This is how I roll

Ok so while ago my beloved Trek Fuel Ex8 was stolen. I was sad about it as we have been through a lot in the two and half years together. The insurance paid out and I was hunting for a bike.

I had become a fan of the Trek remedy and said it might be my next. I started phoning, emailing and asking but luck was out. Trek distributor had only taken over in June this year from someone else and there is ZERO stock of everything. Nic was really helpful and contacted the manufacturer and found that even the international warehouse did  not have stock of the bike I wanted as it fall in the 2012 2013 cross over time. They also inform me that the new stock will still be a month or two at least and with that me dream for a remedy got stolen aswel. But what to get now....

While I was finding out about about the remedy I kept an eye on the secondhand markets, gumtree thehubsa etc. maybe a remedy would pop up there. But no luck. Something  else did catch my eye. Another bike that had been on my dream list before and I have always said it is one of the few carbon bikes I would consider. The spec was great and for the price it seemed like a hugh bargain. So I spoke to my local bike shop( Williams Bike Shop ) who's a dealer for it. And guess what, right that time the owner of the bike also walks in. So he agree to bring and leave the bike at William for me to have  a look at.

Had a few busy days but then on the Friday morning I before work I went to William to check the bike and feel it out. William's shop is in somerset West and only open at 8h30. I had a meeting at 9h00 in stellenbosch but I figure should be enough time to check the bike and get to work. Curveball. The one morning I'm bit in a time crunch, William runs a bit late. As he open the door I go in and start checking the bike. Is in GREAT condition. We slap a few pedals on quickly and I take a spin on the pavement. I felt 99% good on the bike from the start, just the  handlebars was bit narrow for my liking. By now, time was a problem. I had less than 15min to get to work for my weekly project meeting.  Thanked William and said I will phone the owner.

After my meeting I phoned the owner. I told him I like the bike and want it, but being me I always try my luck and got R2000 more off the price. Happy times. A quick eft and the bike was mine. I had loads of meetings that day but all I could think of was the bike. The first gap was lunch time and I rush back to William's to collect my new pride and joy.

And here she is

Ibis Mojo SL
Fork:RS Pike 454 air u-turn
Industry 9 straight pull + mavic 729  + Geax BarroMountain 2.1
Industry 9 straight pull + mavic 729 + Geax Gato 2.1
X0 triggers
XTR FD
X0 RD
Raceface Deus XC crank
Thomson Elite Seat post
ITM MTB1 carbon Riser Bar
Truvativ  AKA stem
Formula R1 brakes


She is nice and light and the 140mm of travel is SOOOO plush.  The extra travel and plushness has done so much for my confidence. I had the bike now for almost 2 weeks and already I have done jumps doubles and things I was afraid to do previously. The bike encourage you do play. The I9 wheel rolls so great. If I let go of the brakes it just rockets down the hill.

There is a few things that needs doing:

• The saddle is basicly a layer of carbon with layer of leather. My bottom does not agree with it. So yesterday I got in the post a secondhand Fizik Aliante I bought of gumtree for about half the price of a new one but almost is new still. 
• The chain is worn  so had replaced it with one of my spare chains.
• The bar is to narrow for me. I'm looking at the Answer ProTaper Carbon 720AM. I asked William to find out but the supplier dont have and is not get in his next shipment. So might have to import myself.
• The back hub had bit of play. After tighten it up we felt that one or more bearings is not what it must be. 
• Some cable housings have deep scuff marks from frame rub and need replacing.
• There is almost no cable rub protection on the bike. For this I have tracked down some awesome stuff. Its 3M 8561 protective tape ( abrasion, erosion, scratch, puncture and impact resistant ). Any form of 3M protective tape is hard to get in SA so this is coming from UK.

The bike is going in tomorrow for the rear hub bearings and cable housings.

So far I'm loving the bike. If I want, I could lighten the bike more with lighter rims and fork but the pike is absolutely great. The mavic 729 is downhill/Freeride rims and HUGH(36mm wide) but I like the idea of having such a bullet proof wheelset under me, specially if I play.

I trust this bike will serve me well next year when I do BCBikeRace on it

I cant believe it.. I RIDE A IBIS MOJO!!

Stormsriver Traverse Day 3

The storm Clouds gathered yesterday afternoon. I stood on my chalet balcony overlooking the ocean and you could see the weather sweeping in. By 9pm last night it was howling outside and by 3am this morning it sounded like the roof would blow off. I put the bad weather out of my mind as I got dressed and ready for today's stage and simply focussed on the job at hand. We started at 8am and I knew that with a gail force wind and driving rain my best bet would be to try and stick with the leading mixed teams. With trecherous decents and playing Russian Roulette with the unknown depth of each mud puddle we all had a few close shaves. If someone had to tap a foot down we would all sit up and make sure that the group was intact before we would hammer away again. I had flashbacks of a Sabie Xperience a few years back where pedalling up and down was equally difficult due to the mud grabbing at your wheels. On the final climb I elected to back off a bit to let the mixed teams that were racing for position race their own race. On the home stretch I caught up to their back wheels but didnt contest the sprint as none of my rivals over the last 3 days were anywhere close. I managed a 6 th position in the solo mens race today and was 3rd subvet on the stage. Today was as hard as yesterday, but I came in on 2h23 due to riding a smart race today.

Stormsriver Traverse Day 2

The day started with dry, but windy conditions. From the onset the pace was fast and very soon we hit the first muddy climb. Any hopes for a dry trail was instantly dashed. I started middle of the pack and had an interesting time passing some of the over eager back markers that thought that finishing day 1 waarants a place on the front row of the start grid. Some on the fly coaching tips were shouted in passing (I never shouted "hold your line" once) and I really had to focus on picking proper lines as some of the riders were doing their best to stay upright, so picking lines was way beyond their priorities. The mudslide took us to the Stormsriver mouth. This is where the world famous Otter Trail 5 day hike starts and it was very evident why the hike is rated as one of the best in the world. A cement path with gradients in excess of 20% took us up to the second waterpoint. I took a moment to look at the magnificent views with some of the fellow riders. As always the water points were fully stocked to Dryland Standards and after a chat and a giggle with some of the volunteers I set off again on what seems to be a mothballed golf estate. The headwinds alternated the muddy stretches and every kilometer etched by very slowly as we crossed the N2 twice on our way back to Storms River Village. Once again we were able to ride through some stunning indigenous forest sections. Bring on day 3!

Stormsriver Traverse Day 1

July was a particularly busy month. In between a nasty flu, Werner losing a bike, funerals in Gauteng and a very busy work schedule it was no surprise that very little training was done. If I had not booked the trip to Stormsriver last year already, I may have been tempted to cancel the trip altogether. With very little choice but to come and do the ride, we left Cape Town on Thursday morning early. The drive up was pleasant and by 3pm we reached the race village and registered. We checked in at Misty Mountain Reserve http://www.mistymountainreserve.co.za/ We had supper at the race village and went to bed soon afterwards. Day 1 started off rather chilly as we left Stormsrivier in an Easterly direction. With all the recent rains the trails were wet, but fortunately not too muddy. I resolved to ride at my own pace today and this paid off as I started to pick up the pace from 20km onwards. I was happy with my tyre choice for the race (a spesh purgatory 2.2 up front and the trusty Geax Saguro on the back). I completed the ride in 2h40 and was the third sub vet home and 13th overall male on the stage. Hopefully I've not gone too hard in the second part of the race today.