Bro Derek

Where is that gif of Jason Momoa opening the camping chair.......

This is also in the classifieds... https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-bikes/877777/reduced-giant-trance-large

From what I have observed, most kids just fit on their bikes. Seatpost barely extended, handlebars well above their hips and they struggle. Yes, they can ride, but they really struggle to maneuver the bike properly. If we put adults on bikes in the same manner it would be mutinous. All for the sake of bigger wheels. My road bike saddle sits 14cm higher than my bars. My trail bike saddle sits 6cm higher than my bars We tend to forget that we invented dropper posts so we could make the frame TT height lower and get the saddle out of the way so riding is easier, then put our kids on bikes where that is impossible. At that age, there is no real performance benefit riding a bigger wheel. The kids will get more benefit riding a bike that fits them the same way our bikes fit us. I guess what I'm saying is buy the 24" and then don't rush to get a 26. Let them fill the bike out, wider bars, dropper post etc I doubt they will be going pro before they are big enough to fit on a 29er, so the smaller wheels will be adequate for a long time if you play it right and don't obsess about bigger wheels being better

Are there substantial benefits to bigger wheels for most of what you are riding? I'd question that, especially for light kids who lack the power and strength needed to properly control bigger wheels. 24" is plenty big enough. As in all bike decisions, the fit and geo of the bike trumps wheel size. Bigger is not always better and I wouldn't be in a rush to get kids on bikes that don't fit properly. I'd argue there is more benefir to staying on the 24", growing enough to fit a dropper post and wider bars and feel what it's like to sit in the bike and get creative with how you ride

This is neither here nor there. The two things are very different. Originally, you asked for support and thoughts on what was happening in Deer Park as you believed it was unsanctioned removal of trees. It turns out it IS sanctioned work and support is not forthcoming by a majority of those here. You don't like the answers/replies you have received as they don't align with yours. That's fine. But changing the narrative and trying to straw man the discussion isn't going to change the basic idea that most people here support the naturalisation of Deer Park in the most part. I think lets leave it there? Unless you wish to turn Deer Park into a botanical garden that is tended to extensively and eco biomes are kept entirely separate. I don't see this being constructive as we already have an award winning one of those in the above mentioned K-bosch gardens a few km away.

Try this... https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-bikes/879470/titan-racing-skyrim-st-sport?return_to=L2NsYXNzaWZpZWRzL2MvYmlrZXM_cGFnZT0y

I'm too lazy to look, what what are the Geometry numbers? Those will outweigh most of the trimmings anyway in terms of initial comfort and how upgradeable the bike actually is

Are Bike Addict still a thing? This Titan Skyrim ST Sport is only 22500zar https://bike-addict.co.za/products/titan-skyrim-st-sport-2024?variant=47993190252841

I believe there is also a currently long running initiative to remove all alien/destructive species on common land, not just National Parks. So yes, I'd argue that it is worthwhile re-creating and extending the lower slopes of Table Mountain as much as possible. I see no reason other than a weird human belief that our comfort and wants - not even needs - are more important than anything else in nature. We have actively destroyed entire eco systems endemic to the cape, trying to re naturalize space, however small, is more important than a touch of shade Devil's advocate away, but alien/invasive species have no business being in a natural green space in a national park

Further on this, clearing alien vegetation in TMNP areas is a BIG part of the ongoing primary function of SANParks and TMNP- which is the maintenance and management of the areas as a natural environment. They are tasked primarily to maintain and enhance the Cape's vegetation/wildlife biome as a national park This extensive clearing has been happening for a long time, not just here but nationally, in order to restore our wild areas back to their original state in order to help our dwindling natural eco-systems endure. Their main task as an entity is to preserve - clearing the alien vegetation is a core function By asking them not to do this, you are essentially asking them not to do their main function

This pangs of the lower tokai outrage of the dog walkers when MTO said they were going to harvest their pine trees and Parks put a whole bunch of awesome regrowth plans in place which were all eventually scrapped because the populace decided it would rather have pine trees because shade! hahahaha In Parks areas, they have been mandated to remove all non local vegetation and trees. This is an ongoing initiative and involves quite substantial logistics and planning Let our mountain be home to what is supposed to be there. Our shade and comfort is not important. We are visitors to the area and creating more space for the creatures who are supposed to live there is first prize.

I'm going to be 'that guy' and say that the green belt walkers are only as uppity as the bike riders who don't slow down, stop or consider the kids/dogs/old people who they are supposed to 'share the trails with' For most bike riders, sharing means they can ride as fast as they feel entitled to and everyone else must get out of the way I see it all the time as I ride there, run there, walk there, take the kids and dogs there Bike riders come zooming past ringing bells and shouting warnings but don't slow down, don't stop and get angry if anything gets in their way. 90% of cyclists on the green belts treat other users like cars treat cyclists - as an inconvenience who need to get out of the way so they can go where and how they want unimpeded. I ride those trails often and have never encountered an uppity/unpleasant walker who is treated as a vulnerable user, given space, distance and thought. Anyway, back to the topic..... Loud hubs are annoying but pale in comparison to the obnoxious loudlyness of Motorbikes, cars, people blaring theur doef doef with open windows and the general entitlement of people. (Also, ignore me. I'm just really over the drunk, littering, inconsiderate masses that have descended on and ruined the deep south over the last month)

Is anyone actually aggrieved or in imminent danger in the picture? Looks to me like 3 groups of road users existing in a space together It may not be 'legal', but if no cars are coming the other way (which you can see for about 3 years before that point) then it's basically just 3 groups of road users each being as illegally congruent as each other It's a non event

I'd rather be alive and cowardly than dead, and if that means putting the bike away for a couple of weeks then i am very much at peace with that

seriously, all jokes aside, find something else to do besides ride road bikes and drive cars at the moment. 'Everyone' is drunk, nobody knows where they are going and everyone is in a hurry. It is carnage and it won't get better until the 5th Nothing anyone says or does will make a difference in the short term. So while it sucks, going out on the road now is a choice to actively put yourself into the warzone You will lose if the wrong stuff happens. Lament all you want, whining about how unfair it is and how it shouldn't be like this etc doesn't take away the fact that right now, the roads are a death trap

So here's the thing. They can't be everywhere all the time. They CAN be somewhere and to be honest, I have been thoroughly impressed by the police presence on the roads, the beach areas and the highways. People getting drunk and driving, speeding and driving recklessly is tragic, but in an affluent area is less prevalent than other places, especially on public holidays, which have massively high incidents of car wrecks, domestic violence, gang killings, taxi violence etc So there is a definite need for large police presence in these areas. Spoiled rich kids behaving like idiots in historically 'less problematic areas' is an anomaly. I also see all the backlash when people ARE arrested for drunk driving in affluent areas - 'Go and catch REAL criminals! Stop picking on us soft targets when there are actual criminals out there doing what they want!' and other straw man arguments which seem to be supported by the 1 braincell community. The police then go and deal with said real criminals and get told to rather deal with drunk drivers in the richest suburb in Cape Town. Unfortunately incidents like this are only really preventable by changing the culture of drinking, changing the narrative around social norms AND making a massive example out of everyone who gets caught. Until that shift happens and people see alcohol as a drug and being drunk as unattractive, these cool kids and incidents like this one specifically will continue to plague us

I'm no legal expert but the case needs to be investigated Blood tests need to be correctly carried out by the correct people in the correct labs, all technical aspects and procedures need to be followed in order for the bloods to be recognized as credible. Officers/detectives etc will track the vehicles where abouts, the time frames leading up to the scene etc If there is to be a conviction, this needs to be done faultlessly and meticulously. Right now there is tragedy and there is fault. For there to be a case there needs to be evidence and proof. Putting that together in an airtight case takes time

A 27 year old man has killed another man with a car If a drunk guy killed another man on the street with a knife, a gun or a big piece of metal it would be a very different story. But it is a car, so it's an accident first that may or may not have been more sinister but.....

Sorry, the 'grey area' I was referring to is the property re-po/sale

I know this is a joke, BUT employees of insurance companies do in fact often buy things from things from the insurers. Guys at two three bird bike insurers buy cheap bike parts from the wrecked bikes and salvageable stuff gets sold in company often. The same for other insurance companies. There is even a history of bank employees buying repossessed houses for dirt cheap from the bank they work for before Auction. It is a grey area, but common practice

Gravity is dead on Bikehub! Long live Gravity!

Thanks, but I'm a dad and owner of 2 businesses who doesn't have time to travel much for races anymore. I've lived a good life so it is definitely not a complaint. I love doing all the kid stuff and seeing the world through young, excited eyes. I'd not trade that for another experience for me right now. In the context of the conversation we were talking about high entry fee costs and whether or not they could be privately insured. FYI, I have actually done Grand Raid and Coast2Coast. A lifetime ago I lived in Sumner Heights and walked home from the finish. I'm still waiting for @Shebeen to point out where my numbers are Bigly inflated as he put it.

Which ones? UTCT 100 miler - R6750 PE IM 2026 - R9250 Epic 2026 - R120 000 local R158000 International Gravel Burn basic entry 2025 - 55k, more expensive options up to 90k I don't see any bigly inflated numbers

Is the cancellation policy stricter now due to the changing clientele and the certainty that someone will definitely be upset/negative publicly should the event go ahead and something happen? Is there a shift in the market or a shift in actual safety concerns? IMHO the cancellation of Sunday was 'soft', but are they simply being overy cautious due to actual fear of injury, is the fear of being publicly reprimanded OR are the people just soft and need coddling to avoid the above? It just seems a lot of events are being canceled in conditions that would have seemed mildly adverse in the past I remember running some Bastille day 50km races in absolutely torrid conditions, windy, sleet, snow on the ground, flooded rivers and paths and torrential rain in well below freezing temperatures. I'm not sure one can insure against entry fees, but it stands to reason there 'could' be a gap there as these things rise in price substantially. 7k to enter a 100 miler, IM PE is over 9k, Epic is 80k each, Gravel Burn 70k.... I have bikes worth less than the last 2 that are insured, so there is definitely scope and outlay worth looking after

The race was born on the promise of a 1 million dollar prize...... Everyone entered and then the bottom fell out wrt. Since then it has found an identity, but the 'money race' is still the thing I remember/see it as