Phew, what a whirlwind of a year. Just when you think you have seen or experienced it all, along comes a new year and a whole basket of unexpected, different and new things. Isn’t that just life? Pretty much like downhill riding: you think you are in control… and hey this doesn’t mean it isn’t fun! 2014 was loads of fun – the riding has been spectacular, trails just keep getting better, bikes and gear improve every year, events are better organised and along with this Full Sus becomes more entrenched and hopefully gets better with each issue. We have grown in circulation, have bumper issues that have grown the size of the paper and have now launched Full Stride – our trail running companion. Phew, talk about “trapping our mielies af”! I am sure you will enjoy it and support Seamus who is the editor of Full Stride.
Thank you to all the LBS’s and outlets that carry Full Sus, we appreciate your efforts to ensure that your customers pick up a copy on their visits to your stores. Also a big thanks to all our regular contributors, you guys are brilliant and certainly ensure that Full Sus has the brilliant content we publish! Finally to all our readers a huge THANK YOU! For accepting us, keeping us on our toes, all the good and bad comments and for picking the paper up and enjoying it! Keep sending in your stories, your ideas, sharing, following and entering – there are lots more to come next year. Be safe these holidays, SLOW DOWN! – on the roads and on the trails. Chill out, pedal slowly, look up, take pics and remember why we do this awesome sport! Happy New Year and see you on the trails!
Farewell Arnold
We all have met great people while riding our bikes. I certainly made one of my best mates through mountain biking and unlike a lot of friends you make in life, the mates I have made on my bike have been sincere, passionate and very “real”! So it is always a shock when one of your newest friends is taken away suddenly: Arnold Bettendorf was one such guy, friendly, sincere and completely genuine. He was the owner of the well known and popular restaurant Arnold’s on Kloof. Always quick to laugh and share a story, he was a great character who you could not help but like. He will be sorely missed and my sincere condolences go to his family in particular Gilly and Oliver.
We’ll miss you on the trails Arnie – ride those tracks in the sky hard my friend! (from Braam, Andrew, Rich and Shayne!)
Sus the Winner
And the Axis A40 MTB goes to… the ACE – The Sufferfest Lesotho MTB Team! The prize was actually won by JJ Maritz, but he graciously suggested that the A40 would be better put to use by the Lesotho MTB Team he read about in Full Sus.
The guys from the team were thrilled by the news and would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to JJ and Axis Bikes!
Sus the LBS: Budget Bicycles (084 236 2959)
We would normally write a bit on the local bike shop but JJ did such a good job of it we thought we’d share his reasons for why his LBS is the best…
My local bike shop is a small shop in Despatch (Eastern Cape) called Budget Bicycles. It’s a small business owned by Marius Erasmus and his wife Natasha.
Don’t be fooled though, it might be small, but they have everything you need and some things you think you will never need… until you do. Beside from being a sub three hour Argus racer, Marius is also an ace bike mechanic and actually uses a toothbrush to meticulously clean your bike after he serviced it. The amount of effort he puts in to make your bike look and ride like it just came off the shop floor is crazy. And don’t get me started on how cheap they are. Man I feel so bad when he tells me the price of a full service that I scold him and force him to charge me a bit more…
Natasha is so clued up on bikes, it’s scary (and a bit intimidating) and she makes a great cup of coffee. She won’t let you leave the shop without a caffeine rush so bad you’d be ready to take on the Trans Baviaans, wide-eyed, right then and there.
I’m pretty sure that (and this is my humble opinion) these small LBS’s are the heart and soul of the cycling world… I personally would be lost without Marius and Natasha. I’m sure they would appreciate any sort of publicity, but as humble as they are they would never expect or ask for it.
You can find them on Facebook at Budget Cycles or drop by the shop at 8 Moreson Street, Despatch.
