We tested the SuperX 3 in the same batch as the Titan Racing Switch Carbon Comp and the Merida Silex 7000, and it sits at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from both. This is Cannondale's dedicated race gravel bike, built to go fast, not to carry your camping kit. At 8.57kg it's the lightest bike we've weighed in the whole series, running mechanical Shimano GRX in a 2x setup, DT Swiss 370 hubs, and tyre clearance up to 51mm up front and 48mm out back if you want to push past the stock 40s. Frame storage is minimal on purpose: three bottle mounts and a top tube bag, nothing more, because this bike wants you moving fast enough that you won't need it. It's neither of our reviewers' first gravel bike, but it is their first Cannondale, and it's easy to see why the brand's owners talk about it like a cult. At R80,000, this is a genuinely competitive way into that world without giving up anything on performance. We scored it an 8 out of 10, and reckon a wider tyre choice is the only thing standing between this bike and a 9.

0:00 — Cold Open: Meet the SuperX 3

0:40 — First Ride: Southern Suburbs to the Green Belts

2:52 — Frame & Component Walkthrough

5:55 — Weigh-In: The Lightest Bike We've Tested

6:41 — Three Weeks on Gravel: The Real-World Test

9:00 — Tyre Clearance: Room to Go Wider

9:31 — The Price Reveal: R80,000

11:09 — Final Verdict: Scoring the SuperX 3

# === LISTEN ON THE GO ===========================

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# === THE CREW ===================================

Dave @davlewjenkins

# === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================

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# === WORK WITH US ===============================

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Dave went in for a routine wash and lube. He came out having waxed his

chain for the first time — and swearing he'll never go back to lube.

Better drivetrain efficiency, and none of the black grease stain that never quite comes off your fingers. If you've ever wondered whether it's worth the hype or just a strong sales pitch, this is the honest answer.

Also on this episode: listener feedback on Amashova, the iconic KZN race that deserves its comeback. A race where entry costs 50 rand and the whole thing runs on people who'd rather build the sport than complain about it ( https://www.facebook.com/p/Cycle-Sunday-61579290593407). And a full Tour de France Femmes breakdown — Kim Le Court's incredible solo move, and why she's the

favourite heading into the final days.

# === CHAPTERS ===================================

0:00 — Intro & Listener Feedback

04:15 Cycle Sunday KZN

7:13 — The Ecosystem Problem: Getting More People Into Cycling

13:48 — Cycling’s biggest breakthrough

17:12 Freewheel Chain wax offering

25:59 — Tour de France Femmes

44:00 — Wrap-Up & A Preview of Road to Gravel Burn Nutrition

# === LISTEN ON THE GO ===========================

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# === THE CREW ===================================

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Juanita @juanitarosemackenzie

Nic White @nicwhitedotcoza

# === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================

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# === WORK WITH US ===============================

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The Specialized Crux 5 swept the Unbound Gravel podium 48 hours after launch — and set the tone for the future of this reiangined gravel race weapon

It's the final bike in our review series and by a significent margin - the fastest.

We closed out our gravel bike review series with the one everyone kept asking about: the Specialized Crux 5, tested in the same trim the local Toyota Specialized elite team races. This isn't a subtle update. Specialized redesigned the Crux from the tube shapes up, borrowing aero cues straight from the new Tarmac road bike, dropping the seat stays, and fully hiding the cables. The result is the fastest gravel race bike Specialized has ever built, and the results back it up: days after launch, riders on the new Crux 5 swept the podium at Unbound Gravel, cycling's toughest test of a race bike's credibility. On our trails, it's just as convincing. SRAM Red XPLR AXS shifting, room for genuinely massive 2.2-inch tyres without the drama of toe overlap, and a weight that came in at 7.6kg dry, lighter than every other bike we've tested in this series. It climbs like it's trying to prove a point, and those bigger tyres mean you can carry real speed downhill without the old Crux's reputation for harshness. Pricing runs the full spectrum: R80,000 gets you the same race-bred frame shape in a lower-spec build, all the way up to R280,000 for the full S-Works package our test bike sits just below. Whichever end of that range you're looking at, you're buying into the platform the fastest gravel racers on earth are choosing right now.

This wraps our four-bike gravel review series. If you missed the Titan Racing, the Merida Silex, or the Cannondale SuperX, links are below. Let us know which one you'd actually buy..

# === CHAPTERS ===========================

0:00 — Cold Open: The Final Bike in the Series

2:15 — Meet the Crux 5: Specs Breakdown

5:18 — Massive Tyre Clearance: Room for 2.2" Rubber

5:33 — The New Aero Seat Tube & Comfort Redesign

7:17 — Flex-Tuned Handlebars

9:12 — Climbing: A Dream to Ride Uphill

9:58 — Descending on 2.2" Tyres

13:01 — Weigh-In: 7.6kg Out of the Box

13:20 — The Price Breakdown: R80k to R280k

15:22 — Final Verdict: Why This Crux Won Unbound

# === LISTEN ON THE GO ===========================

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# === THE CREW ===================================

Dave @davlewjenkins

# === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================

Latest episode: https://youtu.be/VRIeP2JYf5U

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Link to product:

https://specializedbicyclesafrica.com/collections/crux-5-eat-my-dust?srsltid=AfmBOor-v22Ykqu-T70YVWC_uEJJnfw2tKLwtEsFssCPQhIamAUYM4w4

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The Merida Silex 7000 might be the most comfortable gravel bike we've ridden — and it's not even trying to race you.

We tested the Silex 7000 back to back with the Cannondale SuperX and the Titan Racing Switch Carbon Comp, and the contrast couldn't be bigger. Where those two want to race, the Silex wants to disappear into the hills for a week. Merida built this carbon gravel bike for exploring, not sprinting — mechanical Shimano GRX shifting, a wide-range mountain-bike cassette, 180mm rotors with genuinely serious stopping power, and tyre clearance up to 45mm (42mm once you fit mudguards). It comes ready to ride out of the box, complete with a water bottle, mini tool, and tubeless valves — a detail none of the other bikes we've tested this year bothered with. At roughly 9.55kg, it lines up with a Specialized Diverge, minus the suspension and the price tag. It's also home to the best small feature we've found on any bike this year: a magnetised Fidlock bottle cage that's worth the price of admission on its own. At R65,000, both our reviewers landed on a 9 out of 10 — not because it's flawless, but because for anyone chasing distance over speed, almost nothing touches it.

0:00 — First Impressions: Smooth Criminal

1:16 — Meet the Silex 7000

2:45 — Shimano GRX & That Stopping Power

6:13 — The Fidlock Magnetic Bottle System

9:12 — Comfort Test: Smoother Than a Diverge?

10:42 — Weigh-In: 9.55kg With All the Extras

11:38 — The Price Reveal: R65,000

13:02 — Final Verdict: Scoring the Silex 7000

14:25 — Closing Thoughts

# === LISTEN ON THE GO ===========================

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# === FOLLOW ACTIVE HOBO =========================

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# === THE CREW ===================================

Dave @davlewjenkins

# === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================

Latest episode: https://youtu.be/VRIeP2JYf5U

Full podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXH

Related episode: https://youtu.be/lGfvanjllXY

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# === WORK WITH US ===============================

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Send a question for the show: noah@activehobo.com

#ActiveHobo #CyclingPodcast #SouthAfricanCycling #gravelbike #titangravelbike #bikereview

Most riders have no idea if their TT bike would actually pass inspection.

Dave sits down with Stephan, a national road cycling commissaire based at

Cycle Lab N1 City, who measures TT bikes against UCI regulations for a

living — and puts a bike through the exact test riders face on race day.

Before the demo: reaction to the biggest story to come out of the Tour de

France this week. Jonas Vingegaard crashed out of Stage 15 on the descent

into Plateau de Solaison, ending his bid for a third yellow jersey with a

fractured collarbone. Remco Evenepoel took the stage win, his first road

victory at the Tour, while Tadej Pogačar showed real sportsmanship in how

he handled the closing kilometres.

Then it's down to business: what "default" position actually means, why

the UCI cares about 750mm and category height limits, and why a bike that

looks fine to the eye can fail on a technicality worth three millimetres.

# === CHAPTERS ===================================

0:00 — Cold Open: Coffee, Colours & Cycle Lab N1 City

1:49 — Meet Stephan: Commissaire & TT Bike Specialist

3:37 — Tour de France: Vingegaard's Crash & Pogačar's Sportsmanship

5:32 — What Makes a Commissaire Qualified to Judge Your Bike?

6:44 — Why the UCI Regulates TT Bikes: Man vs Machine

10:42 — The Jig Demo: Measuring a "Default" Position

18:10 — The Non-Compliant Bike Example

19:44 — Category Heights Explained: Why Taller Riders Get Less Room

25:41 — The Jig Built for Western Province Cycling

26:17 — Why the Time Trial Is the Purest Test in Cycling

30:35 — Chasing KOMs & Wrap-Up

# === LISTEN ON THE GO ===========================

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# === FOLLOW ACTIVE HOBO =========================

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# === THE CREW ===================================

Dave @davlewjenkins

James Ross-Marsh @jamesrossmarsh

# === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================

Latest episode: https://youtu.be/VRIeP2JYf5U

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Related episode: https://youtu.be/lGfvanjllXY

SOIL SEARCHING on YOUTUBE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DYUE9tW24E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZEaRtB5hzs

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# === WORK WITH US ===============================

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We put the Switch Carbon Comp through three weeks and 500km of everything the Western Cape could throw at it: smooth tar, fast gravel, and rock climbs nobody sane would call "gravel." It didn't flinch. Titan Racing, a proudly South African bike brand out of Stellenbosch, built this as a genuine entry point into carbon gravel racing — wireless 1x12 SRAM Apex AXS shifting, Vittoria Terreno Dry tyres, and a carbon frame with clearance up to 50mm, all finished in one of the most understated paint jobs we've tested this year. At 9.4kg and under R53,000, it's the bike that had two reviewers arguing over whether it deserved an 8 or a 9 out of 10 — not because it's flawed, but because at this price, almost nothing else comes close. It's also built to grow with you: upgrade the wheels, widen the cassette, or just ride it stock for years. If you're gravel-curious and don't want to remortgage anything to find out, this is where you start.

0:00 — Titan, What Have You Done? (First Reactions)

1:47 — The Price Reveal: What R52,999 Buys You

4:02 — Frame, Finish & The Minimalist Paint Job

7:07 — Three Weeks, 500km: The Real-World Test

7:31 — The Extreme Terrain Torture Test

9:11 — Weigh-In: Does 9.4kg Hold Up?

9:43 — Final Verdict: Scoring the Switch Carbon Comp

11:39 — Final Thoughts (Your Turn)

# === LISTEN ON THE GO ===========================

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# === FOLLOW ACTIVE HOBO =========================

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# === THE CREW ===================================

Dave @davlewjenkins

# === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================

Latest episode: https://youtu.be/VRIeP2JYf5U

Full podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXH

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# === WORK WITH US ===============================

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Send a question for the show: noah@activehobo.com

#ActiveHobo #CyclingPodcast #SouthAfricanCycling #gravelbike #giantrevoltreview #bikereview

Every rider who's done a stage race has seen it: the school kids handing

out water, the local guy who's swept the same piece of singletrack all

year so it's ready for you. James Beers joins The Breakaway to unpack

what actually happens to the money you pay to enter a race — and why it

matters more than most riders realise.

This is a big one. James breaks down the real, direct link between event

entry fees and rural community income in South Africa — school fees paid,

local trail builders employed, families supported through a single race

weekend. It's not corporate box-ticking. It's tangible, and it compounds

year on year.

We also get into the Giro d'Italia GC battle — Jonas Vingegaard's

gearing, Tadej Pogačar's dominance, and what's coming in the next two

weeks. Plus two big pieces of South African cycling news: performance

coach Reece McDonald's move into the WorldTour pipeline with Q36.5 Pro

Cycling, and Daryl Impey's new role as a Sport Director at Ineos

Grenadiers for 2026.

# === CHAPTERS ===================================

0:00 — Intro: Do Races Actually Help Communities?

2:05 — James Beers' Toyota Commercial Stunt Double Story

6:35 — The Philosophy of Riding When the Stoke Is High

15:10 — Cape Epic's UNCO Valley & the Beaded Bracelets

23:14 — Craig Wapnick, go2berg & Community-Powered Events

28:46 — Whose Job Is It to Fix the Trails?

43:48 — The Trail Pass: An Easy Lever Riders Ignore

49:14 — Giro d'Italia: Vingegaard's Gearing Under the Microscope

52:47 — Could Different Gearing Have Changed the Giro?

1:07:28 — Pinarello-Q36.5 & Reece McDonald's Move to the WorldTour Pipeline

1:08:06 — Daryl Impey Joins Ineos Grenadiers as Sport Director

1:14:18 — Wrap-Up & Thanks to James Beers

# === LISTEN ON THE GO ===========================

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# === FOLLOW ACTIVE HOBO =========================

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# === THE CREW ===================================

Dave @davlewjenkins

# === MORE FROM ACTIVE HOBO ======================

Latest episode: https://youtu.be/VRIeP2JYf5U

Full podcast playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc2XIoaiAXafwoZykJM-jg6HnrLkWlJXH

Related episode: https://youtu.be/lGfvanjllXY

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# === WORK WITH US ===============================

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#ActiveHobo #CyclingPodcast #SouthAfricanCycling