Witkop

Dangle, I love it when I meet a guy who takes a gun to a knife fight. keep up the good work..........

Cyclists are the Juju's of the road. Think bikes relationship with road cycling has been a largely one way relationship, with thinkbike giving and the road cycling community taking, all the time. The first meeting (years back)between representatives between Think bike and the road cycling community basically started (and ended) with the cycling representative thinking that it would be great for think bike to marshal the cyclists around all saterday and sunday morning, at their own expense. The idea of cyclists taking responsibility for their own safety and cyclists joining thinkbike or advocating road safety was very quickly dismissed. Not much has changed, and you might have guested that Stranger was the guy from thinkbike that initiated that meeting at a coffee shop outside a woolworths (and paid for the coffee).......... So guys stop attacking the man, he has done more for you than you (and cycling) could ever do for him (and thinkbike or cycling.) Stranger thank you for being the cyclists friend even when they don't realise it.

Okay, on 24hr racing, you get my point, winning a 24hr race is cool, but for most they are there for fun, so if you take yourself too seriously during the event, you will probably be alone. But yes it is cool to race it, to win it, but as a mid fielder with a dodgy team? NA not worth the stress. When you race and OVER ESTIMATE your ability, you should be sucking for air within the first few km. If you still persist with this stupidty, then it is best you stay off the route. THe problem is that people take THEMSELVES too seriously. Hell, there are guys that enter races, come in half way down the field, and still have enough energy (after the race) to fight about who was wrong on the jeep track, and then post their rants on thehubsa for the next week. That is an insult to racing, and these people are not takig racing seriously, but rather taking themselves too seriously. (remember the whole idea in a race is to come first......or for the rest to do the BEST you can POSSIBLY do) There is definitely more fun to be held out in the WILD. This is the fun side of the island, where racing is the Jersey side of the island.

Some suggestions for venue: Sun City/ Pilanesberg. Great hotels, and wild life Groenkloof/Fountains: Easy access if the Gautrain actually works by then, lots of accomodation, great venue, lots of wild life. Oudsthoorn-Herold-Knysna: There is the cave, hel, ostriches, wine farms and a brewery and hops farm in Herold. (also you have the montague pass to George, Wilderness and Knysna) Sabie: Lots of up and down, and no wild life, but lots of trees.

I think I must add on this topic. There are different purposes to cycling: Racing: This is essentially the "first across the line". These events are organised by third parties (essentially for profit). If you entry, then you race, if you enter races "just to ride" then you are stoopid and "a fool and his money are soon parted". "racing": such as Single speed champs, 24 hr races, Argus ext. Here the emphasis is away from "first across the line" and includes things such as teams, mass participation, alcohol and heaven forbid FUN. If you seriously race these then you are stooopid. Touring holidays: Not to confused with race tours. These events are mostly organised either by the participants or some charity, and are mostly under the radar and by "invite" only. The objective is to go on holiday WITHOUT the car (and wife...........). Cycling is both the means of enjoyment and means of transport. Riding: This is often confused with training. The purpose is freedom of expression, and may or may not be done according to some training plan. Essentially more technical and challenging but without the pressure of racing. There is some small amounts of evidence that roadies sometimes "just go out for a ride". But it is mostly done by the renegade mtbker. Commuting: Getting from A to be where A is not where I want/need to be now and B is where I need/ want to be shortly. It is often done with a motorcar, where a bicycle is not available. I think Sean's plea is to get people to realise that racing is not riding, and you can be a cyclist without having to race. It is a small assumption that road cycling developed from the need to race and therefore is more geared for that mentality. Where going off-road was first a "Act of War"( Spanish civil war and Anglo Boer War) and then a hippy deviation, and finally an escape from the road. Therefore to be a complete mtbker you first have to master the skills of the art before you get caught up in racing. FINAL WORD: If you enter a race, you should race. If you are not planning to put it all out on the route, then rather save your money and time by not entering. There is more fun out there in the WILD.

Groenkloof is about R550, so we can deduct that there are more rich people in Jhb

The rule seems to have two parts, the first is about competitive edge. THat being no cameras d

Did my first bike park ride. First reflection is that the bike park does require a few hours to dial into. THe berms are way to big and the flat trails have no berms but only walls. THe grading system is interesting, but the "technical" challenges of the black routes were less than expected. It seems that if there are short uphills, a possible hairpin bend and a drop off then is is black to uber black. Okay some more crazy descriptions is that the MTN bike park is like drinking decaffinated espressos. Lost of whatever but no edge. The comparison between Bike park and Groenkloof is that the Bike park is like downing two tots of grappa, and groenkloof is like drinking a magnum of Pinotage. THe first will be fast and intense and you can walk afterwards, the second takes more time but you know that you going to pay for it. Groenkloof is cycling with rocks in it......

take the front wheel off the bike and slide the bike upside down onto the back seat the of car. Cons: chain lube on the seats. Cons: you may have t take both wheels off if you want to put two or three bikes on the bak seat. Pros: the kids cannot come with......... grabs hat and coat and runs for the door

Fudge you need drugs.

Rocky maintain hammer and on-one inbred both have panier bosses. However the old trek 1000 road bike also have panier bosses. THere also a number of hand made touring bike available from the USA and Europe (UK) which can be sourced at a reasonable prices.

UCI rules forbid them. When Cippo tried to wear a full length body suit, the UCI insisted that he cut them off at 4 finers above the knee, and the socks were only allowed to go up 4 fingers above the shoe, ie just short of the calf muscle. Also answering why Euro pros wear their socks the way they do.

fench fries (slap chips) steak rolls (without the roll) COFFEE the real stuff not instant pancakes with cinnomon sugar chocolate milk (Shake) muffins (chocolate) a shot of brandy bar one and coke (last resort) pizza?! basically anything with protein, carbs, caffiene and chocolate. If that fails anything with alcohol comes a cose second.

yes, and its the steel brother of the scandal

rather go for the on-one inbred. with slot drop outs, then you have the most versatile bike around. IT can take a shock with travel from 100mm to 140mm, it can do a single speed as well as gears.

sorry to say you can only ride it up. It is sort of an unwritten rule in groenkloof that you should ride in an clockwise direction only. There are too many people going the wrong way on many of the jeep track climbs because they don't want to do the rocky decents. as far as I know there are no mtb sign pointing down onion hill, just as there are no hiking signs pointing runners onto the mtb trails and visa versa. However if you want to go down climbs instead of up then the onus is on you to keep out of the climbers way, and in cases where there are two abreast (for what ever reason) you as the decender should always find the bush to land on. THe same goes for using other peoples trails, if you have to cycle on the hiking routes then you have to give way to the hiker, and if you run on the cycling routes then the runner must give way. Finaly, never ever ever ever go the wrong way on the single track. ever.

What do you want to do on a mtbike? If you are going to ride the gravel, then bigger is better, if you want to ride the singel track go for the 19" frame. How old are you? what is your riding experience? Obviously if you are a just for fitness and fun type of guy and cateyes scare you then a 29"er wheeled carbon dual suspension type of bike (10 speed) is your thing. However, if you like risk, taking a fall and pushing the edges then consider a steel or ti frame, with a retro fork (possibly a rigid carbon) single speed play thing. There are many boutique brands available, like coptic, on-one, singular ext. If you sit in the middle then anything will do.

just go to groenkloof. you will find someone who will take you under your wing there.

Ok I have a single speed and am running a 32x16 gear ratio on a 26 inch wheel. on the flats I am running out of gears and on the climbs I have to stand to pedal over the hills. What should I do? a. change to 32 x 14 an push harder on the hills? b. change to 32 x 18 and free wheel on the flats? c. learn to ride with increased cadency on the flats and more power on the hills? d. Buy a 29er 10xspeed dual suspension carbon fibre bike to bolt onto the back of my luury 4x4?

wow a shock for a road bike. Amazing. No wonder they make road frames so light, so that they can get a shock on the bike under 8kgs. Maybe Hincapie (or another American) will use it on the Paris - Roubaix

Doping and anti-dpoing is part of the sport in pro cycling. Just as the cyclists race against each other, behind the scenes there is a competion between the rider (or his doctor) and WADA. If he gets the blood cocktail correct, he rides well against other riders and wins, if he "under dopes" he has a bad day and loses, if he "over dopes" he gest caught and banned. Obviously denial is part of the game, and plausable denial can buy him another day. Armstrong, was a master of both games, riding and doping. He found a way to race hard and a way to dope hard. HE had elaborate strtaegies both during the race and between races. Many of his and brunels tactics were immoral and some even bordered on cheating and illegal. (for instance his use of Baso's moms cancer to get an edge on him, "conceeding' a win to Pantini, and the Simoeni chase down and of course his refusal to support anyone on his team). So his reaction to the accusations of half of his old postal team is only part of his "greater strategy". HE cannot afford people the opportunity to review his "strategy and tactics" employed during his "super human" career. Indeed he has left a legacy of wins, but at what cost?

THe car is going over traffic calming devices (speed bumps), so yes it is cool to try and pass, but for what effect? It is just like the car that races past a bunch of cyclists only to brake at the next stop street. A lot of ego signifying nothing. It is very dangerous to attempt to pass traffic when the vehicle is navagating trafic circles, speed bumps and other "sleeping policemen". Also these devices are put into place because that piece of road has been deemed dangerous, so there is a need for caution and a reduction of speed. So yes the car was selfish, bt only because it as cautious for its own safety. You placed youreslf into a dangerous situation, further amplified by the presence of what looks like a school, which may signify that the driver could turn for parking at any time, flattening you in the process. Next time slow down get well behind the vehicle, and wait for turn to navigate that dangerous piece of road, or you may find yourself becoming a road marking.

depends an what you want to do. For a one bike concept, consider a steel HT. THis may sound funny bt steel has a lot more "forgive" than carbon or alu, so gives a softer ride (no need for the dual then?!) Also consider 29er wheels if you want softer ride. One friend says that a steel 29er does not need any suspension. Also consider a ossulating bb or slot drop outs. You never know when you would like to go single....... THere is also a thing called maintenance, and very few bikes come ith a maintenance plan, so factor that in before buying sponsorware. In the end it is all your choice, remember ride quality means different things to different people.

you left out a number of steel and titanium frames. But then you are still racing......

AAAAAAH, now that is totally different. That little section is a bit of a pest most of the time, and with 10 vehicles lined up, it would be very stupid to ram your way through there.