RobynE 🚵‍♀️

The best helmet is one that fits your head and has the necessary safety ratings. I’ve yet to find a MIPS helmet that actually fits my head properly hence I don’t have one. Virginia Tech ratings are a great starting point. In horse riding one of their top rated helmets is less than $40. Yet the $200+ helmets (which are very popular in SA and sell from anything from R12k to R20k) get zero stars or a maximum of 2. The irony is that those expensive helmets will still sell for 50% of their new price second-hand. Amazing what people will pay for popularity while forgetting why helmets actually exist.

Anyone wanting a cracker of a girls bike, my daughter’s 2022 Titan Racing Calypso 26” is for sale, as I picked up a really nice 650b for her. Not your average 26” kids bike 😈 Purple Weighs 11kg XT cranks (full length) Narrow wide oval chainring SRAM GX 1x10 with XO shifter Rockshox SiD World Cup air fork - has lockout but not currently fitted Avid Elixir hydraulic brakes set up for small hands - incredible but very safe stoppage DT Swiss rims with DT Swiss hubs Maxxis Crossmark tyres with plenty life left in them Grips, pedals and seat will be put back to original or similar A scuff here and there but I can nail varnish or leave. Plus you get all the original parts minus the Tektro brakes (which were *** anyway) if you want them - if you don’t I’m happy to donate the parts to my LBS’ donations bin. Absolutely zero money to spend - gears set, bike is fantastic, totally reliable and huge fun, simply been outgrown. Best suited to a kiddo between 1.20m and 1.40m. Currently dirty so no pics but will have a wash tomorrow then I’ll put it in the Classifieds section. 10k or best offer. NB it’s not “just” a 26”. It’s the modern geometry super light frame, low step over, with really good upgraded parts and was purchased new by me and made better by @RobertWhitehead 😁

The sore butt is probably a combination of things, but the seat cover will force you to not ride due to a bad chafe or abscess, plus a whole lot of your pedalling power is going into that seat cover and not being transferred to the bike. You will probably feel nauseous at the sight of the bib shorts prices but please know it is a serious game changer and you’ll never look back. Make sure you choose one with the right pad for you. Not all pads are created equal and what one person swears by is someone else’s worst nightmare.

Lots of good info here! I will say though - get rid of those gel seat covers. That is chafe/abscess city. Rather get yourselves decent bib shorts.

Revitalising this thread as this bike is now for sale - my kiddo has outgrown it and is moving on to a 650b 😁 I’m looking for in the vicinity of 7k - all original parts except brakes are included in a box. Grips, pedals and saddle will be OEM or similar but rest of spec is as per the first post in this thread. The bike just carted my kiddo over the 25km Ride Joburg MTB and she finished first in her category with zero training on board. Brilliant, reliable, no nonsense bike. Ready to ride. DM me if you’d like to make an offer!

Mine uses Juicy Elixir which don’t stop me on her bike but stop her on a (safe) dime and she loves them! @RobertWhitehead set them up for little hands. Work like a bomb.

Was thinking of this thread yesterday when at Trailerseeker #5 Van Gaalen. 1, 2, 3 and 10th place finishers all on Pygas and having done the Half Marathon and nearly dying a million times I can’t imagine those okes climbed slowly or with difficulty on their Pygas during the Marathon 😂

Did it for the first time last year. There’s not too much flat and there’s a fair bit of non-technical climbing and some epic downhills and it’s a great day out. Take as long as you want!

I’m going to be a bit left field and suggest that you have a look at GT bikes. The user manual says they can take up to 161kg total - this is bike, luggage and rider - as per attached screenshot. What will help you is: - Bike fit to ensure your suspension is set up properly - Tubeless setup on good quality tyres (these will not be the tyres you get with the bike - you will need to upgrade) - A decent 1x12 drivetrain like Shimano M6100 as a base (or full Deore XT) - if the bike comes with 1x11 it’s ok but 1x12 is better for hills - Proper saddle that you find comfortable - Proper bib shorts with padding that works for you Lots of places sell GT, so you can go and have a look. Their frames are really seriously tough. Once you have your bike start off on level surfaces, short rides (even if boring) and work on your fitness from there. Don’t overcook it too soon. Soon you’ll find that a hill you used to take in 1st gear you’re now taking in 3rd. It’s a cool realisation. Happy bike hunting!

Road or mountain? What are your goals? Coffee rides, fitness, technical trails…? Your height? Your budget? Any orthopaedic/other challenges?

My vote is cheap bike for trainer - then you don’t have to worry about taking wheels off etc and I think that’s what most people do. It can literally be any bike on a trainer.

My Thule Hang-On and a rented Thule Euro platform do/did exactly the same thing on 2 of my current cars and on a previous car as well 🫤

Very glad to hear you have a positive outcome for what happened. Terrifying when our kids get hurt whether 4 or 24! My only suggestion is: Don’t try sort this out yourself. Your son still needs his father. If there’s something fundamentally wrong with the bike a high speed test will only end one way. Rather take the bike to a good bike shop and tell them what happened and see what they can find. Could be one of any number of things or nothing at all. I have watched my kid speed-wobble and nearly lose it at speed because she was too heavy on the bars, hit a little bump in the road (very small bump), flew left, ramped a pavement and landed up in a cactus just about sitting on her bars. I myself nearly lost it the other day over two humps I forgot about and was standing up with locked knees. Did a proper superman/aero manoeuvre (unintended) but thankfully didn’t panic so didn’t bail. Would have been very sore doing 40km/h downhill on a dirt track. Point being that things can happen and at 50km/h they happen really, really quickly especially if your skills are yet to be discovered. When your boy is better I strongly recommend an outing to Lion and Safari. Hardly anyone goes there on a bike, the roads and tracks are super, and you can work on skills including speedy descents and take all the time you need without worrying about making space for other riders or dodging cars. Just watch out for the big male giraffe. His name is Stomp and I didn’t ask how he got that name. Hope your boy is back to feeling hundreds in no time at all!

Ja I think your issue is the same as mine in that the knob itself swivels - BUT - I did have the same issue on the X3 which didn’t have a swivel knob, so best to make 💯 sure the new knob will work before driving away. NB on the X3 (with factory fitted BMW gooseneck - no knob swivel possible) it didn’t swivel when empty but swivelled when the bikes were added. This happened with a Thule Euro platform and now that I think about it a Hang-On as well.

PS if someone has a more clever solution or if I’m just being a dufus please let me know, too!

My racks (platform and hanging) swivel on both of my cars with a “4x4 tow bar”. The cars are a Jimny and an XUV700, similar towbars but not the same manufacturer and slightly different design. I use these things in the link and attach to either the sides of the boot lid or to the recovery points under the car. Straps My carriers are Buzz Rack (platform) and hanging (Thule and Holdfast), so it’s not specifically a Holdfast issue in my case. On a previous car (X3) a rented Thule Euro platform did the same thing on a gooseneck but didn’t swivel as much as what I currently experience - but still swivelled. The straps have been absolutely fine and travelled all sorts including a somewhat unplanned 4x4 route one day lol while carrying two bikes on a hanging rack, no issues, no damage to cars or racks.

I’m not sure that tossing a bottle into a competing team’s car would make me despise someone 🫤 I’ve watched so many videos and he seems like a really strong and talented sportsman. I mean I’d understand if someone knew him personally and despised him. To me it’s like saying I don’t like the Springboks because they won the WC, or, “someone else should get a chance”. Not a great analogy after last week LOL, but still. Assuming of course that Pog isn’t doping, but if he is, surely controls need to be better in the sport in general.

New to watching TdF. Why do people not like Pogi? Honest question.

Are you 💯 sure she is a S frame? I find this can vary quite a bit between manufacturers and bike geometry.

Ja we have a set of black ones and they’re super bang for buck

My observation is when Pogi sprints he drives the bike forward where others seem to have a lot of left-right motion. Looks like his power all goes into forward. Just an observation from someone who has never watched the tour before 😂

I think it looks different and pretty cool. Wonder how yellow they’ll stay though? But very cool. I have bright blue Stamps on my Giant and I love them.

In our home we have various including Camelbak, Decathlon, Deuter - and the favourite is the cheapie Inoxto bag similar to the one in this link. Actually exactly the same bag just a different name on the front. We use them with Decathlon and K Way bladders. Super lightweight, plenty of accessible storage, easy to wash and has stood up to sealant, red sand, etc. Running vest

I am no roadie but found myself reading an article about road bikes the other day and it is said that Decathlon offers excellent bang for buck (particularly their Van Rysel range) and shouldn’t be overlooked. As said I know less than nothing about road bikes but I see they have offerings with 105, Ultegra and Apex, rim brakes and disc brakes, and the prices seem pretty decent.

Novatec works just fine for us