Excellent ride today at Oak Valley (one of the overnight stops for the Cape Epic.

The ride is in the Grabouw valley and up onto the hills below Groenlandberg mountain. There are 3 trails. Green 14km, Red, 21km, Black 25km. Each for each increasingly more experienced riders.

The major advantage is the hot showers and bike wash at the end. In winter, what a bonus! There was a large percentage of single track on the black route as well as a new black section that has been opened up (2.8km single track) so overall a great ride.

There were a few weird moments on the A-frame wooden stys over the fences and I managed to smash my head on the overhead bar (it was really low – i checked) – so beginners watch out – hit them head on or you will slide, especially if its wet.

Ride Stats:
Distance: 25km (Black Route)
Time: 1:30-2hours
Location: oak Valley, Grabouw, Cape Town
Difficulty: Intermediate (but good for beginners)
Notes: Showers, Bike Wash, Secure Parking
Cost: R30/rider
Overall Rating: 4/5

BMC has been my bike repair place of choice for a while now. Their service is nothing short of outstanding.

I bought a new Specialized Epic Marathon frame and wanted to move my existing components off my current GT frame. I had to buy new cable housings and front XTR derailuer (top mount) – my other one was bottom mount so wouldnt work.

I was late to collect it (friday) as I was in a rental (thats another story) and couldnt get it to start at the office. So I arrived at 5pm on a friday and they had already locked up. I smsed them as I am due to ride a race tomorrow (saturday) and we organised to meet back at 5:45pm.

I got my bike, its done brilliantly, all the right bits in the right places, all the leftover spares, cable routings correct, nice clean components (after the last few muddy races) and a great looking bike.

The test is tomorrow morning, the Willow Creek / Nuy mountainbike race – not the ideal testing ground for a “new” bike.

Thanks again to BMC, Jared, Kevin and Kerry for your awesome service. Check BMC out.