Zawillow

^^^^ what he said

Thanks for all the input guys. I thought about a gravel bike, but ultimately don't want something that can do two things, but isn't the best at either. In the end I opted for the Cannondale, but Cannondale SA don't have any in my size in the country. My LBS (Flandria) did a great job of up-selling me though and offered me a good deal on a Giant TCR (as Underachiever predicted). It was a bit above budget, but adds disk brakes - couldn't be happier at the moment.

I've been on the phone with them already, will pop in later today.

Thanks for all the input - I'm now even less certain, but in a good way. Doesn't look like there is stock of the Cannondale SS Evo in my size, apparently I need a Large (183cm tall with 85cm inseam), but I'm not sure if that's a 56 or 58. Cannondale's website only has a 56 available. Philip and Ouzo have got me reconsidering whether I should go for a Gravel bike now - Cannondale Topstone - touch more expensive than the SS Evo, but has disks. I give up the carbon frame though. https://www.cannondale.co.za/2020road/topstone/cannondale-2020-topstone-alloy-105-gradient.html

So I have been told, that's whats tempted me towards the Trek, but I would assume the Cannondale would also be great.

Did think about going gravel, but suppose that'll be the bike I get after the road bike. I'm not competitive, actually need all the help I can get which is why I'm going full road bike first.

Looks great, but I'm 183cm - so looking at size 56 or 58 depending on the model

Hi all, After years riding my MTB I did the CTCT on a borrowed road bike this year - this opened my eyes to the other side. So I'm looking for a new road bike - one could say that I'm starting my n+1 journey. I have very little roadie experience and would appreciate some advice. My criteria (based on bits of input I've received so far): Opting for new or demo bike for warranty and peace of mind~R25k budgetStrong preference for CarbonIdeally 105 groupsetBike will spend time on the trainer, longer weekend rides (when I'm not on the MTB) and a few of the more common races during the year I've found 3 options that I think will work: Cannondale SuperSix EVO 105 (New 2020) - R27.5k https://bike-addict.co.za/collections/road-bikes/products/cannondale-supersix-evo-carbon-105-2020 I like the looks and meets all criteria, but a little bit more expensive than the other options Trek Emonda SL5 (Demo 2019) - R25k https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/road-bikes/404010/trek-emonda-sl5-demo-bike Good looking bike and I've read good things about it, but its a 2019 model and a demo Merida Scultura 5000 (New 2020) - R25k https://www.cyclelab.com/product/merida-scultura-5000 Some Ultegra components, but not sure about the looks and I'm not a fan of the bright red Scultura 4000 could also work Keen to get some opinions between these three options, please let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

Cheating on Zwift is probably as common as doping was in Pantani's time. Would be interesting to know what the persons weight setting was during that effort.

I switched from PDM540's to the X-Tracks about 6 months ago - apart from having to set the tension, I can't say I've noticed any difference at all between the two. If I was going to be pedantic I would say it's nice to have the wider surface area on the X-Tracks when going in and out of the cleats on very technical sections (but probably speaks more to the lack of my skills). The PDM540's use cup and cone bearings and are easy to service (you need to buy a cheap tool to do it), but I like the ideal of being able to service them myself. The X-Tracks use cartridge bearings and I'm assuming (hoping) won't need servicing (any time soon).

I've got the Baviaans light from Extreme Lights - can't think you'd ever need anything brighter than this (3600 lumen) - cars see you coming because its so bright you're blinding them. And on lower settings (which are perfect for most conditions - I only use max setting for downhill at speed) the battery lasts over 10 hours. There's a reason it's named the Baviaans. The light and battery setup is also very practical to use - it also has a remote which is more handy than I thought it would be (and helps the cars around you by making it easy to switch to a lower setting quickly). Another great use for the light is during load shedding - put it on max setting and shine it up against the ceiling - it lights up an entire room easily. No need for gas or candles.

So DsTV have something like this. I honestly didn't think there was anything more annoying than listening to music while being number 3245 in a queue waiting for help until I tried the WhatsApp line. Bots trying to decipher what you want based on a message just doesn't work for anything more complicated than a balance query (yet).

I have a Kickr4 and, as mentioned previously, the local support from Wahoo is excellent. After 8 months of use it developed a bit of a vibration - I thought the unit just needed a service - took it in to the local bike shop and a few days later they let me know I can come pick up my new unit (this based on local bike shops feedback to Wahoo - so no need to have waited for it to be shipped it for a full assessment). I don't have any issues with the Ant+. Had a few issues with the Bluetooth (lots of other devices in the area) and decided to buy an Ant+ dongle - works perfectly. I like the idea of using an IDT without power and not needing to calibrate it - that would add value. The other Neo benefits are more nice to haves that I'll happily give up for the level of service I've received from Wahoo.

There are portable shower facilities at the mall - in a shed like structure behind the mall toilets. From what I can remember they have heated water - it's not hot, but not freezing. It was great to have a shower before travelling - will do the same again this year.

I was also disappointed to find the attached graphic when I looked into why I wasn't accumulating Miles as fast as I usually did - annoying that this wasn't made clear to begin with. I suspect that Woolies and fuel discounts also only apply when using the main card - so I'm not getting anything for my wife's swipes on the secondary card. I haven't confirmed this yet though and haven't been able to find anything about it in the fine print yet.

I've run Aspens front and back - very fast and served me well on the Trans Baviaans. I haven't had any issues with punctures. Things get a bit hairy in loose gravel though and I find they wear quite quickly. Currently run an Ardent Race up front with an Aspen at the back.

I'm looking at something similar. I'm going with Aspen at the back though. Based on what I've read, as opposed to ridden, it should work. Comments from those who've ridden these tires welcome.