Witkop

Now my chance to stur....... TZMtb sounds like a guy from Joburg. I think he should change his name to TZRoadie rather. Sorry to say cycling is a "rich boys club" already. When people point out that it is elitist and inaccessible to middle to lower income groups, then TZRoadie and his friends will deny it. Face facts entry fees are already impossibly expensive. Every week there is a new "invention" that reduces rider input, such as carbon frames, dual suspension, 29er wheels ext ext, all more expensive than the next. How anyone can keep up is beyond comprehension. Next point is a comment made by a runner (Jef Galloway I think) who stated that people start running for fitness, then recreation and after a while they race. Finaly running defines them rather than being just an activity. This mental/spiritual development however seems to be lacking in many South Africans. They somehow get caught on the racing stage, which is sad because when they cannot race anymore, often they quit the sport, giving nothing back to future generations. (Simple selfish self love). Lastly, chess is probably the purist form of competition (except for warfare). Anyone how disagrees probably does not know any chess players. Andrew Maclean, who cannot even more the pieces even has said that "cycling is like high speed chess", which is a lie because high speed chess requires more effort (mental) than cycling............

You will need an xs frame or 48cm frame. Very hard to find. Try find 650cc wheeled bike (this may help getting the right sized frame. THere are some "kids" racers in South Africa. campy trumps sram which trumps shimano. However, shimano is cheaper and thus more popular. If you go for shimano tiagra is entry and 105 up is good. Cranks 168mm. Transition to triathlon/ duathlon is easy if you can run and run/swim. The transtion area can be difficult to master. Road cycling is a diferent sport, from a different planet. Try before you buy into it, it can become very addictive and has a zombie cult like following (just watch the response to this statement). Enjoy.

Dangle you hethen. Repeat after me: You not a runner until you have ran comrades. You are not a cyclist until you have cycled Argus. We need to stop all this "timed races" bull and return to riding.

Height: +/-170cm Discipline: Road Bike type: Kona, Kona Cranklength: 170mm Front blade combination: 50/34 Cassette: 11-23 Discipline: Road Bike type: Eddy Merckx Corsa Cranklength: 170mm Front blade combination: 50/34 Cassette: 11-23 (sometimes 25) Discipline: Mtb Bike type: One-one Inbred (slot drop outs) Cranklength: 170mm Front blade combination: 44/32/22 (in winter only 32) Cassette: 11-32 (sometimes 34) (in Winter only 18) Discipline: mtb Bike type: mongoose canaan Cranklength: 175mm Front blade combination: 44/32/22 Cassette: 11-32

In Europe they cycle, in South Africa we race. Different attitude, Different priorities.

cost difference? weight difference? we would all like to drive a rolls royce and sleep with (add desireable person's name here) but we cannot.

priorities, beer and bokwurst is not so cheap anymore....

Thanks Dangle. This is good advice. Dual suspension on entry and mid level bikes are not all they are cracked up to be. Yes, they can be comfy, but you may resent having to carry the extra weight when you start getting good enough to race. (been there, done that, got the tshirt) Also they come with a budget implication resulting in cheaper components where you really need the good stuff and this will cost lots of molla to rectify. 29 or 26 makes no difference in the end. IT IS PERSONAL CHOICE. as I said, make the choice and live with it. One plus point with a hard tale is skill acquisition on technical terrian is definitely faster on a hardtail. Cycling is not just about fitness and endurance but also about technical skill. In fact the fun part is the technical skill bit. So much so that some people eventually return to their roots and have a rigid single speed built up or fun days.

The Europeans are so conservative, they are only now considering tubeless tyres. Give them another few years to decide.

most value for money (29er) as voted by a UK mountain Bike magazine. CompareMTB if I remembers was the.................................... ON-ONE scandal (alu) and the ON-One Inbred (steel) also available in carbon or Titanium. Comment made (parapharsing here): On-one was the first to get the 29er geometry right. The designers at on-one do not agree that you should pay big money for a good frame. go to www.on-one.co.uk you can import directly or there is an agent in Cape Town as well.

1. Okay I will put in the metatags "do not take too seriously" next time. It is still good to know you don't have a house in Camps bay. 2. Fortunately it tends to be middle aged men who are more interested in looking at the bike than at the rider. 3. You are invited, I hope to put a four day cycle from Ceres to Citrusdal and back together (includes at least 3 of Baines' passes). We might have to take tents along for the over night stops. (Hope you have panniers). It will be great to have another cyclist along for the ride. 4. Agreed. After about 50km single speed can become a bit of a grind on the legs, but for the shorter races and rides, it gives a good work out.

It was written as a bit of a joke. The intent was to get people to think a bit broader than the immediate solution. There are many options out there that may work. The best is to determine who you are and buy a bike that reflects who you are (and the degree of your love of Justin Bieber). Often we are given a magic sales pitch (like the carbon dual suspension 29er with 2 x 10 gears) but the arguments get mixed up. Like the bigger wheels are better on the rough bits (so why the rear shock then?) and Carbon is so light and compliant, so as to compensate for the bigger wheels, and you don't really need the granny gear (so we all have legs of Tom Boonen then). Sooner or later it becomes evident that all these things cancel out, or the bike is so comfortable it can be also used for Downhill riding. My dig is at the overkill (especially out of budget) of some of these comfort machines. (there are some that say the 29er wheel is so good that any suspension is actually unnecessary, but these people also say that one gear is all you need). The airforce talks about pilot skill, platform and weapons systems when evaulating combat readiness. These three things need to added up to predict a winner in any encounter. After all the comments about how good 29ers are, the only reason a guy with a 26er hard tail can drop at 29er in a race is because of pilot skill.......... Yes, I also listen to queen, elvis and dire straits and cycle a steel single speed, so that dig was at self. (I have also raced duathlons so have been shunned like a hairlegged spider by other race snakes ). I have been mobbed at 24hr races because of my one gear. (Unfortunately not by teenage girls though). And the guys that are so confident of their abilities with 2 x 10 speed are welcome to join me with 15kgs of kit on a few of Baines and sons passes on my next holiday ride in the Cape. I love my granny. Seriously..... ps steel is real, and most of the time you only need one gear. The rest is because you want it, not need it.

It is simply a matter over over compensation. THe selling point of the 29er is that the wheels go over the bumps better. So why do you need extra suspension if this is true. One of two resons: Some one is lying about the 29er wheels rolling ability OR the rider is so useless that no amount of over-compensation for his lack of riding ability is ever going to help. So the owners of 29er dual suspension (especially carbon) are either being duped by the sales pitch or are such bad mtb cyclists that they should stick to the road rather. Tough choice?

geax saguro lasts forever and are decent all round tyres, not great on anything, but not bad either

there is so much to say. Lets start with material: carbon is plush but expensive and can crack and pop if dropped on rcks. alu is the common material for mountain bikes. Very hard on the body, thus the need for dual suspension. (You only are playing to correct the material shortcoming) Titanium works at least R8000 for the frame only. Steel is the best material but has a weight consideration. However as you are a recreational cyclist this should not be a problem. Try Cotic, on-one, rocky mountain, singular, kona ext (even look for a retro frame). With steel you won't need dual suspension. Next wheel size. a Major debate, but keep in mind a 29er has more momentum but needs more leg power to get going, so as a beginner this will be great for "touring" marathon type riding but could have drawbacks on trail and cross country racing (initially) However, make the choice and never doubt your choice. Dual or hardtail? Dual works for 26inch wheels on a alu frame only. It does not work on a 29er or carbon, steel or titanium frame. Do this and you are ghay (wear white cycling shorts with your USPS shirt) and must move to Camp's bay or Craighall park. (If you Afrikaans then you will send your kids to Waterkloof Hoerskool as well). Gears? Mtb is only 3 x 9 speed. 2 x 10 speed is for your road bike, the occasional pro rider and someone wo has never hear of Thomas Baines. It is a mountain bike for riding over mountains, you will need your granny. Don't leave her to grow old in an old age prison. Even better ask for a 11 x 34 cluster. If you rid in Sabie or any of Baines and sons artworks you will be grateful. If you are more a fringe type person, and still listen to ELvis, Abba and Queen consider a foray into the Single Speed (SS) culture, but be prepared to be shunned like triathlete (especially at marathon races) or worshipped like a Justin Beber (joking) when you ride at 24hr races. (Deore is the minimum but avio has been used as well). Brakes? Discs. I don't think they make v brakes any more. In conclusion: Buy a steel frame (either 29er or 26er) put on 3 x 9 gears (or a ss conversion). Dress it up with a rockshox fork (Tora or better) and ride like you stole it. If you live in Camp's bay and just love what Justin Bieber has done with his hair then buy a carbon 29er dual suspension with 2 x 10 gears, but just remember to pick up those white bibs on the way out.

these fenced in villages and the pubic issues was contested in court and the "village" residents lost the case and hade to take down the fences and booms accross the road. THE ruling is they violated public access to public road and freedom of movement. THis was however about ten years ago before the ANC bigwigs were afraid of their supporters. Now however most of them live in this so called fenced villages.

dodgy, but then all cannondale are dodgy

all very interesting. However, if the road is a declared road and is on a 1:50 000 scale map, published by the government, then access cannot be denied on the road. However many farmers want the best of both worlds. HE wants the government to maintain the access road that run through his farms, but he does not want the public to use these roads, so he locks the gates. However, neighbourng farmers if the hear of this will simply lift the gate and proceed on their way. In most cases (at least in the Karoo) if you just close gates that have been closed behind ou most farmers are glad to let you transverse their land. However, training on their land, using animal paths for single track ext, all which indicate NOT transversing the land on the declared road, is simply trespassing. So before we condemn our swiss guest we should actually determine his intention and route across the farmers land. Maybe he was 100% in is rights and the farmers was 100% wrong and taking a chance.

THis is normal. Water will not destroy an Alu Frame, but a steel frame oh boy. THe solution is to open up the bike after wet rides. Firstly, the little bolt under the BB, take it out to let the water drain. THen LIft the bike and bounce it on the back wheel to get the water out of the chain stays. After that take the seat post out and turn the bike upside down. After that consider to remove the fork and shake the water out of the head set. REgrease the head set and seat post and reassemble. Consider WD -40 spray in the chain stays and other drainage holes. Lube the chain.

Mountain bikers don't litter on the trails they ride. If you litter, you are not embracing the etho's of the ride. It doesn't matter how many f****ing race you win, you are not a mountain biker if you toss your gu wrapper on the trail. Being a Mountain biker is more than just skills or riding fast, It is also an attitude, and beer, beer is important.

dig the saddle bags on the dog. He has to carry his own water.

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/canyon-enter-aero-road-market-for-2011-26183/ one high tech baby

On a Mtb race MTB=2hrs road = broken bike and hospital bills At the first river crossing at Fountains the road bikes front wheel will wash out and buckle, depositing the rider onto the rocks in the river, resulting in lacerations and maybe a broken bone. Please guys stop comparing apples with pears. A mtbike is for off road and a road bike is for on road and a track bike is for the track. To compare each bike against the other is impossible as they were designed for different conditions. But maybe the answer is to do a comprehensive testing of road vs mtb. We start ith a classic like the 94.7 and then take the same bikes and run them at van Gaalens for 24 hours (which will give us some good data to work with, with lap times, different riders ext). Finally we can look at a hybrid race like the crater cruise. From that we will prove that on the road leg strength and riding tactics make a diference, and on mtb routes (especially cross country lap racing,) leg strength and bike handling stills are requires.

which bike? which country? Eddy Merckx = Belgium Bianchi = Italy Planet-X = UK On one = UK Van Nicholas = Holland (but made in Tiawan) we can go on the whole day. The brand determines the geometry. From that you should be able to calculate stem lengths ext from what you are riding now. You can go wrong on both the frame and the stem, as each brand is a little diferent. The best is to research this aspect. (Eddy Merckx fo instance have slacker angles and longer top tubes than other bikes.)

polar catch that is ancient Festina Titanium for the other days other electronic devices......