Andymann

For those who follow Itchy Boots - interesting choice..... i

"That's not a knife......"

Thanks. I actually plucked up the courage to go and see a Psychologist. Took a lot of convincing on my part because hey 50-something Men don't need to talk about their emotional state right..... Was worth the money. Still have a few sessions to go, but I think now I can start getting back on track

I told her the Motorcycle Hubbers say I have a good wife. She said please to remind everyone it was also her who told me to buy them as well...

Maybe - my wife says I need to wait a year before I sell anything!

So after a difficult few months where I didn't really want anything to do with bikes I figured I better get the XTZ sorted for the Fairest Cape. My Dad and I did it together last year so in memory my brothers and I are going to do it one last time this year and sprinkle some of his ashes down Bainskloof Pass where I couldn't keep up with him last year! The XTZ was becoming difficult to start when cold and was also backfiring on the overrun so I ordered new inlet rubbers and an air shutoff valve and then decided to check the valves while I was at it. What a mission - for a bike supposedly designed to be repaired in the bush somewhere between Paris and Dakar checking the valves what almost impossible without removing the Valve cover. Even the Radiator had to come off. Anyway, we're making progress and I found a few more small issues that needed to be sorted - wiring related so did that too. You might notice the DT in the background has no wheels - also finally got round to stripping those down so that I can rebuild them with new Gold Anodised alloy rims and spokes. Also needed new tyres. The TRX sadly doesn't get used much anymore - I need to make some decisions in the future regarding it and the XTZ - I bought the XTZ to use on Rallys with my Dad and I don't think I will be doing many more after November so it might have to go. And the TRX really just sits there - which isn't good for a bike.

I'd like to think that if it wasn't for some deranged Taxi driver we might have had one in 2016 or 2017 as well

Thanks - will head of to see them later today

Can anyone recommend a good bike Mechanic or bike shop in the Krugersdorp area - I need to have a Campag Chorus groupset built onto an old Bianchi frame and I just don't have the time to do it myself. Thanks

I know Troisport in Jhb had some nice redundant stock Trisuits if you are not too worried about colours and Fluidlines might also have some redundant stock ORCA trisuits, again if you are not too worried about colours. I bought a old stock Brown, Red and White ORCA trisuit from Fluidlines which looks really dodge, but it's brilliant quality and fits really well.

Thanks for all the words of support. Sadly my Dad passed away on Monday morning just 51days after he was diagnosed. On Mothers day we still took one of the bikes our for a quick ride. It was crazy quick. There will still be a bike built in his memory - but for now I'm just going to focus on getting the last DJ bike ready which was also the one he bought first so that I can ride it in his memory in March next year. Cheers, Andy

I had all good intentions of taking some pics last night but got a bit sidetracked looking into all the boxes. My Dad numbered all the boxes and put a detailed description of what was in each box but of course the first one I opened had nothing in apart from a small note saying gearbox in the paint cupboard..... may years ago I used to spray paint and we had a 50's mellamine kitchen cupboard in the Garage which we used to refer to as the paint cupboard. The paint cupboard was repurposed to hold random bike parts but sure as anything, there was the gearbox all wrapped up. Now I need to find the Crankcases, barrels and head..... And now that I think about it, that 50's Mellamine cupboard is probably worth more than the bike.....

I've been a bit quiet - my Dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Brain cancer so we were going through what bikes to keep and what to let go - all the pre-DJ bikes have gone to good homes and a lot of the spares too. I also got rid of my little 125LC as that was really for my Dad to ride - quite sad, but it has gone to a good home in CT. There was one last bike that my Dad and I were going to build together - sadly he won't be around to see me finish it, but I'll post some pics of the progress here as we start it!

I think these days one is very lucky if they get a used bike without issues. I think once it is sorted though you will really enjoy it. And I know with my XTZ - fixing all the niggles was actually quite enjoyable - apart from the costs of course!

I will be really interested to see how Cian goes against Gerda - Gerda has the experience but Cian has only just started running Marathons and posted a 2:25:08 in February so she's clearly no slouch. I don't think they have run head to head in a Marathon yet so its going to be an interesting match up. And Cian is dating a pretty handy AG triathlete too so she's already a favorite in my book.

That it was. Especially on a 7spd Steel Bianchi.

Old enough to remember that the only reason you did the 94.7 was because of the Teazers waterpoint going up Old Pretoria road.....

Yup - did the Fast one in January in under three hours. Your seeding skyrocketed to A-bunch for Berge en Dale. Did Berge en Dale in February and suddenly came down to earth very quickly.

And me looking at the people cycling back to the start from Vanderbijlpark thinking how crazy do you have to be to cycle more than 100km in a day....

Some good routes back in those days. I was based in Three Rivers so there was a race almost every weekend. Out towards Parys over Ertjiesbult was a favourite. And Hyper to Hyper actually went from a Hypermarket to a Hypermarket!

I remember the one year starting at Gold Reef City - for the life of me I can't remember where it finished. But I also remember finishing at Rand Water one year - it was a sprint to win the A-bunch because hey that's what we all did back then! I must have done two of them then - and thanks for the dates - when I think of it now, it was in the 2000's - I only started cycling properly in 1995 and moved away from Gauteng in 1999 and moved back in 2002 so was definitely later in the 2000's!

I went riding in Suikerbosrand this weekend for the first time since I last rode it at the Race for Victory back in the late 90's early 2000's. Got me thinking about the route back then - I know it finished at Rand Water, so I'm guessing it must have started there too. I also felt yesterday's ride where we did the full Suikerbos loop was way longer than I remember for the race - I also seem to remember we entered Suikerbos and then almost immediately hit some pretty nasty climbs - proper switchbacks. Nothing I rode yesterday seemed familiar. And finally, I also remember just before the finish we did a road where everyone in the bunch referred to as "The Steps". Can anyone remember the original route - I'm just curious to see where we rode all those years ago.

lol - I'm old enough to remember that with the Chopper there was also a Chipper - a small Chopper for kids. And a Mean Machine from Western Flyer And then Raleigh Bombers which I guess were the first MTB's and the Black and Gold Challengers (or Dikwiels) which I suppose are Gravel bikes now....

Our dog's name is Froome. Super skinny, long legs and keeps on slipping on the tiles and falling over.....

I looked at that bike and instinctively clamped my legs together as the memory of me crushing my nuts on the gear lever back in '78 is still very fresh in my mind