CapSizer

Takes a foreigner to point out just how stupid this is. https://youtu.be/QATHqMt3qIs?si=ELvUdrXN6593YbA2

Thanks, good to know. Maybe OK if the welded area is kept inside the clamp ...

Thanks, I will try everyday! I won't try to get it welded. It failed without being heat-affected from welding, so I can't see it being strong enough after welding. It's not as if you can extra material there to make up for that.

Reviving this thread. Yesterday, I made the disappointing discovery that one of the rails on my B17 saddle had broken. On closer inspection, the other one also turned out to be nearly cracked through. I spent the day mentally composing a nasty letter to Brookes about their quality escape, to use Boeing-speak. Today I sat down and did the actual calculations, fully expecting the result to be failure at pathetically low stress. Well, no. Turns out that it failed pretty much on schedule, given the load (105 kg rider), saddle placement and the estimated number of fatigue cycles. So the lesson is, if you are this sort of size, position the rails slap bang in the middle of the possible range, Don't mess around at the limit. Mine was as far back as it could go. So next question, has anybody found a way of getting replacement rails for a B17 that does not involve an ox wagon from England?

Dunno, never done it on a Sunday, but use the MyCiti app to get an idea of schedules. If you want to make sure of avoiding risky areas (Paarden Island being deserted on Sundays) you may want to get on at Zoarvlei and off again at the Civic Centre. The trunk route carries buses from the T01 and T02 routes, and you can get on either. During less busy periods I think the buses run at 20 minute intervals on each route, and during peak periods much more frequently. The big unknown is how full the bus is likely to be, and this can be a bit random. During peak periods in the week they are packed, but one can generally get on OK after 8 in the morning. I would expect the buses not to be very full early on a Sunday morning, but YMMV.

I use the bus for this purpose. I need to get to Rosebank, so I get off/on at the Woodstock bus stop. However, during peak travel hours it is probably not going to be practical to find a spot on the bus. If your travel times are a bit more flexible, using the bus for the risky part is a viable option.

Marine Drive in Tableview this afternoon, press the beg button at a pedestrian crossing, wait for the green man, one idiot in low rider zeffed up car races across the red, and his buddy behind overtakes at the same time. Two wide over a pedestrian crossing against the red. Not the first time that I've seen this. Traffic cops conspicuous by their absence. I think a two year gaol sentence for attempted murder might be appropriate.

"smelt dead down there" It has been ... unpleasant ... down there for a very long time. Nevertheless, some of us who have personally encountered the muggers are of the opinion that they are not members of the vagrant community. The real problem is the total neglect and decay of the area, thanks to the railways.

Thanks for posting that. Very interesting.

Yes, it got damaged when a bus caught fire there last February. Apparently the refurbishment process is still being tendered. Getting a clean audit trumps delivering a service. The bus still stops there, but you have to get on and off through the front door from the kerb, which is a bit tricky with a bike.

I would say that the core problem is that the area has become derelict and neglected (thanks PRASA). The other problems follow on that. Eventually this area will be properly redeveloped, but it's not going to happen soon.

To be honest, I don't think the legality the most important question, but these images show blue signs, which I understand to mean freeway, motorway or highway. The real question is whether you think sharing a road with high speed (OK, not during peak hours) traffic is an acceptable risk. Also, if there is an accident, what your position is with regards to liability if you are not supposed to be there.

The bike track through Woodstock runs along the MyCity bus route, next to the railway line, It is very isolated and nowhere near cars and other people. The area is really badly neglected (thanks, railways!), which is the main problem. There are some squatters, although I don't think they are responsible for the muggings.

Thanks, somehow the screengrab didn't show up at first, just seen it on Facebook as well. Nasty.

"bike jacking in woodstock" Any more information on this?