With over 4200 participants and nine accumulated days of racing over a total distance of 789km and 11 355 metres of ascent, the KAP Sani2c is the world’s biggest mountain bike stage race. We wanted to know more about the gear and components used by the participants at the 2017 edition.
We ran a survey which had a total of 893 responses. Some skipped the occasional questions, but for each question we had at least 855 responses, which from a total race entry number of 4264 is an ideal sample size for 95% confidence level and 3% margin for error. Those that understand the mechanics of surveys will know that those are very, very good figures.
| Shoe brand | % |
| Specialized | 32.98% |
| Shimano | 14.21% |
| Louis Garneau | 10.25% |
| Sidi | 7.69% |
| Giro | 7.57% |
| SCOTT | 4.77% |
| Olympic | 3.37% |
| Bontrager | 2.68% |
| Mavic | 2.68% |
| Fizik | 2.21% |
| Other | 11.53% |
There was a time that Shimano was the dominant shoe brand in South Africa. Well, that was what bike shops used to tell us. We were a little surprised to see Specialized so strong here. Louis Garneau’s position at No. 3 was also rather unexpected.
| How old are the shoes you wore at 2017 Sani2c? | % |
| I bought them in the last year | 26.80% |
| About 1-2 years old | 26.11% |
| About 2-3 years old | 19.27% |
| About 3-4 years old | 14.94% |
| About 4-5 years old | 6.39% |
| Older than 5 years | 6.50% |
How often should you buy new shoes? Depends how often you ride, but these stats are a pretty good guide – we reckon every 2-3 years.
| Tyre brand | % |
| Maxxis | 38.40% |
| Specialized | 17.14% |
| Schwalbe | 14.37% |
| Continental | 9.78% |
| Vittoria/Geax | 6.88% |
| Onza | 2.53% |
| Bontrager | 1.69% |
| Mitas | 1.08% |
| WTB | 0.96% |
| Vredestein | 0.72% |
| Other | 6.40% |
The only real surprise here is Specialized’s position at No. 2. Maxxis is easily the most dominant brand in the country, offering both a good range of tyres and good pricing. At the 2017 Cape Epic, Maxxis was also the top tyre brand with 31%, but Specialized didn’t feature in the top 10…
| Which applies to you in terms of tyres for the 2017 Sani2c? | % |
| I bought two new tyres for Sani2c | 22.71% |
| I bought one new tyre for Sani2c | 20.12% |
| My current tyres were just fine | 57.18% |
Tyres – probably the most consumable component of a mountain bike (along with sealant…)
| When buying tyres, which applies to you? | % |
| Light weight, I don’t mind the higher puncture risk | 7.34% |
| Reinforced sidewalls, I’d rather have heavier tyres than risk punctures | 78.93% |
| Good price, I can’t bring myself to spend a lot on tyres | 13.73% |
Everyone has a dramatic flat tyre story to tell. Most would prefer not to accumulate those kind of stories, as the stats reflect…
| Eyewear brand | % |
| Oakley | 32.56% |
| Rudy Project | 29.55% |
| Adidas | 10.37% |
| D’Arcs | 5.18% |
| Ocean | 4.46% |
| Uvex | 1.44% |
| Bondi Blu | 0.84% |
| Bolle | 0.72% |
| Nike | 0.60% |
| Cebe | 0.60% |
| Other | 13.63% |
More eyewear brands than we ever imagined! However, the top three at the Cape Epic are the top three here too.
| Helmet brand | % |
| Specialized | 22.09% |
| Bell | 14.88% |
| Rudy Project | 13.60% |
| Giro | 8.95% |
| SCOTT | 7.20% |
| Catlike | 5.00% |
| MET | 2.79% |
| Fox | 2.67% |
| Kask | 2.44% |
| Uvex | 2.09% |
| POC | 2.09% |
| Other | 16.16% |
We expected Bell and Giro to be at the top considering how widely available these two brands are (they’re imported by the same company).
| How old is the helmet you wore at 2017 Sani2c? | % |
| I bought it in the last year | 27.89% |
| About 1-2 years old | 24.00% |
| About 2-3 years old | 22.29% |
| About 3-4 years old | 12.34% |
| About 4-5 years old | 7.31% |
| Older than 5 years | 6.17% |
How often should you buy a new helmet? After a hard crash for certain, but if you don’t have a hard crash, then don’t wait more than 2-3 years.
| Regarding socks, which applies to you? You may select more than one. | % |
| Socks? I don’t wear socks | 0.11% |
| I like short socks | 45.42% |
| I like mid-calf length socks | 32.95% |
| I’m a sock nut. My socks are immaculate and match my kit | 17.51% |
| I just wear whatever socks I have | 20.71% |
One thing is certain, pretty much everyone wears socks.
| Regarding riding jerseys for the 2017 Sani2c, which applies to you? | % |
| I was given corporate jerseys to wear | 15.17% |
| My teammate and I wore matching jerseys | 56.6% |
| I just wore whatever jerseys I already have | 28.16% |
There’s quite a strong matchy-matchy vibe when it comes to jerseys. It’s a good thing really.
| Regarding riding shorts for the 2017 Sani2c, which applies to you? | % |
| I wore tight Lycra shorts | 86.64% |
| I wore baggy shorts | 4.11% |
| I wore baggy shorts over tight Lycra shorts | 9.25% |
Tight Lycra for the win here… Not surprising really. While baggy shorts look better, the extra layer isn’t ideal, especially when it’s muddy. More layers of fabric mean more surfaces to create friction.
| Regarding gloves for the 2017 Sani2c, which applies to you? | % |
| I used long-finger gloves | 54.47% |
| I used short-finger gloves | 44.15% |
| I ride without gloves | 1.38% |
The overwhelming majority use gloves, but the split between long-finger and short-finger gloves is quite marked.
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Interested in more South African event stats? Below are other articles we’ve published:
2016 Cape Epic Bike and Gear Stats: BIKES AND GEAR STATS FROM THE ABSA CAPE EPIC
2017 Cape Epic Bike Stats: BIKES OF THE 2017 ABSA CAPE EPIC: ALL THE STATS
2017 Cape Epic Gear Stats: GEAR CHOICE AT THE 2017 ABSA CAPE EPIC: ALL THE STATS
2017 KAP Sani2c Bike Stats: BIKE STATS OF THE 2017 KAP SANI2C
Coming soon: 2017 KAP Sani2c – all the rider stats
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