It’s been around two years since the most expensive thing I’ve ever owned became my responsibility. It’s low maintenance, calls out to be used and always delivers satisfaction. But when work and life gets ahead of me I feel like confessing to negligence.

The Santa Cruz Super Light is just one of those bikes. I started from the elegant 6061 blue anodized aluminium single pivot swingarm frame with a Fox Vanilla RC rear shock, and sprinkled on some XTR shifters, lightweight seatposts and bars and a venerable but trusty WTB saddle. Wheels were built with XT hubs, Sapim spokes and WTB Rims.

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Everyone else was off cross country racing, but the light dusting of white on the nearby ranges looked too good to miss, so Pete and I hatched a plan for a day chasing snow in the Brindabellas.

We had planned to drive from Canberra out past the Uriarra homestead and up to Piccadilly Circus in Namadgi National Park, but some last minute snow and road closures put a lid on that. As an alternative, we decided to start a ride down at about 700 metres and climb until the conditions turned us back. Read the rest of this entry »

Anzac Day Epic?

It certainly was…

Around 22 punters gathered at Old Boboyan Road for the amended scoot. The original repeat of the 2001 Epic out of the question, with significant chunks of Namagi National Park still closed post-fires.

The drive from Tharwa south proved the ferocity of the flames – in many other places there’s regeneration from the January bushfires taking place solidly among the natives. But here where the fire really did its thing, many of the trees seem well past the point of no return. Hillsides left bare of vegetation, trees trashed – moonscapes. Deeper in Namagi-south there’s less devistation – light damage or even more recent hazard reduction. Read the rest of this entry »