D-Mike

Every race remains a "business" and the race will be tailored to suit demand. If the demand is for an easier race then the race organizers would be wise to adjust the race to accommodate people. Remember the organizers want to at least cover their costs and if possible make a decent profit for their efforts. They can't please everyone, and in this case, you.

This is a cycling forum where people chat about cycling stuff and in the case of the hub also non-cycling stuff. In my opinion the OP actually improves cycling awareness to poor cycling behaviour. If you think all he does is moan, then so what? You tell him to not post a cycling related post on a cycling forum? Let the guy say his say, just like you did. If not, why do you even bother posting your opinion?

As a cyclist on the road I believe in this moto: YOU CAN NEVER BE VISIBLE ENOUGH!!! If you don't care about your life or the lives of others, then don't bother.

I do. I have been off the bike for a while due to bronchitis / flu so my butt hurts when I get back in the saddle. Really thankful for my Lycra shorts.

I understand what you are getting at, but the title of your thread essentially says choose between Garmin or Polar. There could be a 1000 reasons why you would choose the one over the other. One of which would be the longevity of the battery and its replacement policy. Thus far I have had no battery issues, but that could change in a year. Will see.

In my experience I have only praise for Garmin Bought a Garmin Forerunner 305 from a guy second hand. Went on a ride 6 weeks later, and unfortunately I did not have it properly secured (my fault) and it fell off. Only realized 2kms later. Went back and found it squashed by a 4x4. I took it Garmin and asked if they could do anything about it. They offered me a new unit for R850. I was super stoked about it. People have different experiences, but thus far Garmin has treated me really well.

I am falling behind a bit. Had an eye operation and bronchitis. Still recovering from both. Will take some catching up once I am back on the bike.

I am really keen to do the DC, but a bit early to commit now. Way too many things that can still happen in the year that could potentially derail the plans. Will just have to wait and see a little bit longer.

Yeah, every now and then the site crashes. For people organising a world class event, that is suppost to be the most televised mountain bike race in the world, the site leaves much to be desired. The fact that one can still not obtain the official completed results of the top guys is very bad.

Yeah I took a week off. Back on the bike again, but going for an eye op next week and then off the bike again.

I fully agree. It is not great that ASG made the mistake in the first place, but how they handled their mistake was great. They owned up to their mistake and they made a happy customer. Sure, they might not have lost out financially due to the mistake, but they found a workable solution with the customer. Isn't that just good business? About the example about being willing to spend lots of money, does not mean you feel you need to spend the money to get your values worth. If I walk into a bike shop and I want to buy a new bike for R50 000. The sales agent says "You know what, we have this same bike of which the paint got nicked in one spot. If you want you can have it for R35 000." Same bike, same components with a little paint damage I will take for R35 000 even though I was willing to spend the R50 000. The saving means you now may have cash for something else you wanted to buy. This might not be good enough for you, but for many others they will gladly accept the saving.

Fair enough, he made a mistake. Yet does he need to be lambasted everytime he makes a poor decision? Will you applaud as quickly when he does score runs?

Nope, the batting wasn't pretty. The bowling, now that's a different story. The bowlers are keeping us alive.

I find that I cannot emulate my race heart rate during training rides. On a long training ride I can get my heart rate average to 160-165 which is a bit over 80% while in a race my average goes up to 172-177 which reaches 90%. Race conditions make a huge difference when adrenalin is in your system. A colleague of mine has done a race in which his average heart rate was 93% over 3 hours.

That may be, but it is still good to know the ins and outs of the bicycle and if you ever find yourself where you can't get to a LBS, then you're better off having done the course, than not.

I suppose you're not happy about his performance in the previous match either. Give the guy a break.

I'm still keen!

+1 I generally feel safer on the MTB. If you need you can go off road and going through one or two pot holes or manholes is not a problem. Plus, I enjoy the bit of extra exercise.

I cycle that route. I stay close to the McD's on Plattekloof. Usually leave in the mornings at between 6h15 and 6h30. I'll probably not be riding this week, but will be riding against next week. Let me know if you want to meet up.

Commuting rides work as great recovery rides after a tough Sunday races.

valid point

I started in U group and was part of the front runners of that group. I got held up by many bunches throughout the race particularly from Simonstown through to Smitswinkel. I did a PB which could have been better. I consider this year as building for next year, when I will have a better seeding with hopefully less traffic. With a race as big as the Argus, you cant keep everyone happy. With 31 000 cyclists things are bound to break down in some places, with every cyclist having different goals. If the Argus does not suit your style, don't race it. Its a priviledge to participate in the Argus. I do however agree with the general comments about the groups for pro's, elites and veteran riders.

Good luck in finding a suitor...

I can imagine if you have been going to the expos for years that you will be bored by it. there is really only so much that can be done. This is my 4th expo and I enjoyed it. Even just for the browsing between the stalls and people being excited about the Argus I think it is great. I have relatively little gear and kit, most of the stuff the entry level items I bought when I started cycling, so slowly (as the budget allows) I am replacing those with better quality items and dreaming and drooling about the items I still want to replace. If you are at a place where you are fairly happy about your setup and kit, then the expo probably does not offer much.

Respect! The temptation is quite big! I need some new kit and the best part is, MY WIFE AGREES :clap: Hope to find something nice (should have had an emoticon with a gleeful face and rubbing of hands.)