Schnavel

Unfortunately, he hasn't stopped... I have been looking for a watch to replace my old Fenix 3 and keep coming across his ads.

On the subject of E-bikes, the winners of the ladies 50+ racing category and the men's 65+ racing category (2nd in VG), were both on E-bikes, despite the rules of the event specifically stating that E-bikes are not allowed in the racing categories. The idiot in VG even took to the podium to receive his prize money, and didn't think he had done anything wrong. The lady at least didn't pitch for her podium presentation, but made the lady in 2nd place wait over two hours for the podium photo. To have this level of entitlement completely boggles my mind. I'm looking for a new E-bike so that I can go and win the Elite race next year and claim the large amount of prize money...

Thanks @Frosty!

Are you sure about this? Last year you had to have both - the faces board was your timing chip and the other was just a number board.

Hats off to Benky on such an incredible ride!

Wasn't Brexit meant to fix all of the UK problems? That's why the vote was won...

Benky finished last night - very impressive riding once again! Still a long way to go for the rest of the riders. The high temperatures are certainly making it challenging!

Benky is absolutely flying! Based on his current daily mileage, it appears that he will be completing the course tomorrow. That will be just over 7 days to cover the 2700km!

Thankfully, my seeding is correct. For the reseeding, it appears the process is running smoothly, based on a few people that I know that have requested reseeding.

Benky has already taken a commanding lead! As you quite rightly said @Dusty, it's a long race! I will be dot watching over the next week!

I see Patty is also still selling watches on FB Marketplace.

Francois is still selling stolen watches on Facebook. I'm looking for a new watch and came across his ad on Facebook marketplace. Suddenly remembered his name sounded familiar and then came here to double check.

AliExpress is certainly legit. As already mentioned, shipping is a problem if you don't use Aramex Global. The other thing to look out for is sellers with few ratings. It's always a bit hit and miss with AliExpress, but generally, the sellers with good ratings can be trusted.

Great to see that they are still providing a 12 speed mechanical option. Anyone willing to venture how much this "affordable" groupset is going to cost?

I wouldn't buy the Vias, regardless of what brakes it uses. While I like a good racey road bike, between this bike and the original venge, it is one of the most uncomfortable bikes I have ever ridden - far too harsh for anything other than perfectly smooth tarmac. It will be a nightmare on our South African roads.

I used to do a lot of road racing pre-covid, but subsequently, have only done a handful (2x 94.7 races included). Since Covid, a lot of people have had to cut back financially, and the first thing to go is recreational costs such as races. The same people are still riding their bikes on the weekend, but not going to races as the cost is just excessive. By the time you add up the entry costs, the fuel to drive to number collection, and to the race, it's much easier and a lot cheaper to go for a ride with your mates on the weekend and go for coffee afterwards. The other factor for me is the racing on platforms such as Zwift - I can have a hard race session in the comfort of my own home, without having to spend any of the excessive fees listed above. I still enjoy a good road race, and I'm happy to keep paying the higher fees for races such as CTCT and 94.7 as they offer full road closure. However, I am now much more selective in my choice. To pay an almost similar fee to race on open roads, in such poor conditions, with angry drivers racing past, just isn't appealing anymore. I believe that is why more and more people are moving away from road cycling and more into gravel and mountain biking - they are deemed to be considerably safer (whether they are or not is a different question for a different day) In addition to this, a lot of the "younger" generation (think late 20's, early 30's), have emigrated - this would be the group with more disposable income available and it is now gone. As many have already mentioned, I'm not certain that road racing, in it's current format (as it has been for the past 3 decades), is sustainable. A lap type race / crit would definitely be more sustainable in that the organisation costs are a lot lower and any sponsor would get more "bang for their buck" as it where. The roads are often away from traffic (crit racing) and would make for a better option. In our current economic situation that we find ourselves post-covid, and with the state of the roads (and I dare say, the country), road events in the current form simply aren't sustainable. But, I would definitely be happy to be wrong...

I notice World Champs wasn't won on a Specialized...

Thanks for the update @Forza Trading. In the end, I imported a strap from Amazon and it's been working well. Will have a look at this option down the road, should I need to replace the strap again.

Bontrager offered a lifetime warranty on these lights - try speak to a dealer, they must just replace the light for you.

Certainly looks interesting, with the main focus being on racing. It will be interesting to see if they get the numbers for some proper races.

Anyone doing it this year? Weather and conditions are looking good!

Never tried it with a watch, but if the 945 is listed, then it is likely that the 955 will also work. I use a run pod with my setup to allow for the communication with Zwift. It actually works surprisingly well - only just set it up and it is definitely helping with this cold and dark weather. Much easier and safer to just jump on the treadmill for a quick workout once my son is asleep at 19:00.

I was presently surprised with my last delivery via the post office. Took a bit of time between the parcel arriving in the country and getting to my local post office, but the tracking information was updated regularly and was accurate. That being said, maybe I just got lucky this time... Pertaining Ali Express, I have never purchased a wheelset before, but I have purchased other items. As already stated, look for a seller with lots of sales and good reviews as there are a lot of scammers out there. Usually, this equates to a good seller and you will normally get the product as advertised. That being said, you may not get what you paid for - it is a risk.

There was another attempt on William Nicole this morning as well - lady saw it happening and managed to get away. This is getting out of hand now.

Also never had any issues with my Garmins. Been riding for over 10 years now, with a 500 and a 520, and never had any issues. Also had my Fenix 3 HR for years now and no issues. Would be happy to upgrade to the 530, but will wait for the 540 to come out and then hopefully pick up a good deal.