TyronLab

I think getting a really powerful front and rear light has made the biggest difference to how safe I feel on the road. I actually bought them for the TransBaviaans this year as I had some cheapie Mr Price lights before that, but once I started using them on my road training rides I was amazed at how much more visible I felt. The Marvel Blast 2200 lumen light oftentimes goes on special at CWC (picked mine up for R600 I think), and on the high beam or flashing setting I'm pretty sure I'm visible from the moon. The high/flash setting is so bright that it illuminates road signs ~100m away from you, so any motorist that is on the road and doesn't notice the combination of flashing lights has to be very drunk, very tired, or very much a ****.

Ditto, I'm in the exact same position. It was really tough in the beginning as I started riding in July last year. I tricked myself by putting my phone in another room under my "cycling kit" (which at that stage was a training short, Tshirt and old hoodie). When I stood there, lights already on, warm clothes already within arms reach, already out of bed, it made it a lot easier. Now though I've gotten so used to it that I dislike starting my rides later than 05:00 even on weekends. Roads are much quieter, I feel generally safer, temps are lower, and you get to see the sun rise. I can do a 100km ride on the weekend and be back in time to have breakfast with my girls at home.

Now that you mention the 23-week program, have you used it before and how successful has it been? I followed it roughly last time but with my job's travelling requirements and general variability sticking to any sort of plan isn't an easy prospect for me, much less one where I need to ride just about every day for multiple hours. Maybe this would be better suited for a separate thread.

Did a little solo gravel grinding this weekend down Heidelberg way from home. Hooked up with a new group of dirt riders, great bunch of guys. Got passed by a coal train which seemed to go on forever. Still digging The Grinch. Found the 2.8 tyres to roll really well on the slightly rougher gravel roads. Can feel the weight and resistance a bit when riding road however. If anything it'll just force me to ride more dirt this coming holiday.

Officially entered. Whooooo!!!!! Allegedly aiming for a 11-12 hour time this year, so need to start training tomorrow.

Checked out the ERPM Honingcraft Hooter trail with a buddy. Rather disappointed at the content and non-existent trail markings for R40. A trail in that state shouldn't be asking money as yet in my opinion. Fibre-singletracked it to the Ekurhuleni MTB Park. Fun as always. The Grinch just keeps widening the smile on my face with every ride, absolutely stoked! Had an epic 3m long double-tyre drift that ended in a slow highside, realised that on my previous bike I probably would have just washed out and faceplanted. Luckily there was someone to point and laugh and capture me laughing my ass off about it.

Thanks! I thought it was going to be a metallic green, but in person its dayglo, lumo, lemmetjie green, which I love. For full specifications you can have a read here: https://liv2ride.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/plus-elite.html Previous bike was a Silverback Sola 4, which was a great inbetweener for road and mtb riding (3x9 gearing, cross country/road geometry) and for me to get my feet wet in the sport. I'm starting to focus more on MTB, and some more technical riding as opposed to just banging out miles, so was looking for something a little more forgiving and capable off-road, without needing more maintenance. Enter The Grinch (official new nickname). Got it at 54% off (so R7k all in) and it ticked all my boxes. Accommodates tyres up to 3" (Sola topped out at 2.25"), dropper post, wider bars and shorter stem, already has x11 gearing. Even with just my 30min mess-around in the complex I can already feel the difference the dropper post makes. Struggled my arse off to bunnyhop or manual the Sola, managed a 30cm hop and 5s manual on my third attempt with the dropper down.

Thanks to Bike Addict's pre-black friday deals, I managed to pick up a bike I've had my eye on for a while! So far, I'm over the moon with my purchase. Got it on Friday afternoon, took a spin around my complex on Saturday, rode 94.7 with it on Sunday. Time for a proper dirt test this weekend! Not to worry, I haven't forgotten the T&C's of maintaining my Bikehub Premium Membership©

I hit the like button so hard my mouse exploded. Great, great photo there dude!

If the link is stiff after you broke and reassembled the chain, it may be that its being "clamped" together. If that's the case, insert an allen key into the gap between the links and rotate it. The across-flats portion should just-just enter the link so that when you rotate it the increased across-corners size will expand the link slightly. This worked for a buddy while we were riding the 'baviaans as a roadside repair at least.

I've always referred to Q20 as spookpis, mostly due to my dad yelling from the underside of a car "hierdie fkn ding wil nie los nie, gee my die spookpis" as if I'd instinctively know what that is and only after failed attempt two being advised "hoe moeilik kan dit wees?!? Die Q20!".

Yup, that's what we all bargain on. You're either the guy with the spares other people scrounge, or the guy scrounging the spares. I've never been on a group ride where everyone goes "here, use the spare (x) I have!" at the same time. Generally I've found there's an inverse relationship between number of spares carried and number of repairs required.

I did a 4:06 947 last year, and being about 80% as fit I did a full SBR loop (57km) in 3h in May. I think it depends on how well you can climb. If you're a strong climber you'll sail through. You should aim for under 3h. You'll be able to do it.

I've been eyeing a Roscoe as my next bike. I do a lot of road training and trail riding. What made you switch to the 2.6 tyres, and how did you find the bike in its stock setup? I'm looking at getting the Roscoe 8 that has 1x drivetrain and a dropper.

While I agree with that, getting your confidence back after a big crash can take some time. I'm still super nervous around tech obstacles after breaking my collarbone in Feb. Might be the combination of fear due to not wanting to put myself out of action for two months again and having switched to clipless shortly after returning to riding. Still struggling to get confident on them riding tech.

No more skinwalls?!? BOOOOO! Awesome bike and shot however.

Just looking at that the saddle height in this photo makes my knees hurt.. He discovered the dropper lever and couldn't figure out how to raise it again.

The skew saddle really steals from the awesomeness of that bar!

I'm seriously considering that bike as an upgrade to my current bike. What were your previous bikes, and did they include a 100mm HT XC bike? If so, how does this bike relate in terms of comfort on the trail and climbing?

I did a number of training rides there as Trans prep, and I'd happily go it alone now. With that being said, I wouldn't do it alone if any of the following applies to you: 1. You aren't at least semi fit. Theres no facilities anywhere along the route, so you need to carry everything you'll need for a full loop with you from the start. If you have little to no fitness that can easily be a 5hr ride. 2. You thinking you're a downhill wizzard. Those downhills are intense, have lots of blind corners and zero to no margin for error. Skilled guys have come short often. 3. You haven't ridden it with someone else at least twice before. If you have a partner its one of the most enjoyable rides you can do in Gauteng. Safe, no traffic, epic views, awesome climbing and descending training. I'm keen on getting a few double laps under my belt as 947 training. If you can't find a partner, skip the long route and do a few laps of the short loop. Still a great workout but gives you more options to refuel or quit back at the car and not leave you stranded far from help.

How can that list make you have any other emotion than radded out?!?

First one under the belt. Stuck to a very, very easy pace at the start but we had a teammate that was a bit underprepared and started cramping hard before baviaans back. Tha, along with one who took a nasty topple over and one that had just had enough we were down to 3 from Bergplaas onwards. Had one stupid topple over into the veld, and was soaked in Langwater right at the end. Made it all the way through only to hit the final kerb head on and fall over like a flopping fish. Gulped down a delicious mouthful of water. Considering that was already 1830 ish I was happy it wasn't too cold. Can't wait to ride it again, amazing experience!

Ditto Bullet77! Had an easier day out than expected, but those corrigations between CP2 and CP3 (I think?) shook me till my eyes bled.

What a badass! We've also had a bit of rough luck in the final weeks before the race. We have a 4 person inland team and a 4 person coastal team, all in the same kit and riding as a group. In the last two week the inland team have been taking shots. We have our strongest rider not starting due to a nasty fall and subsequent rib injury two weekends ago. My brother in law still has a serious case of the flu to deal with and I've had a cold, now turned into a never-ending sinus infection, since last Monday. Needless to say, our aim has gone from trying to do a sub-14 to being happy to just get to the start line and hopefully make it to the end!

You seem to be able to find some gravel gems around JHB. Any chance you'd be willing to share some routes?