cat-i

camelbag you buy for life - mine's bladder was 7 years old, and cap didn't seal properly - they replace whole bladder, no questions asked.

do the police go after these guys? or are bicycles not worth it? where do the bikes go to - whose buying it?

i put mine in the washing maching, with the running shoes - short cycle, and usually with a towel or 2 to dampen the clocnk-clonk. shoes and washing machine all still happy.

W-O-W !!!

mands re you gonna be at NF? i'm possibly riding there and back - we *could* meet for a ride or coffee? but only if you're doing LSD cat-i2009-12-15 13:19:14

haha YOU wont be at the back of the pack, BG dave you can ride with ME at the back of the pack

shes very pretty! wishing the missus lots of happy kilometers and big grins on this bike!

i can forge one for you?

awww it's ok then, andy - the one noob also cancelled, so it's just me and K ... and if it rains i'll just sleep late and go spend that drifters-vouchers

holy - where's your name????

can't wait

thank you summit this feels a little bit like Contador congratulating someone who's just came third in a 1km cycle sprint for under 9's - but thank you congratulations on YOUR epic ride!

haha kieran i did record a 10-hour lap ... that included the time the race was stopped, the time to do about 2 kays, then drag the bike back, clean it - with lots of help from very friendly and i suspect slightly amused - bystanders, and sleep till almost3 in the morning when i found out that that first muddy bit was not part of the route anymore. i just couldn't believe that there were people able to ride that lap - all the bikes went through the same mud, what was the difference? the more i think about it, the more i think that riding style / pure strenght could have had something to do with it? maybe if i could just keep cycling the mud would have come off? not?

summit this is my bike - singlespeed wouldn't have helped. this is exactly what i wanted to know - why was your bike ridable and mine not ? i discovered the puddles quickly - at least the mud already on the bike was more pliable and the moving parts could move ... but would tyres alone make such a difference? cos if it does - then recommend some? and clearance .... what brands of bike would have good clearance (i'm not changing bikes, just curious) also - if you for example were on my bike for that lap you probably would have been able to finish that lap - wht would you have done differently? ride through every puddle? maybe on the grass on the side of the road where possible? or just never stop, and the mud will fall off later?

aaaawwwwwww sorrrrryyy slave! you are SO wellcome to come join us .... we will most likely bore you guys' date=' though - it's gonna be at NEWBY-speed! MUCH rather a capie at least that's something to be proud of! although ... after this weekend at rietvlei i DO think there are some cool roadies - those curios lot that just came to have a look, and ended up helping me in all sorts of ways ... i do think there might be a closet-MTB-er hidden in there somewhere, though cat-i2009-12-09 13:10:00

My mistake. So that was a Giant MTB with drop bars and very skinny slicks which you always did the Argus on?? hahaha oh THAT rigid! i DO get confused between them - both are wine cherry red giants

that muddy lap at rietvlei got me thinking my bike was so clogged up it coudln't go anywhere. how did some bicycles manage to make that lap? - does it have something to do with clearance between e.g. wheel and frame? what types of bikes would be able to cycle through this mud - would it help if i spray something like spray & cook? - would it have helped if i just went faster?

hey pikkie i've toured some with rigid (form joburg to capetown, and from amsterdam to paris), and some with hardtail (from capetown to agulhas, through baviaanskloof, and around ireland) i prefer the rigid, but just because it's got holes to properly fit the pannier racks. the hardtail doesn't have those, and the rack came loose on a downhill in baviaans. which panniers? any that you can get hold of - they not that easy to get your hands on in south africa. i never needed front panniers. take a handlebar-bag - for the map as well - and a small backpack for things that you really don't want to loose. why do on national roads? chances are there will be far more interesting routes? people are incredibly friendly towards bicycle tourists ... i've been invited to sleep in peoples houses, join their spitbraai-party, pitch my tent in the back garden wow ... i think it's time i get that atlas out again where you going???

mands - i'm house-sitting a place next to the spruit, so it doen's make sense to drive through to NF if i can just cycle out the front gate ... but we'll cycle together at NF at some stage, i'm doing enough of the spruit on weekdays to not hae to do it every weekend too andy - the parking closest to the dam wall? is 7:00 too early?

ride the anthem as well. decide then. if alls still equal then, then the prettiest one, of course. or the one that you want - which sounds like the anthem