tinmug

Schedule change. * Full UCI Press Release: The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), in close collaboration with the Local Organising Committee and local authorities, has been compelled to adjust the competition schedule for tomorrow's events at the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, in response to an extended storm with lightning forecast for tomorrow, Sunday, 1 September, starting in the early afternoon. The cross-country olympic (XCO) races will now take place as follows: 8:30 – Men Under 23 (5 laps instead of the scheduled 6) 10:15 – Women Under 23 (5 laps) + Women Elite (5 laps instead of the scheduled 6). Women Under 23 and Women Elite categories will compete simultaneously but will be ranked separately. 12:00 – Men Elite (6 laps instead of the scheduled 7) * Not sure how this affect those of us watching the BBC/etc feed (still scheduled to be broadcast later, webmaster probably still asleep).

Good on ya for taking such a hands-on approach. 🤙

He has a point. But yeah. Koretzky. White flag. 😝 Love or hate Pidcock he always shows grit.

Look at the upside: Alan is the first mountain biker to finish! 😆

Was worth watching the feed just to see Piddy's overtake move. Masterclass. A very deserving podium.

Have discovered DSTV needs the full package. No shortcuts there. Greedy MFs. Quick question for those using a VPN: which feed for Olympics XCO (in English)? ❓

Thanks for the detailed reply @Shebeen. The SABC schedule – so far – doesn't list the XCO races (too white?). But yay we can watch BMX racing. 🙄 Showmax appears to be mobile device only 🤬 and then I cannot even get confirmation that they'll show the XCO races (likely will be broadcast). Last time I parted with money to watch DSTV I needed a wok to point at the sky. I see they offer streaming now. Welcome to the Noughties. Had a squiz at their skeds and can't find out which channel XCO will be on for Sunday and Monday. Anyone know? Next step will be to sign up for the cheapest streaming deal to watch, well, two races. Or fly to Paris (while cursing the SABC and all the licence fees they've been paid over a lifetime). 🙂

Don't have DSTV, don't have any need for it outside cycling once every four years. We have some magical trails here in Africa, but sometimes living here really is annoying.

Where to watch? SABC website is, perhaps predictably, entirely useless. No cycling scheduled for Sunday (Women's XC) or Monday (Men) at all that my SABC skills have managed to unearth. Which brings me to Showmax. Apparently (one) mobile device only (because, FWICG, in Showmax logic, you need the Premier League package). Anyone know any more about where/how (and by avoiding lying about my geographical position; way too complex with a network of home and business devices)? 🤷‍♂️

A bigger knob? What does your towball look like (i.e. is it removable without major butchery like it would be with some German cars)? Likewise what does the Holdfast arrangement look like. Been years since I had a Holdfast rack but the one I had had a large range of adjustment (assuming this has changed). If it's a newish bike rack it may be with taking up with Holdfast. Option C: cycle everywhere and sell the car.

Sorry pal, try as I might I see little room for now trying to squirm out of advising insurance fraud. Your words are literally to tell the insurance co a line of events that didn't occur. Whether 'casing a jump' – whatever that means in a youngster's (jumping to conclusion here) mind is irrelevant – caused it or not. My raised eye brows are because of your statement; of HOW to get an insurance company to pay for damage: by fabricating a story. Your own words.

The OP said "... the rims because i heavily cased a jump." Then our friend Wyatt Earp says "My advice would be that you tell them you rode in quite an aggressively rocky area, you heard spokes making a noise and inspected the wheels after the ride. Noticed the cracks and you want to put in a claim for a new wheelset." Now perhaps I am wrong but this seems to fit my dictionary's definition of fraud quite well. Or did I somehow misunderstand the true meaning of the message, when Mr Earp suggested telling the R1 insurance company that a very different set of circumstances were at play? Gee. And we wonder why insurance rates are so high. And I wonder why this statement didn't seem a little strange to anyone else here. 😑

@droo Thanks for the info. As many (I hope!) have gathered the 'slagging off' the name is entirely tongue in cheek. An earlier poster commented on similar associations that can be drawn with virtually any name out there. Mentioning it in every one of my tedious posts made me smile, every single time. And hopefully others too. Childish? Depends who's asking. Offended? Depends who's asking. 🤷‍♂️ Glad to hear they are locally designed, and meticulously so. The brand does have indications of staying the course in SA, I am truly excited for them and applaud their efforts. As I mentioned every single person I have spoken with who owns one (and I am referring to the TR brand, not the kiddies' bikes ... in case that's not clear 😛) truly likes their bikes and are happy with the choice. Great.

One more thing: if that 20-odd K was mine I'd want to try and find something with a single chainring up front. Front derailleurs belong on the ark. 11 speed is fine, 12 little nicer. Bike brands like Merida (etc) are global brands because they are good. Titan (ugh! But I may have mentioned that) is probably a Chinese generic frame with some stickers on it. I am not dissing the brand – lots of people ride TR bikes and rave about it – but since I have learnt to distrust South African brands I tend to generally cast my net a little beyond our borders. Also nothing wrong at all with Chinese stuff; you'd be surprised how many top-end European brands outside cycling are made in China. They can and do make exceptionally well-engineered and produced things. But not always, they build to a price point. Business, and all that. Also I'd stick with a groups I know I can get parts for. And hydraulic brakes (older or cheaper bikes may have cable-operated disk brakes – AVOID). Not saying never-heard-of-before derailleurs are junk, but good luck finding jockey wheels for it in 3 years' time (maybe, or not, who knows, feel lucky?). You'll get more for your bucks used. BUT carefully look at condition of all the bits, and expect that you may have to replace chain/cassette/pads/tyres/whatever a lot sooner than you'd need to on a new bike. Also, what's 5K? Not much money but it adds another 25% to your budget making a great many bikes here on Bike Hub (or new) a possibility. What's 10K ... 😆 And yes you can buy now and upgrade when the bank account looks better but this option is often more expensive (speaking from first-hand experience ... many times over 🤨).

Obvs look at something with the right frame size, and don't hesitate to ask questions re service history when buying used (with proof thereof). Any rusted on the Reef is walk away, most bike parts with silver paint means old (not necessarily an issue). One-by drivetrains are nice, but if you are happy with two derailleurs then not an issue (well, not until you experience a one-by setup; then you're going to want one).

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-bikes/732925/fully-serviced-upgraded-merida-120-400 Old but light (and carbon is repairable, aluminium not): https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-bikes/732672/scott-spark-920-hmf-superior-carbon-xt In spite of ad saying Condition: Good (https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-bikes/732672/scott-spark-920-hmf-superior-carbon-xt) it doesn't look like it. Scratched stanchions, scratched frame, scratched bits everywhere. Some cosmetic, others could be trouble down the line (that would be the fork and goodness-knows what else I can't see in the fuzzy photos).

Up the creek from you, plus comes with Ergon grips (which probably cost more than you old bike is worth) and bar ends (one careful old owner 🤣) Edit ... I haven't had enough coffee today. Actual link to the thing with Ergons: https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-bikes/600362/merida-96-9600-l-nx12spd-tlr Also meh fork, Spez above better in this regard. And colour; Spez also a better colour. Unless you're a careful old man then you'll be fine.

Pretty good deal on the face of it (assuming you are the right size, and you want to take a weekend trip to the civilised – or should I say Civilized ... geddit, geddit? – part of the country. Edit: suppose I need to add the link! https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-bikes/731151/specialized-epic-comp-2014?referrer=top

Explore the used market. But that Titan (ugh!) is not a bad buy. A Spez (worth buying) will probably cost a lot more. Have no clue what Giants cost, Cannonades are kinda expensive and servicing the Lefty ain't cheap. Might be a Merida of reasonable age and drivetrain/brakes lurking out there.

Microshift Advent X drivetrain. No cue what that is, and I don't think I want to know. Shimano; fine. Sram; fine. Anything else, paired with unknown brakes; not fine. https://solomonscycles.co.za/products/2023-titan-racing-cypher-rs-dash-29″-mtb/ This one looks a bit more palatable. I just don't know about that name. Or the yellow boots.

Ah. I thought it meant baaisiekkil-wif-gumwall-tyres. Thanks for the explanation, but I'll go to my grave thinking it's a daft name.

Quick comment on the two ads you posted: a lot of Sido rear triangles have failed (mine is – touch wood – fine), and getting a replacement could mean shopping for a new bike (or not, I don't know but I'd prefer not to have first-hand knowledge about this). Buying used you have not a cooking clue how the bike was treated, and spotting hairline cracks is a dark science. The Titan RS Sport (and who the hell calls a bike Titan??) has some weird-ass parts on it. The RS Dash looks a bit smarter of the two. If it were my money I'd cast the net a little wider.

I have a Sido 3. It's heavy. I once saw a container ship that weighed less. No idea what the Titans weigh. Having said that my Sido has held up very well over the years. Some quality niggles (hubs, front shock etc), and the dealer claimed Silverback doesn't cover those. Have since discovered on their website that they apparently do cover it. Who knows, either way they decided South Africa, their land of birth, was no longer good enough for them and moved the whole she-bang to Canyon Land (Germany). Bye bye. Before they left my wife bought a carbon-fibre gravel bike from them with massive quality issues concerning the bottle-cage mounts (loose, damaged threads). I won't buy another Silverback because of these niggles (the weight is good exercise, so I can live with that). Titan. Who the bleep calls a bicycle a Titan? Dunno if I want to ride something called Titan. But hear from Titan owners that they are happy with what they have. Will they follow Silverback and Momsen? Why wouldn't you go with an international brand? Plenty here in SA with Spez, Giant, Cannondale, Merida etc. I'm all for supporting local – i.e. I won't import bits but buy from a local-ish bicycle shop (my local bicycle shop is, um, how do I put this politely?) – but have been a little disappointed by SA-made bicycle companies (having said that I have no experience nor opinion about Titan; except who the hell calls a bike Titan?? 👹). And by now you should know that you are shopping for a decent groupset, the frame is secondary. 😆

... probably because they cannot prove it was him. Put simply: he'll get away with it and it will serve as an example that if you are inebriated/high/whatever and involved in an accident just drive on. I heard a car drive into the boundary wall of a neighbour a few years ago (T-junction). Sounded like a bomb went off. Looked, saw the imploded wall and trail of oil, followed the oil and found bake with seized engine just down the road. The driver (drunk) admitted to causing the accident. He admitted to it again after SAPS arrived, yet SAPS said he'd walk since nobody SAW him drive (prior to impact, he was seen driving post impact). He got off scott-free (minus a bent bakkie). Home owner paid for a new all. As much as I am against a surveillance camera on every corner, it does help, and can prove guilt (in some circumstances).

This is a perfect example of how to feel helpless in this country. Hope the cream is good for the leaders, while everyone else live in a semi war zone. Oh, and it's tax season. Yay. 🤬