Eldron

Yeah - I phrased that badly - he was a whistle blower and I have no problem with that (hell I encourage it). What I should have said is that I don't think Landis wouldn't have said a word if there wasn't a stack of cash in it for him. Over 50 people gave evidence in that trial - only 1 (to my knowledge) stood to gain financially from it. Money grabbing, doping, lying, cheating, fraud - Landis has the full spectrum of douchery covered.

This raises another issue in frame sizing - what you want to do with the bike. Two people with exactly the same body measurements might well use different size frames. Usually if you want a racy/fast 100km machine then smaller as Dave above - the problem is that Shorter also means Lower and that wouldn't suit someone looking for a more comfortable Gran Fondo/touring/fun 100km bike (lower Stack equals bigger drop equals lower back angle equals earlier onset of back pain). It is an area that is growing really well in the store - the number of people coming to me BEFORE they buy a bike for measurement and advice is increasing. That is the right way to buy a bike - you can make allowances for the wrong size frame with stems, set back, hood angle etc but getting the right size frame from the start is always better.

He is a smart/sneaky operator - the Floyd Fairness Fund also netted him almost $500,000. Sadly for him he had to pay it back to avoid being prosecuted. Armstrong should have donated then filed his own False Claims suit... Landis 1 - Armstrong 0

The other problem with this discussion is frame sizing. Many people will say "I'm an xxcm frame". This was mostly true when frames had horizontal top tubes. The invention of sloping frame technology made frame sizing impossible by the traditional method (center to top). A 56 Trek Madone and Giant TCR are quite different sizes. Stack and Reach is the my favourite method. Unfortunately you'll have to spend some money to find your ideal Stack and Reach but it seems silly to me to spend a heapload of cash on a new bike that you're going to spend many, many hours on and not ensure you're getting the right frame. Don't get me started on Geometry 🙂

This from a man that thought "I don't think he came out of it with much $$$.".... Fun fact - he also got another $1.65m in lawyers fee - a total of $2.75m. Not much $$$ indeed.... Landis may have been a key witness but he was only one of 11 former team mates involved (as well as many, many others). Google David Walsh and Travis Tygart.

Go and get measured up. Height and inseam alone cannot determine frame size or correct frame geometry (it can if all your dimensions are average but chances are they're not). Average inseam for 1780mm is 870mm - double check your inseam - it is common to undermeasure when you're doing it yourself.

Landis wasn't a whistleblower - he filed a False Claims suit to expose fraud - besides everything was well out in the open when Landis filed his suit. By his own admission he only did it to ensure Armstrong got punished. He also walked away with $1.1m Not a bad post career reward for a doping, thieving liar,

100% - I only mentioned Brabantse because he beat Wout there! Wasn't he near the front at road worlds too? Top 10 if memory serves.

Ahem Brabantse Piil ahem 😉 Plus - Olympic XCO champs gets instant sliced bread status.

Now that I am European I am obviously several decades ahead of you African luddites.....so here is the irrefutable truth: Saddles bags on your saddle (as well as bags in general) are lamer than the Kardashians. Bento bags are only acceptable if your bike has mounts for a bento bag. The only cool bag is this integrated Fara bike option! If you're bike-packing then ALL bags attached to your bike are ubercool.

Having not been in SA for 2 years (thank you covid) I am experiencing this first hand. The difference in gap between cars and me when I ride is terrifying - it was fine when I lived here but daaaaamn it was a horrible reminder of hos us saffers like take pointless risks and gamble with each other's lives. Same with pedestrians walking in the street with their back to traffic, pedestrians in general, following distances of vehicles, overtaking gaps etc. Either I have gotten soft or Africa IS not for sissies!

How many in the last 6 months? He has not been anywhere near this dominant in muddy condition this season.

No question on his tech prowess but there was no mud. Mud needs big brute strength - Piddy is too little for that (on my opinion).

Damn - Tommy P certainly knows how to peak for the big days! It also didn't hurt that the course suited Pro Tour style riders. Even time for the superman. Proper dominance.

I rode a lap yesterday and loved it. Man I miss SBR! Overall road condition is pretty good - some rocks and debri on the hairpin downhill but there was a crew working on it as we passed. I was shocked to see the dam empty! The dam wall looks like it was breached and washed away. The recent rain has left the place looking green and awesome - not too much game visible though. Tough lap - especially when you live in a pan flat city at sea level where the current temp is sub zero 🙂

Do you know where I can find opening times and details for your 2 trails?

I rode BCC last week and it was surprisingly dry... Big Red Barn is on the agenda. It's a pity about ORT and Ekurhuleni MTB Park - little to no info available.

I'm in SA for a few weeks and am keen to ride one of my favourite blasts from the past...does anyone have info on opening times etc? Trailforks has some info but last updated in Aug 2021 - whats the latest? While I'm asking what other good trails are there in the area? I heard about Boksburg stadium but never got the chance to ride there before I left. What else?

Agreed. This was early to mid covid when the pressure was really on suppliers. That could be fixed. What could not was the arrogance and rudeness of my Silverback contact.

For context - this is a European experience not South Africa. The B2B site was offline for 18 months - only way to find stock/price was to email 1 person. Reply time was anywhere from 4 hours to 3 days. I was never given the option of dealing with anyone else. Never available by phone for anything urgent. In fact they didn't even give me a phone number - I had to Google it but they never took a call in 30ish attempts. Website riddled with errors (pricing, geometry, sizing). Spec on actual bike lower than spec on website (to be fair this is forgivable in covid times). Staff knowledge on sizes, spec, bicycles in general was awful. No interest on solving problems (they created the majority of problems). Profitability was random. The new Scarosso gave the dealer a 2% margin compared to the online price - No point in trying to sell bikes at that rate. It is by far the worst experience I've had by any supplier (both in bike industry and in general). This does not in any way reflect on the quality and value of the bikes - I became a dealer for both of those aspects - I only stopped selling Silverback because the stress, frustration and pure WTFery was not worth the money I made.

That word still gives me chills up and down my spine. Silverback is the worst supplier I have ever had by a significant margin (hell - Silverback gave me worse service than all my other suppliers combined). I wouldn't touch the brand again if I was paid in wheelbarrows of gold. Such a pity too - great products at great prices but service that make the SA government looks like a well oiled machine.

Apart from being a proper purist just the hassle of all that extra stuff to worry about puts me off ebikes. A front derailleur is excessive for me never mind battery, charging, wires, cintrols etc. They have their place - just not between my legs :-)

Ebikes are not the future. They might replace a small segment of the "normal" bike market but the development path will be more parallel to the existing market than replacement of it. A great option for getting people of uneven ability to ride together but I cannot see a future where grand tours and classics will be raced on ebikes...

That is pretty extreme - Simon won Danish CX Champs last week. Talk about wins on opposite ends of the sport in short time!

#truth bomb The California version is the perfect delivery/recreational vehicle for my business but daaaman they retain their value!