Urs Huber is a former Cape Epic winner and 10-time finisher. The Swiss rider was once again part of Team Bulls and riding its Wild Edge XC bike for this year's event.
The German bike brand has a long association with the Cape Epic, and its Wild Edge Team specification cross-country mountain bike is ideally configured for a stage race of the Epic’s demanding duration.
Huber’s bike features a full carbon frame, with 100mm of fork and shock travel. Unlike many other 100mm carbon fiber bikes at the Cape Epic, the Wild Edge Team doesn't have a solid rear triangle, and still uses a chainstay pivot rather than flex stays.
Suspension is a combination of RockShox’s 100mm SID Ultimate RL-R fork and SIDLuxe Ultimate shock. Both suspension components have mechanical lockout levers mounted on the handlebar.
Blending Shimano and SRAM
Drivetrain and braking specification is another part of this Huber’s build that differs from most of his Cape Epic pro-rider rivals. Although the suspension components are RockShox, Bulls don’t use SRAM brakes or the American company’s AXS Eagle XX1 wireless drivetrain.
Huber prefers to go mechanical at the Cape Epic, relying on Shimano’s latest XTR M9100 groupset, with matching XTR brakes.
Despite not using the wireless drivetrain option from SRAM, Huber uses a RockShox Reverb AXS wireless dropper seatpost. This is an unusual combination of Shimano groupset and SRAM wireless adjustable seatpost, but we have become accustomed to some interesting component blends with pandemic supply chain issues.
Red compound tires
Schwalbe has a long history of success at the Cape Epic and Huber’s Bulls Wild Edge Team rolls the latest combination of Racing Ray and Racing Ralph EVO, on DT Swiss XRC 1200 wheels.
To counter the risk of those sharp Western Cape rocks and thorns, Huber opted for the TLE casing. Schwalbe offers a variety of rubber compound choices and Huber selected the Addix speed which sacrifices grip in favor of the lowest possible rolling resistance.
Traditional cages
The Bulls Wild Edge Team specification bike was designed to accommodate two bottle cages in its front triangle and Huber prefers the reliability of metal cages, instead of composite.
Not only do these metal cages look fantastically retro, but they are less likely to shatter in the event of an awkward crash.
