MDJ

Yes, you can get someone else to collect it. I've got someone collecting mine later today. The official PPA requirement is that you give the person a signed letter that says you would like them to collect the entry on your behalf with your PPA number.

RIP - very sad news, strength to the family and friends .

Wishing you a speedy recovery, could have been any one of us . Glad to hear you are on the mend!

I have one of these thule clip-on racks: https://www.thule.com/en/za/bike-rack/towbar-bike-racks/thule-xpress-2-_-970000 The bike wheel was around 45cm away from the exhaust and probably slightly above the height of the outlet. I thought it was a rather big gap, took me a while to figure out what happened. I arrived at the race around 6am and it was dark, thought I had a flat on my tubeless tire and put in a tube and pumped it up - sun came out and I saw the rim, miserable drive back home. I now put the whole bike in the car, probably better with all the theft issues at races lately!

Mine looked exactly the same when it was melted by the exhaust of my wife's diesel car. It happened on a 45 minute early morning winter car ride to a race with thule towbar bike rack on a Mercedes GLA . There was quite a lot of space between the bike tire and the exhaust and I had done quite a few trips before that without issues. I had luckily taken out insurance with cyclesure two months prior and they paid out. It really sucks . PS: Found a picture, this was after a few rides waiting for replacement.

I'd like to THANK the OP for posting the issue and all the details so that everyone else is aware of the 'weakness' on this Canyon model. That is one of the great things about forums like this. We can learn from the experience/facts of others without paying the school fees ourselves (thanks for the pics and details!) and form our own opinions. In MY opinion an aero top tube tuck is common enough on a race bike that I wouldn't consider it abuse. I've never been on a descent in Cape Town long enough to actually sit - normally your weight is on the pedals and you need to corner . I think it’s great that Canyon replaced the first two frames. However in being so quick to replace they might have missed an investigation into why it happened in the first place, they could have saved the OP and themselves some time and money on the first replacement if they noted the crack pattern and followed it with warning regarding top tube 'sitting'. The warranty process and the rebuilds involve a lot of time/waiting/logistics and money. It would have been nice for them to thank him for the feedback (unless they already knew?) and seriously consider a warning to other owners or a disclaimer/sticker on the top tube and an escalation to their engineering team. Thanks for the 'free' info - hope it saves someone else!

Entered, see you all at the start!

In my personal experience the 1kg frame weight makes very little difference on a MTB especially a mixed use bike like the Spark. Tires, geometry, gearing and wheelset make a much bigger difference in that order for me. It depends also on the type of riding you do. Carbon is more about the sexiness, the frame physically looks smoother and sleeker and if you don't have a carbon frame you always wonder (damn the marketing guys) ... but I've got friends who've broken carbon frames on falls in different ways several times, never seen that happen with alu. The carbon repair guys are really good though. If you are on a limited/sane/family budget - alu is a no-brainier, its honestly JUST AS GOOD for us 'average' guys on a MTB and it takes a hit better imho, stick with alu. On the road-bike side there I think a carbon 'upgrade' is more worthwhile. I find it stiffer and and smoother overall, the difference in feel is more noticeable vs. MTB where your moving around all the time.

Congratulations, awesome bike! I have a 2017 Spark 930 which is a similar yellow colour on a 1x11 setup, its been a great bike for me. I've only 'upgraded' one thing, that syncros saddle is pure pain. Simple upgrade though, love everything else, geometry, tires, remote lock-out and dropper - it all just works so well as a package. Great bike, wishing you many happy miles!

The Scott remote lock-out feature rocks! Yes the bars look a like birds nest (6 cables on a 1x!), but if you want something sleek - buy a road bike

Interested to hear the feedback, where did you buy it from btw?

Ditto as per the comments, chest straps are far more accurate especially at higher heart beats. I have a Garmin vivoactive watch with wrist monitor and a Garmin edge 520 with chest strap. The chest strap generally averages a 10-20 beats per minute higher reading than the watch. My Garmin chest strap is currently 30 months old and still working perfectly. I've replaced the battery twice in that time, most recently last month. I ride at least three times a week and average around 5 hours per week. The chest strap is the only part of my cycling kit I do not wash at all, I give it a good rise every 3 months, but never put it in the washing machine.

Where is the noise coming from i.e the Kickr or the tyre contact area? How tight did you fasten the roller onto the tyre? I would assume you have tried different tension settings, I found having it slightly looser than "prescribed" leads to less tyre ware. I have a Kickr Snap that I use with normal road bike with gatorskins and there is no high pitched noise. The trainer itself is a bit noisy at full speed, but that's normal. I don't think the trainer tyre will make a huge difference - there could be something wrong with your unit.

Awesome bike, I ride a similar one at the moment so I'm a bit biased - hydraulic discs are the bomb . If you are new to cycling/don't know too much about bikes then I would rather buy a new bike from a trusted local bike shop that can do a bike fit and help you with proper sizing and set-up. They will also often throw in a free-service after 4-6 weeks to do any fine tuning as the cables stretch out etc.

Dito! I sold my Giant TCX to buy a "real road bike" and a "real mountain bike (scott spark 930)". I love the road bike, but the mountain bike feels like a truck compared to riding the TCX on gravel or flat fast single track.

Awesome update, hopefully we have a happy ending for everyone! I do very much appreciate the league and Spurs’ sponsorship; it has done great things for mountain biking and cycling in general will be stronger for it. In my opinion a sponsor is quite influential in these matters, especially when their name features so prominently. Supporting an event financially doesn’t absolve you from listening to feedback on where you can improve/reconsider rules/make recommendations. If anything the debate ensures considering multiple points of view and a better understanding of the issue. I’m personally happy to support Spur, it’s a South African company and yes the fact that they are kid/family friendly and support this event is definitely a plus in my book. Thank you Spur for the response and thanks to the league for considering the feedback!

I've used Rosmead daily for almost 3 years and imho its better than main road, mostly because its a bit less chaotic due to lower side walk activity, truck deliveries, passenger stops and taxis - it also has some yellow line space in places (tree root and glass permitting). On my Rosmead commute I find some drivers and even taxis are friendly towards cyclists, I see the cyclist stickers on the back of quite a few cars - so I think PPA campaigns have made a difference. Yes, I've nearly been taken out a few times where drivers seem to be half asleep - or intentionally cut in-front of you requiring emergency braking (regardless of my bright flashing lights). I've also been hooted at a few times for reasons unbeknownst to me. I don't think people know the laws around cyclists - it would helpful if PPA expanded their messaging, but I guess you need to be able to dumb down and simplify the messages to be effective as a campaign. It seems to me that the general impatience of a few drivers causes the problems, not only for cyclists but also result in our high road accident rate. The question in this thread of "where must I find the 1 meter to pass you", speaks to the root of the problem .... i.e "you must drive behind me UNTIL there is 1 meter of clear space, then pass". I'm doing 30kmph on my bike and you should not be doing more than 60kmph - at most it will 'cost' a few minutes or less if here is traffic not going anywhere anyhow. Your a person trying to get somewhere, I'm one too - there is no reason for conflict.

Consider that you could be home-schooled due to many reasons i.e. medical (injury), psychological (sensory overload, bullying etc), distance from school, relocating too much, and yes a legally permitted choice etc etc. The point is the child and sometimes their folks do not have a choice in the matter - by banning something outright you take away the ability for someone to 'tried to meet them' ... that is what's unfair. I think the people banning someone who is home-schooled forget that it could be their child at some point. Setting the bar high is one thing, banning a child from an "open" schools event due to something they may have no control over is discrimination. So yes as much as 'you tried to meet them', how's about helping/supporting someone else "get a chance" to do the same. I'm sure their are complexities around points, abuse etc - but an outright ban as per the entry rule front-page is discriminatory. Petition signed and Facebook feedback added.

Yes, please lay a charge - include a photo of your face if there is any swelling. Don't just do it for yourself, but also for everyone else who cycles that road daily (like me).

Yeah, sometimes I think we should appreciate just "having more events" in general that are still great routes and still "in" Cape Town. Personally I'm quite happy to be riding through Stellenbosch, Paarl or Malmesbury. With the increase in car accidents and bikejacking - having events with "safety in numbers" and a natural progression for new riders with the support of emergency services and marshals helps to develop cycling for all. I think its great to have PPA arranging these, IMHO having more of these events (even if having to partially subsidize) does as much for cycling awareness as an adverting campaign.

Awesome day out, really enjoying this series - was fun to ride what was mostly the Tour of Stellenbosch route with smaller groups in more of a "fun ride" environment. Helshoogte always inflicts its pain, but from there nice fast pace. Started in E-G, we had a nice pace line going on the front with about 6 guys and one lady working well together. Although it was a "race", great to see some very sensible riding through some of the more dicey sections on the stretch back into Stellenbosch with Taxis and traffic being quite a challenge. A big thanks to the guy from C batch who did some extra long pulls near the end to get everyone home in a good time. We passed two accidents, hope both guys are ok - medical and race support was good as always. Now to decide if I'm going to brave the middle of winter for the next one!

I had the same experience as patch when trying both Schwalbe one pro (awesome tire to ride on - super grippy and comfortable) as well as Giant gavia tubeless. Things started out great for the first few weeks on tubeless until getting glass cuts that resulted in holes that would either not seal, or randomly pop open. I tried to patch them with superglue and standard patches but they were never the same - I liked them enough to try two brands x2 tires - but considering the mess and the 1k a pop price tag I switched back to tubes. I use gatorskins for normal training rides and I've only ever had two "punctures" in a two year period both due to pinch flats because I got lazy and let the pressures drop to below 60psi and hit something on the road. I still have wet dreams about the feel of the Schwalbe pro-ones ... but then I recall the cursing and sealant sticky mess of the reality while struggling to get the fscking tight tire onto the rim. Trying a few options and getting the same result at 1k a pop, I decided to go with the boring tube option - more riding, less fixing .

Count me in - sounds like an excuse to buy a new light

Welcome back! Strength to you and the family with the recovery ahead.

Condolences to the families and friends of the two cyclists and Marshall, tragic news on what was otherwise a great event . Thank you to all the volunteers and supporters, it was my first CTCT and I thoroughly enjoyed it!