neither among adventure racers - which is a much smaller community - i 'lost' a splashie out of my boat about 2 months back. then at sawzi xtreme i 'lost' a split paddle, again out of my boat. the other paddler's split paddle was also in tha boat (and not there when we got there); we advertised on the ar mailing list, but i suppose if anyone took it by accident, we would have heard something. it's quite annoying - yes, because it's very expensive, but also because i now have to give up playtime to replace it - but mostly because if i can't leave my boat anywhere during a race, it means that i can't race <insert picture with steam coming from ears> i guess it's just the price of the sport we're chose???
k, i understand savings. my point is, before i've used one lightbulb, i pay R300. the actual usage is very low - i dont have the statement with me to give figures - but every time electricity cost goes up, the LEVY goes up with that percentage. so i keep on paying more and more, with no incentive at all to save anything. if i switch to soloar heating, i'd still have to pay this levy to charge my cellphone.
i did very few MTB events this year cos of the security issue. tried to enter dome2dome tonight cos i haven't been on the roadie bike since argus .... and what-do-you-know - it's a secure link, security certificate and everything, https://secure.supersport.co.za/cyclelab/eventEntries/blablabla but you need ONLY the id number to get in - to view and to CHANGE details. so it's august and hospitals are on strike. something happens during the ride and i need to get to hospital. no worries, they've got my medical aid details online - but wait, someone changed it - and i end up being send to somewhere ehere babies died this week??? there won't be anybody in any office now to complain about this - and entries closes tonight - so i guess i'm NOT doing dome2dome then
i think there's a differnece between being left behind, and deciding to cycle solo. i often ride alone - on my daily commute through the spruit, and sometimes on my way to meet people for rides. i know the area and i know alternative routes. when i cycle with a group, it might be through unfamiliar terrain - it happened to me once on a club-roadie-ride years ago; i stopped at a red traffic light (duh, what was i thinking) and everybody disappeared and i had no clue where i was - or how to get back to my car, let alone safe routes going there.
when i was still working in sandton, i often commuted - it was faster than by car every day except between xmast and new year .... (i still do, but am now in rosebank and there's a shower at work) dress code - i did the washbasin thing, even washed my hair under the tap - one gets used to it very quickly. bike i kept in the office. it's easier though if you're female - my office clothes weigh much less than a suit, it packs smaller and i do the wrinkle-test on anything before i buy MTB's the only way to go - it's much more fun - theres often trails next to the roads you were planning to take ... and it's way easier to dodge taxis when you have to share the tar with them enjoy - it's great arriving at work having fwelt the wind in your hair before work!
oh wow ... can't be grumpy after this, not even if the weather's been perfect but i can't ride cos i have a cold ... now i just need to start making a plan on how to get an entry for THIS ride ...
in my case - no. i gt readings with usage, and that's quite accurate. the levy that i pays because i (sometimes) have electricity, is what gets me - there's no incentive to save on electricity, cos the almost full month that i was in nepal, and everything switched off at home, was still a pretty high charge just for the 'service fee' - apparently everybody pays this levy before they even pay a cent electricity? i can't remember paying it at my previous place, though
mine was almost 600 for last month. i was away 2 weekend in a row (long weekends) - i'm one person, have a fridge and computer that's running. geyser is broken so i switch it on 2 hours per day when i'm here. no tv, and very seldom use the stove. use the kettle a few times a day. the leve for simply being connected to the grid incrased with more than 21% last month - that's before using anything (it's now around 300) ... it took me about 35 emails to find out what the 'levy' was for apparently the prepaid meters also have these 'levies'?? benadeja - where can i get more info on these prepaid meters? who do i contact, what does it cost to install one - and could you recommend a company in joburg-area?
hey muxie - 3rd time i have a cold this year - after joberg2c, after himalayas and now after swazix/transb-combo. will try this and see if it could have a healthier next year
roadie shoes about 10 years old, use them once a year so they should be fine for another few years mtb - shimano, about 5 years old, and specialized, about 1 1/2 years old and need replacement badly - in all fairness, it did ride2rhodes, joburg2c, 2*wet sabie xperience and some other wettish rides.
hey nbg - i sometimes need newbies to ride with me after my morning-rides - just to force me some more time in the saddle ... where are you based? this guy http://blog.nomoremisterfatguy.co.za/ keeps a quite inporational (and funny) log of his fight against his weight - go read it, not for tips (because his approach is very unscientific) but to keep yourself motivated
