ChrisF

+3 for Irma

And all too soon they will ride your bike ....

Its not a hole ... it is easy access for internal cable routing .... it is a positive on the report .....

TOP TIP .... Maritz's FIRST bike came with the rear brake on left ... kept switching his next bikes left as well .... Then he started riding friends and rental bikes with the right side being rear brake and rear gears .... CONFUSION .... TIP .... just make sure they ride "right = rear" from day one.

Jeepers .... are there any worse ..... even that car buying company turned their back on those rubber stamped useless inspection reports.

OR .... BikeBubPay .... Just one more reason to use this safety net !!

Followed by .... "The OTHER way ...."

Must admit I am sitting on the fence on this one .... Maritz had a 5 or 6 speed 20". With the trails we did and the SPUR school series he USED the gears. Around here you need a climbing gear, and along the faster sections he had to use the small gear to keep up ..... Then a buddy joined him, on a single speed BMX .... He was simply used standing and powering up short hills. Similarly, he had one mean cadence to keep up when it got fast ..... But around our trails he did run out of steam with all the climbing ...... My gut feeling .... a BMX style bike is perfect for the age group. Lighter, simpler ... BUT .... if you are in a hilly area, or planning on the schools series .... then you may need the gears. Though a scary precentage of the youngsters got flustered with the gears by lap two ....

A friend did it, again. Her best swim to date. Conditions were good on Sunday, well a lot better than in recent years. Ironically that also meant a faster than normal cycling leg, 50+ age cat ladies. The run reset the field ... one "bad" cyclist was moving up the field in the run. Many paying the price for going out to fast .... nerve-racking dot watching and giving feedback as to times and pacing and and .... making up one more spot in the last three km ... EDIT - had a nice long chat with my friend about her race, and the conditions. The photos showing a "nice calm sea" certainly does not do justice to what they had to swim through .... Cycling route ... she says it felt like the wind was from the front on every section. She is a good cyclist, have done the last 36one and similar events, but she says this was a particularly tough day in the saddle. Thankfully her run went well. Though it was interesting to note her comments about very poor lighting towards the stadium. Nearly tripped on the last ramp in the stadium as the stadium lights blinded her after the last dark tunnel. Only 2 minutes slower than her previous time, but she says it felt much tougher.

Thus making you "good influencers". 👍 Motives and money aside, you two make a very real difference to many MTB riders. I have done Jonkers after watching your videos, and only because of your videos. Turns out the confusing signage and lack of signage higher up spoiled the ride for me, but that is due to the facility's maintenance. So often we see questions posted of "I am visiting the area, which trails do you recommend?" Your videos allows people to see the trails and figure out which suits their unique level of experience and their appetite for risk. W&M keep up the GOOD work 👍

Get the details of the officer refusing to open the case. Report him/her

As noted already .... two distinct extremes .... Most I avoid .... Yet, many of us follow two hubbers with a YT channel .... @Warren Melissa Go Riding certainly decent influencers sorry for derailing a perfectly good rant session ...

And to think THAT ladder was the ONLY access into and out of Die Hel for decades. Only in 1962 was the "pass" opened to the Swartberg side. RESPECT @capediver !!!! We have driven down to the Die Hel twice, I have even cycled most of the way down. But going down the Ladder .... WOW !!!! PS - Stop at Prince Albert Tourism Office .... they (used to) have A5 booklets of the history and stories of the various passes in the area, and the Gamkaskloof, etc. Paid R20 to R25 per book in the 90's .... still turn the pages from time to time.

some solice in seeing old class mates aging worse ....

Have a look on Action Photo's site. I actually got some nice pics this year .... even one showing the pain as I powered up Suikerbossie. I had to stop at the water station as my juice ran out ... BIG mistake .... nearly got the cramp of my life trying get going up that little gradient .... It was an epic struggle balancing trying to manage the ever present cramp wanting to set in vs getting some momentum going ...... that pic has some special meaning for me. PS - @Zebra greeted me about 100m later ... I barely recognised him ... heck, I think I saw a man in a hoody shouting my name ..... thought for a moment I was hallucinating .... thankfully he messaged me later ...

And THIS is the worst part of this thread ..... We are supposed to be likeminded lovers of two wheels .... fixed on a trainer, or just a fixy, a rigid with different tyre sizes, heck even all manner of suspension bikes ... FREEDOM UNITY COMMERADERY But no .... a friend looses his life .... and we go all self destructive .... I was speaking to @Zebra ... two questions: (turned into a discussion to finally get my point accross .... noting they drive and cycle that stretch at 8 times a week .... qiestions: 1. What can (should) YOUR WIFE do when driving this road to be safe to other traffic and cyclists (should be a thetorical questiin) 2. What can YOU , @Zebra do to ensure your own wife, delivery vehicle, taxe, bus does not wipe you out, OR rather, to drastically improve your odds ..... at this point these debates gets heated .... YES .... the cyclists good behaviour has little to zero impact on the bahaviour of the drunk / distracted / speeding / etc driver .... these individuals needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Snap .. was busy typing ...

Trans Augrabies 2 days (82 & 90km) - MTB : R 4 000 2 days (118 & 90km) - Gravel : R 4 000 PS - Early entries were a bit less

Yes, in an ideal world. Sadly BikeAddict has a solid reputation, built over years, to sell items .... then when the customer follows up they cant get stock .... many horror stories on the Hub about this. CONFIRM stock, or at the very least that they can actually get stock in a week before paying money over to Bike Addict. PS - DONT drive to Malmesbury without checking they have stock "in shop" .... and get the name of the person who confirms the stock .... jip, paid those school fees.

The Merida comes with cables integrated into bars and headset. CLEAN look ... Expensive when it comes to a basic headset service ....

Historically this event links with 16 June. Turning it into a perfect long weekend trip. Once you see the Augrabies site, both challets and camp area you will understand to what extent this is a FAMILY event. Kick bikes through the full range if kids bikes to the serious race bikes all over. Kids being kids make friends and start touring between the families ... Yes, some serious racing at the front end, and nice slow group riding at the back.... and everything in between. Previously they arranged guided hikes of the falls and surrounding areas for the non cycling family members during the race time slot. Distance .... yes, a solid 900km one way from the Cape. The old days of turning at Vanrhynsdorp is no longer a good option .... once you get stuck behind a string of mining trucks it becomes a long slog .... so via Springbok it is .... We turn it into a mini holiday ....

So it is going to a LUSH lanscape ... the type we get to enjoy once in a lifetime .... People must register quickly and come and ENJOY this awesome nature

Nou raak ek LUS vir Augrabies .... And just a few sandy bits to spice it up ....

Dash cam .... (in my car) . Keep cops in line . Handy reluable witness in accidents ... (saw a bakkie jump a red light, passed on the footage to the lady he T-boned .... insurance stopped tap dancing)

Also paid the "apportionment of blame" school fees .... it is an eye opener ....