NC_lurker

I've used a Rapide hanger extender on my gravel bike, works perfectly.

It's potentially safer later in the day once there's some traffic around. Before 7am on a Sunday that section is pretty deserted.

Bikejacking on Albert rd Woodstock yesterday morning at approximately 06:55, corner of Albert & Railway rd, couple of hundred metres before the right turn to the N1. Bike stolen, rider sounds like he's physically ok. I rode past soon after it happened, so this isn't a firsthand account, but how I understand it happened from mates that were in the group targeted. Single perp was on the side of the road, he appeared drunk as he was moving erratically. Transpires he was actually preparing his move. Sounds like he lay down in the road in front of the slow moving group, obviously hoping to cause a crash. Group avoided him so he got up and then repeated the action at the back of the group - sounds like they were a little strung out with a few stragglers off the back. Single rider couldn't get past him and next thing 4 accomplices appeared, knocked the rider off his bike, wrestled it away from him and escaped with the bike down towards the railway line. Lot's of conjecture on my behalf, but it seems they were actively targeting a group with the potential of being able to grab multiple bikes in one go. Another mate rode through the area solo a few minutes before, but he would've been moving fairly quickly, and didn't see anything suspicious. Please make sure to treat the area with caution and try ride through as alert as possible and with intent.

If your fork has cage mount bolt holes then you could go the route I did and use dry bags attached to home-made brackets.

I'd forgotten about those! Remember the guys who used to sew them onto their tracksuit tops ???? (...come on, share a picture...I'm sure you had your Mom sew yours onto your favourite top..)

Yoda seems unavailable for insight, perhaps you could expand on that comment?

Can someone please explain why the team needs to be WT. Surely they could drop down a level to Pro-continental which would reduce the sponsorship requirements? Obviously they wouldn't be guaranteed entries to the Giro, Tour & Vuelta, but wildcards are available. Surely rather live to ride another day than just fold?

Really sorry to hear about this. Hope you're ok physically. Please insist that the police open a case. Without these events being officially recorded they're allowed to be swept under the carpet. Note that 8wks after being hit by a potentially drunk driver in a hit & run incident I'm still struggling to get the SAPS station commander to return my calls, so I fully understand the frustration of dealing with our generally incompetent police force.

Try Anatomic for plain shirts

Unfortunately due to SANParks and their ridiculous rules, a wildcard will not grant you access when on a bicycle, only in a car! Activity permit is required if you're entering on a bicycle. Just another nonsensical rule orchestrated by the rocket scientists in Pretoria.

Seriously, contact BEN bikes (Bicycle Empowerment network). They have local container based workshops in a few local communities where trained mechanics refurbish and sell the exact kind of commuter bike you're looking for. Bikes are fully serviced and ready to go. Plus you're then stimulating a great business model. Last year I organised 2 bikes for staff costing around R1200 each, helmet included. DM me and I'll send you contact details for Meshack who runs the Westlake setup. (I'd be happy to help but unfortunately am immobile with a fractured elbow after being the victim of a hit & run in Simonstown 2 weekends ago)

Yup, but 5.44pm CEST is also 5.44pm in SA... hopefully someone at DStv figures out how to tell the time otherwise they're going to miss the first half of the field.

Not sure how tall you are, but warning that most of these tents are built for midgets...at 1.85m I found myself with my head against the one wall while my feet pressed against the other. The lengths quoted are floor length, but with such low head heights the angle of the walls mean actual length is a lot less. Another thing to consider is the length of the poles. Depending on how you're intending on carrying the tent you might have limitations on pole length (when packed). After returning my first purchase which was an Oztrail I eventually decided to go with the more expensive Naturehike Cloud Up 2: https://www.naturehike.co.za/products/cloud-up-2-ultralight-2-person-tent-upgrade

As mentioned by others, a level 3 activity permit isn't only used for biking. The card is simple, pop it in your pocket & you're done whether you're riding, walking your dog, paragliding, climbing etc The real issue is that renewals should be possible online. However that would require a card that didn't expire, which would likewise require an electronic device to check it's current status. Having said that, an easy solution nowadays would be for each card to have a QR code which could be scanned by any mobile device linking to a basic web form displaying basic card status (active/expired)....of course that still would require sanparks to issue all rangers with smartphones. Plus there's the connectivity issues in parts of the park... In the end, sanparks is a government institution. Any solution they implement is going to be implemented via a tender process & picked on criteria not at all linked to actual service delivery.

Looks interesting, will try them - thanks. I make these chickpea balls as snacks but they're not great for on the bike as they tend to get a bit soft when warm. I throw in coconut & dates instead of the chocolate. Plus always use the no sugar, no salt peanut butter. https://www.rhodesquality.com/recipes/chickpea-and-oat-energy-ball/

Any clarity as to the extent of his injuries? Hopefully nothing too serious? I haven't seen anything in the media since the crash so was wondering what he'd injured.

Anyone else having issues with Virgin Active gym visits not reflecting as Vitality points events? Issue seems to have cropped up since Virgin's systems went offline due to their ransomware attack. They've been back up for weeks now though. Never noticed it before as I normally don't need the gym points to meet my weekly goal, but had a lazy bike week 2wks ago & just realised I never made my activity goal. Checked back & my gym visits haven't generated points for more than a month.

I'm going to assume you didn't mean it to be as derogatory as it unfortunately came out. "..this Eritrean" is only 26 and is riding his 5th Grand Tour. Personally I think that marks him as a fairly seasoned professional. https://racing.trekbikes.com/stories/trek-segafredo-men/amanuel-ghebreigzabhier-from-eritrea-to-europe

If she's never been to Cape Town she should tick off all the classic road routes around the peninsula including a trip into Cape Point reserve plus a ride up Signal Hill & Tafelberg rd. Hacking around the greenbelt on a gravel bike if you've never ridden Chappies would be sacrilege!

Just finished it, highly recommend it.If you enjoyed Mindhunter, this is a must! The Serpent, trailer: https://youtu.be/TgB7rMuxY-s

Looks epic, I remember friends mentioning a way to get over in this area, must be this pass.However much I enjoy the advantages of my gravel bike, that looks like a route that would be more enjoyable on a FS mtb. (Partially because I'm too lazy to walk) Did a loop yesterday over Gysmanshoek pass near Riversdal, parts of the descent into the interior left me wishing I was on my mtb!

Wayne, where was that pic taken?

Yeah, did but it doesn't load the streaming service in full window, just a "mobile phone" view down the middle.Old media box, still running something ridiculous like android 5. Probably time for a new one!

I had a similar experience on my TV watching via the browser on my android media box, regularly appeared to buffering, thought it might be my connection but when I tried via the app on my phone, no issues at all.

Here we go