Maiden Voyage on the Specialized S-Works Epic in Jonkershoek

Took my new Specialized Epic for its maiden voyage to Jonkershoek, as fine an initiation setting at any other, yesterday afternoon in what happened to be the hottest day this summer. If I wasnt feeling the excitement of a boy with a new toy, I’d probably have faded on the ride. On the positive side, I was blown away by the feel, the handling and the sheer sensation of riding the best bike in the world. And that with much personal fine tuning to still be done.

Spent Friday out on the farm with Ruth and two Swiss friends of hers for her day off from work at South African Diamond and Tanzinite  store in Franschoek. Its an interim after her honours and the panned trip to the USA and potentially Europe. Got my old man to test the bike out on our lawn, but to really appreciate the genius of the research and development thats gone into the bike, as I discovered yesterday, can only be found on true mtb trails.

(Father testing the new Epic, in farm boots and all)

(Mothers garden looking stunning on a summers day at the farm)

The best mountain biking we have near Stellenbosch is 8km from town in a small secluded valley called Jonkershoek, which is ran as part Cape Nature Reserve and part forestry for pine trees. The terrain is diverse and makes for great technical single tracks, with everything from smooth fast flowing to rocky loose sandy sections. Perfect to test the new bike on.

(The 4hour route with plenty play in Jonkershoek)

(Near the top of the highest route - felt 40Degrees Centigrade here)

The bike is adaptable to personal preference, and it’ll take me months to fine tune it, as well as develop a feel for when to change my ‘normal’ settings for a specific course. For a start the entire setup is so so different to what I’ve been on, that I’d need to spend time on it as is, before being able to isolate on variable and examine its effect when changed. Both forks in particular have the widest range of settings, to meet course and personal taste requirements.

(The new 2D Helmet and Specialized Arc Optics)

Just changing the rebound setting on the Reba, gave the entire bike a different feel. Tweaked the firmness setting on the rear shock, as well as the rebound and will keep playing till I feel at home with the two shocks feel. The bike is an instantaneous improvement to skill. Far out. You hardly need to steer. Just sit and pedal. It soaks ups so much more than the full carbon hardtail I’d been on which felt soft in comparison to my previous bike. So this is on a different page in forgiveness context, allowing one out of trouble when needing it. The entire steering setup is also vastly different, with raised bars that are significantly wider than what I am used to.

(New S-Works Mtb shoes - feet were swelling due to heat)

One of the greatest perks of riding or running in Jonkershoek is the abundant supply to cold, clean, best tasting water. Yesterday over Michal and my four hour, we must have stopped and refilled bottles 3 times. Being able to hide in the shade on most of the ride is just great on a warmish day too. Guessing you’ve gathered I love Jonkershoek. Its training gem.

(Michal - scooping some much needed water)

(The most stunning thing other than my Sweetlove)

The Maguru Marta brakes need to be worn in a little, but feel stunning. The trigger shifters I’m happy stay with, although I did consider the SRAM grip-shifters. For now, think I’m going to lower the stem by a spacer or two, give the handlebar setup a chance, keep tweaking the shocks, and wait for the dust to settle.

I’ve heard what suggested retail in South Africa is, and sure did frown. But after being on the bike, mmm mmm, dow too well spent. You couldnt go wrong. Hope you’re asking yourself the obvious: What else is there to ride?

Categories: Jonkershoek, Mountain Biking, News, Specialized, Stellenbosch, Training

Tags: Google Earth, Jonkershoek, Mountain Biking

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