Andrew_ew

https://www.capeunionmart.co.za/garmin-forerunner-25-small-bundle Perfect for what you need it to do - small, light and does everything you need it to do. Straps are not the longest lasting but can easily be replaced.

Grip shift was a revelation for me. I'll never go back to trigger. I run Sram XO. I find it to be more precise and more intuitive. I find I can pick up or drop a lot of gears very quickly. My XO requires a positive shift and I have never had a problem with shifting inadvertently. Its easy to take the cowling (the bit covering the mechanism) off to get at the internals to clean and lube. I have only had to do this once in two years. The cowling does a good job of keeping the rain and muck out. I also find not having to use my thumb to change means I can keep my grip on the handle bars. It also gives the handlebar a nice uncluttered look.

What would be an interesting statistic is what percentage of road users those number represent. E.g. what percentage of all motorists on the roads over that period were killed. I don't know if that information even exists.

Also been the dual sus route and prefer my hardtail. I'm on a 650b hardtail with a 1 x 10 (34-40). Done a few stage races with it, xco, marathon races and had no problems. BUT You have to get what works for you, what you feel comfortable on and which one you enjoy more. Test ride a few and then make a list of your pro's and con's - not other peoples pro's and con's - yours.

Yip. The foul language is not cool - something we're all guilty of at some point (if we are honest) - but its not cool. Motorists in SA (and other places) will always think saving a few seconds is more important than a human life sadly. Over 14 thousand fatalities this year so far sadly proves this. http://www.fatalmoves.com/#!test-counter/cq8q

Watch the video again - watch especially where he does ride in the middle of the road - there is a reason he does this. In the UK the government advises cyclists to ride in the middle of the road at "pinch points" i.e. where the road narrows and it would be dangerous for cars to pass the cyclist. That's not the reason why the guy is riding in the middle of the road at certain points, - it may be for other points, but there is a far more obvious reason. Hint - look at the specific distance he rides away from the side of the road.

I replaced a white fox fork with a black sid xx. It took my missus about a month to notice it. Keep the colour and style the same and they usually don't notice the change. Another good tactic is to wait until you have a crash and then blame the item you want to replace for the crash. Invent some technical sounding reason. Alternately tell her you almost had a crash. Example: "I came off / almost came off on circuits today. My front wheel picked up a wobble which made it go out / almost go out from under me. The bearing casing / rim braking surface / rim weld is shot and can't be replaced or repaired. I'm going to have to buy a new wheelset I am afraid. It's a safety issue / that's what I get for buying cheap wheels / I should have replaced it months ago but I didn't want to spend the money".

Its the 50% rule. When your missus buys a new pair of shoes, the price she tells you is actually 50% of what the real price was. You return the favour.

I've just had brilliant service from Nic at Omnico. I mangled a strap on my Giro shoe and he's found a used one in good condition which he's sending to my Lbs at no charge to me. Great service.

I use a Nobby Nic upfront for mud occasionally - usually just run a Racing Ralph. The old style Nobby Nic can be a bit dodgy - it holds really, really, well, and then all of sudden with no warning it lets go and washes out. By that I mean there's no gradual sliding or feeling of losing traction - one minute its there, next minute you are sitting on your ass going "wtf"? It does feel a bit like a tractor tyre compared to a Racing Ralph but until it lets go without warning it does grip in the mud really well. I have read that Schwalbe have redesigned the new Nobby Nic to stop this happening.

Washing your legs with Sunlight soap - the old green bar - also works - carbolic soap seems to keep the ticks away. http://generalmerchandisingcompanyofky.com/customer-reviews.html Spraying peaceful sleep over your shoes and legs also helps.

Cycle & Sport, Westville 031 266 7606 031 266 7606 Speak to Sean or Wayne

To answer your question: yes, it is a cycling forum. My point is: why is the inconvenience suffered because of sharing a road with cyclist so much more aggravating to South Africans than any other inconvenience? That is why I compared it to other inconveniences. It truly puzzles me.

The people complaining here about having to take a few minutes extra on their journey because of a cyclist have probably spent more time posting here than they actually spent behind the cyclist. Why stop at ranting about cyclists? What about old age pensioners grocery shopping in peak times, people chatting at the top of escalators in malls, people walking in front of you and dawdling whilst chatting on their cell phones, people who can't be arsed to have their parking tickets ready when leaving a parking lot and have to hunt for them? The list is a long one. The point is life is full of inconveniences for most people, why single out cyclists, there must be more to it than simple delay? Maybe having to be responsible for others safety simply angers SA motorists?

http://www.sidionline.co.za/mtb/sidi-sierra/ R1000. These are seriously good shoes, stiff, no buckle closure but they don't come loose. They are comfortable, a great fit, very lightweight and have stiff soles. Only slight criticism that could be levelled at them is that the lugs are hard and don't grip too well when walking over wet rocks.

I am not sure how big an effect it would be - I don't think it would have made a difference to the top step of the podium - Ariane and Annika were so overwhelmingly superior to their rivals the only difference it could have made was how far behind the rest were. I agree with you there - its a race - the playing field should be level with the same rules for all. It does seem fairer if you are batched according to where you finish the prologue and each subsequent day, irrespective of whether you are a UCI pro or an amateur. The UCI pro's would have a lot of reasons why it should be the way it is no doubt and the race is ultimately built around them. (Paid for by the sponsors and amateurs though.) Would be interesting to hear a response from another woman pro who raced the Epic.

Don't let our local ladies hear you - they are a quick bunch and generally do some of the work - which is more than I can say for a lot of the vets men who love the tactic you mentioned. Funny how you always see people in the sprint whom you haven't seen since the start. Ariane and Annika were 29th overall on the first day. It might not just be about sitting slip but also about being motivated and wanting to keep up - in a race like the Epic (which I have never done) I can only imagine how big a factor the psychological aspect must be.

There usually is a gap between seeded groups. I don't know if there was a time gap between groups at the Epic. The point was not the time difference between start groups being the advantage but the composition of the start group. Elite women in local road races generally have faster times when they race with the licensed vets men (i.e. either the men pull them or they race harder to show the men a thing or two (which they do)!) compared to when they race in a woman's only group. Having faster riders in front of you must be more of an advantage than riders of equal ability around you. In mtb'ing having technically proficient riders in front of you showing you the good lines is also a big advantage.

In road racing, when the elite women race with the Vets men, they usually do much better times than when they race in their own group. It does provide them with a massive advantage and its a fair complaint by Gunn-Rita.

If any restaurant owner is in any doubt has to how much business cyclists bring, go to Oscars in Hillcrest on a nice sunny Saturday morning - from about 8:30 to 11 and try and find a seat. They know to bring big jugs of iced water and glasses to the cyclists and often bring towels for you sit on. The waitresses are mostly young students and do pretty well considering the numbers they have to serve. Food is not bad either - Oscars bun is always a treat. Although we now have our post ride coffee at Bread Ahead just down the road (and pile on the weight ordering the jam donuts and cakes) as Oscars is too crowded with cyclists! Bread ahead also welcomes cyclists and has the chocolate or almond croissant with coffee special to match the Oscar bun.

Its the assumption in this country that motorists have neither culpability nor responsibility towards other vulnerable road users that is the problem. Look at the comments on news24 about the triathletes that were killed in the recent tragic accident. That is the attitude of the average motorist. The numbers are neither assumptions nor blanket statements. They are hard facts which the daily experience of driving on our roads bears out. Yesterday, whilst driving in a 60 km zone - in a suburb - in the space of 500 meters I was passed by two vehicles which must have been doing at least 100kmh and I was almost hit by some woman talking on her cell phone whilst coming out of her driveway. In a drive up to Pietermaritzburg from Durban today I saw three serious accidents. BTW no cyclists were involved in any of them.

Funny how we label roads as "dangerous" when, in most cases, the danger is caused by the majority of motorists who drive like homicidal psychopaths, deliberately flout just about every rule on the road and then go home, sit around the braai, whinge about the crime rate and how corruption is ruining the country and there is no respect for law anymore. Interesting stat - motorists are responsible for about 1000 deaths a month on average. Comparable to the numbers that have been killed by ebola since the outbreak. http://www.jp-sa.org/counter.asp http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/12/us-health-ebola-toll-idUSKBN0M82CM20150312 Cyclists really are not the problem. How about motorists just grow up and accept the responsibility that comes with driving? Driving is a privilege, not a right.

Laps -how many, length, batches, format of race, entry fee, categories etc? Would be of some help

Thanks - time for some skills training then!

Is Nick Floros putting the XC course together for St Ives?