Tomik

Hmm, you don't really have to throw away a tubeless tyre if you get a hole that the sealant doesn't seal. You can easily repair it (not on the roadside though, and not on a sidewall which you would throw away anyway) by lightly sanding the area, cleaning with alcohol, drying with a hairdryer and then applying normal tube glue and a patch. This has worked for me on a few occasions. I've only thrown 2 tyres away - one got a U-shaped screw through two parts of it and the other a sidewall cut from a stone during this years Argus. I recommend Schwalbe tyres (Pro One). Hutchinson's are a PITA to get on Argent's. Also the Hutch are narrow - my 25c Endurance tyres measure less than 24mm on 19mm internal Easton rims. Also look at the Panaracer Race tyres. They roll nicely and are a proper 25c. Available at East City Cycles for under a grand. Good luck.

Me too. So glad I found it by chance. Lasts a few rides too so not constantly reapplying and doesn't make chain dirty.

Yeah, quite the backlog. Ordered 26 November. Still in JHB Hub according to TrakPak...thankfully I'm in no rush. Should've paid for the courier...

I wasn't sure how to get this message across to the right people but hopefully social media will do its thing. I took a bad fall in g-spot during day 1 of the BUCO Origin of Trails. Landed up displacing a disc in my neck that needed emergency surgery. I want to thank the people involved in getting me safely down the mountain. I don't remember many names but you'll know who you are. Firstly, to Dr Prinsloo, a mountain biker wearing "The Floating Dutchman" kit, who stopped to help me and guided the paramedics and stretcher bearers and organised the best care for me in hospital. And came to visit each day of my 5 day stay. To you sir, i am eternally grateful. Thanks to the motorbike marshall for protecting me while i was unable to move and the race official who stood by me giving me some respite from the baking sun. Thanks too to the guys that carried me on a stretcher through the bush to the 4x4 ambulance. And lastly to Stillwater Sports for a great event and support. Hopefully I'll be able to do both days next year. Tomi

And Hospital Bend!! I drove past four cyclists - 2 male, 2 female - cruising down the middle of the freeway towards Newlands. Perhaps they got lost on De Waal Drive... I suggest PPA/the City puts up more no-cycling signs in obvious (for us) places. De Waal Drive outbound should have one...especially past the point of no return.

Guys, believe me, it IS for your own safety. Was up there this morning on my bike (the guard said good morning and waved us through) and the slopes do not look safe. The rocks look proper loose and will be worse after some rain. Why can't people just obey the rules and stop abusing those that try to enforce them? We were stopped at the stop-go on the way down and the guy there said they often get shouted at by cyclists to let them go through. Really guys? Just put Strava on pause and enjoy the rest.

Try take a bike on the London Undergound. The Gautrain is the same idea - takes up too much space that people can use. A designated area might work but then dirt (from MTB's mostly) could become a problem. They are unlikely to have a problem with a proper folding bike - these are actually allowed on London's Underground as they don't take up more space that a small suitcase. But I don't know many people who have these in SA.

Action Cycling on corner of Waterkant and Loop - really good honest service in my opinion. Well priced too.

Sorry to hear bud. I used to suffer the same as you. Here are my thoughts: Starting at too high intensity (different from training) leads to lactic acid starting to build up earlier. Tough to start slow as you lose your group, and since it's not possible to warm up before the Argus, I'm not sure how to solve this problem. Drinking: Possibly too much water dilutes the electrolytes in your system. Consider adding some rehydrate to your water. Magnesium: Take with calcium at night for better absorption Bike: you should probably ride a large but other factors will affect this. Spend the money (less than a grand) on a professional fitting (i.e. not a standard bike shop one). Don't know who does this in Gauteng but fellow hubbers will. As above, add intervals to your training rides. It's the only way to condition your muscles for races with their on-off pace. Good luck!

I agree - was a bit chaotic with an old man taking his time to check each number. And only a few entrances made it worse. They should: Have more entrances into the holding area before the start pens Use less fencing (i.e. only use it where needed) Close more roads at the start - too many cars/taxi's/buses around Put lights into the porta-loos!! And have more toilet paper too. re the seeding, you can start after your group without being penalised. You will get the actual time and future seeding will be based on that time.

True. You are entitled to the lane. If there are two lanes, I have no problem riding in the middle of the left lane to avoid car doors, pedestrians, dog walkers etc and to make myself more visible. Cars have more than enough space to overtake safely. Those that try to squeeze past regardless are the ones breaking the law. Of course, in peak hour traffic, a little common sense is needed and I try make space when safe to do so.

Actually inbound to CT, the N1 stops being a highway only at the Marine Drive turn-off. I checked this as I rode into town on Friday. The "end-of-highway" sign is at the Marine Drive turnoff. Appears that what people know for a fact aren't necessarily true. To Sworks, thanks for acknowledging. I won't use such harsh language next time, and will swerve every time I see a cyclist doing something stupid (I don't want to damage my car, after all).

OK guys, I'll accept your view that it's OK to ride on that part of the N1. The point was that he was riding towards oncoming traffic... over and out.

Well, I'm not sure about the N1 only being a highway from Koeberg, but I do know it is illegal riding towards oncoming traffic... Not sure how to attach my map but he was on the Marine Drive off-ramp, which is after the Woodstock one.

Just want to say to you that you are an idiot of the highest order. Last night, at 7pm, while driving to Milnerton, taking the offramp from the N1, I was shocked to see a road cyclist riding TOWARDS me. If I didn't swerve, he would be dead. I have no idea where he was going but saw him jump the kerb soon after, possibly realising his stupidity. If you are reading this, please try obey the rules of the road, Oh, this applies to the guys in TEAM kit (not pros) riding on the N1 into and out of town. This is also illegal and there are alternative routes. Rant over.

As for cable cutters, get one from a hardware store - much cheaper and as good. For cable crimpers, either use an electrical crimper from a hardware store or long-nosed pliers - much cheaper than from any bike shop. To remove the plastic retainer on some cranks (XT), use circlip pliers if you have, or anything that fits in the hole as the thing should not be screwed too tight (tell the bike shops that!!).

I'm also a bit peeved (dropped from C to F, no seeding races, 3:06 in 2013) but on the bright side it looks like a number of strong riders will be in groups C - F (including the licensed ones, not sure how they got there!). If we ALL work reasonably hard, a sub 3 should theoretically still be possible...unless there are bad bottlenecks due to the shorter gaps. Started in C last year - no bottlenecks, although some gravel riding was needed on Smits!

Been using Purple Extreme for a while - lasts quite long, doesn't attract too much dust and don't need to reapply too often, especially on road bike. That Castrol motorbike lube sounds like it would do a good job - will try that when PE runs out...in a few months!

It's called choice. None of our business really.

OK, I took it to Cyclefunatics in Durbanville and the friendly guy said he'd send it back to Specialized what they say if I had proof of purchase. I didn't. Nice of them to offer that though seeing as the saddle was close to 5 years old. Moral of the story: keep your receipts! :-)

Thanks guys. I'll take it in to a Spez store nearby and see what they say. Will report back tomorrow. And don't worry, I won't rant about it if I don't get a new one. On a related topic, I recently got good service from the RockShok agents in CT (don't know who they are) - they replaced the blown main head seals of my dropper post for free even though it was out of warranty. I guess it was a commonly known flaw on that model.

Hey guys. Not sure if this is a 'wear and tear' thing so wanted to get your opinions. My reasonably expensive saddle cracked through on both sides just in front of the rear rail attachment points on a normal road ride - no crash/extra weight. I weigh 73kg's for Pete's sake...This is the first time this has happened and on a fairly expensive saddle too. Do you think the guys at Specialized would stand behind their product and give me a new one? It's about two years old now and i mostly ride on the weekends. Can't attach a pic as it's too big.

Welcome! Everyone will be different. I find gels have too much sugar - makes you kinda reliant on them if you use them from the start. I use a gel in emergencies (i.e. last 30 minutes of Argus) or an hour to go in a longer race. For the rest, good old food is better. Jungle Bars, Protein Bars, droewors and dates. A bottle an hour is likely to make you need to pee...For a 3 hr Argus, I get by with one bottle (if I drink half a bottle before the race), 1 jungle bar, a couple of dates and a GU for the last bit. And 4 beers after!

Then they should be worth it. I have the silver ones - 2005/6 and not a single problem since 2009 when I bought them. Bearings haven't even been replaced yet (by me anyway) and have never needed truing either. I do 5000km a year on dodgy CT roads!

Not sure if this is an option, but I'd seriously consider 2nd hand. You should be able to get a full carbon, full dura-ace bike with nice wheels for R20k if it's two or three years old. Yes, it may not look as flashy (that Scott Foil is damn hot!) but you'll get years of service out of it. And it'll probably be lighter too - frame weight has not decreased that drastically since 2010. I still love my 2nd hand 2006 Koga - only replaced the BB and a few chains in four years of ownership (and lots of riding)