The first Full Sus Reader Bike Test Day was a huge success. Hosted in the beautiful surroundings of Delheim Wine Estate the day was an intimate affair, with riders at times reaching frenetic levels of excitement at the opportunity to ride spectacular bikes on the awesome loop prepared by Dirtopia.
All the readers that booked to be at the event were treated to a breakfast snack and coffee, followed by a quick briefing before booking the bikes they wanted to ride in each session with the bike brands. The bikes were set-up for each rider by the brand representatives and then led out by Meurant Botha for the first lap of the 4km bike test trail. All I saw was a lot of really happy faces, a lot of chatting about which bikes they liked and which bike was likely to be under the Christmas tree. USN set-up a wet table for all the thirsty riders and our medic Yolanda was on hand to patch up some overzealous riders – they could be excused of course, it’s easy to get amped when you have a full carbon beauty between your legs!
The Reader Test Day was a unique opportunity to ride some of the best brands available in the country, on the trails, and then being able to compare rides immediately. We limited the number of readers to match the number of bikes brought to the event by the brands. This ensured that there were always bums on saddles and even if a reader had his/her heart set on testing a particular bike it kept the waiting for a ride minimal.
Stefan Garlicki, SA’s current downhill MTB champion popped in for a little skills chat and after a light lunch, those who wanted went on a longer out-ride with Meurant. The readers who joined for the longer ride were given a sneak peek of some amazing brand new routes on the pristine Simonsberg Trail Network.
Our response to the day has been overwhelmingly positive and we are most definitely planning to do it again, be sure to book your place in time!
Enjoy this packed issue and see you on the trails!
