Raf's Munga Equipment Recommendations: Build a System, Not a Shopping List
Updated: 3 days ago
Preparing for the Munga can quickly become a search for the perfect equipment. Which shoes? Which lights? How much fluid/water? Which bags? Do I need aero bars? How many power banks should I carry?
There is no shortage of equipment to choose from, but I don't think preparing for an ultra-distance race is about finding the best individual products.
I've learned some of this through my own Munga attempts. Equipment problems, discomfort and fatigue taught me that small problems can become much bigger problems when you're many hours into a race and no longer fresh. So I think about equipment less as a collection of individual products and more as a system.
The question isn't... what is the best equipment?
It's... what setup will work for me when I'm tired, uncomfortable and riding in difficult conditions?
That changes how I approach the decisions.
Shoes
Shoes are one of the pieces of equipment I'd pay particular attention to for an ultra-distance event.
For a very long ride, I'd rather have some room in the shoe than have a shoe that fits too snugly. Feet can change over many hours, and something that feels fine at the start can become uncomfortable later.
I learned this myself at the Munga. I raced in Bont mountain bike shoes that I'd trained and raced in for years. They fitted my feet in terms of length, but they were snug... and over a very long period that became uncomfortable.
It was a relatively small issue, but over an ultra, small issues can become significant.
So don't just think about whether a shoe fits when you put it on. Think about how it will feel much later. How it will feel after ten, fifteen or twenty hours.
Aero Bars
For the Munga, I wouldn't primarily think of aero bars as a way to go faster.
I'd think of them as another position on the bike.
I used aero bars on my fourth Munga attempt. One of the reasons was to take some of the constant pressure off my hands.
Being able to change your hand and upper-body position can be useful over a very long ride, particularly when fatigue develops. It gives you another way to change where the pressure is applied rather than spending hour after hour in the same position.
The position does need to work with your existing riding position. If you have to reach excessively for the extensions, support too much weight through your shoulders, lift your head to maintain line of sight or continually move forward on the saddle, something isn't right.
The benefit isn't necessarily aerodynamic. It's having another useful position when you have many hours still to ride.
Bike and Bikepacking Bags
The bags themselves aren't necessarily the important part. What matters is how the complete bikepacking system behaves when you ride it.
You may already have used bikepacking bags for other events, but smoother roads don't necessarily prepare you for the Munga. Rough gravel and corrugated sections can change how the bike handles. Bags can move, straps can loosen, equipment can rub against the frame and something that seemed secure at home can become a problem after hours of vibration.
That's why it is best to become accustomed to your complete setup well before the event.
Progressively train with:
The actual bags you intend to use.
The approximate race load.
Food and equipment packed as they will be for the Munga.
Your full hydration-carrying setup.
Rougher gravel and off-road terrain.
After each ride, check the system. Look for movement, rubbing, loose straps and anything that could eventually fail. The objective isn't simply to become comfortable carrying the extra weight. It's to find problems while you're still training, when you have time to solve them.
By October, key long rides should be completed with your final or near-final equipment configuration.
Hydration
Hydration capacity needs to be considered alongside the rest of the bike setup.
Water points can be spaced 60-90 kilometres apart, while temperatures in the Karoo can become extremely high during the South African summer. As a starting point, I'd consider approximately 3.5-4 litres of total water-carrying capacity, depending on the rider, environmental conditions and availability of water along the route.
One possible setup is:
Using bottles within the frame and/or another suitable location on the bike.
A hydration backpack.
There is no single correct configuration. What matters is how the capacity fits into your overall setup and how carrying that water affects you.
A hydration backpack can be particularly useful when additional capacity is required, but carrying fluids on your back for many hours is different from wearing it for a short training ride. The backpack gets lighter with every sip, but the initial weight and how the pack sits and moves after each refill can affect comfort around your shoulders, neck and back.
So hydration isn't simply a question of how much water you can carry. It's also a question of where that water is best carried.
Lighting
Night riding is one of the biggest equipment considerations for the Munga.
There are several ways to approach it. A dynamo hub and lighting system can work well, while rechargeable lights supported by power banks offer another solution.
My personal preference would be a reliable rechargeable front light of 1,000 lumens or more, supported by power banks.
I've used this approach successfully, and for a first-time Munga rider I like the simplicity. You know what you're carrying, you know how it works and you can manage the system yourself.
The important thing, however, isn't simply the number printed on the light.
Your lighting needs to match what you're actually doing.
You don't necessarily need maximum output all the time. Riding slowly uphill requires a different amount of light from descending rough gravel at speed.
For example:
Climbing: Lower output can conserve battery.
Open gravel: Moderate output may be sufficient.
Technical or faster descents: Higher output to identify obstacles earlier.
The exact settings will depend on the light, terrain and your speed.
I'd also want a secondary light source, such as a helmet light. It doesn't need to replace your main light. Its job is to give you enough visibility to stop safely and deal with a problem if the primary light fails.
A dynamo system can also be a good option, but it has its own considerations. You may spend considerable time riding slowly, and there may be periods where you're walking rather than riding. That affects how much useful power the system can generate.
The important question isn't which lighting system looks best on paper. It's which system makes sense for the way you expect to ride.
Power Banks
Power is another area where it is easy to carry more than you need. As a starting point, I would consider:
Primary power bank: 20,000-30,000 mAh.
Backup: 10,000-15,000 mAh.
But these numbers aren't universal. Work backwards from what you actually need to charge:
Front and rear lights.
GPS/navigation device.
Mobile phone.
Any other electronics you intend to carry.
Then allow a sensible safety margin, consider how long you'll be without access to another power source.
There is a balance between redundancy and unnecessary weight. Every additional item has a cost in weight, handling and fatigue. Carrying a backup can make sense. Carrying several layers of backup for equipment that is already reliable may not.
The goal is not to eliminate every possible failure. It is to manage the important ones without creating unnecessary complexity.
Wider Platform Pedals
Wider-platform pedals aren't essential, but they are something I'd consider for an event like the Munga.
After many hours on the bike, small differences in how your foot is supported can become noticeable. A wider platform can provide additional support and a more stable connection with the bike, particularly on rougher surfaces or as fatigue develops.
But I wouldn't change pedals simply because a different pedal might be better. If your existing pedals are comfortable, reliable and familiar, there is a good reason to leave them alone.
Don't introduce change without a reason.
If you have experienced foot discomfort or want additional support for a very long ride, wider-platform pedals are worth considering.
Clothing
The Karoo can produce very different conditions over the course of one ride.
Warm clothing becomes particularly important once the temperature drops at night.
I'd favour clothing that gives you options as conditions change rather than trying to predict exactly what the weather will do. Layers can be particularly useful.
Gloves are also worth considering. After many hours, protecting your hands and reducing irritation can become just as important as keeping them warm.
Clothing is one area where personal preference matters considerably. What works for one rider may be completely wrong for another.
Test the Complete System
The individual pieces of equipment are only part of the preparation.
The more important question is whether they work together.
A bike with bags behaves differently from an unloaded bike. Water changes the weight distribution. Lighting depends on your power system. Clothing and equipment need to be accessible without creating unnecessary interruptions.
And all of this becomes more difficult when you're tired. That's why the complete setup needs to be used in training well before the event.
Ride with the actual bags.
Carry the approximate race load.
Use your full hydration system.
Ride at night.
Use the lights and power banks.
Ride rougher gravel.
Then look for the things that aren't quite right.
A bag that moves slightly, a strap that loosens, a shoe that becomes uncomfortable or a power bank that doesn't last as expected are all useful information during training.
These aren't failures. They're problems you've found early enough to fix.
I've learned through my own Munga experiences that equipment problems are rarely isolated. Fatigue changes how you experience them and how easily you can solve them.
A small problem at hour two can feel very different at hour twenty.
So I wouldn't try to build the most sophisticated setup possible. I'd try to remove as many unnecessary problems as possible.
Your equipment doesn't need to be the most expensive or technically advanced. Something simpler is often better. The goal isn't to build the perfect Munga bike.
The goal is to arrive at the start with a simple, reliable and familiar system that you've already tested in the conditions you're going to face.
When the difficult part of the Munga arrives, your equipment should be one less thing you have to think about.
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