Stretched@Birth

I had a similar problem on my Discovery, fortunately it had a flat plate towbar with 4 bolt holes, and Holdfast made an extension that bolted on. I found though that the extra length adds extra leverage and strain on the towbar. I used to to strap the top of bike rack to the spare wheel to take some of that load off the towbar. I'd imagine with the weight of a couple of e-bikes on a rack this could become significant.

Sorry, a bit late on the response here, but I think I found your sponsor...: https://buub.co.za/

That is very nicely done, we live in a disposable world, always nice to see things being restored and reused.

This is only the extender. You still need the swan neck adapter for R4500: https://g4outdoor.co.za/product/new-defender-tow-bar/ and the ball for R450.

That is why I said, that is a different fight... The fight is then "your honour, I did not break the law because that section of road is not classified as a highway so the fine is invalid" as opposed to "your honour, I broke the law because I didn't want to take the road/cycle path where I may legally ride my bicycle as it is unsafe to do so and I am not willing to take the risk." The first is innocent, the second is guilty with aggravating circumstances. 100% agree, you can break the law as a form of protest, but then must also be willing to face the consequences. In this case, Josh paid the fine, and perhaps (let's hope) the incident was a call to action that will perhaps find a positive outcome, though as @Bro Derek has said, there are far bigger social issues that require attention that it is unlikely that any action will be taken to make the cycle path safer. I'm fairly confident that @thejoshswin is not the first to ride this section of road (and get caught) and will also not be the last. The risk of being caught and potentially fined is far less than the risk of being caught, mugged and assaulted on the alternative route.

I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I feel it needs to be said. You cannot justify a wrong (it is against the law to ride a bicycle on a highway) by saying that you are doing it because the alternative is unsafe. By all means, fight the municipality and local law enforcement on the state of the alternative road, the lawlessness, the lack of policing, etc. But you cannot justify your unlawful act (and yes, that stretch of road may not yet be highway, but that is then a different fight), by saying you are doing it because there is no safe alternative route. If the person who mugs you at knifepoint on the unsafe stretch of road justifies his action by saying that he has no alternative but to steal because the government has caused an economic situation where he cannot find work, would that make it ok? I doubt it.

Thaba...

Is that your prediction… 226?

Nice. My son recently acquired this one. Interesting colab between Omega and Swatch!

I just heard one of the gents was the father of one of my son’s school friends. Heartbroken for the family. 💔

RIP 😢

My youngster has gotten into bank angling in the school league... VERY early morning drive to the arse end of some body of water, to be ready to fish when the hooter goes off at 07:00, dad has to stay at least 30m away, no coaching from the sideline, then the hooter goes at 15:00 again, weigh in, pack up, drive home. By the time you are home, cleaned up and fed, it's time for bed.

I have to agree with the sentiments here. The Reign is a tank, great at going downhill fast, but not great on the climbs and jeep tracks. I have a Giant Trance Advanced Pro 1 29, with only 130mm front and 115mm rear travel. At first I thought it would not be enough, but the travel feels way more than the numbers say it should. I've also had a Trek Fuel EX, suggested by @El Duderino, also a very capable bike, though I found the Giant climbs better, I like to stand up and climb, the Trek break traction when doing that, you are forced to sit, whereas the Giant I can stand up and pedal and the power is turned into forwards (and upwards) momentum.

@Hairy, what’s the latest on the Katoom?

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CC8PU6uo9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

This would be funny if it wasn’t so sad…!

This looks like it could be a whole lot of fun, or a whole lot of stupid, depending on your outlook on life...: https://www.theadventurists.com/monkey-run/

There are some for sale in the Classifieds: https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/road-bikes/868520/java-fauco-top-l-2025-carbonwheels-12spd?return_to=L2NsYXNzaWZpZWRzL2FsbC1hZHM_cz1qYXZh Perhaps contact the @thebikegarage and get more info from them.

A post worthy of the 1000th page of this thread, beautiful bike, wishing you many happy gravel miles!

And hope he doesn't develop blood pressure issues... 😉

All depends on the budget... A friends wife runs this place in Wilderness: https://www.escapetothebeach.co.za/ Ray is a proper car nut, will talk to you for hours about Cord's, Corvette's and Chevy's!

A friend who has a yellow 748 says he'd take the RC8 all day long. He says the 748 is heavy, slow steering and under powered...

We wait with bated breath to hear the next installment of this saga. In these days of binge watching series on Netflix, we are no longer used to waiting a whole week for the next episode. Next Time on Orange is the new Orange... Does Mechanic's blood pressure stabilise, and he's released from hospital, is it really his blood pressure, is he really in hospital, or did he go on a test ride and decide to run off with Hairy's new mistress.... Does Hairy's patience run out, and he goes on the rampage, taking vengeance on the "Youngsters". Perhaps an unexpected inheritance allows Hairy to buy the beleaguered Orange Austrian bike Company, saving it from the clutches of the Indian shareholders, and saves BB33's Moto GP team from the inevitable corporate cost cutting restructuring. Tune in next week for another nail biting episode...

That is very handy, I think I may need to give the video to my son and let him draw it up in AutoCAD and then work out how much it will cost to build a few... Edit: Seems Motolug still exists, so there may be some Patent issues if I copy it...

The Hunting Wives - I generally do not watch TV, but my wife was binge watching this and I ended up watching it with her!