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tubed

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Everything posted by tubed

  1. I am looking for an entry/ partner but at this stage cant/ don’t need to make the commitment; it’s a big deal in terms of costs (loss of income) and direct expenses. I would love to do the race just once to experience it - in its category it is the top race in the wold and it’s in my backyard. The prices of the entries are coming down by the week - we are now at R28k, between the hub and the rider zone there must be about 10 still available at any one time. Surprised there are not more after some of the Attakwas times – usually a big wake up call. Strange that quite a few of the entries are from overseas offers – recession perhaps I think this year’s route is going to be a big big sort out early on – the time trial has no shade and its rough and relentless. Day two and day three should be equally tough and then there is no time trial to look forward to as a rest day. I won’t be surprised if the attrition rate is very high early on. Another issue is that of the partner search – such a hit and miss at this stage, if one of the parties pulls out and you have to find someone who you have no clue if they whine or suffer. I really do feel sorry for those guys that have trained hard and now have to pull out for unforeseen reasons – I do suspect however that the guys still asking for R35000 for an entry might not have done their homework in terms of the race or their training. Hope to see you on the start line…..
  2. tubed

    Snakes

    Interesting thread - thanks for the informative contributions. I met this biggish puff adder on the the Silvermine track as it begins to drop down to Tokai after the boom. It was very sluggish as it tried to climb up a small embankment and didn't succeed after a number of attempts to get up the bank so eventually just lay there, possibly it had eaten recently as it was quite thick in the middle third of its length. Just some other trivial but interesting points somewhat related to the discussion on dealing with snakebites, (although one would have to fall on this chap to get him to bite you). - this is third large puff adder I have seen on this route in in the last 4 months, all were actively crossing the path, but in most cases I think people would have ridden past them without noticing them, or being aware of their markings - I didnt see another mountain biker at all yesterday on the mountain (I waited for 10 mins while taking pics of the puffy, hoping to show him to somebody else - but nobody passed), that is up the Wapad from Noordhoek or down into Tokai and through the singletracks to exit at Tokai, it was between 2 - 3 pm, which is highly unusual and given that in large parts of this ride the cell reception is poor or non-existent it is quite interesting given the rest of the discussion here about help from a fellow cyclist or outside help, (it would be quite a sequence of events for this to happen, but it could be the case.) - the lack of people on the trail resulted in a largish grysbok darting out in front of me and across the track on the Silvermine side, these are usually very shy, mostly nocturnal, so to see one mid afternoon is a real bit of luck
  3. Kevin. Your bike has not been stolen it has been kidnapped, you shall shortly be receiving a ransom note, if you ever want to see it alive a gain you will have one Epic entry available, no questions asked, to be handed over at a time to be advised...... Seriously though sorry for your loss ,will keep an eye out, there can't be many places to ride this bike in public, I cant see your pic you posted, that helps a lot when looking for a unique bike. Cheers
  4. Dont think anybody will argue about paying to get in at Tokai, although I do think for schoolkids and those less fortunate the cost is becoming prohibitive, R35 is a lot for some people and it brings me to my main point which is that the mountain was always free to use, much like our beaches. With the handing of the custodianship thereof to SANParks the costs have increased, but the management in respect of mtb has not kept pace with this. The last time they seem to have done anything constructive to consider mtb's as a key recreational sport on the Table Mtn chain/ peninsula was 2002 according to their website. Since then next to nothing in terms of advancing the facilities available for mtb, and yet I would argue that mtb is of the highest contributors to revenue. The irony of was brought home a couple of weeks ago when I saw three very overweight rangers chasing after 6 downhill guys about the enter the Glen - they cant catch the muggers, but they sure can catch a couple of guys on bikes who are riding there because there are so few alternatives. To me it really is a management issue - it doesnt help to have a go at the ranger for telling you where you can and cant ride or the fact that it took them a year to post a wildcard - to me its the management of the TMNP and Sanparks in general who should give some idea as to how they are going to advance the use of mtb's on the peninsula. If we think it cant be done, Sanparks should be embarassed by what TygerbergMTB have achived with Majik Forest, Hillcrest, Contermans and Meerendal. I am keen to get involved - but just dont know how to get some info.
  5. "the continued negotiations with TMNP and the promise of a mountain bike specific environmental management plan soon to be produced" Hi there, saw the thread now and the signs earlier this aft, sad to have to turn around. Are you able to give any indication if the TMP EMP is a public participation process and if so where one can find out info about it. It does seem that TMP have been full of promises for years and produced very little other then raising the entrance fees. thanks
  6. +1, good initiative see also the other thread and link on the hub re the Cape Town City looking for feedback on commuting habits - worth adding our voices to that right now here's the link to the survey for transport month - adapt your replies to indicate your use of public transport and bicycles https://www.capetown...onthsurvey.aspx
  7. Seen two puffaders in the last 8 days, first (second photo) one while trail running on Blackburn traverse above Chapmans Peak Drive, this one was the biggest/ longest I have ever seen and the second yesterday on start of Wapad from Silvermine (first photo). Seems to be a bit of early activity this year. Two in just over a week at close quarters has been very fortunate.
  8. Same bike (XTC 29er 2011) with the Aspens on. Took a chance on them for the first 8 days of Freedom Challenge, normally ride Larsen TT or Crossmark with LUST. Was worried about the thin sidewalls of the Aspens, but took some comfort from the reviews online. Did a Stans tubeless conversion with the standard XTC PCX2 rims and Aspens and it worked fine. After 8 days hectic riding in all conditions except Karoo thorns (I abused them as much as anybody will in all likelihood do, including throwing them against barbed wire fences from time to time). I got one puncture and it sealed up immediately with the Stans. So all in all a good experience with the tyres. I will say that they have a minimal profile and I battled in the mud, but then I think any tyre would do in the quagmire which we carried our bikes through. I think a tyre with more profile would just have collected more mud and not have been much more use. So all in all if I had a choice I would still go with the peace of mind LUST of the Larsen TT or the Crossmarks, but I cant really fault the Aspens. Enjoy the bike.
  9. Blackie started the Freedom Challenge this morning. Doubt he will reply for about 3 weeks.
  10. Coenie - I asked you to consider my point - I am not here to try and convince you - this anonymous forum enables you to be very definitive in a response - so be it Overall my post had two points the practice I observe is illegal and dangerous - I appreciate that the circumstances may dictate a less strict application of the law; the flagrant and arrogant disregard of traffic laws by cyclists, especially those training in groups, tends to reinforce the loathing many motorists have for cyclists As an observation - commuters on bikes have an acute appreciation of their need to stay alive - hence they work within the system. Examples of this would be with cars, buses or taxis - hand signals, assertive/ definitive riding styles, communication with and regard for other road users and pedestrians are the norm. Bike messengers would probably also fall into this category.
  11. Dont twist things. This post is not about your personal safety, its about the general attitude of cyclists to anybody other than themselves and the reason why most motorists have no patience for cyclists. Your helmet is only there to protect you - its your choice. Stopping at a traffice light is there to not only protect you but other people - so the choice is not yours. Your current attitude reinforces the view many motorists have of cyclists - hopefully you will see my point. I appreciate that there may be in certain circumstances very good reasons not to stop - such as main road Woodstock at 7am on a Sunday morning. But Camps Bay traffic lights are not such a case, just have a coffee at Cafe Sophia at 10am on a Sunday morning and you will see that the majority of cyclists have no regard for the rules of the road or the impact they have on other road users - other than their own personal safety.
  12. For those of you that still don?t stop, this is probably the single biggest irritant for car drivers and probably does the most for people to regard cyclists as illegitimate road users. <?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> It took years to get people to wear helmets; hopefully this practice can be eradicated in less time. If the pseudo pros in Sea Point and Camps Bay could stop, it would set a major example and the tide would begin to turn. PS: if Pozzato can do it so can you (PS ignore the fact that he does not have a helmet on - it a hair thing for him)
  13. Reviving an old thread. One of the biggest issues we face is land access and whilst I appreciate all the arguments to keep private land private, most of the land around the mountain belongs to the state, who are custodians of it on our behalf. I am convinced that we just need to make our collective voices heard loudly, together, rationally and for long enough for them to take notice. I have looked at the AMArider site and PPA and neither of them appear to be up to date on the land issue with Nat Parks - I could be wrong and I dont mean to criticize their efforts - but I would like to know where this debate is at and who has the mandate to talk to Nat Parks. It would be a great travesty for me not to be able to ride around the mountain on gravel in my lifetime. Please if anybody can inform where the process or debate is I would be very interested to add some effort. thanks
  14. Great pics As much as SABC butchered it, you have done justice to it. At least now some of have an idea of what went on. Actually looks like it was quite an exciting small race after Smits. Well done Michelle.
  15. Chris is a bit a like a farmer running a farm stall... in a good way Up and in the store early, the welcome you get when you walk is like a guy who genuinely loves his produce and what he does, the labourers there have to have the same atitude the same. (They dont open late on a Wed morn for staff training! You either have it or you dont) He doesn't buy a lot of his stuff from the market that's why his prices are so good. and if its price that is your worry he will far rather see what you can afford than have you leave the shop empty handed. If you ever buy some poep produce from him - well he takes that personally and will make sure he replaces it and it is likely you will have a little sweetener on top to make the painful experience gp away. And when you leave they greet you with a "tot siens en lekker ry". So for all you out of town okes staying in the northern burbs, maak a draai there. PS: thanks Chris for the great service over the last two weeks.
  16. bump - see edit in first post
  17. tubed

    Lost VW Key

    rubber 'string' with barrel bolt closure mech?
  18. bump you found the car?! then I am glad I found one similar to mine that works with the spare - amazing what a bump to the head does - just carry on like nothing happened I'll be back on the trail as soon as I can to inspect the foilage for the errant key - with all this rain it might be happily drifting down the mountain I have visions of one of the baboons trying to figure out this device they found Anyway thanks for the sympathetic responses - at least you are a caring lot
  19. today's bump losing hope....
  20. Edit: Nice Friday story - key found by Pigeon and Slowbee - amazing to see how the hub managed to help me find a needle in a haystack. Very glad to be able to cancel the insurance claim and not to have to handle Barons service dept. Always had faith in our network. Thanks to all Hi Didn't manage to spend the whole ride upright on the bike, car keys must have been violently flung from deep in my pocket at some stage. Unfortunately landing like a sack of potatoes makes more noise than a key dropping. Please send me a PM if you find my VW car key somewhere on the trail this aft. Many thanks tubed2009-09-11 03:07:42
  21. In early hours of yesterday morn they stole my 6 year old daughter's bike from home (Hout Bay). She was just about to start riding Tokai with me - so I am really miffed. (I feel like Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino as to what I will do to the punk who has her bike). It's just not right to take a kid's first bike - not ever. Please keep a look out for it, its quite unique: Avalanche, mtb, silver, small size Black saddle, black tyres Silver rims, 32 steel spoke Single blade upfront, right gripshift with 7 speed cassette V Brakes, black cranks and black platform pedals Yesterday it was seen on its way to Imizamo Yethu If you see somebody riding it please feel free to disposess them of it and PM me. Many thanks
  22. Johan sorry never had a pair of those fancy wheels you are looking at, but this is a bit more applicable to my workshop, thought you may find some of the tools interesting, cheers http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=6725&status=True&catname=Latest News
  23. Yes you can, but not all on gravel.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> The legitimate route is the following: Almost all of this is on tar, but up and down, so still good riding. from Tokai parking lot, down the road to head toward Chysyllis Academy and exit at the Range onto tar all the way past Peddlars on the bend to traffic lights at Ladies Mile Ext through lights to False Bay rugby club lights, onward to Hohenort and up the hill to Kirstenbosch Kirstenbosch to UCT Rhodes Mem offramp and up to Rhodes Mem and then onto contour track toward blockhouse There are numerous illegal routes off-road, none of which can be condoned, but here is my gripe: Nat Parks intransigence over the years to laying out routes/ assigning routes and 'could not care less' attitude toward mtb's is seeing more and more illegal riding. I expect that it will lead to significant confrontation soon where because of their approach mtb?s just ignore their proclamations and ride on in the face of fines, I must say I have yet to hear of bikes being confiscated. To illustrate the point, Hout Bay is surrounded by the most beautiful mountains, yet other than about 3km of track on the Rocket Road you are supposed to put your bike in the car and drive to Silvermine/ Tokai. While they are custodians of Karbonkelberg, they have been grossly negligent in abandoning the track, rather than doing some simple upkeep, it is lost forever ? one of the nicest rides and potentially accessible to a whole community of riders, not to mention its historical significance. That?s my rant and rave for now, plenty more where that came from. Sincerely though, Merry Christmas to all celebrating.
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