Zebra

Well, for a start, no sheep were KILLED in the making of the jacket, so there I-S that….😆

TRANSLATION….”I (Male, 49, Fun Rider, Swiss Epic 20/22, W2W 19, 12H/24H Solo, div Marathon, big day trips) am every year on Fire like Hell because of the Cape Epic. But I never made it to the starting line as a driver, but was already 7x in South Africa. Long story short: I would very much like to go with someone in 2024 who still has a starting place (costs clearly to me), whether with the men or in the mixed. If there is anyone out there, please contact me. srickli@bluewin.ch. I would be happy to receive news.....further information than by mail. Be Epic…”

I think many people do use that 'mark-up;' as standard: ...the cost of the packaging if you are a business (less so if a pvt. individual, just sending out say one parcel per month), and then driving - for eg Paarden Eiland is 10 - 12 minutes away from nearest Post Net, then figure in the return journey, and it just makes sense to cover costs. If - as a business sending parcels frequently - then there is no packaging material just laying around, so it must be costed. What I DO like is when someone is UPFRONT, saying R120 for PostNet, then their is zero ambiguity! Cheers Chris

10+ years of using TCG (The Courier Guy) + Goeie Hoop Vervoer, Time-Freight, and I could not disagree MORE with you…. We have had ONE issue with TCG in 10 y-E-a-r-s, subsequently resolved (read; agreed to differ). my company uses TCG up to 2x per day, 5 days per week… YMMV. Cheers Chris

Hmmn, I disagree. 3 years back, I needed an Eroica (read vintage) bike. Spent R1.5k buying it, R 1.5k sorting it. Alpina. I now ride it 20 -30x per year, when not on my 2 Specialized MTB’s. Heaps of fun, down-tube shifters, I love it. It may not be for everyone, but where I disagree with you is your statement “they won’t continue…” - when OP might like it so much, may then spur him on to greater heights, and a then a better bike…. Just saying it can be done/ I did it, and enjoy it! Cheers Chris

6 feet 2 inches on a MEDIUM sounds like wrong geometry to me; I am 6 foot 1 inch (182 versus your188…) and I am right on a large; not questioning you riding a large, but unlikely 6 “2 on a Medium….YMMV.

yes, office closes at1 5h45. https://www.sanparks.org/images/parks/table_mountain/maps/new-office-map.pdf

@BuffsVintageBikes

On the topic of which CATEGORIES should be included in the series, HERE is an idea, borrowed from elsewhere....! A quick refresher on our batch descriptions. A batch is for you if… Your mountain bike is insured for more than your car. B batch is for you if… You’re fast, but you’re too shy to start in A batch because your bike is from last year’s catalogue. C batch is for you if… You prefer socializing to sweating on a bicycle ride. D batch is for you if… You pack more into your hydration pack than you do for an overseas holiday. E batch is for you if… You’re coming for a good time on the trails, not a fast time. F batch is for you if… You intend to ride slowly but “only to keep your partner company”. G batch is for you if… You’re a roadie, but coming out this winter as a mountain biker to your roadie friends. H batch is for you if… You can tell the difference between a cortado and a cappuccino, but chain links continue to baffle you. I batch is for you if… You’re a complete Berg & Bush or stage race novice.

TRANSLATION: I am looking for a teammate for the Cape Epic, it is indifferent man or woman, preferably from Spain. I am 32 years old, my level is medium/high and the goal is to finish.

Ah, the piece that I DRIVE to work 4 days per week that, as a life-long cyclist, I have to learn to BREATHE when I come across groups 3 abreast, that I then wait to coalesce into a single file, as I keep myself from a BRIEF single toot to let them know I’ve patiently waited a while…. Breathe….

…and I will end off with this; WHEREVER POSSIBLE, let the Donkey (bicycle) carry the weight….. Posted before, and copied here: ”In 2006, during the second of 3 Cape Epics, my riding partner and I stopped to help two Spanish pro’s with our chain-breaker, since they were riding without one… whilst chatting, we innocently asked them WHERE theirCamelbacks were, since the were ‘direguer’ at the time… …they in turn asked us…”why are you wearing them?”… QUICKLY followed with, in their poor English: Let the DONKEY (read: bicycle) carry the load, not the rider… they went on to site low C.O.G., a cool back, no temptation to ‘fill space around the bladder’, and better movement on the bike…, well, for that Epic and again in 2007, we never used a Camelback again, nor have since! LET THE DONKEY CARRY THE WATER !!! Chris

I had one of those, in the…. 1980’s ! Basically, it was a bladder inside a neoprene pouch, which you forced water into, and it expanded, under pressure from the tight-fitting neoprene around a STRETCHY bladder. Held around 600ml, IIRC. It had a demand/bite valve, and you could drink no handed whilst on the Tri-bars; clever system, came in handy to hydrate AFTER a swim, DURING a 40km TT, and BEFORE the 10km run leg, since it was harder to drink whilst swimming and whilst running. Cheers Chris

This Camelbak BIKE-BASED carraying solution, just shown at Eurobike, looks interesting: …at 24 mins, 20 seconds… https://youtu.be/c68oHGG4i5o I like the fact it can be drunk from the demand-tube whilst riding, AND then has a sipper valve if say in the tent afterwards - nice! (and would be easy to fabricate; not suggesting anyone bodge one, though ) Cheers Chris

My 5c: Definitely try 2nd hand, since you MIGHT not like it… …and 2nd hand delivers much better value (generally…) You might be able to also look at UP TO a size 60 frame; I’m guessing you are 6”2, or 6”3? Nothing wrong with rim brakes, esp. if you are chasing a price-point. (have never owned an Alu road bike, only carbon & vintage steel, others will share there thoughts, but they are generally good..) Chris

My 50/50 ride (50% tar, 50% dirt), Hout Bay, Ou Wa Pad, Tokai, C’Nek and the Hout Bay ‘trail’ back home… WARNING; there are some BIG wash-aways on Ou Wa Pad, 2 in particular, the one pictured has a sneak on the right - going UP hill, the other higher up (not shown here) takes up 95% of the width of the track, is close to a corner, and is a REAL danger to anyone bombing down… take care! Then, this small-car sized boulder made a nice snack-stop, smack bang in the middle o Level 5 trail from Silvermine into Tokai. I have never seen as many trees down, and a fair bit of wash-always. My chosen track was closed off with warning tape, so I took another - saw just one rider in Tokai; a fast downhill-junkie - nice! Chris

Detailed, well thought-out reply, well done.

5 months, to the day! Just having a bit of fun, CBR! Good luck. Cheers! Chris

....the ones I had were either attached to the front wheel NUT (yes, no skewer in them days...!) or else attached to the saddle nut & bolt... If I remember right, they would change the SHAPE of them occasionally, to see if you were riding with an old one!

Agreed. I actually think just ONE TT in a 'set' (series) of 6-odd races would actually make sense, and get some hype going. Then, R10K for a 10-man team, or rather, R970 per rider for the one race, could make this series expensive? I do think anything called 'a race of truth' should be individual, not team, and 20-40km, and not....190km, but JUST my 5c!

…interesting that they included the ‘Race of Truth’, since that seems a 10-person TEAM event, but maybe more info to follow? (I had thought it might have been a 20 - 40km individual team-trial, but alas, not…)

and in MANY areas, now, incl Hout Bay, Constantia - Spaansemacht Road, you will see the desired 'bark' tree(s) painted solid WHITE up to a height of around 6+ feet, which is roughly where the desirable bark is, ...and it is used in traditional remedies; thus painting it white stops it being stripped of it's bark, and the tree gets to live, since serial bark-stripping can/does kill the tree(s).

My mates g/friend is vertically challenged, so he put her on a 650B/27.5 MTB bike, since the regular 29'er seemed to DWARF her, etc. She was much more comfortable on a 26'er, as well as 27.5. Good luck Chris

thanks @guidodgand @Shebeen - appreciate your advice/comments - i still wish to try it, will team up with another rider or 2, and keep my eyes open.... Cheers Chris

…anyone….? tx, Chris