Mike Mac

All I can say is go with a reputable company for system design and install. A well put together system should operate flawlessly. You shouldn’t even know it is there. Battery management is critical and the battery management system and the inverter need to be compatible. There are many settings in these systems and if the installer isn’t clued up on the hardware as well as the software, you can have lots of problems. Just spend some time on the Victron website and it becomes clear that efficient system design and implementation is complex.

Well worth the investment. One doesn’t need to go off grid, as that can become very expensive. Grid tied systems offer load shedding immunity, without requiring the massive investment in storage that off grid systems require.

Hi In Oct 2021 I came off my bike and landed on my right shoulder popping the AC Joint (level 3-4 As well). I saw a surgeon and a physio shortly thereafter. The surgeon also gave me the option of surgery immediately or alternatively, see what happens over time. His opinion was that the studies show that the outcome 1yr down the road for those who elect surgery and those who don’t, is about the same. I elected not to have surgery (although it is still not off the table if things don’t work out). For the first month I could hardly use the arm (although it was never immobilised). The physio gave me some light exercises to do with a band. From month 2-4 I could start using the arm, but still quite a bit of pain (I had cortisone injections into the joint to reduce inflammation). From about month 5 I started paddling (my main sport) which, surprisingly isn’t too painful, but couldn’t reach forward for a proper stroke. I also introduced some MTB from month 4, however, anything that has a drop off or hitting rocks/bumps hurts. This remains the case to today, so my riding is limited to jeep track/smooth single track. Seven months in now, there is still pain in the shoulder, but I pretty much have full range of motion. I am trying to just get on with things as best as I can and take pain killers and anti inflammatory meds when necessary. I am hoping that over the next few month things will improve further and that surgery can be avoided. If not, then it will be a full AC joint reconstruction using tendons from other parts of the body which are screwed into the bone to pull the dislocated bone back into place. A less radical alternative would be to shave the bone where it rubs and causes pain, which apparently they do quite successfully with the rugby players. Regardless which way they go in terms of surgery, I understand that it will require 6 months of no paddling/riding which I want to avoid at all cost. In that regard I am working with a physio to try and strengthen the shoulder and develop “other” muscles to compensate and keep things in place. Apologies for the long reply, but hopefully there is something in there that helps you with your road ahead. all the best M

I can confirm that 33 is the max tyre width on the Roubaix

I have been waiting for the release of this, but I am not sure if it offers much more usable features over the current 1030plus. I was hoping for a serious upgrade of the screen resolution over the 1030p, as I find that is the biggest shortcoming in the current model. At a glance, I don’t see anything that justifies the expense of an upgrade. What am I missing?

I agree. I don't know if I can go as far as call them a bunch of thieves, but sometimes I do feel like I have been robbed. Like when they don't automaticall increase the savings rates across their accounts on the day the Reserve Bank increases the repo rate. Their credit rate goes up immediatelly though. Like, when I get penalised for aggressive braking. If didn’t brake to that extent, I would hit the car infront. Similarly when driving below the speed limit and a traffic light goes to orange. I slow to stop in time before the light changes to red. Points deducted for aggressive braking WTF!!! Like, they couldn't make Vitality more complicated if they tried. One must question why is this needs to be so complicated. Definitely not in the interest of the consumer

Done. Good luck with the clearing. Please keep us posted.

The fact that this topic keeps coming up is a clear indication that eBikers are not riding in harmony with MTB at their events. I have experienced it first hand.

As a reminder, the following is the basis on which eBikes are invited to ride in Sami 2 C, an MTB event (it is not an eBike event) . Why can’t we just abide and not f… it up for all. "we encourage the following etiquette We encourage ebikers to match their efforts to those of normal bikers around them. Doing this will earn respect from everyone in the group. Riding on Turbo mode and swapping out batteries every 40 kilometres will not win you brownie points or beers at the finish. Ebikers need to keep their position in a group and not constantly move to the front of the group on the climbs, only to be caught on the descents. If ebikers find themselves being caught on descents, they need to stay at the back of the group or stay away on the descents. Not respecting this will result in conflict sooner or later. The most admirable ebikers are the ones who nobody notices in a group. Somehow, they manage to ride harmoniously among normal bikers without drawing attention to themselves. If every ebike rider aspired to this, there would be no animosity betweenclassic bikers and ebikers.

As someone who has recently got an eBike I have to say that, after reading this post, I can fully understand why the non assisted riders are getting pissed off. It seems that the majority of us riding eBikes are self entitled and it is all about me,me,me with very little considering to those not on eBikes. At this point we (eBikers) have been allowed by the organisers to partake in their event under very clear guidelines (posted earlier). But then we arrive and want to take over and completely ignore the rules for our participation. I have experience totally selfish, aggressive and sometimes dangerous riding from eBikers on W2W. It really is not on.

Nah, they will be racing eBikes 😉😂

In the not too distant future, eBiker will have their own events. I would also suggest that soon it will be the non-assited riders wanting to ride the ebike events because ebikes will be in the majority and organisers will change the focus of event to the e-Bikes. And die hard non-assisted riders won't have many events to choose from 😉🙂

I agree that e-bikers blasting past (and in some cases forcing their way through) is at the very least unpleasant for all, if not dangerous. If we e-bikers don't learn some respect for the other riders and decent manners, there are going to be consequences. I recently rode in an event with a mix of e-bikes (I would guess about 20% of the field) and non assisted bikes. Being very conscious of the frustration of having e-bikers blast past on the uphill’s and then hold the more experienced and skill non assisted riders up on the downhills, I started mid pack and then very slowly moved my way up the field to the point where I was comfortably sitting with the pack on the downhills. Once there, I adjusted the e-bikes output to where I was working hard on the ups, going at the same pace as the group I was with. End result was a great blend of e-bike and non-assisted riding along in relative harmony. I believe that we (eBikers) can ride in harmony with non-assisted if we are considerate of others. When there are large numbers riding the same trails one can’t “just ride your bike and stop worrying what everyone else is doing”. That is exactly the reason we are seeing posts like the OP. The attitude of, I am ok, ….. everyone else, is the problem, not the eBike itself.

I agree that e-bikers blasting past (and in some cases forcing their way through) is at the very least unpleasant for all, if not dangerous. If we e-bikers don't learn some respect for the other riders and decent manners, there are going to be consequences. I recently rode in an event with a mix of e-bikes (I would guess about 20% of the field) and non assisted bikes. Being very conscious of the frustration of having e-bikers blast past on the uphill’s and then hold the more experienced and skill non assisted riders up on the downhills, I started mid pack and then very slowly moved my way up the field to the point where I was comfortably sitting with the pack on the downhills. Once there, I adjusted the e-bikes output to where I was working hard on the ups, going at the same pace as the group I was with. End result was a great blend of e-bike and non-assisted riding along in relative harmony. I thoroughly enjoyed the privileged of been able to share the trails with the other riders and hope that we can continue to enjoy these events together

Hi This is quite a widely publisied problem with the Levo's (motor running on independant of cyclist input). From what I understand, they normally just replace the motor under warranty. Not a problem if you still want the bike, but doesn't help you with your situation. I will be interested to hear how Specialized handle this given the circumstance .