Bianchi

Lack of cadence? I pedaled out one of the descents in the 94.7 at just over 80 in a 53-11. But all you need to do is tuck yourself in and little pedaling is necessary.

Uhm. Eish. So.... how's their puncture resistance?

It's an open seeded group, iirc. It's the group you start and ride with.

With a compact crank you just need to learn to up your cadence, but as a mtb rider you shouldn't have an issue with that. 11-30 is way too big. 11-24/25, not much of a difference if you put it on a 34 small chainring, so you can use either.

This. Seen this in the A/B bunches in the Argus.... heck, even in the 94.7 elite bunch the guy next to me pushed me into one of the camera motorbikes. You get used to it and learn to anticipate other people's stupidity and to avoid them

Official racing categories (Champs, etc) http://www.cyclingsa.com/Downloads/SA%20MTB%20Racing%20Categories%20V5%20(DOC%205).pdf I know they don't always use this for normal races, but I can't find that page now.

Good question. I know you can move up into senior if you want, from 18 or something, but Masters is a bit out there for 17

I have a bit that I've been wearing for four years now. Shirts included. I just throw it in the washing machine on a normal cycle with washing powder and fabric conditioner and it's still as awesome as the day I got it.

When I finished matric I had the opportunity to work as a mechanic (and also salesperson) in a very good bicycle shop. I gained first hand experience in building and servicing bicycles, and doing everything else around the store too. Pay started really crappy but after a while got decent pay, let's say in relation to the quality of my work. Unfortunately with the start of my studies I had to resign the position but up to now I still appreciate what I learnt. It might be, speaking in terms of the Dept of Labour, a low-end job, but it's certainly a job that can push you to high levels, even as a mechanic for teams overseas.

Perhaps you drank too much water? It can also be an indication of you were exerting too much effort for your fitness level. I didn't ride it but I understand it was a rather tough ride. Suggestion? Try doing some intervals.

Lots and lots of beer with a hamburger. Hi-carb supper, bit of protein to wash it down I just usually whack together a lekka pasta dish with whatever I feel like - maybe turn it into a mac and cheese, or pasta with some pumpkin and bacon and white sauce, then bake in the oven. Then on race morning I either have my normal pre-ride breakfast: protein shake or two baked eggs (easy to digest and therefore no heavy stomach).

http://www.racetec.co.za/contact.aspx http://www.racetec.co.za/images/headContact.png Phone: 0861 TIMING (846464) E-mail: queries@racetec.co.za Fax: Sorry, we do not accept faxes. Please email us. Snail: PO Box 783, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa

Building the frames for the larger companies are tbh, mostly cheapish labour. Same deal as assembling cars. Like Johan Bornman said, try worm your way into one of the companies, but you'll want to get into the development department.

It's nice when you can do that. The ease with which you can do it is very much dependent on the tyre and rim combination.... in short, the tighter the fit the easier it seals and inflates, but then its harder to get the tyre on/off when you have to. 2.2 and 2.1.... very little difference, as mentioned above. It's nice on a front wheel for the extra grip though.

You didn't try impersonate Martin Ashton, right? Carbon wheels are really susceptible to damage from hitting bumps, aka potholes and stones. As to a carbon frame.... they shouldn't crack if you don't give them a reason to (weight, crashing, excessive output power ) Exceptions to the above of course are manufacturing defects.

Slicks cost around R200-250 a pop. As for hydration.... what time you looking at? The 94.7 is renowned for being a "hot" race, so take ample fluids. If you plan to stop at water points, cool, else take 2 bottles. A hydration pack would be harsh on the hills. For food, what do you usually eat on long rides? Don't change anything now. As for pace, just follow the bunch. The average pace you do will differ tremendously on different parts of the route....

Name and shame But yeah, how..... eew.

Sympathy belongs to victims. A broken jaw will teach him (it's a very crappy thing to break) +1

The Bianchi (the red one) is an early 2000s model, probably 2000-2001. It looks like it has a Veloce groupset on, but as to price, probably around 4k maybe, I'm taking a rough guess here based on the photo alone.

Glad you're fine. I was in the situation a while ago where I had to go into someone's yard because a friend was inside the house and a guy was trying to get in. Needless to say, in I went, armed with a knife..... Long story short, glad I didn't find the guy.... he ripped off a palisade gate and kicked open the side door with one kick, so my knife would have been rather useless But with adrenaline pumping like that you don't think straight.

But the rest of the world doesn't have the same amount of mad drivers that SA does (or at least the ratio of sane to mad).

Looks awesome!

hallo tannie That's my caption

Wish I had that on my roadbike... over the years it picked up so many nicks and chips from stones it's not even funny anymore.

You should see how many of the SA team (and retirees) cycles hey. I saw it on TV once and was pretty impressed.