Zebra

Question regarding DSTV; i watch it around the house on an iPad, mostly on WiFi, however, when watching in my garage - detached from my house and half below ground, since the WiFi signal is weak due to distance, I SWITCH to data/4G, and whist I get 3 out of 4 ‘bars’ when using 4G, (seemingly 75% signal strength) I battle to watch TdF in the garage whilst tinkering in there, buffering, etc…. is this possibly an unseen ‘degradation’ of the 4G intermittently, unseen by me, THEN causing buffering, or what else might i try? thanks Chris

DM received, replied, see you early next week. Cheers

Bump. I cannot help on the 'main' request, as it were, but I will donate some cycling kit; i presume good condition 2nd-hand kit is in order? Cheers Chris

“ I assume they can pull the trailer.”…… Will let others guide you, but if you are buying 2 identical bikes, AND have already bought the pull-behind Kiddies trailer(s), then suggest you DOUBLE-check they ARE compatible before making a purchase - 90%+ sure you will be ok, but i suggest you check! Cheers Chris

I have had a ‘converted 26”er’ eBike for 6 or 7 years: very little difference in service costs from a ‘regular’ MTB, for me, anyways… no noticeable increase in brake wear, for me, i suspect SLIGHTLY increased rear tyre wear, but then i do use my eMTB for many (lekker) road rides from Houties, around Cape Point and back, which adds to rear tyre wear…. Like ChrisF, i too have had ONE problem with a sensor, but it was fairly inexpensive to replace. Battery health - full bench test - now at 89%, this after 6 or 7 years, so i have ZERO complaints. no noticeable increase in drive-train costs, I run 10x cassette, and those things are H-A-R-D-Y, and i am ‘sympathetic’ to drive-train shifting… in short, i feel servicing costs are near-identical to an analogue bike , again, for me. Cheers Chris

I THINK someone has placed an ALL-WHITE 'memorial' bicycle near to where he passed away? I did not see it, but Wife asked why an all white sprayed bike would be in Sea Point, chained to the pole, and I said I think it was 'in memoriam'? Anyone seen it, to confirm? Tx, Chris

Never thought about insulated bottles for the OTHER benefit; preventing water or drink being TOO CLOD!

…anyone see the TdF annual publication in the shops, yet? Recovering from an op, so not been in the shops much, and i like to read THIS publication every year, a week before Day 1… thanks! Chris

CONVERSATIONS on ABC Listen; Pack Ice, Seal Fat & the Big Slide… (recreating Ernest Shackleton’s truly amazing self-rescue)

Yes, i am watching since 1st day, very interesting/hardcore, esp with the Snow in the beginning section, and that it can hit 40-degrees down near Antelope Springs - hectic! Chris

I think if you really are 'run down', then a Neurobion, or Vit B12 INJECTION can make quite a difference, it is backed up (somewhere) by clinical studies, one injection per month really does make a difference - YMMV. (Neurobion has more 'ingredients', but they both have Vit B12, which - I feel - makes the difference (and I am a sceptic at the best of times...!) Cheers Chris

I have 3 or 4 pairs of 18-year old ASSOS bibs; i know the age since I bought them for events 3 years running ('05, '06 & '07), etc. All are still 'solid' in the 'crack' area (did I really just type that? 😄), in other words, have not 'gone thin'.. I do not dry them in direct sunlight, but wash them WITH other clothes, NOT in a bag, and with REGULAR auto washing powder (though NOT fabric softener)...and on a REGULAR, if shortish - washing cycle... All this other 'faffery' - stand on one leg whilst placing into German-brand washing machine / place bib into a dedicated, lambswool bag / rotate anti-clockwise 3x / use 'magic' washing powder / use a sandalwood clothes-peg when drying - would do my head in... My bibs were part-sponsored, meaning I do not usually afford full-priced ASSOS bibs - so I have and do look after them - yet they have had fair use in that time - and washed HEAPS of times, I cannot believe what I am reading about 12-month old (other) product not really being fit for public, er, viewing...?! 🤯 (I also have a First Ascent bib - also no-crack-see'em...)

here you go, and it aint great: https://www.hellopeter.com/ciovita

…an upgrade path? You are a Marketer’s dream customer…. FFS, if you are new to MTB (and(or Marathoning), you have a carbon 29”er, with suspension front & rear, and a 12-speed 1x Groupo, with a dropper, RIDE WHAT YOU GOT! I too think the front shocks could be improved UPON, but still, they give a very-usable 100mm travel…maybe consider replacing them as you goalong? I think you should ride / marathon this bike for some time BEFORE you upgrade multiple items, especially if the drivetrain is in reasonably good nick… Riding mates you meet along the way will often give you input on what - and even when, something N-E-E-D-S upgrading, and you can learn what you need, not what the ‘flavour of the month is…’ I do reckon a bike setup is money well spent, ride/race, and THEN see what you NEED…. (that is a very capable bike, enjoy it!)

My bad, tx for the correction!

i have no idea, but what I do read is that Matt was less than 60 seconds - in a NINE PLUS HOUR race - from being in FIFTH position, meaning EIGHT riders finished - nearly together in a 60-second window - again, in a 9-hour race, so in a race of 540 minutes, Matt was 1 minute off of 5th place! AT HIS FIRST ATTEMPT. Impressive!

I am well aware of Matt Beers’ palmares, but Roger Smart & Nico Bell (both riding Unbound 200 Elite) are unknown to me; any one can share some background on these 2? thanks

Sorry to hear of your stolen bike, DavidTinker. A while back, these was a massive spike in. MOTORBIKES stolen (being pushed away, IOW, from locked garages, etc; a GROUND ANCHOR really is the way to go, whereas the bicycle (or motorbike) is locked to the floor - securely - adding another layer/hurdle to trying to steal the bicycle -— —the perps want to get away as quickly as they can, a GOOD bike lock can frustrate them - sad to have to do this, but my mate (on the forum) had his bike stolen TWICE, same M.O., he did add some additional security, but it was not enough - does seem as if this is beco ing a lot more prevalent…

No further reply received, so i phoned Southfield Roads Depot, number just rang and rang, never answered, despite verifying number as correct, seems like the need a VISIT! More later….

Hout Bay - Cape Town- Hout Bay, possible ‘goodbye’ to my trusty converted eBike (old ‘manual’ Cape Epic bike), so I decided to ride the distance ONLY on assist 1 or assist 2, (no use of levels 3 - 9, in other words)…kind of 22% max assist, on a heavyish bike… Well, weather-wise, it was warm going up Chappies, borderline cold thru’ Mistys, warm up to Cape Point Gate, COOL in the mist past Froggy Pond, a day of contrasts…! Red Hot Pokers are out everywhere, so I stopped for a rare pic, and posting an even rarer ride report! Goal of ride was to go long & slow, with very low assist levels; kind of saying goodbye to an old friend, as it were - result was the 1st time the battery icon moved/changed was at very top of Black Hill - and then I got home to Hout Bay with 3/4 battery icon still showing - so over 50% up to 75% residual battery, at least) Backstory; i recently had my battery properly bench-tested after removing any parasitic loads, etc, and battery health is at 89%, I wanted to see how far it might take me, so i am going to try it again, and further next time, to see whats possible. (no cramping ON the bike, but Quads cramped properly climbing stairs last nite!) A lekker day out, on a bike i have owned 15+ years, and I STILL enjoy it! ! fun fact: it was owned BRIEFLY by Willie Engelbrecht, who broke his clavicle on it, IIRC, and he then sold it near-new, and one of the nices bikes i have ever owned! Chris

Submitted; we shall see….. Service Request successfully created Service Request Reference Number 9117373388 Category Level 1 Transport, Traffic and Roads Category Level 2 Road/roadway - maintenance Category Level 3 Repair a defect in the roadway, pavement, bicycle lane, etc. Description To whom it may concern: Cycling over Ou Kaap se Weg twice this weekend; on Saturday heading towards Sun Valley, and Sunday travelling direction Tokai, the UPHILL, HEADING TO TOKAI side requires ‘work’, some of it serious, some less so… 1. there are 3 or 4 spots where LARGE bush ingress , COMPLETELY up to/over the yellow line puts cyclists into fast-moving traffic, and since an ‘emergency lane’ was created, it should be kept clear, from top to bottom. 2. there is a LOT of broken glass, in say 20+ different places, and the road is in SERIOUS need of a road-sweeper to pass through, cleaning as it goes. 3. There is quite a lot of ‘creeping growth’ of grass which is growing INTO the roadway, at different points; this ‘creep’ reduces the width of the emergency lane, and also ‘captures’ glass, meaning a proper puncture hazard! Your help is appreciated! Thanks Chris

Cycling over Ou Kaap se Weg twice this weekend; Sat heading towards Sun Valley, and Sunday travelling direction Tokai, the UPHILL, HEADING TO TOKAI side requires ‘work’, some of it serious, some less so… 1. there are 3 or 4 spots where large bush ingress up to/over the yellow line puts cyclists into fast-moving traffic, and since an ‘emergency lane’ was created, it should be kept clear, from top to bottom. 2. there is a LOT of broken glass, in say 20+ different places, and the road is in SERIOUS need of a road-sweeper to pass through, cleaning as it goes. I have a modest success rate of actually getting ‘civic’ stuff done; so am just looking for someone to point me in the right direction, and i will do the hard yards/follow up. Any suggestions on where to start appreciated. Chris

Every cyclist is one LESS car, right? and if they (cyclists) keeping to the left, the average car could overtake a cyclist in say, 30 seconds, as the road straightens out..l Would LOVE to see a cyclist’s video response/P.O.V., explaining what IS IT with motorists on twisty back-county roads, that they cannot safely pass a cyclist, else just take a chill-pill, a gap to pass WILL open up…. He sounded SOMEWHAT reasonable u-n-t-i-l he mentioned ‘douche bags’, then he was an instant idiot. (I lived -and rode - in rural Maryland, the State next door to Pennsylvania, and rural backroads were very much Paarl, Stellies and Franchoek; riding heaven indeed!)

and then, this morning, in my ONE DRIVE pics delivered to me 'on this day is history' is THIS pic, taken 16/05/2008, of my LWB Linear; although I PREFERRED SWB, this thing was a LIMO on 'rails-to-trails', both here and in the 'States

A small amount of White vinegar into the washing machine tray; works wonders!