Showtime

My look road pedals are the best pedals I have used and I've used them for a few years now. I would buy the EASY ones if I were you. On the mountain bike I tried some crank brothers a few times and settled with Shimano SPD for durability.

A much more important question is whether your training is on track for the big race against the Dangle.

Also AL 6:30 but dropping back to IL 7:30 to ride with my brother. Looking forward to it.

After a frustrating time with the boks Pat Lambie and Juan de Jongh went back to Currie Cup with a point to prove and performed. Morne Steyn went back to Currie Cup and got so frustrated with himself he earned a suspension. If Morne Steyn and Taute get picked ahead of Lambie / Elton and Gangnam de Jongh my enthusiasm for the Springsboks will be very low.

He isn't 19 anymore, he can't wait another 12 years for the next trophy

I just hope they don't consider the high number of injured players coincidence or bad luck. There is a reason the All Blacks are fielding a fully fit side at the moment and if we don't start to understand why we will play minus 8 first choice players every year.

Damn, I was also looking forward but no point driving down to PE if it's raining. Will have to skip till the next one then.

Things look shaky there in PE?

Isn't J-Bay just past the Makro off-ramp as you drive through PE? Maak 'n plan.

That's good enough for me. Will see you guys there.

Also watching the weather closely. Don't want to make the trip from Somerset East and then nobody pitches because of the weather.

Thanks, much appreciated

Ok somebody help me out here. How do a paste a picture from my computer in this reply box?

First of all I really enjoy this race. The OFM consists of long sections of relaxing in the bunch on wide roads and a few sections of hanging on where the bunch can split. It is very important to hang in there on every possible split to take advantage of the fast bunch so rather stay near the front of the group and do some work. If you sit at the back you have to work very hard to catch up as the front guys accelerate out of a sharp turn etc. This is especially true at the start, warm up and be prepared to burn your lungs until you join the highway for the first time where you can recover. In terms of comparison to other races my avg: OFM 2011 - 33.83 km/h Argus 2012 - 33.23 km/h

I am not judging or knocking anybody, my vision of school sports just differs from yours. I have an iPhone while my garden worker has a Nokia 1280 and at the same time I can only afford a car where other people have private jets so I don't believe me or my garden boy needs to feel sorry for ourselves. We both have things we can't afford and have to realise that being content is the only definition of rich. The beauty of school sports like rugby and soccer it that it's a great leveller, so the kids can transcend their economic classes and compete. A kid who is competing in a strictly upper income group sport like horse riding or then mountain biking shouldn't demand the same accolades as kids who compete in a sport with a level playing field for eg rugby or soccer. I would just like for mountain biking to be more accessible as a school sport.

Yes I think it's a shame. We have a small town and a nice network of trails. I would love to go the school and say let's get the kids into mountain biking. But the pressure on the parents to provide these bikes will be unreasonable. When the kids get racing in the Spur series and see the 30k hardtails the parents are in for it. I think they should issue a standard bike for this kind of series. I wouldn't want my kid to get awards for his sport just because the barrier to entry is to high for other kids to compete.

All things considered I agree with you. The beauty of a critical mass is that it just flows with minimal organizing. Make a date and let the vibe on the day take care of the rest. Let's not try and save the world with this ride. If by critical mass number 2 or 3 a bunch of commuters join and the combined community spirit exceeds expectation then great.

I like this excerpt from the newspaper article re the Durban Critical mass. "They aim to create awareness of bikes as an alternative and sustainable form of transport, to build community spirit and celebrate exercise on two wheels." Combining those 3 points above would be awesome.

Thanks for starting this. I will definitely get as many people from Somerset East to the ride as possible.

And while we're on a roll. Perhaps we can do this in solidarity of those who commute to work on bikes as there only option of transport. I'm not sure how to get some of them along but making a contribution to there safety would be a very worthy cause for me.

I think it's more a case of creating goodwill rather than awareness. They know there are cyclists on the road, what we need is for people not to be annoyed at the first sight of us. Maybe a toy run or something like that so we can have a feel good vibe around the cyclists? The next time people see a cyclist they might just be a bit more patient and understanding.

I think the R4000 upgrade is worth it. - The M596 brakes on the 940 are the same design as the highly rated current XTR/XT/SLX brakes - The XT crank is a big upgrade and more hard wearing than the Deore one - The 940 has the Nude 2 shock which should perform quite a bit better than the M3 on the 950 Choose the instant sinking feeling of spending a bit more over months of buyers remorse any day.

They should put this sign at every intersection. http://eu3.memecdn.com/Hey-Buddy-Youre-An-Asshole-Not-A-Genius_o_108481.jpg

All the best with that sub 3. I hope you have good luck with the weather etc.