Bro Derek

IMHO this is an unnecessary road to even look at going down. As a bog average middle aged 'athlete', just accept the recovery and training cycles. Marginal gains aren't going to really improve you, there are other, zero cost things you can do better/differently that will work better.

I also think the OP forgets that BikeHub is also a small business with people on the back end trying to make an honest living Trying to monetize parts of BikeHub in order for it to continue existing is essential If you are making a living from BikeHub, through a service they provide through quite a lot of hard work, they probably also deserve some remuneration. Keeping this thing going isn't free for them

The info I got from most of the testing was that Width between 28 and 35 were all much of a muchness at 30kph Tire quality/weight and most importantly pressure played a bigger role, as well as the aero issues caused by running too narrow tires on a wide rim and too wide tires on a narrow rim But again, the difference is seconds over 2 hrs Lower pressure equals better grip and comfort, so the real world consensus is that grip and comfort > mere seconds for MOST riding and riders Rigid or heavy tires are junk, so simply going wider but using bad tires is going to have a bigger influence. So, width does play a role, but it's not as significantly better in terms of speed as it is in other areas

So the 'science' and testing recently has shown that bigger isn't slower. I seem to recall a speed comparison between 25 - 28 - 32 and 35 with the 35s being as fast as anything else So the general consensus is to fit the largest tires possible World tour teams have been seen fitting 32s this season often, not just at Roubaix, but at general tarmac races So fit what can fit I ride a set of Vittoria Corsa 32s and they are fantastic. I will be fitting 35s next

Same provider as Lyne components So you know the after sales service will be spot on and you can be sure it hasn't been cobbled together without a huge amount of thought and testing Dayle used to design bikes and suspension platforms for Silverback, so he knows his stuff IMHO it looks like a fantastic buy

So, while I think this is cool, it does also illustrate a bigger issue in the bike industry and it's global marketing networks and examples. How many times must the same guy do the same thing? There is little evolution and it loses it's impact as it has been a recurring thing with different brands on a few occasions. It aligns with the bigger picture in the industry still using very old, traditional importing structures, sales structures, marketing structures etc The 'scene' markets and sells to itself and gatekeeps information and then wonders why races and events are so poorly attended. Bike evolution is hamstrung by outdated rules and market share regulation etc I won't list ALL the examples, but just to suggest that with a bit of imagination, you can draw the parallels Marketing teams need to step up and stop regurgitating the same stuff, despite it being cool

Ja There are more sleek racing bikes without them than light weight frames with them, but it is great how we all find different things pleasing to the eye. After commuting by bike in the UK and Ireland I am 100% behind racks and mud guards/fenders. I also think a bike with a well thought out system looks way sexier than a same same racing bike..... Racing is so boring 🤣

The rack/bottle cage/fender mounts? Those make the bike so versatile. Is it the aesthetics you don't like? I think they look fantastic as well as being practical

hahahahaha

Exactly that, Pidcock riding with the age group warriors is probably more impactful than him racing at the front. I am not at all surprised by the attrition rate. I think I may have touched on it months ago in the thread. Getting dropped by the group and limping home beaten up every day is a very different kind of broken. It's also easier and more tempting to stay with the group and burn all your matches than a MTB race where you simply just get dropped off the bat. Either way, i think it is fascinating how many people actually thought riding a gravel bike flat out for a week was appealing I've definitely never finished the swartberg gf and thought, heck yes, I'd love to do that again tomorrow... and the next day, and the next....

The thing is, who from the gravel scene is actually going to create any sort of stir outside of the gravel scene, who are already following? Big names got people talking, they have done their job I can name Keegan Swensen and I can't even remember who won world champs without really thinking about it. One needs to remember that hype doesn't equal performance. Most top SA influencers and hype merchants are pretty average at the actual doing. Most of the big fish small pond 'Big names' in gravel carry far less weight than not massive names in road cycling that non bike dorks have seen on supersport watching TDF highlights. A non racing Tom Pidcock will create more yapping than a racing Ivar Slik or Peter Stetina who no one outside of the niche has even heard of

The thing is the race was cancelled due it's own poorly designed and poorly executed (I would say illegal) temporary structures. In any major sporting event, temp structures are designed taking into account the worst weather conditions for 100 odd years plus 17-25 percent. Adding branding then changes everything again. This should all be accounted for, otherwise you land up with the same scenario that occurred at Cape Town Stadium in 2012 at the Linkin park concert where 1 person died and 19more were injured due to the scaffolding tower NOT being able to with stand wind forces due to the branding. You would think people would learn. Or not Whoever designed and signed off on those placements, structures and branding application should take a good hard look at themselves. It was poor management, poor execution and a terrible decision. No excuses, the event is to blame and should be accountable

If you remember some of A A Ron's work from back in the day you would know the only correct way to say this is... FACT.

What is cornering speed and luxury FOR in a private use public road car though? My car does all that within the speed limit absolutely fine A car is a tool, it should be viewed as a tool. Preferably one that becomes less and less necessary. Combustion engines are also ridiculous and out dated. up to 2000 moving parts vs about 20 in an EVA More expensive maintenance, more expensive part manufacture, plant use etc. The entire system is old but people cling to it. You can make jokes all you want, but a luxury sports car is probably one of the biggest waste of money ego greed toys someone can buy. The same as people in 4x4s to take the dogs walking and do school runs. People own ridiculous cars with ridiculous engines to drive around town 98% of the time and then whine that Petrol/diesel is too expensive and that there is no space for them on the roads when they ride their bikes. The back end of global economics (especially the US with dollar held GDP for barrel value/trading) means that men (and some women) will always be sold on big cars, big power and a sense of status and chest puff when their vehicle is big and buff and manly

Well there are blurred lines here. An Italian sports car is still unnecessary and only worth something because people are taught to believe that going fast and looking cool are, well, cool Separate it into daily/urban car use and sport. In the former that car can't legally drive fast enough to be appreciated so you're either speeding and endangering the lives of other road users while making a terrible amount of noise or you're peacocking. In the sport aspect, motorsport is an archaic fossil fuel burning waste of resource. In a time where we have little maneuverability in terms of climate change, burning excessive amounts of fossil fuel is 100% unnecessary and should be frowned upon instead of glorified. But, people still love the idea that Marlboro and James dean sold them so they 'love' the growl of a V8 etc... Motorsport should be systematically shut down and boxed in the same vain as gladiator battles to the death have been. Something that was thoroughly enjoyed in the past but in todays climate isn't justifiable. I know I will be called a lot of things for this, but societies that have done their best to reduce the use of combustion single person private cars are far better for it. In many ways, but one overlooked aspect is the social and space usage side. I do agree that a 400k push bike is a waste of money, but I think any 'performance' car is also a waste of money

Exactly That is my argument to your statement. Wars come at the expense of others so a few can benefit. It isn't modern, but many 'civilizations' or cultures that thrived were based on some form of Ubuntu or people being a part of the whole. Most of those failed when 1 or a few people took more than their share or continued to want more than they needed or already had. So owning a bike is cool. I'd suggest we should all own bikes and use them more than we do our cars. But as soon as one wants to own a 400k bike, it is where greed/ego/perceived status etc enter and skew the equation. I hold mankind in very low regard. Don't mistake my acknowledgement of past success for any sort of belief in current humans.

I'd argue that great civilizations are/have been built on people wanting something better for everyone, while many have been destroyed by individuals wanting something better at the cost of others. So yes, wanting better roads, systems, public transport, housing etc is brilliant, but the want (read need) for individuals to have better things than necessary is driven by society telling us that is what we want and it usually comes at the expense of others.

or...... The race is the race and the prize is for racing, not how many KM each gender races. You have heard from someone who actually races (well enters) in the affected racing category and she is all for it. Surprisingly it is just a few men who seem to now want to pick it apart without much ground or evidently, much insight. Some of you talk such nonsense with an astounding amount of certainty It's a change to the format that the organisers feel might benefit the race/coverage/spectators. If it doesn't then at least they tried something. The sky isn't going to fall on anyones head because of change. You're all just making that up and projecting it as fact

There definitely are not more events than ever before 10 to 15 years ago you could race a marathon every weekend, do an Enduro race once a month, there were multiple stage race options... most of these don't exist anymore. The demand supply curve is definitely not in equilibrium as we can see with diminishing numbers at the diminishing race options. The boom is over and things are normalizing. People are also less willing to give up their time these days and the cost of living is excessive. Going away for the weekend is no longer as affordable as it used to be. I agree there is diminishing interest in racing AND organising, but there are definitely not more races than ever before.

So for me, R900 is not expensive, but it is a lot for a 109km bike ride which doesn't mean much to me in. If I had to pay R1200 I simply wouldn't do it, despite that R1200 being my only expense as I would ride to and from the start/finish. So by saying 'you could do it cheaper', yes, but not less than 5000 or 6000 zar, which is at least 5 or 6 times more than I would be willing to spend on riding a bike for the morning The stoke/novelty/specialness of the day simply isn't there to justify the cost outlay, which makes it too expensive to justify, no matter how much you can 'save' by doing it 'cheaper' Cheaper than 20k but more than 6k is still a heck of a lot more expensive than 0k and a 'oh, missed another CTCT, I'll get over it'

'This why this line of thinking is so much fun to pick apart!' - proceeds to go into detail over 2 posts why Jaco is wrong and what CTCT means to him and how he feels/does things So yes and no Perspective, comfort and life decisions are often not something people can understand of their own family, never mind those of people they have never met on a Forum. My point was also a lot about the perceived value of the Argus It isn't as valuable to some as it is to others. Shebeen lives in Cape Town, it has been part of his life his entire life. He paid for his son to enter on a tandem last year so the price doubled from his entry fee to both entry fees. That might be a 100% price hike for him but it is pitiful compared to those who travel for it. I'm 100% sure there are many races up country he would love to do but land up costing too much for a single day of road closure or fun and, well, meh, it's just a short race. Anyway, I stand by what I said. I still find the internet, especially parts of Bikehub and 3 or 4 of it's glorified members quite funny. 'I've done it this way' - 'well you can't' - insert all knowing oracle reasons on all subjects There are 3 or 4 members on here who MUST be the smartest, most all knowing people in the world who are never wrong and must be obeyed 🤣

The cheapest way would be to get an old shimano 9 speed MTB rear derailleur and an 11-36 10 speed cassette Shimano 9 speed MTB RDs have the same cable pull ratio as Shimano 10 speed STis and can comfortable accommodate the gears Neither will be expensive or require much fiddling

The internet sometimes 'I can't afford it/It is expensive for me' People proceed to tell them they are wrong with no knowledge of their financial standing or situation Also, with no real understanding of what the Argus means to that person and how it differs to what it means to them. I do it most years but if I miss it I also don't care. It's not high on my list of important things, but it is a fun day to be a part of. No one should feel belittled or pressured because they feel that one race on the calendar in a faraway city isn't a comfortable trip It happens every year. Some people need to get over themselves. Jaco, feel vindicated in your decision. You have to justify your peace of mind to nobody

Could be anything that causes it, not just the flight. But it definitely looks like crash or impact damage Layup issues and manufacturing faults are seldom so uniform and consistent If you post some full stay pictures and circle where the cracks are it would be easier to see, But ja, my opinion is they are correct. Just the nature of the cracks and the uniformity point to end user error more than manufacturer issues\ Picture someone in the saddle going fast, then lifting the front wheel to go over/through a dip or gutter etc and the back wheel takes the hit as the front wheel gets planted and the rider is seated. That would cause the bow to exceed its elasticity level. That sort of thing