NC_lurker

I'm really not convinced that gearing restrictions would have a major impact. By limiting gearing you'll be incentivizing higher cadence. Higher cadence (at extreme levels) can lead to reduced control/increased movement on the bike. On a different note I struggle to understand why when the concussion protocol was brought in it wasn't linked to allowing riders to be motor paced back to the bunch. If you want riders to honestly answer medical questions you need to remove the need for them to be back on the bike ASAP. If a rider knows they can be assisted (motor paced) back if they've waited for the race Dr to check them out, then it'll remove anxiety and improve the interaction.

If you bought a great bike why do you feel the need to replace it after such a short time?

He was sick in the last week or two leading up to the Tour, given as the official reason for missing national champs. So if that's the case then potentially he's under the radar because he's not quite at 100% yet. But I do think your theory of him saving himself for the second & third week has merit. He's proven to have more staying power over 3wks than MvdP so perhaps he's playing to his strengths.

From previous Google maps exploring I seem to remember seeing a lot of little roads interconnecting to be able cut across like that, which might potentially suggest farm roads & gates.. I've only tried Komoot twice and on both occasions it tried to route me through closed access farm roads.

Cool, that's the general route I thought would work well. Question, the section between Stanford & Elim doesn't your route go through private land?

What about staying further south and meandering via Napier to Ouplaas (just before De Hoop), then north to join the N2 just before the Breede bridge at the outskirts of Swellendam?

Keen to see what gets suggested. Haven't ridden it but have looked at route options between Malgas (Breede) and Stanford.

Make no mistake, a Buffalo bike isn't going to be perceived as a "cool & trendy" option! But right now you need a no mess, no fuss option to allow you to focus your efforts on the initial physical challenge. Messing around with equipment failures and the possible self-confidence knocks they could bring might be one bridge too far in your journey. Remember that a ride around the block is a thousand times more positive than no ride at all! Something that we all need to remember at times.. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Fair point. I've definitely made the assumption that the OP at some point previously rode a bicycle.

I'm rethinking my suggestion. Indoor cycling can be very tough to find the motivation to do. I'd guess at the start of a journey like the OP is attempting motivation is going to be very important. I'm doubling down on the Qhubeka bike, cheap, cheerful, functional and most importantly it'll enable the wind in the hair experience. Working in Rwanda I saw loads of bikes being used to carry huge sacks of coffee. Given the specs of the Buffalo bikes I'm sure it'll be up to the task. Best of all once it's no longer needed it can be donated to a good cause.

Well done on starting what will be a life changing journey. As boring as it sounds, purchasing a basic stationary bike for home might be a good option at first. It'll help get you into a daily exercise regime and should be more tolerant of your weight than a standard bicycle - who's wheel carrying capacity might be over the limit. Another option would be to purchase a Qhubeka Buffalo bike. They're built to be tough and can be used as rural cargo carriers with a rear rack rated for an extra 100kg of cargo. Given that your initial goal should just be getting into a pattern of regular exercise a basic no fuss single speed will meet that requirement. Price wise I think they're about R3000. https://www.qhubeka.org/ I'm not sure if this is the article @Eugenewas referring to, but it makes for inspiring reading regardless: https://www.bicycling.com/health-nutrition/a20019187/weight-loss-success-stories/

A good start would be including where you're based and what you can do for a potential sponsor....

Perhaps something like this would help: https://za.sciconsports.com/products/gearbox-chain-cover-tp010000519

Awesome job, well done for seeing it through 👍🏼 your time & effort in putting everything together far outweigh any other donation. The more commuters there are on the streets the more normalised cycling will become & we recreational cyclists will benefit.

https://www.teamvismaleaseabike.com/news/news/team-visma-lease-a-bike-extends-partnership-with-bygma-introducing-a-unique-helmet-for-jonas-vingegaard/

I did exactly that on my previous 10sp Ultegra groupset bike. Replaced the 10sp 53/39 cranks with an 11sp 50/34 105 crankset. It worked fine except for the odd chain drop incident. I can't remember however whether I'd switched to an 11sp chain - which might've resolved the chain drop issue.

Gravel bikes generally have more endurance focused geometry making them ideal for long days out. I'd say keep your eyes open for a 2x gravel bike with hydraulic discs and don't look back. Look out for an older Titan Racing carbon switch (mechanical discs) and then upgrade the shifters & crankset. Should be possible within your budget. Otherwise buy this: https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/gravel-bikes/821414/bicycle-for-sale Or perhaps this: https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/gravel-bikes/779534/giant-revolt-1

Go on a couple of club rides, it'll allow you to meet like-minded individuals who you can then organise to do more regular rides with.

Share the username and @Matt can potentially block the IP address the registration was made from.

Good luck Eddie! Sounds like it should be an awesome route. Would love to hear afterwards based on your experience whether you feel it could be done as a bike packing holiday trip. After checking out their website it looks like the route is more mtb suitable than gravel bike. Looking forward to hearing more once you're finished 💪

I've had a similar issue with the grade showing incorrectly. As mentioned above it's linked to the barometric sensor hole getting dirt in it. Seems like a pretty piss poor design for a device meant to be used outdoors! After cleaning it mine has returned closer to normal but is still very slow to change grade. https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/cycling/f/edge-530/300887/altitude-reporting-is-not-accurate-anymore

I'm assuming the build is to donate to a commuter? If so durable tyres in good condition are probably the most important part. If you DM me your details I'll donate R200 towards the cost of two new tyres. I've found the Chaoyang kestrels to be bulletproof commuters but they're 35s. How about these: https://www.obike.co.za/product-page/chaoyang-speedshark-tire?srsltid=AfmBOoqvCaW4a5Y-Uwa1Q6P5C-aQepHcF1yNnZG72Ic2QNdb3orBqnoF

Fixed it for you 😉

Congrats on the new bike. Thought it was you going up Chappies on the Hout bay side as I was going down, seems it was. 👍🏼

Never, ever, ever click a link in an SMS... It's an email on the Temu order email chain which had the payment link. Being in the tech space I'm adverse to installing an app like Temu. I'd rather limit my interactions with them to their website only.