Zebra

There. Fixed the creak, or rather, the cream.., 😉

Yes, interested to hear the recipe. Tx.

Have been part of planning for a 1-day event before (Audi/Club 100 40km TT), lots of planning, but it was worth-while, so keep positive! Some fun names to consider, to help ‘Sell the Sizzle…’ whilst you shop the idea around, for your forthcoming race: The Makadas Express… The Gravel Express… Race the Line… Steel, Gravel & Sky! (ok, they may be a bit lame, but you get the idea; create a ‘hook’ to hang your idea on, good luck!) Chris

(As an avid cyclist who also commutes by car 4 days a week - Hout Bay - Paarden Eiland, & back again, here is what the CYCLISTS mentality seems to be - including this morning...) "I wear ASSOS, I am riding Carbon, my body fat is 6.4%, the cycling top I am wearing today is Natural Stone, we are riding 2 abreast since we are discussing The Donald, my bike is 1x SRAM GX Eagle, and please chillax driving in on your way in to work at 7.10am - I only start at 9am/10am/11am, or...whatever...these damn cars are SO annoying... Tongue partly in cheek...! 😉

your post got me thinking; the (slightly) lighter bike, or the better-handling bike, since it is 8 days long…🤔 would love to hear the weight difference? having done 3 in a row, on the old route (much has changed), i too, think that you do not need carbon wheels, that puncture prevention (as much as is REASONABLY possible) is key….… .……as is a rear-derailleur hanger, or 2 if your partner is not on the same bike. Finally, a new DIALLED-IN drive train is useful, with the emphasis on a using the new drive train a good few times BEFORE Day 1…. Question; any difference in bottle-carrying capacity between the 2 bikes? Chris

…bringing this back up to the top, for a friend….

…to my Mother, in Noordhoek Assisted Living; her washing/ironing delivered, er, by Bike, er, Courier…🤣….….to be fair, it is R63.00 ROND toll fees between Houties and Noordhoek, , e-a-c-h w-a-y….… ….……..rewind one week back, and it was off to Auntie TEMU, for a cheap R300 seat-post-rack, slap on a half crate to get a more ‘aero/streamlined’ look, and then out the door on the mercy mission… Worked splendidly, R126 ROND* saved on the round trip, and sommer collected the next load for return. For ONCE, I felt like the Good Son…😇😆 …and got in something of a work-out, by keeping the motor near idle…. Specialized Laundry Bike, for the brightest whites….! *(I do have a frequent-user card, which saves on vehicle tolls, but do not let facts spoil a good story…😉)

@Stevecalland

Hmm, care to….elaborate? 🤣

...there is great value in the USED-side of things - my 5c, you generally get more bang for your buck, unless a new bike is being sold at a meaningfully-reduced price (last years model range, or Black Friday, etc). So I like your idea of looking 2nd hand. Cheers Chris

I am an ex-recumbent rider, bought 2 2nd-hand recumbents in the States, shipped them back to SA 20 years back, rode them for a good few years, then sold both to go more MTB side of things… Actually wanting to buy one of them back, but lost the buyers details, since it was so long ago! 1 was LWB, under-seat steering, Alu mostly, very long, partly foldable, basically the Limo of LWB recumbents, a USA LINEAR recumbent. The other was a SWB, under-seat steering Orange Street Machine, a quick bike, quick steering, and went downhill like water off a duck’s back! Would like to find it, buy it back, and give it a make-over! Then i would do a few longer- distance tours on it, say 3 weeks at a time, they are SERIOUSLY comfortable bikes! Tell us a bit more about YOUR recumbent? Cheers, Chris 072 211 7725

…this GCN video, at 4 minutes 55 seconds in to the video, DOES raise an interesting ‘Gravel PRICING’ conundrum; though related to the price of Gravel BIKES, and not entry fees, they query why gravel bikes cost up to 20% more than an ‘equivalent’ high quality MTB, and the likely answer is; they charge what they do because…they can! (demand). Are things about to Ungravel: GCN Show, Episode 627… Demand might be PARTLY why Gravel RACES are seemingly costly…and then charging very high prices for accommodation/food if the races are largely ‘isolated’ does seem cynical. But then, I did the Epic races back when THEY were affordable (2005, etc…), and now….

...subscribe...

They do have that size, on Special at R599 incl from TENG TOOLS Paarden Eiland, just check the specs to check it is correct... (apparently Italian-made, and reduced from R900-odd!) Chris 072 211 7725

@Paul Gleed we have a 'specialist' tool shop just 3 doors along from us (Paarden Eiland) - I will pop over and see what they have... (are you looking for more-affordable than Park Tools, or can you not get the Park Tool...?) Cheers Chris

I think I HAVE the cleats, still - are they BLUE plastic?...

Nice bike, IF you wish to bring it back (the pedals) to the era it was from, I have a set of vintage Shimano 105 PD 1055 pedals (with the toe clips, but not shown...) that are from that era - not everyone's 'flavour', but period correct! Cheers Chris

Sent off this morning, via PUDO, thanks, Arno! Chris

My O.C.D-ness EARNESTLY requests you to try for 365 hours for the year ahead; reason being that it is an ANNUAL goal, the are 36Five days in a year, and you are aiming for 36Four hours…! Is that too much to ask…? 🤣

Never even THOUGHT of this - needing to change disk caliper position - when ‘flip-chipping’; of course it NOW makes sense, ah, the complexities (yet customisability!) of modern life!

Chilled Squirrel will almost certainly be able to assist, else advise you - they MIGHT only be returning to work on 13th Jan, despite Google saying they 'open' at 08H30. I guess this is a Bafang kit you self-installed, but no matter - I feel sure they would assist you - they are usually very reliable, and communicate well. You can SELF-regulate maximum assist speed under settings on your display - unsure WHICH display you have, and there are 7 or 8 different models (!), but 'cycling' through the options allows you to set a maximum assist speed - that alone should be useful, and if you have a thumb throttle - consider disconnecting it, IN CASE that is a link in the problem... a short summary of Bafang displays here, etc...: https://www.bafangers.com/en/types-of-display-for-bafang-kits/ Good luck, and let us know what you find? Chris

OK, Arno; give me a day or so, and I will get them off to you, and advise whether PEP, or PUDO. (might be on Monday, meaning on the weekend I can dig - and I mean 'dig' out some other items!) Cheers Chris

Excellent idea - never thought of that - then I may have some OTHER items I could send him, too... @Prince Albert Cycles can I ship these - and a few other items - off to you? If so, please DM me best address to use? Good idea, @NC_lurker !

In 2024, @Prince Albert Cycles kindly sent me a bicycle weighing scale - at no charge - since he had two, and I tried to pay him - and he said 'pay it forward'...! (thanks, appreciated, Arno/PAC!) Also in 2024, @ChrisF gave me his older Garmin 520, since he had updated his Garmin computer - and again, he said... 'pay it forward'...! (thanks, appreciated, ChrisF!) So I watched for a pay-it-forward opportunity, and then realized - shucks! - 2024 is g-o-n-e....! 😲 So here then is the 1st of 4 or 5 pay-it-forwards items, as I dig out decent items I am no longer using.... A neat, near-unused set of SPD-compatible pedals, along with 2 sets of new/unopened SPD cleats, and then a bag of used/miscellaneous SPD cleats, shims/whatever (I use only Crankbrothers pedals on my e26'er, my 29'er and my vintage road bike) Wellgo, Taiwan: https://en.wellgopedal.com/products_detail_3_434.htm Collection ideally in Paarden Eiland, (claim dibs here), and more products to follow...! the Hub really is the coolest community! Chris

The Bianchi 928 SuperLeggera is a model year 2008 bike. It was part of Bianchi's "HoC" (Hors Categorie) range, which focused on lightweight bikes. The 928 SuperLeggera features a uni-directional carbon monocoque frame and a raw carbon unidir finish. Source: the Net.