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Looking at the current forecast a canoe might be more appropriate 
.
On the bright side it looks like I will get my new bike tomorrow 
. I might have to save it for One Tonner as her first event though - "dam' weather! ...at least we'll be able to shower good and proper this summer!
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I might add that I have accommodation 3km outside of Swellendam with space for 4 extras and my wife has seconded at many DCs!
We have one injury, but hoping they recover - unfortunately its a 7 hour team though 
. Will touch base closer to the time if you are still looking.
And it's back on. (for now
Good morning all,
I wanted to say a huge thank you for all your feedback on this event. It is really appreciated and great to have so many people wanting to help and make suggestions.
I have taken another look at the weather this morning and it is looking much better. There will be some light rain from 12pm, but nothing to cause alarm. I have also spoken to the traffic department and the marshals and I have made them aware of the possibility of light rain later on in the ride.
So I have made the decision to go ahead with the event. I will be sending out an event letter tomorrow morning with all the details.
Please note the long route starts at 6:45am and the shout route. Will start at 7:15am.
It may be a little cooler on the morning, so please dress appropriately.
If you are riding the long route, please note should you not feel up to it on the day you are more than welcome to drop to the shorter route. You will just need to tell reception.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding on this matter. Please feel free to contact me should you have any further questions.
Now LETS RIDE!!!
Still looks wet and windy - character building conditions
I've been tracking the forecast on windguru for most of the week, hoping for a change as we get closer. It has at least improved from the earlier gale force wind prediction (60kph), to less wind - but heavy rain predicted at the moment.
It makes sense to postpone it imho - at least we have one-tonner next weekend. Saturday looks good for a nice long DC training ride 
I did have a fit in 2013 in Pretoria, have changed seatpost and saddle since then, so might be worth doing again. I think the biggest issue is my bars are so much lower than my saddle (and the gearing is hard as anything 11/28 at the back and 54/38 at the front). I am reluctant to invest too much into an almost 20 year old bike though.
Drop doesn't look too aggressive imho, but need consider all the other stuff, your measurements, stem length, cleat position etc - when I did my fit last month I actually went 3 spacers lower on the front at the same time as the saddle move (slightly higher and forward).
It was my first RETUL fit (http://retul.com) v.s bikeshop+measuring tape when I got my current bike. They take all your measurements, then stick tracer dots on various pivot points and lazers do the movement data gathering while you pedal on an IDT. It then shows the movements of all the points and what the recommended min/max angles are etc. Its data driven, but the fitter still makes judgement calls on what to move, then measures and iterates.
Like I said I've been riding for a while and I was surprised how my lower back pain is completely gone. I always just thought it was normal fatigue to have some lower back pain after a 4+ hour ride.
I am pretty sure they should be able to adjust your current bike without any huge costs - might be worth it to know what is comfortable for you v.s the new bike geometry.
Personally in addition to nice light, stiff wheels - I'd want any new bike I buy to have electronic shifting (Ultegra Di2 at least). Unfortunately on the Domane that means going up a model with quite a big price jump. The Domane is definitely one of the best looking bikes out there though, with isoflex and running tubeless it should be more than comfy enough.
I know its a silly thing as you aren't a newbie - but with regards to lower back pain, have you had a proper bikefit. Normally lower back pain after longer rides = saddle to far back, makes your lower back muscles work too hard. I used to suffer from it after 3 hour plus rides, moved my saddle about 20 mm forward after a lazer bikefit session, problem gone. It was amazing after riding for nearly 3 years .
I'm also looking at finally getting a new road bike, after drooling over the Trek for 2 years - I'm finally going to go for a Scott: https://www.scott-sports.com/global/en/product/scott-addict-rc-15-red-bike
The main reasons, lighter and includes Ultegra Di2 for quite a bit less.
I ordered an AeroPod - more interested in the CdA numbers though:
https://the5krunner.com/2018/11/17/velocomp-aeropod-review-ride/
Waiting for it clear customs, looking forward to playing with it
2
How do they run at these lower pressures? Don't feel too flat?
I weight 83 atm and I run around 80 psi, feels great! I've gone as low as 60 psi on the tubeless setup. 60 psi does start feeling a bit flat when your climbing, but very cushy on poor road surfaces - sadly becoming more common around part of the Cape Peninsula ...
Hm... have GP5000s but been running them with tubes. Have Revosealant at home... time to give it a try I think...
Just double check the type before your convert, there is a difference between the normal GP5000 and the tubeless version. The tubeless version is GP5000TL (for tubeless), its a slightly thicker+heavier tyre with more of a raised hook profile to fit into tubeless compatible rims. It actually has a slightly lower rolling resistance than the normal GP5000 from what I recall.
https://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/road-bike-reviews/continental-grand-prix-5000-tl-2018
Wow, I have had really bad luck since switching to tubeless.
Blaming luck and not the tyres at this stage because there is no way to tell how a trusty Gatorskin or my old GP4000's would have coped.
My pair of Giant Gavia AC 1 (25mm) lasted about 1000/2500km (F / R)
Giant Gavia AC2 (28mm) rear lasted 2500km.
They all suffered cuts that just sprayed sealant everywhere. no slow death, just catastrophic failure.
I did have one puncture that sealed without me knowing - other than that they have been a disaster.
On the plus side, the 28's are plush, especially with lower pressure.
They are heavy though...
It's been an expensive trial and error process. Like I say above, not sure if it's luck or the tyre (Giant or tubeless itself) and there is no way of knowing how a different tyre would have coped.
Not sure if I should try a different brand or switch back to ordinary tubed tyres (like GP5000 and Tubolito's).
I tried the Giant Gavia's - they originally came with my bike, they were a disaster for me too. I remember a late Thursday evening being stuck in a dodgy part of Woodstock cursing and covered in sealant. There is a Gavia version 2 out now from what I've seen on a friend's new bike - not sure if its any better.
Try the GP5000 TLs - and no I don't work for continental or a bikeshop .
I've been running Continental GP5000 TL since December last year when they were launched - I'm using Continental revosealant and I fitted them myself at home with a floor pump. So far looking at Strava I've done around 8,000 kms over 9 months with zero punctures. I'm running 25c tyres at around 80psi - makes for a smooth ride.
I've tried a set of Schwalbe's and they didn't work for me, they both got cut badly by glass in the space of a month. There is always some luck involved - but I've recommended the GP5000's to two other guys and the one has been ridding a month since switching also without any issues.
So yeah I would go as so far as to highly recommend GP5000TL with revosealant - its working well for me so far 
I also strongly second the recommendation from Robert to enter at least one road event - in terms of getting some seeding as well as some experience with riding in bunches.
If its only one event and you really don't want to spend money - then rather stick to your mountain bike with slicks.
In terms of the costs it will probably be cheaper to buy a second hand roadbike on the hub and use that for training and the race - then sell it again. Road bikes are very different animals though in terms of riding position, gearing and brakes. You'll probably be around 2-5 kms faster per hour on the roadbike depending on your fitness - a bit more if you train and learn how to draft properly.
Always a fun fast one at 78 kms . Looking forward to lining up on Sunday, seems like it might get a bit windy.
I've got a 12mm thru axle disc road bike (Giant Defy) that seems to have the same problem - also seems to only happy on the rear wheel.
It's happened about four times now over a 3 year period - I noticed that the wheel seemed a bit lose after this weekend's riding, checked and the axle was lose. Luckily I'm riding with an IDT axle that is quite long, so very low risk of completely coming off.
I thought I was losing it, so thanks for this post. Definitely something to keep an eye out for!
take it not too many Cape Tonians were out riding today ....
Rode home yesterday, FTP into the wind - luckily I have a short commute. Today is IDT weather, looking forward to a nice long ride tomorrow, conditions for Sunday are looking great!
Suikerbossie, Constantia neck ... might as well be 109kms ;P.
I thought this route was aimed at beginners i.e I'm hoping to enter with my 11 year old book worm daughter on a route that is a step up from the kiddies 7.5km loop. I think the Fish Hoek via Cape Point through Scarborough back via Kommetjie to end at Noordhoek would be a simpler route with less climbing/no steep climbing (they mention 47 odd kms). It also gives you some awesome sea views.
Anyways, looking forward to the route - now to get my daughter as excited as I am about it!
I finish working in Cape Town on the 31st and then I fly home on the 5th so I'm limited to these days on the bike unfortunately, thanks for the offer though!
Thanks MDJ, and that's good to hear about the weather! I've contacted the shop I'm hiring off to see if they'll rent out lights too. I'll e-mail those clubs you mentioned today just to let them know that I'm interest, to avoid showing up unannounced.
Cool, the weather is still looking good - so it should be a great weekend for riding on both Saturday and Sunday. You are welcome to PM me if you would like to join one of the Freewheel Saturday rides at 7am.
Thanks for all of the suggestions, and for the safety notes!
I've booked my rental for the first week of June now, so I'll definitely try and make it to a Saturday and Sunday club ride.
Looks like you are in luck, the weather is tentatively looking great for a winter day in Cape Town next weekend. The main club rides are normally on Saturday, its a bit dark in the mornings at the moment (another reason to join a group with a lot lights), but you will still catch some great views over Chapman's peak - definitely worth riding it in full daylight during the week too.
There is a road race/sportive on the 9th of June that should be fun, enter here:
https://www.pedalpower.org.za/events/pedal-power-association-237/
I would recommend joining one of the open Saturday group rides as per the information below. If you are staying in the Cape Town City bowl you should be able to cycle to any of the meeting points for the three groups in the "Southern Suburbs" - or the PPA ride.
I belong to the Freewheel Cycling Club and you are welcome to join us on Saturday morning. We normally ride the main cycling routes around Champman's Peak through Red Hill, Cape Point depending on the weather, wind direction etc. Its always fun riding in a group and you'd be able to get familiar with some stunning routes around Cape Town with the safety of a bigger group.
Southern suburbs Open Group Rides:
Northern suburbs (around 20 minutes by car from CBD):
Helderberg area (around 40 minutes by car from CBD):
PPA SOCIAL RIDE
Our road social rides take place every Saturday morning at 07h30 from the PPA office in Hill Park Lane, Mowbray - ride Captain and Support Vehicle. For more information please contact Jannis on 021 671 6340 or send an email to jannis@pedalpower.org.za
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I feel your pain. The decay to 40% is nice and slow and predictable, but from there it just snowballs.
Especially from 20% downward it tends to be 10 seconds to decay with 1%.
A fix for me in emergency situations where there is no charger in sight is to switch to the Ultra Battery saver profile, it keeps it alive in case I need to phone friends or family.
I am tempted to buy the replacement battery and just do the replacement, which should give me another 1.5 years of use. Performance wise it is still good enough.
I'll then migrate to the P20 Lite once that battery dies, benefiting from going to the next model compared to the one I am on, but being about two generations behind the latest release.
Ditto, I had the same issue with the P10 lite, was otherwise a good phone until the battery issues started after about 12 months - in addition to the price, I liked the dual sim support.
The battery issue left me stranded once - I couldn't call my return Uber 
. I upgraded to the P30 lite recently, well worth it - much better camera, fast charging, more storage, generally everything is better and bluetooth plays nice with Garmin and everything else. However - now with this Google story 
RIP. Condolences to friends and family - very sad day for all 
Very sad, more so that its the area so close to the SAPS ... points to a serious failure in the ability to protect. Surely it should be possible to run patrols.
This is where all the new users came from:
Alex from www.fastfitness.tips found Intervals.icu and really liked it.
Congrats David! Thanks for sharing the video - gives some nice insights into the features and a bit of a deeper understanding about some of your assumptions.
Thank you once again for a really awesome tool
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It happened at 7.45am just outside the entrance to Imhoff Farm opposite Ocean View to one of the guys who is part of our cycling club.
"two guys with pangas came swinging at me" - I will share more info once confirmed that they are happy for me to share the details.
The cyclist is ok, broken collar bone from the attack. I've heard of a few incidents near Ocean View, but this sounds like an escalation. Not good news for our ever decreasing range of 'safe areas to ride'.
[Event] 2019 PPA Sportive #6
in Events
Posted · Edited by MDJ
Yip, the new Scott Addict RC - guess, I won't be able to blame the bike for getting dropped in future