Tomik

Put your bike on a friends (or your lbs) proper direct drive trainer and compare the readings on two headunits. Most the new trainers are within 2% accuracy so you'll be able to tell where the problem is.

Bars are personal preference. I see no need for a carbon bar on any of my bikes - road, full sus or GG - but they do have other carbon bits. Had an S-Works bar on my Swift and felt stiffer/harsher than my Ritchey WCS alu bar (which I kept for my Cervelo - sold the s-works bar with the frame). I find the price does not justify it as there are generally no weight savings to be had unless you go really top end. Aero may be a justification for the looks. The best bar is the one that is the most comfortable so look at reach and drop numbers to see what will work for you. I really like the Ritchey WCS Logic Curve - also comes in carbon but is very expensive.

Sure, I'll start. Depends largely on where in Cape Town you'll be. I'm in Sea Point and there are a few rad routes you can do from here - like the big loop around the mountain (50% road) and then an extension along the green belts in Constantia. Can also go up Ou Wa Pad and down the gravel/rock tracks into Tokai (short sections are very rocky, but manageable).Not all of TM National Park is good for gravel though - the town side is a bit rocky (but again, manageable) so I prefer using my MTB for that. The reason I bought mine (and I have a road bike and a 29er full sus) is to go for "out-rides" in Wellington/Paarl, Grabouw, Greyton etc. That to me is proper gravel riding. Then there are more and more races on the calendar (pre-covid) so hopefully that trend continues. I also use my GG for chilled road rides.

I bought the Momsen Comfort Seatpost for my Stigmata and it's really great. It's carbon and ovalised near the top so quite flexy. Not noticeable on the road, but definitely more compliant on the rough stuff. Was only R950 from TWT.

I bought a Sigeyi AXO spider-based power meter for my GG. Directly from the sigeyi shop. Hassle free. Great power meter, similar output to my assioma pedals and consistent with my elite direto trainer.

I bought a power meter from a Chinese supplier a few weeks ago and paid $20 for DHL shipping. Got here 5 working days later. I'd suggest paying a bit extra for DHL if that option is available - not sure what state SAPO is in currently.

You should only really need a 34t up front if you're carrying a load. I just fitted a 40t chainring with a 10-42 cassette on my Stigmata and it's good enough for those long climbs without luggage. I'm reasonably fit. You could also do it step-by-step: get a 38/40t ring first and if still not enough, get a 11-46 sunrace cassette. Or the other way around.

Thanks for all the replies. Definitely not intending to jump fences or even ride on private land, so was hoping there were some public dirt roads. It looks like the karwyderskraal road is an option but then there's a short section on the N2 to get back to Botrivier. Would that route be advisable?

Hey guys. I'm hoping you can help. I'm planning a big gravel-ish loop from Grabouw, via Elgin (Highlands Rd) down to Arabella and then up to Botrivier and back to Grabouw (via van der Stel Pass). I can't seem to find an obvious connection from the Arabella area to Botrivier. Strava routes function appears to take me through Wildekrans (obviously popular as the Wines2Whales goes through there and they have their own trails). My problem is I don't know if those trails are accessible from anywhere but the estate entrance... So, can anyone help me get from Arabella to Botrivier? If there's no option, the R43 is a possibility but how safe is that stretch? Or if anyone has a gpx of a similar 100+km gravel loop in the area, that would be great too. Thanks in advance. Tomi

Got the same issue with the exact same tyre. Had sealant leaking through the join/seam in the sidewall at first. Now it loses air mid ride everytime. I think it needs more sealant and to be laid down on its side overnight so the sealant coats the sidewall too. No problem with the 43c on the front so might even be a faulty tyre.

First thing you need to decide is if you want light climbing wheels, or aero wheels (not usually the lightest) Light climbing wheels can be had for around R5k on the bike hub - something like Easton EA90SLX - weigh about 1400g and very stiff. Tubeless too. American Classic's also cheap but no longer supported (think the company went bust) and it's very hard to get tubeless tyres onto some of their rims. For the biggest performance upgrade for most of SA conditions, I would opt for 40-50mm carbon aero wheels (or Alu equivalents, which will be noticeably heavier, but not as heavy as your PR-2's). These are around R10k used. Could be had for under R10k new from China but that was before the Rand blew out. Still worth looking at decent Chinese brands that offer free postage. Mine are Yoeleo - have put 25000km on them with no problems (even with the 'crappy' Novatec hubs). They cost me R8800 a few years ago, but are above R10k now. It's worth going on the wheel builder on their site (and Farsports, ICAN etc) to see what a decent build will cost. Then add 15% VAT for customs. I'd start looking right here on the hub. Should be many okes upgrading to disc who have spare wheels they need to offload. I know I will in a few months. Good luck.

It may not sound right, but it's true. https://www.norco.com/bikes/2019/mountain/trail/optic-carbon/optic-c1/

I ride a stage max. Recently got stolen so I did some extensive research and settled on a norco optic 2019.found a bargain at 60k from hotspot cycles. Then my Pyga was found... Had mixed feelings about that. Love the pyga but at 60k that norco really did look good! 130mm front, 110 rear, gx 12sp,fox factory suspension. Worth checking out.

I've got a direto. No issues after more than a year. Love the fact that no calibration, spin down etc required. Power readings are accurate still (i have power meter pedals on my bike). It just works.

The only thing I can suggest is to try pedal at a higher cadence. And even though you had a bike fit, your saddle might be too low. Get a second opinion if you can. If that doesn't help, you'll need to get fitter! Enjoy.

Some good news. The bike was sold to a BMXer for R2500. He contacted me to arrange its return. I'm extremely thankful.

My bike was spotted by a hubber in green point near ultra liquor around 5pm today. Please be on the lookout if you're in the area. I think the guy is using it to commute. He was chatting to a guy with a silver fixie.

Stolen: Pyga Stage Max 2015 When: 4 July 2020 Where: Cape Town, Western Cape Was chained to a pole outside Arabian Hairdresser (really needed a haircut!). When I came out, was gone. Get further details about the incident in the Stolen Bikes section

With blue logo. Main road Sea Point

And me... Also, can you guestimate how much was gravel vs. tar?

I had similar happen on a RS Sid. Within a few months, fork was basically scrap. New stanchions cost almost as much as new fork back then. Also had similar from new Manitou that I sent back for warranty replacement. Check if there's any play at all. If there is, bushings are stuffed and the wear will get worse quickly. I'm leaving towards a warranty claim on this one.

If only this was said in the beginning. Would've saved 38 pages of nonsense.

Go get a proper fitting first. I'm 185cm (think 83 inseam) and ride a size 56 Cervelo R3. A 56 Cannondale is too big (too long) for me but the 56 Trek Emonda fits perfectly. (a friend has one). Yes, I'm a bit odd (need a shorter reach as have a long neck). Point is, don't buy on what the internet says about size.Geometry (especially reach and stack) makes a HUGE difference to comfort. re the gravel bike, they're great, but in my opinion (I have a Santa Cruz Stigmata too), does not replace a road bike. Yes, you can get an extra wheelset but that'll cost you minimum R10k for a decent set anyway. They're typically a bit heavier than a road bike and 1x gearing isn't great on the road. It isn't bad, but it isn't great. But if you like riding gravel more than road, get a gravel bike.

About 5km extra (radius-wise). Anyway, don't see how that matters. The point is it's his business, has no impact on anyone else, makes no difference to medical services if he crashes 5km or 10km from his house, no chance of transmitting the virus to anyone else. Yet someone was unhappy. Sad individual indeed.

No. Probably a different person. Has only been riding since level 4, between 6 and 9. Just a bit further from home, like 90% of cyclists.