ChrisF

TIP - the broker that sells you Vitality gets a pretty decent monthly fee for this. In theory they can, or rather should be able to, assis members with these ever changing goal posts .... Back to reality .... you are more likely to get a thick brochure with wayyyy too many pages of fine print.

Foldable backpack 10L - Travel - Decathlon Possibly this for the clothing and goodies ? Maybe a belt-pouch if you want to keep some items close at hand ? (thought these pouches seems to be similarly stupidly expensive) And for less money the real thing from the same company .... but not locally (at least not from what I see on their web page) - Unisex hydration bag + 1L water pouch included - KIPRUN 500 5L Essential - Black KIPRUN | Decathlon Anybody with first hand experience with something like this vest (second link) ?? Contemplating asking a friend to bring one with ...

Making me wonder what Decathlon in Europe has .... on the affordable end ....

And again ... WRONG 🤣 I commute every opportunity I get to do it, i.e. days in the office But when my day includes a few hours driving to clients and sites I have no other option.

SO far removed from reality .... at least in the reality of SA. Masses can use public transport, IF it functions properly. In the 80's and 90's I used it much more than my car. In the absence of working and safe public transport the options reduce drastically. As for 1 person per vehicle ... heck, a driving club saves a lot of money .... BUT, many of us spend a lot of time driving to clients and sites, most often alone. Introduce a safe, working and reliable public transport and then your version carries more weight.

This is one of many sites that explains the process - https://www.sq-lab.com/en/ergonomics/sit-bone-measurement-for-bike-saddles Worth noting many pro bikefitters use SQ-Lab fitment equipment.

I gladly spend money on stuff I use often. 👍 For my park runs I barely need a 250ml water container. We are spoilt with water and food tables. On a 15km route I will pass the water table 3 times. I only use the Camelback for a half marathon, and when training for the half marathon. Ironically, I need it more for training than for the event, as my training is unsupported. I just prefer to keep going at the half marathon and not have to stop at the tables ..... too slow so I must keep going With two halfs a year I cant justify it .... yet ....

Directly opposite Rooiberg is a dirt road that leads into a private farm. Drive up and up that road, speak to Francois and his wife. They have MTB trails on their farm, and KNOW all the trails and routes in that valley. Google RoamRooiberg for their contact details. Some Hubbers will know them as family of "Cois" who shared his cancer road with us.

The Varia fits perfectly to the gravel bike and the hardtail. I may end up making a jig to fit the Varia to the saddle bag on the full-suss. But I only do shorter distance on tar with this bike .... so not a priority .... and yet each time I ride without it I "feel" it.

Nice commute ....

I ended up using my Camelback 1,5 liter ... not ideal, but also cant justify yet another pack for twice a year ..... These 3 to 4k prices seems to be the norm from most suppliers, imported or made locally ...

Okay .... I will take the bait .... When I bought the Varia on a Black Friday special it made financial sense more than anything else. Some random thoughts after a few thousand km : - The battery life sucks, when you are wanting to do long day rides, i.e. more than 5 hours (obviously not a primary consideration, still it should be easier to manage this ...) - The beeper drove me crazy on the first ride !! When commuting to work or cycling along Bottelary road you WILL encounter hundreds of vehicles !!! A non-stop beeper quickly looses any relevance. Bit of a shlep, but you can mute it ... pit that you cant un-mute it quickly (one-button) for hazardous sections. - The indicator lines on the bike computer is my "mirror", tracking cars from about 140m. So I can now track vehicles behind me, while concentrating on what is happening ahead of me. Riding towards Philladelphia (no shoulder) I can see a vehicle approaching, and then quickly scan my computer to check for vehicles coming from behind. I can now make an informed decision on the traffic and my response. - The Varia has an auto-adjusting flash rate as a vehicle catches up to you. When I am driving it is so easy to spot the Varia users as the changing flash rate "helps" to grab your attention. THIS is probably at the heart of your question ..... I know that I am doing what I can to improve my odds .... Disclaimer - NOTHING will help when a driver is "not paying attention" - Back to the battery life ... every so often the Varia decides to switch "off", i.e. the light is off but starts its adaptable flash mode as a vehicle is closer than 140m .... thats about 7 seconds when a vehicle is traveling at 100km/h and you are cycling at 30km/h in the same direction ..... time wise probably okay, but a cheap flashing light can be seen long before that ..... When commuting I use a standard flashing light + the Varia - Clear to say that I do support the use of a Varia, but I am by no means a blind follower .... certainly room for improvement All things considered .... the Varia does not mount well on the full suspension bike (the base of the dropper post means the Varia is too low and the tyre drastically reduce the effectiveness of the radar .... I feel uncomfortable and exposed on this bike with traffic around me. Different approach .... ONE ride with the Varia and @Zebra also bought a radar-light (different brand). Its just one of those things where you use it once and you are sold on it.

Your writing style sure is bringing a smile to my face. And yes, I agree with you. Then again .... people have this nack to believe what suits them ....

My most "interesting commute" was the morning I tried out a new front light. Both the old and the new front light was STROBING away merily. Mom drove from the side street .... barely slowed down before rolling over the stop street right in front of me !! Her head turned away from me, looking at the two todlers fighting on the back seat ... she had ZERO idea of what was hapening outside her car .... when she fully into the road she finally saw the flashing lights and stopped dead .... I locked the rear wheel and drifted the bike at 45-degrees straight towards the now stationary car .... by the time the bike stopped I could not lift it upright as the wheels were just under the doorsills ... Light "sorry" wave of the hand and she was off .....

Well worth speaking to the bike shop. You are NOT the only person wanting to ride later and slower. ALL clubs have riders with different expectations. Kevin will be able to put you in contact with like minded riders.

Vines and Views MTB event was my first ever seeding event, few years back. Bumped me way up into the first start group for 99er ... (by the second turn I had lost sight of that batch .....) Sometimes these lower number events do wonders for your seeding .... PS - Vines and Views is in a few weeks time .... just check if they are still a seeding event.

Technically yes, for all three events mentioned above. In fact, CTCT riders who do Durbie dash have to wait for the last seeding calc to get their start details. Practically .... easy fast events, so serious riders dont improve seeding with these events. DC is where you really improve your seeding

Sê jy ons kort-gatte moet stil bly ?

Aaaahhhh .... you should contact UCI. 😛 Seems 26" is the answer to all their current issues with high speeds.

Durbie Dash and 99er routes have similarities. Both good in the run up to CTCT (Argus) Another to consider is the Winelands event, now known as the Rhodes Winelands event.

As a youngster Herman toured Africa on a small motorcycle ... 13 month solo trip. Bit of work, then a 13 months trip of Europe. Since then they have been doing 2 to 3 month trips of many countries across different continents every year or two ... Now settling down for the swallow approach with a base on the Southern coast of Portugal. It would be most interesting seeing you having a meet and greet 👍

Drop a line when in the South of Portugal .... can put you in contact with a fellow tourer. LOVE your photos and posts

I forwarded that article to Chris (Zebra) 😉

As a shorty myself I am equally happy on a 27,5 and a 29" bike. With a couple of taller riding buddies I appreciated the need for larger bikes. Look at a 2,05m man on a XL 29" bike .... these riders will benefit from this progress in this industry. SURE .... it is will create (rather add to) significant logistical issues for shops and mechanics.

Two sides to this coin .... Day permit cost for one ride per month just about covers the annual membership. Really a nobrainer for most riders. BUT .... if I wanted to show the Potch train our trails there is no legal way to do this for the one weekend they are down here .... as much as I support the club and its committee .... THIS is the one thing that is long overdue to be resolved.