Robbie Stewart

nah, I watched the whole Craig Kolesky video saga on YouTube last night, and I was horrified by all the people walking perfectly rideable singletrack. To me it seemed more of a case of ZERO skills other than being able to ride a bicycle on a flat, level, preferably tarred road. Anything less than that and there is a global dismount and hike-a-bike for who knows how long. Another reason to not do the Epic. I would blow my lid every time I get held up by people who have no business riding the epic at all.

I almost got taken out this morning by a MyShiti bus, one of the big ones. I was approaching the circle by the Table Bay mall (I was there first by a rather large margin) when the moegoe behind the wheel came from behind and just decided to cut the lanes to get his behemoth around the circle, and in the process he squeezed me towards the kerb while his rear wheels where trying their best to mount my back wheel. After k@kking myself and letting the mini behind me pass, and the aforementioned moegoe stopped at the bus stop just outside the circle, I decided to stop by his window and just about blixem it so hard that if it were glass it would have shattered. He jumped in his seat from fright, and I ripped into him because of the severe adrenaline spike I was encountering before I pedalled away. It would seem that the bus drivers have prior experience driving minibus taxis because they drive just as bad with zero awareness of a cyclist flashing like a Christmas tree.

you posted two links to the same ad?

As I understand it, the shipping costs are not too heavy and the tax a.f.a.i.k. is 15% depending on what you import. Clothing for example has import duties, but I don't think components have. I had a chat with @MORNE about this a while back and this is what I recall. He orders from there from time to time.

https://www.merlincycles.com/groupsets-93716/?discipline=mtb

Locals in Cape Town, and Tygerberg in particular have the perfect setup at the Leatt skills park at Hoogekraal to hone the required skills for lines like G-spot. Spend some mornings riding just the skills park to learn bike handling skills in drops, berms and jumps and then see how that translates to the trails and how your progression just sky rockets. Too many people pedal past and do their riding such a massive disservice. If they only knew what they were losing out on. Edit: not forgetting about the Hoogies Hammer and Bloemendal flow line. Don't just ride it once, but do laps over and over until you conquer the obstacle that intimidates you and then progress on to the next bigger feature. Then when you ride a place like G-spot again it is a joy and not a exercise in fear management.

Around the middle of the last decade I was visiting a client in Claremont. Upon my return to my bakkie I saw a huge gouge on my fender. The client's CCTV revealed a delivery truck bringing an order to his shop that reversed into my bakkie was the culprit. I grabbed the video and sent it to my insurance. They asked for a case number and I just gave up the claim at that point. About a year later they called me to inform me the claim was processed and they will pay the money into my account. Luckily the delivery truck was also insured with Santam so it was an in-house legal claim. When I was requested to go to SAPS was when I just walked away, but thankfully they didn't let it go.

Jonkers Irish, Armageddon and Red Phoenix then up Bosluis and down Firehut on day 8 of the Epic is going to be brutal. All the best for all the amateurs. Even the pros are going to feel this stage.

I'm pretty sure Wellington is where the gates to hell are located, and the last person in left the door open.

I'm pretty sure it was claimed already . . . from insurance.

Didn't take pics but I managed Tokai DH0 today. What an absolute gem of a line. My heart was in my mouth until after that rocky drop-off but my stoke levels are at an all time high.

A mate was riding DT Swiss 511 till it was square and in need of replacement. Due to the struggle to get stock he opted for a Lyne AMP 30 rim and it is bomb proof over trails like Black Rhino, Cobra and long sessions at the Leatt skills park. I also rate them highly and when the time comes they will be replacing the wheels on my Stumpy.

This ☝🏻 I must also admit to enjoying this regaling of your ride. It was captivating. You clearly have a story telling talent there.

At the end of the day I understand OP's issue in that money is tight and when you spend it you want the highest return on the investment and in that he has a valid point, on paper. In practice on the other hand the perceived value does not align with actual value. And therein lies the rub. The main problem from my understanding is actually the fact that mountain biking, as like any hobby these days, is super expensive. If you don't want to spend money hand over first with no end in sight, then exit the sport now. Stop the drainage, cut your losses and run without looking back. Failing that and he decides to stay then it's best to understand that buying the bike is just the beginning. Wait till it needs servicing, or you start doing events, or you fall and need new gear to replace the shredded gear and smashed helmets. Or the trip(s) , yes - trips with an S, to the ER. Replacement parts, new chains, new tyres, new grips, new brakes, new chains rings, new cassettes. I can go on. What I'm getting at is that this is a very pricey sport and you have to decide how far down the rabbit hole you're willing to go. I bought a new specialised stumpjumper Evo last November and within less than 100km it completely deleted the freehub body ending in a warranty replacement. Do I still ride the bike? Yes, and it's a complete beast of a bike at that. Since then I've had no issues. But I was willing to spend on a decent bike and still had a issue that was resolved immediately like OP has.

I absolutely detest lower limb injuries. There are few things in life I hate more than crutches, so I feel your frustration 'Dale. Well done on seeing the light in this dark cloud. I struggled with that during my recovery.

I checked pricing on there for a set of Maxxis tyres and they range between $84 and $100+ per tyre and that is before shipping. I can get those tyres for much cheaper locally. To be fair though, I didn't do a deep dive, but from what I saw the prices are not cheap, but I'm sure the odd special may pop up.

nou toe nou

This bit will determine my willingness to get a permit. I ride from home up via VRS and if I can't access from there, there's no point.

Reminds of a time I visited GoMX in Tableview. Shop owner had a mx bike on the floor and he was lamenting how expensive the mx bikes have got, and the one he had on the shop floor was around 150k. I just smiled and told him what top end MTB's cost. His response was that there wasn't even an engine between the legs. I had to remind him again that the legs were the engine.

so since plastic is so inherently dangerous, I would assume that latex falls under that same category, and thus my conclusion is that only metal or glass condoms will suffice henceforth. As you were. . .

I was blasting around Bloemendal for a quick spin on dirt and saw the EMS helivac come speeding low overhead and had that sinking feeling that it was heading to Hoogekraal. It seems I was correct?

My polar strap broke, for the second time, a couple years ago and since then I just stopped riding with any form of electronic monitoring device apart from my phone running Strava for mileage of components. I've been toying with the idea of a new device but I'm not fully convinced yet. Then if I do end up getting one it's either polar again or Garmin instinct, but again, not quite sold on the idea yet.

Well, at least he has a glass bottle so he should be fine . . . Tour de France 1927: Gustaaf van Slembrouck enjoying a cigarette. https://www.bikechaser.com.au/news/old-school-cycling/

I am also sadly missing out this time round. I have family commitments I can't skip, so enjoy everyone who is riding.

ja ja, en ek het die scars om te brag ook nog. dis nou juis die ding. Ek kan seker ook nie van myself ontsnap nie, ne