JayLow

For the route I shared, just a once off Snapscan at Bethlehem farm security booth would sort you out. Just one point of uncertainty is the gate code to get into Botmas from Delaire Graff - you need someone with a winelands membership to get access to that PIN (unsure whether the security booth will have it).

Doesn't get much better than this: https://www.strava.com/routes/3006857371696386550

These were about my estimates as well, whether someone would actually buy them is another story. These bikes are prime "give it away to someone who wants to try cycling to see if it works for them" fodder. I started my mtb and road bike journey on bikes like these, which I got for free, used for a few months, and passed on to the next candidate after a few months.

Definitely recommend doing some training swims in open water to progressively expose yourself to the abyss. I am a strong swimmer and had to abandon a race because I had a mild anxiety attack in the water a few years ago. And this was after I had done a 70.3 and multiple training swims in OW. Also a good idea to practice calming yourself while treading water, so that if anxiety hits you can regulate yourself back down. Float on your back, do box breathing for a few minutes, and get back to focussed clarity. Sacrificing 2 minutes to pull yourself towards yourself is far preferable to abandoning the race.

There are some trails (and a fantastic charcuterie) at Stettyn wine farm: https://www.stettyncellar.co.za/stettyn-mountain-bike-information/

This concept is one that has cost me a lot of money. You can start anywhere and with the same logic end up anywhere in 20% intervals. 9-11-13-15-18-22-26-31-37-44-54-65-78-94-next thing you know you bought a bicycle for R100k

My rule of thumb is that 1kg of bike weight is counteracted by only ~1% more power over most climbs, so spending tens of thousands of Ronds to drop a kg on the bike would be an inefficient way to get faster. If you struggle to handle the bike (loading, offloading, etc.) then by all means get something lighter, but in general, bike weight is not the primary determinant of whether you will struggle. Cardio fitness, gear ratio, and skill (handling) matter more than bike weight, especially if you're not in the 90th percentile of riders. @HdB is right - get the bike that you will ride, and ride it. You get better at climbing by riding.

this is a low res view of the profile> The first 45km is all fuelled by hype. Conserve your energy here. Then you hit Smitswinkel after Simon's Town. Just spin up and enjoy the view. The next one to focus on is up to Ocean view from 60km. Just spin up and enjoy the view. Then it's Chappies. This will be a slog - 160m up in 7km. Just spin up and enjoy the view (and those who shed their blood with you). Save some energy for Suikerbossie. At around 90km you'll hit Suikerbossie. Here you'll see if you saved enough battery to make it to the end. May the odds be ever in your favour. All in all, it's a fun day out. About 1100m of climbing in total, so not too extreme but also not a free ride. Enjoy the vibe, smell the air, feel the sunshine, and notice the people around you, it's a grand old thing.

Does anyone have XT M8100 (12s) rear derailer spares lying around? Mine's pulley cage is bent beyond repair and I'd want to avoid buying a new derailer or Csixx cage just for this simple component. Happy to pay or send beer

This is probably my favourite route to experience the best of Banhoek and Botmaskop: https://www.strava.com/activities/13111211359 You can also start it at the new Banhoek Farm Stall on Helshoogte Pass, or at Banhoek Chili Oil. Not sure what the situation is after this weekend's fire, though...

Slight deviation from OP, but does anyone know of an integrated tier list of MTB brakes? I currently run Sram Level 180/160 and I know this is a bottom half set, but I am not sure how it compares to other Sram models or Shimano Deore/XT, not to mention the multiple options outside the Shimano/Sram stable. My next upgrade is probably brakes but I have no idea what to aim at. Currently I'm considering XT just because (almost) everything else on the bike is XT.

Layne is also a doctor, but not a medical doctor (many of which know neither science nor nutrition). He has a PhD in nutrition science, specifically relating to protein. I try to not use comments as an indicator of value because random people on the Internet like me have no credibility and anecdote is not evidence. Comments also feed my confirmation bias too much.

Yea Layne's youtube persona is very obnoxious, but when you listed to long form interviews he is very thoughtful. He sets a very high bar for what he considers as acceptable evidence and he is open to changing his mind when good studies (well-designed human randomised control trials with large sample sizes) go against his ideas. At the same time, he resists charlatans (CGM/carnivore/fitstagram) with enthusiasm. He also has some interesting videos (citing good studies, always) about the insulin claims of various diets.

"Autophagy mode" There is no evidence that fasting increases autophagy when you control for energy intake. Fasting is useful because it helps restrict energy intake.

For a bit of a counternarrative on IF, ketosis, and energy system switching, Layne Norton is worth a look. An entertaining, science-based (human randomised control trials! IFKYK) communicator who is not too biased towards one philosophy. He also shares his biases and is open about when he changes his opinion on things, because knowledge changes. At the end of the day it is as @ChrisF said, if you consume more than you burn (very difficult to quantify accurately on both sides of the equation), you won't lose weight. There are no "silver bullets". The old-fashioned advice (sleeping well, exercising, avoiding processed foods, energy balance) are timeless for a good reason.