Burnie

I can help. Decided to rather do the 11Global triathlon on the same day. PM me if still interested.

A very brave move to organise a race on some of the busiest Sunday roads in Pretoria. Turned out surprisingly successful I think. The 100km route was quite hazardous but a flippen lekker ride. I hope the event settles as a permanent fixture with greater numbers. Positive criticism: 1. Pre-warn residents, maybe with an announcement/advert with route maps in the Record/Beeld papers. Non-cycling frustrated friends living in the area had no idea about the race, and would have happily avoided those roads if they knew. 2. Change the route a bit not to pass by big busy malls like Woodlands mall. 3. More route markers on intersections. Good job organizers, please be back.

Yeah, but a keel can add stability!

Thanks for all the advice! It is clear that TI is the way to go. Thanks Terry for the contact detail. O yes, by the way! We got hold of a trainer looking very much like the lady in black bikini thingy in the photo above! Amazing what difference extra buoyancy does to our swim performance!

Looking for a freelance swim coach to help me and three mates improve our messy freestyle open-water / triathlon swim techniques. We normally train at the quiet Midstream indoor heated pool on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 18h00 to 19h00. Not all of us are VA or PF gym members. We are at similar skill level: About 2 km in 45 mins non-stop. Idea is to have 4 to 8 one hour sessions and maybe a followup a month later. Total Immersion training camps can work, but we would prefer something more flexible with personal attention. Centurion area. Need not be a professional coach, just someone in the know that can give us good advice and value for money.

I bought fork oil from Solomons in Pretoria east recently. I suspect the old Solomons in Pretoria north should also carry stock. Typically 5wt required for most Rock Shox and 10wt required for Fox forks. Download the oil charts to be sure. The volume is also important.

I managed to fix the motor brake myself. Being an electronic nerd, and without much help from our local reps, I decided to void the warranty and opened the thing up. After some reverse engineering, a cheap low dropout regulator and a diode later, everything working 100% again. I will ask Tacx HQ if our local "service centre" acted according to rules and expectations. I would have gladly bought the system from a local supplier if the markup was something like 20 - 30% even. But at the time, prices were ridiculously inflated. Keep in mind there are no import duties on gym equipment nor bike parts. CRC also ship biggish orders free of charge. Anyway, happy ending for me at least.

I have spoken to Coolheat, they won't touch anything from Chain reaction cycles. Windows does pickup the interface unit, but the interface unit doesn't pickup the brake. I will reinstall everything anyway, but I doubt that the PC side is the problem - The brake stopped working while it was in use.

Hi I've been using a Tacx Fortius VR trainer for six months without any mayor problems. Recently the stupid thing simply stopped working: The motorbrake is not detected anymore. I tried all the advise on Tacx FAQ and forums without success. I'm desperately looking for someone in the Pretoria/Midrand area with a working Fortius, willing to help me test my motorbrake unit and head interface unit. Should only take a minute or two. I need to issolate the problem (can be PC, Head interface, cables or motorbrake units). Knowing what component is faulty will make repurchase, warranty claim shipment much easier. Local suppliers and bike stores are not very helpful. I bought the unit from Chain Reaction Cycles in the UK (turned out to be a bad idea it seems). I will gladly buy anyone willing to help a case of beer or bottle of whiskey. Kind regards Burnie

I did the 103 km, riding with CL. I think it was a well organized and enjoyable event. I have one suggestion for organizers in general if I may: Please always print an emergency telephone number on the cyclists' race numbers. I noticed that the Dischem R4S and Emperors races, among others did have an event emergency number clearly printed. I rode with a small random bunch some minutes behind the leading CL bunch. A crash involving three cyclists occurred right in front of me at speed. I decided to stop and see if I could help. We were in the middle of nowhere (a couple of km's before the 65/103 split on the 103 km loop). The injured were in pain, and didn't look okay to me. (I hope and pray they are up and about). I had my phone with me but no number to call! Calling 112 was a bit in vain, but was all I could try to do. Fellow cyclists simple whizzed passed, dodging the broken bikes and laying people. Luckily after a couple of minutes the leading DL group arrived with their marshal and a police van. The police jumped out and assisted. The emergency number wouldn't have made a real difference in this case, but something similar could happen somewhere more isolated. At least the comforting effect of a number to call for injured and helpers, makes it worth the print.