Not only does the Absa Cape Epic test riders to their physical, mental and emotional limits, it’s also considered one of the most extreme tests of bicycles and gear. The mostly hot, dry conditions, rugged terrain and varying strains of sand and dust encountered under high-pressure racing make equipment choice critical.
Of the 1 380 riders that entered the 2019 Cape Epic, a total of 1 299 took the rider survey. That’s 94%, which is an exceptionally large sample size. Here’s how their gear choice looked…
Tyre choice
| Tyre brand | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Maxxis | 24% | 31% | 43% | 42% |
| Schwalbe | 35% | 27% | 22% | 16% |
| Vittoria/Geax | 10% | 11% | 13% | 8% |
| Continental | 17% | 16% | 12% | 8% |
| Bontrager | 3% | 6% | 4% | 4% |
| Mitas | 3% | 4% | 2% | 2% |
| Vredestein | 1% | 1% | 1% | 0% |
| Michelin | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Kenda | 1% | 1% | 0.5% | 1% |
| WTB | 0% | 0% | 0.5% | 1% |
| Other | 5% | 2% | 1% | 17% |
With 42%, Maxxis remains the most dominant tyre brand, with Schwalbe still in second but continuing to decline year on year to just 16%. Continental also dropped its Cape Epic market-share, sharing third place with Vittoria/Geax, which, after two years of increase, saw a decrease to 8%, while Bontrager remained in fifth place with 4%.
However, there remains one glaring omission on this list – Specialized. In the past five years, riders on Specialized tyres have won six UCI men and women Cape Epic titles. We can only assume it’s among the 17% of ‘OTHER’…
Component split
| Shimano | SRAM | Other | |
| 2007 | 61% | 36% | 3% |
| 2008 | 57% | 41% | 2% |
| 2009 | 57% | 41% | 2% |
| 2010 | 47% | 51% | 2% |
| 2011 | 46% | 53% | 1% |
| 2012 | 45% | 55% | 0% |
| 2013 | 51% | 49% | 0% |
| 2014 | 50% | 49% | 1% |
| 2015 | 44% | 55% | 1% |
| 2016 | 44% | 55% | 1% |
| 2017 | 44% | 56% | 0% |
| 2018 | 29% | 70% | 1% |
| 2019 | 24% | 76% | 0% |
Talk about a turnaround! After briefly regaining a marginal majority in 2013 and 2014, Shimano has dropped to just 24% in 2019. It’s hardly surprising when you consider the impact that SRAM’s 1×12 Eagle, launched in 2016 and now almost standard on most mid-to-top-end bikes, has had on drivetrain choice for committed mountain bikers. Shimano launched it’s own 1×12 drivetrain models over the past 15 months, but was up against SRAM’s 1×12 Eagle range expansion over the same period.
Drivetrain configuration
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Single chainring | 49% | 67% | 81% | 88% |
| Double chainring | 48% | 30% | 17% | 11% |
| Triple chainring | 3% | 3% | 2% | 1% |
The launch of SRAM’s 1×12 has revolutionised the marathon and stage-race market’s drivetrain choice and it shows in all stage race survey stats over the past year, with a significant jump from 49% two years ago to 88% at the Cape Epic this year. Incredible to think that just 10 years ago, triple chainrings were still the accepted norm…
Dropper seatpost
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Yes | 17% | 21% | 31% |
| No | 83% | 79% | 69% |
There’s no question that a dropper seatpost improves rider control through fast corners and on descents – even more so for less-skilled riders who struggle with managing their centre of gravity and weight distribution. A 10% increase in one year is significant and, as with single chainrings, we’re sure to see this trend continue year on year as more and more marathon bikes come already specced with droppers.
Eyewear
| Oakley | Rudy Project | adidas | UVEX | POC | Tifosi | Other | |
| 2012 | 36% | 24% | 11% | 29% | |||
| 2013 | 40% | 25% | 10% | 25% | |||
| 2014 | 45% | 24% | 8% | 1% | 22% | ||
| 2015 | 49% | 21% | 12% | 1% | 17% | ||
| 2016 | 51% | 20% | 12% | 1% | 16% | ||
| 2017 | 55% | 14% | 10% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 16% |
| 2018 | 57% | 15% | 10% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 13% |
| 2019 | 58% | 11% | 8% | 3% | 1% | 1% | 18% |
Oakley continues to dominate the eyewear category among Cape Epic participants, with all other prominent brands, bar UVEX, dipping lower than last year…
Bicycle transport bag/box
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Evoc | 35% | 30% | 29% |
| Thule | 7% | 8% | 9% |
| Scicon | 5% | 5% | 8% |
| Other | 9% | 5% | 7% |
| Cardboard box | 3% | 4% | 4% |
| Bkind | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| Bike Box Alan | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Pro (Shimano) | 1% | 1% | |
| B&W | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Although still the dominant brand, Evoc dropped by another 1% this year, with Thule and Scicon increasing slightly. A total of 65% of respondents answered this question as the majority of South Africans now use bicycle transport companies to move their bikes to major events and back home again.
