Me-rider

Yeah when it comes to goal time for races it is race specific. The Magalies Monster took the leaders 3.20 and the same guys do other 70km races in 2.30. In terms of your question as to how much training.... Check out alloutmtb.co.za for some good training articles and do a search on the site. There are some questions about the epic and training times which can help. SwartPiet this is maybe your are of expertise? I am limited by time so normally can only manage about an hour a day, so I make it count and push my heart rate. I have noticed significant benefits from that.

eccentric1, I am with you on emoticons. I am not a fan and I do not use them. Limited use in certain situations is appropriate. (wife, girlfriend or potential girlfriend) Back to the topic (but not really as my post has nothing to do with the service at Teak)... I really hope we can still ride the very steep rocky climb with the bicycle on the post. That was probably my favourite part of teak.

I really like my Dirt Paws. Very versatile and while they not thermal gloves I find them plenty warm. Also helps I paid equivalent of R140 when I bought them off Amazon.com in the USA.

Nice story. Mtbers are pretty friendly people. I hope you learnt your lesson though and ride with a pump and at least 2 spare tubes.... I mean you never know when you may pass a cyclist in need....

Reduce intake of pies? The only way to reduce weight and get money doing it.....

As my name suggests - take the Merida. But that is just my personal view and based on nothing particularly factual. I have that bike, but last years model and I absolutely love it. The truth is that most bikes in the same price range are probably very similar and there is not much in it either way, so it does come down to personal preference. As a beginner if you like your bike you will ride it more. Once you start getting better you will starting learning exactly what you are looking for and can start upgrading. Nuff said. Welcome to the addictive world of MTB.

Two thumbs up among other things...

Craigs List? I was over there working on the east coast for a couple of months. Put my bike on Craigs List at about 8pm, by next day I had about 20 odd replies. Sold in cash the next day for the amount I advertised for. However it was already second hand and I was not asking for a lot, just trying to get some cash in hand for my trip west to vegas and LA.

Watchdog withdraws price-fixing bicycle case Commission withdraws case against 28 bicycle retailers and wholesalers. MICHAEL BLEBY Published: 2011/06/15 06:59:55 AM THE Competition Commission has withdrawn its case against 28 bicycle retailers and wholesalers, ahead of the planned August pretrial hearing that could have bogged it down in legal challenges, the commission said yesterday. "Several respondents raised exceptions," said commission spokesman Oupa Bodibe. "This case was going to be bogged down in legal technical challenges before the merits were heard. When we assessed it, we decided it was better to withdraw than argue all those." The commission hopes to initiate a new complaint this year, but the number of respondents may not be the same, he said . The commission’s announcement a year ago drew much criticism of a heavy-handed approach sweeping up into a probe of all the businesses represented at a September 2008 meeting in Midrand, the purported minutes of which were then posted on an internet cycling chat forum. While the watchdog says it still has a case to prosecute, it is already seeing the effect of recent higher court rulings about the way it formulates the complaints it brings to the Competition Tribunal for adjudication. South African Breweries in April successfully challenged the commission’s case against the brewer, saying it had expanded the original case unlawfully. The tribunal agreed and set aside the case. Retailers and wholesalers yesterday said the withdrawal backed up what they had said all along. "There was no price-fixing," said Andrew McLean, one of the owners of Cycle Lab, a chain of stores in Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg. "We told them that all along. We’re relieved to get it withdrawn, but not surprised. We’re disappointed that it took so long to get this point." Alan Hodson, MD of Cape Town- based Omico , one of the country’s largest wholesalers, said he was also pleased the commission had withdrawn its case. "I don’t believe it will be opened again," he said. The commission’s probe arose out of the record of a 2008 meeting, posted on www.thehubsa.co.za, at which a number of retailers and wholesalers came together to discuss pricing. Mr McLean and Mr Hodson are quoted in the document as calling for unified price increases by all retailers. They and others say the notes are not an accurate record of the meeting and that they did not do anything illegal. Challenges remain in the industry, Mr McLean said yesterday. "There are issues. Like, for instance, nobody manufactures bikes locally and yet the government levies a 20% duty on complete bicycles coming in. That makes bikes 20% more expensive than those you’re buying from America on the internet. The industry, like all industries, has challenges and is having to make changes, but is there price-fixing? Absolutely not." http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=145877

I hate seeing threads like this! It makes me so damn angry.... i hate the fact that we have to cycle in constant fear. I spend half my ride trying to look around corners, into bushes and always give a wide berth of anyone I see on the trail. Hope your friend gets better soon.

So true. In the early days before she learns the benefits of x and y components or geometry the 2 most important things are (in order of importance) 1. Does she look good on bike and does the bike look good 2. Is it comfortable

Surely this can also be achieved by correct body posture and practise on your bike so you know how to man handle it up those tracks?

Agreed. Stretch stretch and stretch some more. Having said that there may be issues with your setup (I am no expert), but the stretcging advice still stands. Being supple also helps you recover from injuries easier.

Thanks. I will probably head out there as fast and flat is my weakness. I try to ride hills as much as I can in training so these type of races are ideal for working on my weakness.

How would this compare to Babba's and Voriberg? Is it also 2 loops of 30kms? Any real climbing to speak of?

I bought my Bike about 13 months ago and opted for pedals to start with because my shoulder was in a sling (another sport). So for a the first week I rode around the grounds of my girlfriends town house with one hand. My sling came off and that Sat I put the SPD pedals on. I then rode around and have been doing it ever since. Learning to clip and unclip is a skill which like any skill you have to practice. I am now able to unclip mid air as the bike goes over my me and I roll into the bushes. I find very few times have I actually stayed clipped in during a fall. I am not a DH and do only XC but I am fairly good on the downhills and actually feel much more confident when clipped in because I know where my feet are and where they are going to stay unless I move them. The worst "unclip" falls happened in first week when I would unclip the right foot as I was coming to stop and then try put the left foot down. (happened more than once, but don't tell my doctor!) My amateur opinion.

That is a very sensible strategy... the best part is that I am sure the guy in front of you is only too eager to prove his manliness that he will carry it. My girlfriend conned me into carrying, washing and servicing her bike all the time... damn I am an idiot!

It definitely depends on your build and type of other training you do. I prefer to carry, my bike across my shoulders and walk up straight. It gives my neck and lower back a bit of a change from the bent over position as well as the fact that I find it more energy efficient for me. I am used to carrying tackle and punching bags so the extra few kilos on my bag does not hurt nearly as much is walking with twisted back pushing my bike at a funny angle. If you a fairly fit runner, whipping your bike onto your shoulders and running some of those steep climbs may have actually improved your times... specially with people walking on the nice line any way.

I would be more than happy to donate money to some or other group that used it to make routes safer by policing them. I am sure 99% of cyclists would. Based on that we could probably raise a decent bit of money to put to good use. Unfortunately there is no practical way of policing some of these routes. The whole allure of MTB is the fact that it is done in secluded areas. This makes it very difficult to fence off or patrol the routes. There has been talk of registering bikes to prevent the re sale, but there will still be unscrupolous people buying and selling stolen bikes. (Think cars, cell phones etc) Any inspirational ideas?

I always suspected as much... whatever that mud contains it is generally not that pleasant to ride through. If you in Northcliff, go up Northcliff hill to the water tower a few times. not offroad but good climbing practise. There are many routes, just keep choosing the road that looks the steepest.

That sucks dude! These kind of things make me so angry. Specially as you really cannot do much to prevent it. I hope everyone was ok though aside from the loss of your bikes? That is one of the biggest reasons I used to freak out when riding with my (now ex) girlfriend. Is there any way to improve the safety of routes?

Some useful reading! Beginners take note of some of these articles. Training smart from day one before you pick up any bad habbits can help you get to be a fairly competitive weekend warrior in just a couple of months*. It also does not require hours and hours of training which is nice considering most of us work to support our cycling addiction. Well written Maryke! * Based on assumption you started with a decent overall fitness.

http://www.markallenonline.com/maoArticles.aspx?AID=2 Might be useful. "Then buy a single speed steed and pedal till you cant anymore, rise and repeat!" Yeah that was always my philosophy (minus the singlespeed), but I cannot maintain that for a marathon distance. But in training I subscribe to the Spartan philosphy: http://zentofitness.com/train-like-a-spartan-13-rules/

I am not surprised, shiny black helmet, flowing cape and electrical switches on your chest is not something you see everyday!

The problem with a big hill is that you sweat up it at 8km/h and then fly down the other side at 30km/h, resulting in being even colder than when you started. But I will take the advice in this thread and HTFU.