Bro Derek

Juin Tec cable/hydro brake calipers are absolute money. I'd say better modulation than low end hydro brakes and a whole lot easier to set up. Reach/pull adjustable too. Set up with some Jagwire compressionless housing and they will perform. As a closed system they also run forever without needing to be bled etc I have tried some cheaper ones which are less effective and not at all adjustable, which are not great, but he Juin Tec calipers impressed me. @RobynE 🚵‍♀️ if that frame is steel, Dave Mercer can braze on some disc brake tabs and bracing which would then mean you could run 650b MTB wheels with pretty chunky tires

Hopefully it hasn't taken 11 years to get the frame to Durban..... 😉

It is still puzzling as to why the small fire wasn't dealt with on Saturday I see a suspect has in fact been arrested in regards to arson, although Clovelly is far from the origin of the fire. (NC got there first)

If anyone was up there riding bikes then they deserve to go to jail. That is just ridiculous. It's really close to us. I watched it burn from mt bed last night. Everything is covered in Ash. Everything smells like fire and Panic. Hopefully they can get it all burning back on itself and hopefully the rain comes

Trails or roads? They have shut down a number of Tar roads which serve as access to and from the deep south. My understanding is that some cyclists used THESE roads. If anyone is currently on the mountain anywhere near Tokai or Wa Pad then they have broken through an active fire line and are riding in smouldering ash

hahahaha I'm not Taun (That's something Taun would say) Nothing I have said would imply I am. If anything it is the opposite (ALSO something Taun would say!) Our only resemblance would be the few ginger pubes and facial hairs that pop out occasionally But, each to their own. I'll leave it with the lawyers and Belinda

While this is true, as you know, it is very difficult to prove 'intent' The money is being offered with certain caveats, so there is definitely a worded offer relating the money to the incident. As TB likes to hand out lawyer letters when he feels attacked or mentioned in poor light, Belinda would then be hamstrung by the agreement. It's a very tough one to take as getting paid back is a win for an individual who has been scammed. The wheels of justice turn for those who have not, but it boils down to the entire thing being driven, which most of those who have fallen afoul of TB's nefarious dealings, have failed to do, or have for a time but lost interest/motivation with the sheer scope and length of the process. It is what he relies on. Momentum losing traction due to the procedural farce

Paid back on behalf of equates to the same thing. She will have been paid back by someone in relation to the specific transaction. Not getting too caught up in the whole who is complicit in what re parents etc funding this guy, but as it stands Belinda is the only one being offered money because she is pushing this. Once she is settled it becomes a personal vendetta and no longer fraud/theft. I won't speculate on the reason WHY anyone would be covering for him as none of us know so it boils down purely to that, speculation, which we should be avoiding. IMHO all the parties who have been wronged and written it off ie have been prepared to let it slide but want to see the wheels of justice turn, should pool some cash, pay Belinda the 8k and then let her tell the in laws to go west and continue leading the fight It eradicates any sort of 'she was paid back so this is personal/harassment' comeback

He is paying Belinda back because she is actively driving the 'new' campaign Most others have written it off and moved on and no longer actively pursue the situation. As soon as Belinda is paid, it is no longer fraud/theft, just a sour business transaction that has since been resolved. It is a targeted payment in the hope that she walks away and all the other victims will have no one actually spearheading the whole thing. The whole thing will lose traction and people will just go back to feeling robbed, wronged and cheated but not doing anything about it because in reality, it is difficult. It is also especially difficult to actually stay motivated when the wheels of justice turn so slowly.

CTCT doesn't really benefit the macro economy It is significant in THIS circle, but in March, Cape Town is already Packed with overseas tourists spending proper money. It may be a small spike, but it isn't as significant as we think

Not sure if he is page 3 quality....

Issuing lawyer letters doesn't make you less of a liar and a thief I am reminded of the Emma Sadleir letters issued when anyone mentioned Kevin Evans in the same sentence as doping. I feel this will end in the same manner. TB will be guilty of lying, thieving, stealing and being a POS just like Kev Ev was found guilty of being a doping liar POS Some stuff may be redacted but the truth will come out eventually

Glad you enjoyed it. That part of the world is always a treat to visit. Road events here certainly do differ from the european versions. We seem to have adopted longer is better and if we can't make it longer, we HAVE to make it harder! Hopefully the thaw happens quickly that side

Set the road blocks up near notorious late spots too. Most of the bad stuff happens the next morning, so set up at 2am and go until 6am The vulnerable road users are out early, so runners, cyclists, sober people getting to work etc early morning, so protect them by policing then, not 10pm till midnight. Or Both if you really want to stamp it out

Bikes and equipment have also evolved. In those days 26er bikes with 1.9 tubed tires, road bike geometry and pretty rubbish suspension was also the norm. Events have to evolve to stay relevant. Most of the evolution happened before IM involvement in an attempt to keep the race attracting top XCO names to generate the return and desire. The improving broadcasting and images would have also likely not have happened without some top names being present. Just because things didn't go down well this year doesn't mean the whole event is terrible. BUT, the price is a ridiculous, so any shortfall will always draw attention and ire as one expects 100% excellence at the sort of prices the entries go for. There is no room for error or sub par delivery at these sorts of premiums without backlash

okes, Lightning doesn't need the 'go get fit' or 'you're doing it wrong' info They are comfortable while riding a bike for fun. The End Let it go. I'm glad you managed to get a dropper that allows the Kulhavy tilt. Keep riding bikes and being kiff

Kulhavy will go down as one of the most decorated MTB riders in modern history.

Jaroslav Kulhavy says point your saddle down as much as you want if it works. It certainly worked for him But then I remember less than brilliant riders back then telling him to have a bike fit too, so 🤷‍♂️

To throw a cat in amongst it, if the race is billed as the toughest in the world, do those who finish at the back and struggle every day truly believe they have trained well enough to confidently tackle the toughest race in the world? If not, then the question needs to be asked, why do it if it's not the toughest in the world as you've not treated it as such but still want to claim the accomplishment, which seems like a whole other series of questions regarding motivation, drive and expectation.... It's a pretty deep thing to go into. I personally don't think many of the field train sufficiently to ride what they claim to have ridden once they ride it OR say it was too tough if they don't successfully ride it.

Is there a bike restriction on the race? The movies all look very gravel bike specific

.......... Hypothetical situation........... Bail set at 25000zar..... New race gets advertised, 25000zar for an entry! Just remember to not attack his character on here..........

Exactly... The most demanding races in the world, the pinnacle of athletic prowess and mental fortitude with no competency measure or minimum criteria other than willing payer. If we look at a simple race like 2 Oceans Ultra - cut off used to be 6hrs, qualifying marathon 4 hrs and 12000 to 15000 people ran. Over the years extensions happened and it now sits at 7:30hrs cut off, 4hrs 45 qualifying marathon 12 to 15000 runners. The funny thing is close to 70% of all finishers finish in the last 20 minutes, historically, no matter the cut off time. While few strive for excellence, the majority will do 'just enough' to finish. When there is no measure for 'just enough' the lines between competent and delusional become feint. Ironman has some serious issues currently as a large portion of it's participants can't swim in the sea, regardless if it's vaguely rough or cold, struggle to ride their tri bikes safely, can't run a marathon and can't ride mountain bikes proficiently to be on the start line of 'The toughest in the world' They need the entries to sustain their global dominance, but the lack of qualifying means a lack of competency which makes planning and making on the day calls almost impossible. How bad IS the worst person? Nobody really knows, so how do they even begin to know where to draw the line with regards safety. More people will die and more swims/stages/races will be cancelled or shortened for very mild condition variances. (I'm not suggesting this was a mild variance, but looking at the bigger picture and where they go)

'School Ties' was a part of the 'My Only Story' series. Deon Wiggett went pretty deep across a number of destinations and situations

The 'leak' from those on the ground is that it may be more than one. I'm alluding to the fact that the official statement may not be forthcoming if that is the case. The longer the statement takes, the more likely it is that the news isn't good. Patience isn't a common virtue in todays social media natterings, but it may be best to sit tight for a while, turn it off and wait for the official news. This was eerily predicted by multiple armchair meteorologist part time cyclists on this website, so the fact that there has been a big whoopsy despite the obvious forwarnings isn't a great look. But in my original post it suggests that as there is no qualifying criteria other than having money to pay, the organisers have absolutely no idea who is making up the field and what sort of conditions the lowest level of competitor is capable of. IronMan had swimming deaths, cycling deaths and medical deaths in conditions not 'very' out of the ordinary. Having a baseline would make managing expectations a lot easier but would likely need a business idea shift across the board, which is likely a discussion for another time

For sure. But an official statement comes with weight and as people have died, there are legal obligations. I'm not excusing anyone or anything, but suggesting that there is a way things get done here in SA and sharing information without first covering ones backside isn't it. If you're unfamiliar with 'My only Story' check it out. The lengths institutions will go to protect their image is disturbing. Pretty sure they are trying to find a suitably immeasurable way to blame the lack of water on something/someone that no one can confirm nor deny etc