Ibicam

Anyone got some insight as to whether this race is still going ahead? Nothing mentioned on the websites or social media saying anything to the contrary.

I have the Newest 1.0 as a relatively cheap road bike for when I do road races away from mountain biking. It has done the job for that purpose without any issues. Just needed some decent tires and was good to go.

I guess it is different for everyone, but when I run I use the 32GI chews every half hour but after having had a decent early breakfast. I only drink water for the first 10km and then start having half coke half water from around 12km+.

They have listed the stuff available on http://shova.co.za/i...nstructions.pdf These watering points will have cold refreshments and a supply of bananas. Boiled baby potatoes will be available at Cato Ridge; Nestle Barone chocolate will be available at Gillitts and peanut butter sandwiches at 45th Cutting.

I started in FL and my time is around 9 minutes slower, but then I was disappointingly slow on the day so it's not like it makes any difference.....

Yup, even after getting confirmation SMS from my bank their system reckons it failed.

I have one with the cadence and heart rate monitor as well. Works well enough to show you the basics during a ride. So you can monitor average speed, average heart rate, cadence etc. The Bryton website allows you to upload rides and gives you enough detail for your ride. You can then also see your route on Google Earth style images and elevation etc. Battery life has been good, except for the heart rate unit which seems to run flat pretty quickly even when removed from the strap. As mentioned it doesn't support navigation, so is really only a view while riding and record device. Guess it depends on your needs. At that price it seems pretty reasonable.

I paid R85 to do the Dischem half marathon this Sunday. The Edenvale Classic and Dischem Ride for Sight were R220 if I recall correctly, so more than double. Goodie bag for the half marathon is double that of a cycling event as well. So must be marshalling I guess, but then what about a mtb race where marshalling is not that much but price is still high?

I am also a fan of Serfas Seca. They have a great flat protection system, are hard wearing and reasonably cheap. So they make for a good training tyre and can double as a race tyre if you are not a serious racer.

I had the same problem with my very first mtb because the gap between the shock and spokes is bigger than on a road bike. I used an additional piece of rubber as a spacer and then cable ties. The wireless Velo's have a larger pickup unit so you can face it in more, which does make life easier on a mtb.

Cheapest wireless I know of would be the Cateye Vectra, @ R390. http://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/cateye-vectra-vt100w-wireless-computer The Cateye Velo's are decent as well, but only have 5 to 7 functions, which it sounds like is all you need. Sportmans Warehouse has the Atom which I think is cheaper. Bought one for my daughters bike, although I think it may be wired.

I agree with you, but they certainly did not break on my watch and nobody has owned up to even being near them. Maybe they already had a crack from being man-handled at the expo, who knows. My other cheapies were with them in the same helmet and are okay, so I really don't know. But anyways, there might just be an excuse on the horizon for a Christmas present to myself.

Did yours also break without you knowing what happened to them? Strange it is exactly the same place.

I did use suntan lotion on my face, but no more than usual and no different to other days with other sunglasses. At the time of being put away they were fine, and I have no reason to believe my children/domestic would have taken my helmet out of my cupboard. So while I know I did not damage them, I can't guarantee what happened to them while I was at work. I looked at possibly using glue, but I can't push the broken piece back on enough to close the gap, so I would have to file to lense down a bit to fit properly. Somehow am thinking it's not really worth it, other than to relegate them to night rides once a month. Even other cheap glasses last me 18 to 24 months, so given a single use of these it is rather disappointing. I priced similar styled Oakleys yesterday, but I don't consider them worth it at R2900 for the photochromatic. Yes, you get a one year guarantee but anything happens to them after that it is for my account.

So here is my rant.... I have always used cheap sunglasses when cycling, but decided at the 94.7 expo to buy the Bondiblu photochromic sunglasses since the salesman did such a good pitch. I used them for the road race and was perfectly happy with them. After the race, I placed them together with my gloves and Bryton in my helmet as usual and put them in my cupboard as I do after every use. Anyway, I decided to do the Modders ride last week after having been doing some road runing the past few weeks. When I took out my helmet, the sunglasses came out in two pieces (see photo). Now I know nobody would have removed the helmet from my cupboard and I know that everything was intact when I put them in my cupboard. So that leaves me with only one conclusion and that is the sunglasses have failed based on a production defect. The surface of the break is rough and not what I would expect from a forced break. I paid cash at the expo and didn't get a slip. So the question is, what now? Is it just shame on me and I throw them away? Did anyone else buy the same sunglasses at the expo and have a similar experience?

Thanks, at least I know for next year should I choose to both

I am still trying to figure out where one would go to get the green numbers for the Double Club, i.e. 55km mtb and the road race? I was there on Thursday morning and asked the lady who got my race pack and she knew nothing about it and asked another lady. Nobody seemed to know, and the queues at the enquiry section were crazy and I couldn't justify standing there for so long just for a differently coloured number, if they even exist. Yet the final instructions form still mentions it. I reckon they should say in the instructions how to go about it or else why not just automate it. Surely their systems can know on printing which riders/groups are doing both?

And sunscreen. I forgot that for the mountain bike ride and had some rather red legs and arms.

You don't want to get a flat and have to wait for support. It could take so long that you miss a cut off and your race is done, unless someone stops to help you, as mentioned above. In my opinion, stay in control with what you can. So have a flat repair kit, spare tube, tyre levers and a bomb or two. And your water bottles and food for the road. Don't forget the other basics like your race number and helmet. Leaving them at home will mean you don't get to ride. And your timing chip.

You enter the gates just before 7pm, follow the Bandit markers for the night ride and go at your own pace, i.e. you can ride alone or with some mates. Or else you can follow a group as you go in and go at whatever pace they are going. Distance in my experience has been around 23km for a single loop, but may have changed since my last night ride there. You can also vary the route once in and follow some of the other markers for different distances. Check the marker board as you enter. IMO has been great to ride there at night.

+1 on the pasta, but from a place you can trust if buying out. You don't want to start on a dodgy stomach the next morning.

At 15kph you are looking at taking over 6 hours which is a long time to be out there. I would suggest you check their website for the various time splits dependent on your target time. Probably get the 5hour splits and see if you can better that at each point. The route is more hilly at parts and fast downhills at others, so you will see your average speed vary over the course of the race. IMO, it would depend on how fit you are and what sort of time/distances you have been doing on your mtb rides. If you can do 4 hour mtb rides, then you should be able to do a sub 5 on your knobies, and average in the early 20kph range. As far as nutrition on the day goes, there have been some great topics recently. Do a search and read through them. I have seen people with Camelbaks and the like, but as mentioned, there are many watering points, so to carry the extra weight is not necessary. One problem starting later is that the watering points are normally busy and they become time thieves. But, if you are not chasing a time, then it is also a great place to enjoy the vibe, day and race.

As far as I know all 55km entries are Ax, where x is the starting group. So first group off is A1, then A2, A3 etc. What number do you have after the A?

When I took the training wheels off the bike for my youngest daughter, I lowered the seat as low as it could go, took the pedals off (just to get them out of the way of her shins) and got her to just push the bike forward with her legs like a kids scooter and then freewheel. Worked pretty well to just get the balance right initially. I guess it would also work for an adult to have confidence by being able to easily get their feet on the ground to keep their balance while being able to lift their feet to freewheel. I reckon once they can balance themselves for a bit, the pedalling should come naturally. Just some thoughts. You could always recommend a power balance wrist band ..... maybe the placebo effect will get them learning quicker.

Curious to know how other hubbers on the East Rand are fairing with repairs after the hail storm on the weekend. I have come to despise Absa even more now after trying to get them to sort my claim out. A week later, and about 10 phone calls and I eventually have a claim number. Besides all of the other damage, they have not even been able to arrange for the 12 or so windows to be repaired yet. Complained on their action line on Tuesday and would you believe have not heard anything from them other than receiving an SMS with a reference number that they have my complaint. So for me it has confirmed that they are paralysed by process and red tape and cannot give a hoot about their customers. I closed my credit card with them on Monday and am closing my current account next week when my last 3 debit orders are confirmed as moved. For now I have a house with no more electric fence, plenty of roof tiles broken, windows smashed, gutters shot, yellow celings and more, and feel absolutely helpless. Only guarantee I have is that my HOC insurance is going to be moved from Absa the moment this clown show is sorted.