another aspect of this type of racing that I enjoy is the mental state it produces. Being out in the middle of nature, on the limit physically is truly a unique experience and it’s something I have fallen in love with.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\t\"8Y0Md.jpeg\"Abdullah rode 48mm gravel tyres, and in hindsight would have chosen to use use “the biggest tyre I could get my hands on”. Image by Rae Trew-Browne<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tWhat was the best choice you made with regard to setup?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tI think it was the combination of all the components and bags that made the bike setup solid enough to do the race. I had done all my training with essentially the same setup so I was conditioned to how the bike felt with everything on it. Overall all the components were extremely durable. I \u00a0had a pretty rough race and crashed hard 3 times and never really broke any components other than bending my derailleur hanger. Another issue I had was smashing my wheel on night one on a rock which smashed the carbon but it ended up holding for the whole race.\u00a0<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tIf you could go back and do it again, is there anything you would do differently on your setup?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tThe main thing I would change would be to use wider tyres. I had never really ridden gravel before the event so I assumed 48mm tyres would be enough. If I could go back I would use the biggest tyre I could get my hands on.\u00a0<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

    \n
    \n

    \n\t\t\t\"y1dtt.jpeg\"\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

    \n

    \n\t\t\t\"image.jpeg\"\n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

    \n\t\"PLKdH.jpeg\"Abdullah searching in vain for a screw the size of a lentil in the sand. He lost it while trying replace a bent derailleur hanger, and eventually managed to use a screw from his pedal. Images Rae Trew-Browne<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tWhat did you carry with you?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

    \n\tBike Bags:<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

      \n
    • \n\t\tApidura 5L Racing Saddle Bag\n\t<\/li>\n
    • \n\t\tApidura 4L Racing Frame Bag\n\t<\/li>\n
    • \n\t\tApidura 1L Racing Top Tube Bag\n\t<\/li>\n
    • \n\t\tApidura Food Pouch x 2\n\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \n\tClothes:<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

        \n
      • \n\t\t7 mesh rain jacket\n\t<\/li>\n
      • \n\t\tGloves ( unknown brand)\n\t<\/li>\n
      • \n\t\tHead buff\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n
      • \n\t\tCumulus Windy Wendy ( windbreaker )\n\t<\/li>\n
      • \n\t\tHigh-visibility vest\n\t<\/li>\n
      • \n\t\tHigh-visibility ankle straps\n\t<\/li>\n
      • \n\t\tMAAP\u00a0thermal base layer\n\t<\/li>\n
      • \n\t\tRapha Cargo bib shorts\n\t<\/li>\n
      • \n\t\tVegan Frotherz Jersey\n\t<\/li>\n
      • \n\t\tCastelli Base layer\n\t<\/li>\n
      • \n\t\tSocks x 1\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \n\t\"image.jpeg\"Locked and loaded (and still clean). Image by Rae Trew-Browne<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

        \n\tElectronics:<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

          \n
        • \n\t\tExposure race front light\n\t<\/li>\n
        • \n\t\tCat eye omni rear light x 2\n\t<\/li>\n
        • \n\t\tGarmin edge 830\n\t<\/li>\n
        • \n\t\tGarmin etrex 30x\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n
        • \n\t\tCygnett 20,00mah battery pack\n\t<\/li>\n
        • \n\t\tCharging cables\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \n\t\"image.jpeg\"Not your average cockpit. Image by Rae Trew-Browne<\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

          \n\tParts\/Other:<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

            \n
          • \n\t\tQuick Link\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tMulti-tool\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tTubes x 2\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tC02 x 2\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tZip Ties\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tLezyne micro floor pump\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tDerailleur hanger\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tBrake pads\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tGear cable\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tChamois creme\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tVoile strap\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tMagnum Zefal 1 litre drink bottle x 2\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tPassport\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tCredit card\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tSol emergency bivvy\n\t<\/li>\n
          • \n\t\tPearl Izumi arm covers\u00a0\n\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n

            \n\t\tBike Specifications<\/strong>\n\t<\/p>\n

              \n
            • \n\t\t\tFrame: <\/strong>Titanium Curve GXR\u00a0\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tStem: <\/strong>Zipp 80mm\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tSaddle:<\/strong> Specialized Power Arc Pro Elaston 155mm\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tBB:<\/strong> Curve T47 68 mm – Ekar Specific\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tHubs:<\/strong> DT Swiss 350 24H Centre Lock – N3W Freehub\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tFork:<\/strong> Curve Ride 400\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tHandlebar:<\/strong> Curve Walmer Bars\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tShifters: <\/strong>Campagnolo Ekar 1×13 sp – LHR \/ RHF\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tRear Derailleur: \u00a0<\/strong>Ekar 1×13\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tCassette:<\/strong> Ekar Cassette 9-42t\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tRims: <\/strong>G4T 35 – 700C, 21 mm internal, 28 mm external, 35 mm deep,\u00a0\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tHeadset: <\/strong>Curve 44 mm semi-internal\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tSeatpost:<\/strong> Curve Titanium 27.2 x 350 mm\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tBrakeset:<\/strong> Ekar Caliper w\/160 mm rotors\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tCrankset:<\/strong> Ekar 13 sp 38t\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tChain:<\/strong> \u00a0Ekar 13 sp C-Link\n\t\t<\/li>\n
            • \n\t\t\tTyres:<\/strong> \u00a0Rene Herse Oracle Ridge 700C x 48 mm TC Tire – Endurance (dark tan)\n\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

              \n\t\"2XYQ1.jpeg\"\n<\/p>\n

              \n

              \n\t\tKeen to find out more?<\/strong>\n\t<\/p>\n

              \n\t\tAbdullah has agreed to answer questions in the comments from back in Australia, so if there is anything you want to know please pop it below (and be mindful of the time zone differences)\n\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              We watched the dots, and the thrilling race between Abdullah Zeinab and Kevin Benkenstein at the inaugural Rhino Run. Then we heard from Benky about his experience and bike setup. Now we’re taking a look at the race-winning bike, and hearing from the victor and ultra-endurance weapon,\u00a0Abdullah Zeinab.\u00a0 Sometimes a picture says a thousand words. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22683,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"featured_location":[],"class_list":["post-12801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adventure-and-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12801"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62052,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12801\/revisions\/62052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12801"},{"taxonomy":"featured_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured_location?post=12801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}