Arkadion

Nice ride man ! Just a word of caution, throwing a towel inbetween the thule clamp and your frame isn't always a great idea, I know you want to save your sparkling new frame from scuffing but it usually holds the bike much worse and can slip off, the rubber lining on the inside of the Thule clamp offers much better grip and has not scuffed my new frame to date. My last bike jumped off the Thule rack but luckily landed on the fork and didn't pop off completely !

If it's pain on the outside of the knee, it could be ITB! https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/78788-itb-release-surgery/ They say you should only increase your max distance by about 10% per week. My ITB was (I think) a result of a new bike incorrectly setup and large jumps in distance in the last few weeks.

Shot, which one do you suggest?? There seems to be a heap of versions on Garmap, I'm guessing the Topo and Rec is best for offroad/mountain biking ??

Okay so after some thought I've decided to buy (Pre Order) a Edge 800 from CRC. Gonna go for the Performance Bundle, but is there anything I should keep in mind with regards to maps ? Will I need to buy a Topo and Rec map from garmap once it gets here or does it come with a basic/built in map to use out of the box ?? Thanks

Yeah I'm sooo happy to be back, I did a 20km at Northern Farms on Sat and another 24kms on Sunday, every day it just feels better and better, I can officially say the op worked for me Good to hear you'll be back to running soon as well Canerat !

And another 16/17 kms this morning, leg is feeling strong!! I can actually push a bit with it, gave it some horns this morning and was averaging 17-20 km/h on some slight hills, sooooo happy :D

HOOORAY ! Did 10kms this morning, the small pain didn't get any worse, I probably could have gone a bit further but I don't wanna over do it I can feel the strength coming back but I'm still in Granny gear

Well I went for my first baby ride yesterday, leg was feeling much better when I initially got on the bike, rode for about 5kms, though I had a small nagging pain that didn't turn into anything serious, but the doc says I do need to work it and keep it light in order to gain a full recovery sooner Felt good to be back on the bike but I'm missing those longer rides ! Need to be patient

I bought a helmet cam a little while ago to take some cool vids of MTB'ing in all the areas we visit. After a couple of close brushes with traffic even on WIIIIDE sand roads around the neighborhood I realised just how handy one of these things could be should something like this happen. Just a thought

Yeh it's awesome ! I would suggest getting a spare battery and 2 memory stick's for longer rides. And I highly recommend the Lens Adapter Kit and a UV Filter lens to stop the sun from causing horrible vertical purple lines on the footage when riding straight toward the sun

Damnit, just bought the 1080p a couple months ago

Yeh yeh, whatever Rambo

Thanks Punt I heard the the ITB op years ago involved cutting the muscle completely, it's responsible for keeping your balance when standing upright and giving the other muscles a rest. Nowadays it's small cuts into the muscle to help lengthen it. It's hardly invasive and my doc said it's not a serious op and you shouldn't be worried about side effects besides a clicking near the knee which will subside after a few months (Which I noticed yesterday ) I dunno, if someone decides to go for the op I reckon head to a respectable doctor and do some research The reason I have so want to give so much input on this topic is to help anyone else who might be going through it, it really is a b#tch and ruins your mood when the only thing you look forward to on weekends is riding/running !

Yeah, I think it all boils down to different treatments for different patients. I tried to rest it, got back on (probably too soon) and stuffed it up again, I went to physio constantly and could never say I felt a difference, I tried anti inflammatories tablets and patches, then I tried stretching, nada. Heard about the foam roller, tried it and didn't feel any pain the whole way down my leg (You're supposed to feel pain and then work that area more). So eventually I opted for the op because everyone else said it's an almost surefire way to sort it out without any known consequences. I think I just need a few more days to heal from the op before I can try again and vouch for/against the op, but so far my leg has healed drastically faster from ITB than it did before. I reckon it was because of incorrect bike setup on a new bike (Rode it for 2 months before ITB)and we were pushing the km up (70 km rides). I guess you don't appreciate a good bike setup until it's too late and you have to go through the hell of ITB !

Ouch SwissVan Hope you're not out for long, how long do you need to take off or do they need to operate ??

The only technical bit to watch out for is in Bryanston where the path hits a fence and then heads left (Past some dirt jumps) towards a dry river bed (rock). I've seen a lot of guys see their gat there because the drop off is a little steeper than it looks, you'll need some speed or a little wheelie to get off safe

Thanks for the info so far guys. We I basically want to use it to map out new routes and make sure I don't get lost, or upload routes from someone else so I know which route to take. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't the newer/more expensive models give you topographic as well to check heights etc ?

Hey guys Any suggestions as to which GPS is considered awesome? I hear a lot on this site about the Garmin 305 and ?700? There's also a Dakota and Oregon. If money wasn't an issue whats the best to buy? Taking into account Battery life, Waterproof, Size and mounting options, as well as the quality and options for map display and route plotting. Also, if I was to buy from CRC, I'm assuming I would need to get local maps too at an extra cost? I'm pretty much sold on Garmin but if there are other good brands please let me know. Thanks!

Wow , the difference between yesterday and today is amazing! Just 11 days after the op and I can squat and raise feeling almost no pain ! I could take a risk and jump on the bike but I'm going to give it until next week Monday/Tues before I attempt that, I'm going away this weekend anyway. What I have noticed about the op is that the healing process from ITB is MUUUUCH quicker, what took me 4 weeks to get achieve without the op is done in a week with it. I think this will help keep it away too ! Feeling positive ;-)

Good, some progress I like the first in first out rule on this section, partly because it sounds fair and partly because it makes me right during my previous encounter I was already rolling over the lip when 2 gents were still approaching the trees, they had ample time to move aside and also heard my warning call but decided not to show any courtesy. If they were past the 2 trees and entering the zig zag already it would be my fault.

Hey SteveS A bit hard to explain, it's that section in Bryanston close to the road where they have built the downhill jumps, just after that, heading back to Paulshof, there is a section where you can zigzag coming back, or take the lip of the hill to the left and then fly down a short sharp incline and pass between 2 trees as it levels out. I'm sure everyone will agree that visibility of the route ahead is next to nothing, that's why I'm asking what would be considered mutually beneficial to both parties ? Once you have coming over the lip it's the point of no return, and only then can you see other cyclists coming up. Once you are going down the only option is to brake harshly which in my case worked, but I still almost hit the 2 guys coming up because one decided to go to my left blocking the path there, and the other decided to come up right between the 2 trees cutting off my obvious path of going straight. Personally I think both of these riders should have stayed to one side and not split up like they did, OR I could attempt to stop at the brink of the hill in future (Which could put me in danger because of possibly rolling over the lip whilst trying to unclip). I agree with people coming up having right of way but in this instance it's a little more difficult to reach a concrete rule to adhere when the law of physics says otherwise The guys fixing up the spruit have done an amazing job, but perhaps there should be more signs and rules in these danger areas to prevent any crashes.

Good to hear ! It's been 10 days so far, I have no more pain at night and nothing when I walk, it stills hurts when I squat and rise up again but I'm hoping that will clear within a week ! Really hoping I'll be back on the saddle soon

Yeah thanks Nolipoli, I noticed this very fast ! I'm glad these rules are being pointed out, I just wish everyone will do it tactfully and without turning this forum into another youtube flaming marathon ;-)

Cool, thanks for pointing that out to us Eddy, but what if the incline is too sharp to stop, there are no alternate directions to take and you are only aware of other riders once it is too late? The spruit has not been marked and sign posted correctly throughout the entire length of the course seeing as it is not privately owned and therefore the rules and regulations (and lawsuits) seem a little grey or impractical in areas. I believe this post was started to iron those out?

Hahaha ! Sounds logical to me !