Stray Cat

AH ****!!! How do I find out about this letter? I am flying back to SA on Friday and have 2 passports as well! Dont really feel like fighting with customs regarding passports or paying a 20k fine

*Hijack on Sorry for this, but, my old LBS told me that if you change your chain, then you should consider changing your cassette! Is this right? or is it the other way around? *Hijack off

i also suck at hills, but I started to get better when I started doing some hill training, well, when ever I ride the spruit I just ride my bike from my house and I found two a nice long hills that seem to go on forever, I also tend to turn around when I get to the top of these hills and ride up them again, that seemend to help me alot good luck

Thanks guys, really appreciate the advice Ive been doing some research and I think Ill slowly upgrade smoe parts as I go along. Like some of the posts above suggest the best way to upgrade and get a lighter bike would be to just buy one, but at the moment Im just not in that position and to be truthfully honest I would like to become a better rider before I upgrade to a better lighter bike I definately would like to get some new wheels, but Ill need to do some research on that as I pretty much Know F&@"k all about them For interests sake, what is the best way to learn (so to speak) about the various other components etc and simple bike maintenance, Ive got a book for christmas on bike maintenance -Zen and the art of mountain bike maintenance - it is pretty usefull, but, I am more of a practical guy and sometimes pictures etc dont help me much Are there any courses etc that I could go to etc?

I ride with one of those er 24 sweat safe bracelets, it has all my info on it like blood type, medical aid details, allergies etc. And I ride with garlic to, just incase I come across any vampires

hey dude Your best bet is to go to an optometrist who sells the addidas sunnies and ask them to order them for your, but this is the expensive route and will take time. A mate of mine ordered a new pair of lenses directly from Moscon. You could probably get the contact details from your LBS or your optometrist. If you manage, will you let me know how easy / difficult it was and how much you paid as I am looking for a spare set of lenses cheers

Yeah >I agree with you here, Id love to upgrade my my bike, but at the moment I dont exactly have the funds to buy a new bike at the moment and to be truthfully honest I am loving my bike at the moment. The reasons for the upgrade are not neccessarily to save weight, part of it is to have a little side project and the other reason is to basically learn as much about my "bike" as possible as I am not that clued up when it comes to different components, set ups etc, so in my mind its easier for me to learn by actually researching etc as I go along, plus, like I said, its a good little project that wont kill my bank balance in one go

hey guys So when i get back home, Ive decided to start slowly upgrading my bike. I currently ride a 2010 Merida 96 3000D, it weighs about 13 or Kgs, cant remembe exactly, so Id like to shed a Kilo or two and also upgrade a few of the components to better spec ones So first on my list is tubless and new tyres as they are almost completely worn out But id like to get new handle bars, seat post and a more comfy seat as well as a new set of wheels (but Ill have to save up for that) The question is, 1) With regards to getting a new stem, handle bars, seat post , what should I look out for? Which brands, to go carbon or not to go carbon etc? Im currently not the most knowledgable when it comes to that, although I am trying really hard to get there 2) For wheels, same as above, what should I be looking out for? I would appreciate your comments, soory that its a bit vague, Enjoy the public holiday guys cheers

Still trying to figure out whats wrong with the avatar? Big H.... give me a clue!

ive got an ipod and a blackberry and some cash that could be used to, lets say take the family on a nice holiday etc... will that be enough

Nice letter.... So! Who WAS the LBS you were writting to?

Hey guys Ive been off my bike for about 3 months now as I am currently working in France and of course my fitness has taken a big dive. But I was thinking today what other training methods could one use to maintain or improve fitness? obviously time in the saddle is the best option, but sometimes due to work commitments etc this is not possible and other times a chabge of training method can do wonders So I was wondering, would the addition of the following training methods make a reasonable difference to your riding fitness etc The first two are pretty obvious as most people incorporate these in their training, but what about the others/ 1) Running 2) Spinning 3) Circuit or weight training 4) Cross fit / Kettle bell training 5) Pilates 6) The stepper machine at the gym ( its a bit Ghey, but surely this could help with power and stamina in the legs? ) 7)Swimming I would appreciate your comments and any other suggestions Cheers PS Good luck to all the guys riding the Argus this weekend

chubba, whilst I understand where you are commimg from, my best mate came off his mtb at about 50km/h at Northern Farms last year and the only thing that saved him from something terrible as what as happened to Alister was his helmet. Unfortunately, it appears that Alister has been victim of freak accident and terrible luck Hope he manages to pull through

I would literally give my left ball to ride the spruit this afternoon or just to ride my bike!!!!! Its been 2 and a half months since I have been on my bike and I am now going crazy Oh well only 3 more weeks till Ill be back on my bike again!! Enjoy the ride guys

You can never go wrong with merida, good value for money in my opinion

hey Helga Maybe give Dr Barrow at Suninghill hospital a call. There are three of them,i think(Pops and his 2 sons - talk about a family of over achievers) all of whom are specialist orthopeadic surgeons! Andrew sorted out my wrist last year and his boet helped me with my fractured sternum and a few of my mates have gone to the Barrows to sort out their Knee injuries! They really are a good doctors and a quality bunch of guys, all a bunch of sports fanatics, so maybe give them a go before you fork out the cash to go vist the docs in Cape Town Good luck though, hope you come right

you should maybe look at the CS 300 as you can use the HRM as both a bike computer and you can use it if you go to the gym or for a run If I am not mistaken, if you upload your results onto the discovery website you earn points and can therefore get discounts etc But maybe have a look on the polar website at all the different models available and see which unit suits your needs the best My link

So im working in France and I was thinking of taking advantage of CRC (as I would not have to pay postage costs or any duties) to get a few things for my bike whilst I am here The thing is Im not sure what to get cos im not the most technically minded individual when it comes to bike components etc So i was thinking of maybe getting a garmin edge 500 and maybe a new seat post, stem, handle bars etc to A) Make my bike lighter B) bling it out a little Is there anything else I should consider getting? I have 2010 Merida 96 3000D full sus and I wouldnt mind helping here shed a few kilos Thanks guys

Or you can just use velcro!Workes the best in my mind Just go to a sewing shop and buy some velcro and ask the missus to sew them together... works like magic and is quick and easy to use

i bought a rack from Linden cycles (cant remember what its called) works perfectly and uses four bolts to attach to the wall But to prevent scratches (obvioulsy the rack is metal) I went to Mica and bought a roll sponge strip ( once again I cant remember what its called) that has adhesive on one side and used that to cover the arms where my bike sits. If im not mistaken these strips are used to waterproof doors etc and it comes in a 5 meter roll and cost about 40 bucks and it does the job perfectly

when i used to play rugga at school my prematch game plan involved a voltaren injection and some myprodol and then a few more myprodol then straight into a hot bath.....worked like a charm, however, these days myprodol does nothing to me I was also prescribed Synap forte after I had an operation on my hand, that stuff was strong, Was as high as a kit for a good few days, but it do wonders for the pain though these days my girlfriend just tells me to eat a bag of cement and harden the f"&@ up.... not very effective

well obviously the picture above is a motor bike....big fail from my side , but i cant multitask, surfing the web and watching cricket is stretching my multitasking skils to the max, but im sure you get the idea as to what I am getting at

Dude, if you can get your bike to look like this, you would be a legend

Ag what the hell, if you really want to go all out why not get pink tassles that come out from the side of your handle bars.........that will geteach and every garden executive looking for a new pair of rods

Dont forget a little bell or a horn..... then your bike will be suitably pimped