The Ceder is a self-supported, single-stage gravel bicycle race in the Cederberg, South Africa. Starting & finishing at Cederberg Oasis, the circular route covers 245km / 150miles of mostly gravel roads with 3700m of elevation gain.

For this race we created a special version of the Kota Moon, limited to only 20 bags.

So you’re preparing for your first gravel race? No matter the distance, it’s never faster than a road bicycle race, but it’s faster than a mountain bike race. Here are are six key tips on what to do and to pack before you hit the gravel roads.

Author: Jacco Pelser

1. A bit of training, go out on some long rides, not fast, not too hard. but enjoyable long rides to get your body used to that feeling and that you are comfortable on your bicycle saddle.
2. Bike bag, it might sound odd, but you need space for your arm-warmers once you take them off and your lightweight cycling jacket. Don’t forget, you might also have the extra spares.
3. Nutrition for on the bike. Gels and bars work, there’s no hiding that fact, but test what works best with your body and stomach. Don’t solely rely on gels and bars, real foods work too. Some people prefer fruits, nuts and even salty potatoes on a ride. Gels should be for the real race and for the last minute resort in ultra-distance riding. You don’t want to lift your energy and then dropdown (once you start with a caffeine gel, you have to keep it up until the finish line). Caffeine gives a good kick but often drops you really hard. Our tip is to avoid it during a long-distance event.
4. A warm jacket or some arm warmers. The weather can change a lot on these long-distance rides and you never know how the weather looks around the corner.
5. Eat well the week before, but eat normally. Often we tend to eat a lot of carbs and fancy foods leading up to an event and this is when you end up with an upset stomach on the day.
6. Have your bike looked over. Tyre sealant most importantly, brake pads and for ease of mind, check your gears are running smoothly.

We never know exactly what to expect on these types of rides, go out on one or two pre rides and see how your body reacts and what works for it. Also, test the gear that you’d want to take with or use. See what spare parts you need in case of a small crash on the bike.

Go prepared. Enjoy. Have fun.

We’re currently running a competition to win an entry to (SA). The winner will be announced on Tuesday the 10th of August 2021 and receives a Dirty South Race entry, Enduren Nutrition Hamper & a Killat Collective Bag. Visit our Instagram page

The Race:
📆1-3 October 2021
🏨 Lush hotel accommodation
🍴 All meals
🚑 Full en route support
🛠 Wash & lube
🎉 Party vibes

Jacob is Killat’s lead content creator but he spends most of his time on the bike.

We love building bikes. Bikes are essential: they help us to go the places we want to go in life, from daily transport to a life changing ride out in the wild. They are part of our identity. We think that everyone deserves the opportunity to ride, for whatever purposes. 

Author: Dane Zijlstra

The frame is one of a pair similarly painted, we called it “Rattlecan”. We like to imagine a pair of teenages discovering a few rattle cans or paint tins and secretly customising their bikes. Its a scenario I (Dane) hope everyone has had. The joy of creating a unique artwork, all of ones own making. The paint recording every brush movement or splash, frozen in time.

Ashley @ Shamrockpaintworks followed this recipe decorating half the frame leaving the a powdercoat base layer exposed. The frame was then covered with a clear layer for additional protection. The finish is tough and pretty.

The frame is 1 of 10 built by David Mercer specially for the Killat Collective. Columbus tubing was preferred for the build, Zona was used for the majority of the frame. The tubes are brazed together and not welded (some argue that there is less stress on the joins this way, but this is a discussion on its own) David was given the choice of filing or not filing the fillets with this project, accidentally adding to the idea that each frame is unique.

The geometry is based on the Mercer “ Grubby Grivet”, the frame feels fast and retains the properties of steel while also being relatively light.

 A contributing idea to the design was: The most important part of a bicycle is how it feels riding it. We wanted a responsive fast frame while adding a little more comfort with larger tyres. Officially the fork is limited to 40c tyres but “Rad-itude” and “The Alchemist” both rode with 42c tyres.

South industries GX wheelset had to be used. Their profile is simply beautiful and we believe they are super fancy too. These were paired with the Tune KillHill ClimbHill hubset which brings the wheelset weight down to 1.35kg for a gravel wheelset!

This build used a more conventional “gravel” gearing. 1×11 with a large range of gears for flats and climbing. Sram Rival was chosen with a GX cassette. We choose to go cable to disc, but not mechanical. The brakes are cable to hydraulic, using the Juin Tech caliper and 160mm rotors. The seatpost is a KCNC Ti pro light 0 setback 27.2mm with a Fabric scoop saddle. Bars and stem will be changed out to match the riders geometry. Currently fitted with a Pro handlebar and Easton bar tape.

Full specs

Frame:

Custom steel frame built by David Mercer in South Africa. mixed tubing but predominantly Columbus Zona brazed together. Powdercoated for strength, painted and then a clear coat. The inside of the frame is coated in Linseed oil.

Fork:

Columbus Futura gravel carbon fork – Rated to 40c tyres but current riders are using 42c tyres.

Wheels:

South Industries Tune ClimbHill wheelset with Sapim CX Ray bladed spokes and Securelock alloy nipples

Weight 1350g

Groupset:

Sram Rival 1×11, 42/10 cassette with a 42 tooth front chainwheel. Mechanical shifting.

Brakes are cable to hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm rotors. Juin tech calipers.