Acre

I've been commuting via Kromme Rhee numerous times the last four months and is indeed hair-raising without a shoulder. Today I was pleasantly surprised to see that they have filled and graded the gravel on the sides and I felt a lot safer to ride this section on my MTB.

As much as I love bicycles and riding them, life circumstances haven't allowed me to ride since March this year and the bike gathers dust unfortunately. The only reason I head over here at the moment is to see how you doing Cois. It's heartbreaking to read through the last few pages and I don't have words to adequately describe my emotions. All I can say is all strength to you and you Mrs during this time and I pray things can improve for you to at least travel to the mountains and be at peace. I won't use the crowd funding method any longer due their fees but I have made a small donation to your investec savings. Sharing your story on here for the last three years has made me more grateful for good health each time I read your updates. You have touched many lives and are a true inspiration.

I see the OP has solved the problem by purchasing a new crank but just to add to this, helicoils are junk in my opinion and a proper threaded insert is a way better option, there is a difference between the two. The most common thread size for most pedals will be an imperial thread form, the size will be 9/16"x 20 threads per inch British Standard Cycle (BSC). This size and thread form is very specific to the bicycle and older motorcycle industries and you will not easily find an insert or a tap off the shelf from any engineering supplier in South Africa let alone for the left hand thread. The Park Tool kit is the best option and definitely a bicycle specific solution for stripped threads in an aluminium crank arm however best used by someone with a hands-on engineering background and the correct equipment, you don't want the new thread tapped skew which would cause the pedal to wobble.

Does anyone perhaps have a Gamin EDGE 500 (working or not) that I could buy and use for spares? I am in need of the rear casing if it's in reasonable condition. My unit is now 11 years old and still works perfectly but the rubber moulded buttons on one side have given up. GaminSA aren't really interested in this old model and don't carry spares understandable. There are options to purchase spares online but thought I'd check here first. (colour - blue preferable)

Just to add to this, the items the OP sourced on ebay are the correct items needed to perform this type of repair. You need a threaded insert and NOT a helicoil, helicoils are terrible things and will not conform to the bicycle specific pedal thread size of 9/16"x 20TPI. It isn't an easy repair if you don't have the correct skills and equipment. The setup needs to be correct so that the new thread created for the insert is perpendicular to the original hole otherwise you'll end up with a wobbly pedal axle when pedalling. Man how I wish I had my own workshop and the time to help people out in situations like this. I could do it through my work but then the cost to the company will be too high and the repair not economically viable.

When I was young and dumb I signed up for a medical aid with them and the smooth talking 'salesmans' sold the idea to me that having a life policy, my retirement annuity and their 'rewards' program linked together with the same company would be beneficial. Time went by I realised that their system completely benefits them and the sheep slave away grow the empire. 5 years later, having reached the shiny hard cubic rock status for two years, I cashed out my 'payback' , moved my RA to another company, cancelled the Life and also the rewards program. Last week I canceled my bank account with them too. All I can say is that a big life lesson was learnt and life is now way less complicated, the best decision I have made since signing up with the puppet masters. I am saving a fortune every month and quite rapidly on my way to financial freedom. Don't let that system complicate your life.

For me, Sabie has always been special and probably the best mountain biking I've been able to experience, it can be very muddy and slippery in the rain but I will always go back for more if I could. I suppose wet, slippery conditions isn't for everyone but I loved every moment of it. It seems entrant numbers are dwindling and I'm surprised there isn't more discussion regarding this year's event. I noticed there isn't even an advert in the events section. From what I've heard, the town is taking strain, it's quite saddening as the Sabie trips remain quite memorable to me. Go and enjoy those mountains, beautiful part of country.

Spot on, I agree. Everything about this race was just perfect in my experience. The marathon on Saturday was a challenge in the heat especially the last 10km but the refreshment station were well stocked. On the Sunday I took part in the fun race for the first time ever to support my girlfriend, the weather was perfect and it was really fun to just chill at the back and see the event from a different perspective. To Advendurance and the locals who made this event possible considering the town protest, well done and keep it up.

https://twitter.com/JacaNews/status/699841597983322112?lang=en Looks like the authorities aren't in too much of a hurry to resolve the problem while the Sabie economy take a serious blow. It'll be so sad if this event is cancelled.

To be honest in all the years I've ridden the Sabie, it has always been a great experience because as far as I know the locals basically run the show and those town folk know how to organise and plan.

Yes quite a steep price increase, R300 for the Marathon and riding the 17km fun race with my s.o. on Sunday and that is R150 but really looking forward to the event.

Is it just me or is anyone else wondering why there's very little info or chat on here regarding the Ashburton Series #2 which is to be held at Sabie the 20-21 Feb 2016? I have entered the marathon and look forward to returning to the mountains of Sabie after too long. After reading about all the issues and complaints at Meerendal, I certainly hope next weekend will run a little smoother for Advendurance.

I been riding at VG since 2009, it will always be my favorite venue to ride. I stay 66km away but I just keep going back....why?....because it's just so so awesome! The terrain is so varied and one can do proper distance without getting bored. I was also new to the place and also got lost on numerous occasions but every moment was great fun, as I rode there more, I simply asked at the trail-head about the different routes or asked riders along the way. The signage will always be a huge problem unfortunately on such a large network of trails. I would suggest using huge natural rocks that can't be moved and placing them at important junctions, they would kind of fit in with scenery. The signage could be painted on them. Perhaps even old concrete railway sleepers could be planted vertically and treated with paint as well. Haha perhaps the regulars who know the place well should form a VG guide group and take turns to host a guided ride at a very relaxed pace so people new to VG can be shown around a bit. I think so many people get lost, get emotional and swear never to visit again which is a real shame. I was there on Sunday too, and was also surprised about the wire across the bridges on Nguni, thanks to the person who placed rocks on the trail before, and on the bridges to serve as a warning otherwise it could've ended badly for some.

Of course I'm not happy with his statement, as I mentioned above it's the same ol' statement copied and pasted from the past and I agree with you that's it's just not good enough. As others have stated above that if we not happy then we simply shouldn't attend these events, I disagree with this, this is a NATIONAL series and the standards should be very high regarding all aspects and I really want to attend as many of these races as I possibly can. By not attending and not voicing concerns, other suckers will simply 'fill the gap' left by those choosing not to attend and they will then experience the same problems and also go away unhappy and so the cycle will continue.

Advendurance have been doing these mass events for long enough so there is no excuse to not have the basic requirements in place and route merging at the end should just not happen, period. I have always supported them since the beginning when they took over the Sabie Classic and introduced the Trailseeker series and to be honest, with exception to one two events, I have always praised the experience. I am one of them that will never complain about the weather, this is beyond anyone's control.