cat-i

good luck guys! 4 weeks of enormous difficulty to get any work done ...

where i'm from, it's VERY difficult to get info. sometimes i would know that there's a race on, and still wont find info about it

djr - the schwinn's got a different frame now ... but it still has the original seat post & cranks - does that count?

friend made his own panniers from cheapie small day-hike packs fitted on a frame. was good enough for touring from capetown to agulhas, but it was mostly dirt road. if you tour and have lots of stuff - sleeping bag, tent, stove - then panniers. bike handles like a tank. technical(ish) riding is hard on the bike. have done this on some proper singletrack in scotland, not recommended. if you can keep it lightweight like just a few kg, then backpack - bike is far more responsive. i do this when i commute and much prefer the way that the bike handles.

or till the bikeshop refuse to service it any longer

let her decide about the handlebars before you cut it. i wanted mine cut when i bought it; a friend suggested i ride with it for a month before i cut it, and i now much prefer the wide handlebars. heavy - probably depends on what your definition of 'heavy' is ... mine was perfect for rhide2rhodes, which included some significant vertical ascent and some portaging up the drakensberg.

define 'mountain bike' if a mountainbike is the frame: my schwinn lasted from mid 2002 till february this year - almost 9 years; it did sani2c, 2*sabie xperience, sabi shenanigans, 3*swazi extreme, sani2c nonstop, transbaviaans, a few indunas, magalies monsters, lionmans and other minor marathons & adventure races ... it toured through ireland & scotland, and through baviaanskloof with panniers, and it rode through tibet to everest base camp - so i'd say it was properly used like a mountainbike should

i ride a trance and love it - if possible, let her ride it to see if she's comfortable with it.

last night's gluhwein was so hot, we all ordered milkshakes instead of the usual hot chocolate when we got back

notices at bike shops? if their staff know, they might share it a with a customer, someone else might overhear it ... getting the message out?

west cost, from capetown up till as far as you have leave. dont do it the other way around - wind will be in your face. or west coast, then accross to calvinia & bac through cederberg. early spring might be a good time for that ... or around easter, lots of public holidays. i'm in!

it gets interesting if you have one of those with a broken spring, so if the terrain gets rocky, it rings by itself ... making people get out of the way ... especially on downhills, when they can't understand how you can handle the bike AND ring the bell ... so now you have to pass whether you wanted to or not ... so if you DO decide to get one of those, make sure to replace it when the spring goes

wow ... great to read a good-news story!

no safety in numbers anymore either

what distance are you looking at? and speed? i would not like being left behind and not know which way my car is ...

waterval boven.

those chock-chip muffins that you serve warm so that the chock-bits are melted, and with cream .... i told YOU i ride there for the trails, but in actual fact it is for those muffins - had 2 that day, and will have to go back for more. when does the other track open?

absolutely stunning riding. double the vertical ascent than groenkloof or rietvlei for same kms. big variety of track, which includes a floating bridge, some steep climbies, some fun bits through a forest, lots of flowing singletrack, bridgies over rivers with chickenruns. did i mention some downhills to match the terrible short steep climbies?

when we arrived, they told us sat the gate the restaurant wasn't gonna be open. 2 riders from our group returned earlier and 1 decided to wait for us. they again warned her that the restaurant was not open - at the gate, and when she sat down. but then she waited on the stoep for us to finish anyway. when we came back, we sat around - just because it was a beautiful morning - like lots of other people. a few minutes later the message came that the kitchen will open - we had an excellent breakfast ... waiter warned us that sh'es never waiter'ed and that it's not the usual staff because they weren't planning on being open then continued riding. a beautiful day with some great people on the trails. and thx for opening up the kitchen anyway!

hey cgc - sorry for being blonde .... please post a link to the details? i saw there is a link to register for a newsletter - my club (roag) is not listed, so i registered for the newsletter under the first random name that was on the list - at least i'l now also be in the know edit not to worry, i found it on the thread over here: https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/103430-cgc-road-champs-cancelled-not-the-mtb-race/

thx is there a mailing list that i can join somewhere; this is one type of spam i won't mind getting

this fred says sunday https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/95574-2011-combined-cgcgn-provincial-xco-series/page__p__1317247__hl__xco__fromsearch__1#entry1317247 eish, so difficult to get info

14 or 15?

dirty - do you still have a light? next thursday?

and here i thought you discovered the Dark&Dirty crowd's cupcakes and sparkling wine on one of their famous celebration-rides.