Murrob

I’ve also only heard good things on the Schwalbe’s. I have had a fairly long riding career in my youth and having worked in the industry I don’t recall ever seeing this on tyres that hadn’t been standing outside in the sun deflated for ages. I also now only ride for fun and fitness, so maybe I didn’t push them hard enough 😂

So for me then this then further confirms as with other examples I’ve found mentioned on overseas forums that something is not quite right. So it’s not just about age. Combined with the weird thread that comes off the sidewall as well that I had to cut off fairly often, I wonder about the QC. Also, for me personally I have to think that this ‘perishing’ affects grip, which I am not prepared to take a chance on. I agree the casing should be fine, so I don’t think it’s a catastrophic failure on the cards, but I take longer to heal now…and certainly am not prepared wonder every time I go through a corner..

Hey All Just as a matter of interest, anyone else seeing this on their GP5000 TL tyres? See pics. They have about 2100km on them, never abused, always pumped up with tyre pressure being checked. Tyres must be about two years old (I’m mainly an mtb rider, but enjoy road as well on occasion) and the bike is stored inside the house, so no exposure to chemicals or solvents. I use car wash soap to wash the bike and drive train gets cleaned with Smoove solvent, but I am always careful not let it drip or mess anywhere else on the bike. I see on some overseas forums guys have had some similar complaints where Continental replaced the tyres. In SA, the rep was less sympathetic, when LBS raised it today, although to be fair had not seen pics. But I am disappointed for sure as they were not cheap. I have replaced them with a set of Pirelli using the same sealant, so will monitor and see how the Pirelli’s go. But personally would not trust the GP’s in their current state round a corner… Anyone have any thoughts?

You are truly skilled when you can micro adjust while riding! What does your chain line look like?

There is a YouTube video that covers the setup very well. It mentions that there is a 1.1mm difference in the cassettes between sram and shimano, so what you do as a compromise is to align the derailleur perfectly to the middle cog which then means you are out .5mm odd for the rest of the gears either way, which is negligible. This of course then assuming hanger is straight and your distance it correct on the biggest cog. You can’t use the tool provided by SRAM so you need to measure manually. Also super important to use shimano chain

I’ve used Set It Up before, highly recommend Marcel, he operates out of the Lynnwood Cyclery Specialized store. Sorted out my mtb and road bikes for me. Solved issues with my feet and hands.

I have used used bike shield on my bikes and it really does stick super well, easy to remove and really seems to do a great job of protecting the frame. I prefer the large sheets that you can then cut and stick as you wish. Clean tools, work space with clean hands are a must, as well a clean bike, cleaning each area before application. Then a dry wipe marker to mark out the shapes you need to cut on the paper and a bit of patience, with a hairdryer to heat to stretch when applying. Also, top tip - remove any sharp corners on the film before applying, prevents corners lifting. Highly recommend bike shield, expensive, but worth it in my view, also after a bit of riding you can remove and reapply in areas that might have lifted a bit if you have the sheet to cut from. I like to double up on the bottom bracket area especially to protect against rough rock/stone strikes.

I built up a new bike recently and went the Shramano route, shimano chain and cassette (important for the hyper glide to work of course) with SRAM AXS - works like a bomb. Little bit of tweaking to get the shifting sorted (YouTube will help here) but super happy so far with the results. I agree with the comments above that shifting with AXS feels super counterintuitive out the box, so have been fiddling. The solution I’ve found for me is the upgrade paddle for the shifter (600 odd bucks) and then reversing the shifting from default, feels super now, but there will be much fiddling to get the desired spot, as keep in mind it it of course more sensitive to being trigger accidentally. But was thinking to myself last light how far we come as I quickly put my rear derailleur battery on charge… P.S - only thing I have noticed which resulted in a fair amount of troubleshooting is that when back peddling on the Shramano setup, particularly on a drying chain, is that it’s noisy to the point where you think you might have a faulty bearing somewhere. So after a fair amount of looking I came to the conclusion it’s the narrow wide derailleur pulley wheels on the SRAM, much quieter though if chain is well lubed.

I really don’t think anyone at the barn will have an issue with you riding earlier and paying on your return when the pay area is manned after 7am.

Built up the new mk4 crest rims on hope hubs recently, with a warranty replacement of the one mk3 that had cracked at the nipple. They do seem to be a much better proposition and if they have reinforced the area as stated and with the asymmetric rim profile should be a much stronger setup. But yes, if you are over the weight limit, they are not for you. Really like the Matt finish as well without stickers.

It’s the unfortunate reality it seems, even more disturbing is the comments from motorists on the articles I’ve read this morning where there is an absolute belief that it’s the cyclists fault and they didn’t have the right to be on the roads. Absolute lawlessness reigns everywhere. Best wishes for the injured and condolences for the deceased.

Cyclelab is also now selling Sidi’s, saw a good amount of stock there a couple of weeks ago.

To perhaps clarify my statement, I was referring to how long the shoes last with normal use, wearing in. I have mates who’s Sidi’s are 4+ years old and still look in great condition. That’s why selecting the right fit and size is so important as Sidi’s, particularly the carbon sold higher end models are very stiff. If you have selected the right model and size, you should of course be comfortable from the get go. m

I’ve ridden with quite a few different brands, for me the Sidi’s (I have both for road and mtb) are by far the best fit in terms of the adjustments you can make with its configurations - heel, independent fasteners etc. (you will need to ensure to get the right model). Also I would say you wear sidi’s in and other shoes out, they do seem to last much better and the walking tread is easily replaced as well as the other components. They are a pricy proposition for sure, but should not need replacing as often if looked after. Sidi’s for the win, good news is they are available at Cyclelab now.

My XT 12 speed was presumably one of those from the factory that had issues, in my case it seemed as though the casing was not sealing properly. Water got in and locked up the clutch. Serviced it as per YouTube video, applied a good amount of grease to the seal and put casing back, so far so good.

I’ve had a couple of encounters with snakes at BRB, one down by the reeds section, brown snake, was pretty aggressive, came across the trail and tried to give me a go, but I made it past. Then heading down route 3 near the start before the first bridge/jumps, I’m convinced it was a Mozambican Cobra based on the colouring, but likely a Rinkhals. I was ahead of my wife and came flying past, heard movement on my left to see this thing reared up ready to strike. Made it past, I stopped a bit further down to call out to my wife, then it flattened down and headed up next to the trail straight for her. Who I might add was super uncooperative when I shouted to her to stop. Luckily our friend veered of to the right into the brush, no harm no foul...Centurion and surrounds is actually well known for snakes, ask any property developers.

I stop and help wherever I can, going to actually make a point of keeping more spares in the car, always ask on the trail or road when riding past if they need help by. Foreign tourist in Paarl in Dec, lady cycling on her own in the Cradle this afternoon. We really do need to foster a culture of helping fellow cyclists.

Having tried a number of different options, I now use Rudy Project’s with the separate lenses insert, works really well for me as I cannot ride with contact lenses as they are super irritating when a bit of dust gets in your eyes. Also as an aside, I find photocromic lenses that adapt to the sun most useful so that you can still see what is going on when hitting shady sections, while still having eye protection, they also gave vents to prevent fogging. The nice thing is also being able to easily move the script lenses across to other pairs of Rudy Project’s. Cannot comment on bifocals as I only use single script lenses. The Rudy insert is expensive yes, but the reusable as you update script later when needed.

I think the reality is, as I have seen recently on a number of instances is that a large bunch of cyclists with or without self appointed support vehicles cannot make it near impossible for other road users to use the roads for kilometers on end. It’s going to result in animosity, idiotic risk taking behaviors and ultimately the cyclists are going to loose. My most recent example from Sunday heading to Hennops MTB trail was a large bunch spread out with 2 support vehicles which had essentially created a 3 times abnormal load large type truck scenario. So by that logic all motorists must now sit behind this bunch at 30-40kph for 10-15 km’s? That was my overarching question, what do we do as a community to avoid this? Some suggestions 1. Support vehicles to have training or a code of conduct to adhere to, some thought needs to be presumably given to route planning in this regard 2. Where applicable, cyclists need to ride single file or and in smaller batches to allow other road users to safely pass where possible 3. Vehicles need to obey the law and treat cyclists as a vehicle with the appropriate consideration 4. Large bunches of cyclists cannot expect to rule the road without the result being that idiot motorists doing stupid things Also if the slower moving car has the ability to split in half to allow for faster traffic to get past safely and where legally appropriate, should it not do so? I.e ride single file or even two abreast max where applicable

I was not aware no, but I did state in and around cradle and other areas. So not necessarily on what is defined as the cradle ride, but heading to Cradle Moon from four ways etc. But that is good to know, more reason to head out for a ride there.

. Yes, car absolutely in the wrong, but the cyclists are a contributing factor by being inconsiderate.

Also, I note for the record, my little bit of background was not to create an mtb vs road cyclist discussion, but rather to highlight that I spend most of my time on an mtb and for the last decade + I have not been in a road bunch on a road bike and as such may not be familiar with the realities of road cycling today in Gauteng.

“Can you explain how the bold underlined is possible without you overtaking into the face of oncoming traffic. Not trying to start a fight here just trying to understand the scenario because I'm the O that learns best with pictures” Driving normally on the road with my wife in the car heading to Askari game lodge, where a frustrated motorist had lost his mind and decided to overtake up a hill across a solid white line. I had to veer off left on the dirt to avoid.

Let the flogging begin!