Yeah, committed to doing this next year 
The St James broke so many people haha. I was expecting something called a âcyclewayâ to be a super chill rail trail.
Cycleways in NZ = enduro-horse terrain.
Yeah, âcyclewayâ for the St James should be replaced with âmtb trackâ, I was fortunate to have been thru there before in a 4wd and my Dad give me an idea of how long it wold take on a MTB.
I really enjoyed the Waiuta even on my steep/rigid drakkar. Wharfedale was a bit meh, wouldnât do again by choice.
hmmm, donât think 2"+ is 100% neccessary (though this depends on the exact route, but considering its the Kennet bros I donât think theyâll be any gnarly mtb-ing), my nanoâs are 2" on my rims, and I think a light fast tyre on the gravel and road makes up for the slight loss in grip/confidence in the single track.
Iâm eyeing this up next year too.
Perhaps not but I was pretty chuffed with my tyre choice for the KB - 2.2" Race King ProTection - having a high volume speed tyre with a sturdy casing was ideal for the mix of surfaces. I was more referring to those peps with 700x41-45c tyres. descending those chunky but slippery sections on Big River Soldier road would akin to ice skating through a rock garden, I would have thought. Sam from Bicycle Junction (who switched to the Brevette after St James) said that Maungatapu, Porika and St James descents were painful/frustrating on his 41c Knards. Says heâll be back on an Elephant next year.
Well this is sounds like funâŚ
I saw/heard of guys doing it on 30ish mm CX/tourers and thought 43mm tyres would be sweet.
Thereâs a hill like that near Canberra. Itâs one of the two hardest climbs around here. Guess I need to visit it for practice.
I guess if MTBers are pushing, everyone will be.
Itâll be fun.
You need to remember itâs not a race, itâs a adventure.
Yeh, the whole ride isnât all like that. Those challenges are part of what make a ride like memorable.
Iâm planning to take close on a month to do the ride because I intend to take time out to enjoy myself.
I want the flexibility to stay some place for half a day or more if Iâm loving it there, as well as full rest days. Itâll be my first trip to NZ, my first trip overseas in about 10 years, and my first proper extended holiday without family obligations in many, many years. Gonna make the most of it
You need to smash the first couple of days to make the ferry, then cruiseâŚ
Yeh, no problem at all. The first leg following the coast looks pretty easy.
O_O Dan: Iâm 24 and want to do the TD before Iâm 30⌠guess Iâll see you at the start line in 2021
Bigadz:
Man, I canât think of a single person on a CX bike that did the Brevet and didnât switch to the brevette after the St James⌠Like I said, for enduro-horses only. As a veteran to angryâs TWBD rides etc etc - the terrain in NZ still felt like it was on another level to anything Iâve experienced in Aus atmo.
Thereâs a reason almost everyone rocked up on a 29erâŚ
Having said that - after speaking to Jonathan at the KB and after hearing people talk about the course, it seems like there will be quite a bit of extended road sections etc⌠so I dunno hey.
If the terrain is anything like the brevet - even if you are planning on taking it cruisy, a CX bike will likely ruin your enjoyment haha.
But yeah, as someone who wasnât planning to, but switched to âcycle-touristâ mode - I reckon you are making the right call! Had a blast and could actually take it all in (was also my first time in NZ).
Excactly.
true, yeah a 45c with drops would have sucked through there unless you were a mad bike handler.
Thinking Iâd be keen for the Kiwi Brevet in 2016 but will be in 'merica when this is on or shortly after.
I think Iâd die if I tried it but itâs something to aim towards
Next KB is 2017. Next year theyâre running the TA instead⌠dunno if the Great Southern Brevet will be postponed or run concurrently with it.
So I told that the 100 places filled up bloody quick and thereâs a waiting list of 80 more riders. Did you guys get your entries in or did you snooze?
One of the local chaps has got a place and has appointed me his âcoachâ ⌠dunno what he means by that but sounds like a good excuse for some overnighters and gear geakery. 
(Tom, its Brett - but no SS for the ToA)
I got in.
Well, I think I am on âthe listâ-although I am not sure if the start or wait list.
Considering there was no official call for confirmed entries it seems a bit strange they filled up so fast, my mate Will came across the start list on facebook and put his name and mine in cos I aint on the 'book, but I also emailed Jonathan yesterday.
I understand the need to cull some numbers but just having a âsoft launchâ rather than a openly known/precise date that entries will be open like the Brevet doesnât seem very fair. -i.e tough luck if your were away during the time the email went outâŚ
But anywho they are organising on their own back with no entry fee so all good, and I understand nothing is confirmed till you donate/offset.
I also predict a good 20-30% drop off in those âentriesâ come the end of year.
Fuck, been afk all week
Looks like Iâm on the âwait listâ
So Iâm planning to get into Auckland about 3-4 days before the start so I can catch a bus up to the Bay of Islands for a day or two, then get into Kaitaia the morning of the pre-ride briefing.
Iâm still waiting for the airlines to make fares available. They donât become available until 350 days beforehand.