Zebra

Sad news, indeed, and that is my own age… I enjoyed dealing with him, and currently ride one of his old (personal) bikes, so will treasure some good memories of him - sad, sad news, indeed. R.I.P., Willie.

I, er….wear the pants - I think - so no need to convince the Wife… (she allowed me an eBike KIT…😆)

In SLIGHT ‘defence’ of eBikes, i live in Hout Bay, so after knee surgery its Chappies, else Suikerbossie else C’Nek….since i am not a fan of putting a bike in a car IF AVOIDABLE, to find flatter roads… Honesty section: I largely ONLY ride my eBike now, but i keep it to 20-30% assist.. (my non-e 29er and steel road bike are getting D-U-S-T-Y !) 🫢 But you can turn down eBike assist, and still get a damn good 60-70km workout!

…have had multiple knee surgeries, but no knee replacement…(yet!)… Doctor recommend cycling over running (non-load BEARING activity), and he actually suggested i use an eBike -as an interim measure -over a normal push bike…much less ‘loading’ of the knee after bucket-handle meniscus tear, patella scrape, etc.. Cannot now remember post-surgery, 1st ride number of weeks, but it REALLY assisted me, FWIW… Speedy recovery wishes! Chris

I wrote to them, (regarding the Draft Walking & Cycling Strategy 2024) since the deadline is 14th Nov - 14th December; hopefully others will comment on the DRAFT, too. Cheers Chris

I have a harbour permit (for legit harbour business), and it works well; electronic ingress & egress, just watch for railway lines that run at odd angles (so NOT 90-degrees) in one area of the harbour, and be aware of the container trucks… …these same 16-wheelers can be drafted, if careful/alert, does WONDERS for the H.R. …!

…subscribe…

Good luck to all riders; reading Buff’s recollections; my last DC was back in 2006, great memories, also no ‘enforced’ feeding stops, Will Ferris, Jeremy Valegra, Patrick Gaertner (RIP) John Tennant, Stavros Michalopus, Brett Wooldridge and others, amazing, amazing memories, especially afore-mentioned Jeremy Valegra making REALISTIC ‘whinnying’ horse noises whilst rearing his bike up on one wheel whilst awaiting the starting gun - crazy/fun times…!!! ALL: ride well, God-speed!

I do rather think that BEAR and TEQUILA are n-o-t a good ‘mix’, unless wild ‘wrestling’ is your ‘thing’; D-O let us all know how the Bear & Tequila thing went….? ;)

I see the ‘taper’ on that Lemon-Meringue pie, b-u-t I a-l-s-o see ‘Peaks’; have you peaked AND tapered….?

Cross-posting this article here, since i think we can attack the ‘problem’ from 2 different angles…

“…It aims to reposition walking and cycling as primary, safe, and sustainable modes of transport, promoting equity, accessibility, and environmental sustainability. Through strategic planning, the City can address the current gaps in infrastructure, integrate active mobility into urban design, and enhance collaboration across government bodies to achieve long-term, sustainable transport solutions….” Whew, such higher-grade waffle… Am ALL for it, but…..before you do ONE THING, show us you can fix the EXISTING Milnerton/Paarden Eiland/Woodstock link, BEFORE you ‘redesign the urban enviroment, blahh blah…..do ONE thing, PROPERLY, T-H-E-N we can ‘talk’ - you spent millions ona brilliant idea/cycling link, then effectively abandoned it to muggers and other gangsters. No Unicorns, please; FIRST fix the Donkey… Chris

Updates on SWB, please…!

Yesterday, nice trip around Cape Point, and then amazed at the amount of roadside standing water, AND the profusion of flowering plants, with the bare, burnt mountain as a backdrop; got to LOVE this peninsula!

Eloquently put, and I agree 100% your comment in Italics - my feeling exactly. Chris

At your weight - respectfully - and as a complete newbie/novice, i think you could CONSIDER a pedal-assist eBike… 1 . would be easier to STICK with getting some mild pedal-assist, especially say in 1st 12 months… 2. You can minimise assist as fitness improves, or as weight reduces - IF that is a goal of yours… 3. less chance of ‘chucking in the towel’ with combo of pedal assist AND your own power… 4. easier on the joints, especially starting out… 5. you CAN get a modest eBike for this price; i own one, etc. just some lateral thinking for you. good luck Chris

Mine is also full-suss 26’er, but that other, ‘special’ brand… 😆

I feel you are confusing PASSING, with OVERTAKING. Single file cyclist, i simply pass them, giving generous/sufficient gap. When cyclists riding 2 abreast, I would need to overtake, meaning crossing centre line. Happy to meet with you in -situ, and demonstrate this. Your statement “…there is no room for you to overtake a single file safely”:is simply wrong, I and seemingly thousands of others, having been doing it, carefully and considerately, for the last 14-odd years. There is a reason there are single-file signs in many areas, and, it is the law. I stand by what i wrote, and will continue passing single-file cyclists with due consideration, a smile and a wave. After all, i, too, am a cyclist. Cheers.

An unpopular viewpoint, from a patient driver, and lifelong/avid cyclist… I just read this in a magazine article, lamenting the death of Jono (cyclist, Stellenbosch) though not directly related to his accident: A Facebook user, who wished to remain anonymous, shared their thoughts on the platform. The user shared ‘in the light of seeing the recent news of another fatal cycling accident in CT, its been on my mind to make a post about the impatience of CT drivers, especially on the Atlantic Seaboard where so many sports people train, children and families enjoy the area with their pets. The speed on the roads & impatience at traffic lights in particular is getting ridiculous!’ For context, I drive - daily - the Llandudno to Camps Bay to Green Point to Paarden Eiland route, in a largish van…. The reason i mention the van is partly its size makes it wider & longer, but in addition, motorists BEHIND me cannot see whats ‘holding me up..’, and it is NEVER a line of single-file cyclists, but rather 2 riders, side-by-side, in the NARROWEST of roads, basically saying ‘f*ck the traffic’…sad to say… Last week, after waiting a minute or 2 to pass cyclists i had to ‘toot’ a BRIEF ‘here I am’ toot, to side-by side riders, but they chose to continue - through CLIFTON, as well as big-bunch wheel overlappers, through Camps Bay…, these were not riders overtaking one another, but having a chat, side-by-side, and not acknowledging traffic - patient traffic-, and then blowing through the next 2 sets of traffic lights! The arrogance is astounding. Cyclists - SOME cyclists - are their own worst enemies. (2 years back, I confronted the owner of a well-known bicycle shop, after him giving me the finger, after a POLITE toot to alert him to my presence, since he and his girlfriend were riding -slowly - 2 abreast through Clifton. I had waited a couple of minutes for them to return to single file, but they never did….) I write this reluctantly, but some cyclists are giving others a bad name, and there are occasionally 2 sides to the motorist versus cyclist story. Chris.

eBike ride over 5 biggish hills, trying - and succeeding - in not using more than 20-odd percent of the battery; I can feel my legs PROPERLY!

17 happy years, mostly reading, but a few replies, too; WELL DONE, BIKE HUB! Chris

…there, fixed it for you…. 😉

Fauret, and Mongoose; give me a call in the morning: 021 510 6455 / Chris. Cheers, and tx for heads-up @ChrisF

I have read of people putting the seat post ITSELF in a vice (remove seat), then using the FRAME to carefully wiggle/jiggle the seat post out, since great variety of hand positions and/or better leverage (done carefully…)…

Hmmn…I rode 2005, (+2006, 2007) and then, 20 years later would be …….2025? 🤔 Am now…….62 yrs old…🤔 Let me LIE DOWN till the crazy thought passes! 🛏️ Free bump, and good luck!