Jules

They are part of the Winning Time/www.cyclingnews.co.za consortium. I don't know if I'd go so far as to accuse them of sucking big time just because they haven't responded to an email or two. However, I believe the consortium is inferior to the Cycle Lab/Champion Chip camp, which has superior race entry and timing systems.

You really should Sean. Interview people like Martin Saunders and Gary Beneke who rode on the same team as him. They have some fantastic OB stories to tell

You were There???Yep. Elites did 18 laps of Klapperkop (10km per lap). I raced Juniors. We only had to do 10 laps. Were you there too? OB's comeback was almost as impressive as Lance's. After having his lifetime ban rescinded, he apparently went on an 8-hour training ride with the Minolta squad. The story goes that he dropped everyone and was subsequently awarded a ride on the team. I remember doing the Jock when he rode for Minolta. He had a bike with no small ring. Rode up boulders in his big blade! The man is a legend

It's perhaps a little off topic but OB also = lightest bike in the peloton

Absolutely, these guys are there to harass. My love affair with CSA goes right back to when I was a schoolboy racer of no more than 16. I entered the 4-stage under 16 tour and, being a beginner rider of limited resources, ran out of clean plain black shorts. Thus, I raced the last stage, a 20km TT in black shorts with "ONCE" written down the side. Judging by the reaction of the officials, you'd have thought that I had committed murder. They'd listen to no amount of reasoning and fined me in Swiss Francs! I was still in school, for goodness sake! That is not the way to develop the sport. I doubt that any commercial interests were damaged by a 16 year old of mediocre talent giving ONCE a free plug on a single stage of a tour in an obscure location in South Africa. Nevertheless, UCI rules were stringently applied. I don't think anything has improved in the next 12 years of my racing career. You are treated like a prisoner in a concentration camp. I agree with intern: you don't find this sort of petty, power hungry bureaucracy at MTB races.

I was told I wasn't even allowed to do that. It's absurd. However, I think with the Vets categories it's a bit different. I also think the CSA officials were being really strict because UCI hotshots were watching over their shoulders.

Take that beautiful machine out the sun - your fork is melting!

Arione must rank as one of the most popular saddles. I ride one on my road bike and I really like it. Trouble is that it's damn expensive. I see Saddle Vader and Planet X have saddles that look suspiciously similar to Ariones and they are only R300. Jules2008-09-11 09:27:17

First rule is not to ride a bike you can't afford to replace. Nine time out of ten, bicycle insurance is a rip off. Rather get a quote, then sign a debit order for the same amount into a good unit trust. You'll probably be surprised at how quickly you will accumulate enough money to replace your bike. Once you've achieved this amount, you can cancel your debit order. The growth of the unit trust should ensure that your investment keeps pace even with bicycle inflation. Just don't be like JB and by a sector-specific fund. On July 11 he advised hubbers to buy commodity shares. Since then these shares have lost more than a quarter of their value.

With what evidence do you back up that assertion?

If only it wasn't so early

It can be a good business model, but if you take the piss too much it'll work against you. Certainly this isn't a good advert for Mavic. Surely by the time this oke has paid for spares, labour, petrol, time etc, the repair job will not have been worth it? He could get a lovely new pair of Campy Zonda's in the Hub classifieds for the bargain price of R1600.

you should try Epoh and no.one.knows for some inventive training excuses.

I'm sure there is nothing wrong with the frame, but I would be hesitant to suggest that R2 200 is a good price.

OUCH!!!! Click on the pics. http://blogs.dispatch.co.za/dispatchnow/2008/09/04/thief-impaled-on-museum-fence-pics/

Great news Alex When does the first one start?

Very nice looking bikes

Great pics Michelle!

I thought it was a limited edition Campy Record Red Limited ergolever. In hindsight, it seems a bit out of character

Zaskar, go to Northcliff, where else? Alex helped BG with one of those links for her Shimano chain the other day.

I really like it, but I think that price is way, way too much. For those components it shouldn't be more than R5k.

JLA forgot to swap his bike for a FS Cannondale (with disks) when he decided to do some impromptu extreme downhill