idrive

I got mine with no fuss, a bit late but otherwise okay

Two more riders were hi-jacked behind the R21 Engen 1-Stop this past Saturday (21 Mar?). Fortunately police were at the Engen and one bike was recovered and one arrest made.idrive2009-03-23 23:45:32

Two more riders were hi-jacked behind the R21 Engen 1-Stop this past Saturday. I bike recovered and one arrest made.

Luckily the bikers didn't moer him as well!! Seriously, I wish motorcyclists and quad riders would show a bit more caution out in the fields!!

This is also under the R21 Engen thread ...... The farmer on the piece of ground near the Dunblane Equestrian Estate on Marrister rd has dug trenches across all the dirt roads. This is the area on the way out to Bapsfontein from the Bredell Serengeti area. I've also heard tracks in the area have been booby trapped with spikes buried in the sand. These are evidently the same type of spikes that are usually put on top of walls to stop peaple climbing over. It appears that irresponsible QUAD riders are to blame for this farmer's latest bout of anger.

More news from this trobled region. The farmer on the piece of ground near the Dunblane Equestrian Estate on Marrister rd has dug trenches across all the dirt roads. This is the area on the way out to Bapsfontein from the Bredell Serengeti area. I've also heard tracks in the area have been booby trapped with spikes buried in the sand. These are evidently the same type of spikes that are usually put on top of walls to stop peaple climbing over. It appears that irresponsible QUAD riders are to blame for this farmer's latest bout of anger.

Bottom line: If we are going to win any war against crime, then all crime must be investigated and action taken. Even if it is your domestic stealing a pair of jeans or your neighbour letting off fireworks or a taxi stopping on a yellow line ....... and so the list goes on!!

Maybe I am very stoopid or I miss the point often, but how have A McLean, F Pienaar etc done so much for cycling? If I'm correct, it looks like they used cycling as a tool to make money. Sure it also happens to be a 'hobby' and a passion, which makes it a lot easier to turn the business into a success. Henry Ford didn't build motorcars so people could become more mobile - no sir, it was a business, a very proffitable business. So, hasn't cycling enabled McLean & Pienaar to make a lot of money? But why is there only one monopolies commission?idrive2009-03-06 08:40:13

Surely they realised that even if it wasn't illegal, it was certainly unethical ....

Sadly Cajees wouldn't give me details of the 'new owner' not even after pleading and explaining. The unit (CS200) had been serviced by Polar when I had it, so they had my details logged against the serial number. Then it arrived (btw - beyond repair) and they phoned me because they thought it strange. Bottom line, get your Polar serviced so they can log the details in case it ever goes missing. It also goes to show that stolen bikes, contrary to what we are led to believe, don't end up as 'township transport'. Mine was a decent full susp GT with a very good 120 mm Rockshok Pilot on the front. idrive2009-03-04 00:18:48

I had a bike stolen at Kyalami in Sept 07. A year later the HRM fitted to it was sent to Polar for repair ...... from Cajees in Southgate! That proves that stolen cycling stuff is getting back into the cycling market. How do we know things advertised on The Hub aren't stolen? idrive2009-03-03 15:00:45

I was out riding on my own as usual this afternoon and it seems there are a lot more 'casual labourers' walking around mielie fields. I don't know if its just that I'm more aware of them than I was before. But I think that with all the construction workers it is a lot easier for them to go unnoticed. Do we just assume these peolpe walking along paths are construction workers and are therefore not a threat ......or should we trat everyone as a potential murderer? On Thursday I think I'll keep much closer to the Bredell end of the mielie fields.

There's also people living in them trees round the back of the Engen ..... but I suspect the usual homeless aren't the ones to worry about as they are quite friendly. But the barstids are everywhere posing as the homeless!!!

Benoni side of the R21. Lately I've been doing more Petit/Baps than the north route, mainly because of those roadworks on the Olifants-Baps road.

I used to ride that railway regularly (2-3 times a week) . Usually past the pipeline to the Olifantsfontein turnoff then comeback either round the back of the Engen or on the other side of the railway & cross over at the pipeline then cross the Bapsfontein rd and get back to Edenvale or Finish Line by going past Serengeti etc. I used to do it by myself at all times, but now I havent got the time (and its wet) so my rides are much shorter and closer to home but I was planning a nice long one this weekend. Riding areas are vanishing ..... Siswe Hospital area is a no-go on your own, Greenstone Hill is houses, back of Linbro/Modderfontein is a death zone. In December I rode over 900km and apart from 5 days in Sabie, most was in that sort of Pomona-Oilfantsfontein area.idrive2009-02-23 10:48:48

Having a bike on a roof rack is also the most UNECONOMICAL way of carrying a bike. But why d'ya go to Cajees?

Is there a pattern to attacks. Like are they more common early morning, late afternoon, weekends or thursday etc? idrive2009-02-22 12:33:53

I always thought it was illegal to ride in the 'yellow' lane as that is an emergency lane ............. !

Uh, oh!! I ride on my own 99% of the time and that's my riding area. I follow the railway line almost to Tembisa then coming back behind the 1-stop. I used to use the service road under the tunnel, but with roadworks I stay on the East side of the R21

I don't think you need help ............ you are way beyond it!! Get a life and ride with what you've got. If you weren't such a whining, snivelling snot rag you'd have a friend you could borrow one from .... As a junior 35 years ago I used to ride from Parkhurst to Northern Wheeler Time Trials (Where Northgate is now) then ride home again. I could oinly afford the wheels I had on my steel framed Peugeot.

It's free, but get it yourself.... I think the problem lies with rider's attitudes. Obey rules of the road and why treat every ride as though it's a flat out race. That said, Steve probably got better attention more promptly than he would've had it been a normal race.

So what was he caught for? You can go to a doctor for something as simple as flu he could give you something that isn't allowed? I'm not saying Herman is a saint, but I haven't seen anything official from CSA saying exactly what was wrong.

Glad there's no major injuries. I agree its silly to blame motorists if you don't know what happened. touch of wheels .... that's why I ride on my own - it's much safer. But a group with back-up vehicles and assistance sounds like a damn good idea. PS, Sean, I've still got an appendix if you (or anyone else) want to buy it?

I buy from a shop. I look at the item, touch it and then hand over money and walk out with it. Its mine immediately and if there's a problem I go back and they sort it out. None of this looking at it on a screen, punching in c/card numbers then waiting to see how much extra it'll cost and hoping that after all that, it does work and is exactly what I want. I shop at Finish Whine Cycles!!

I hated it, but I crashed, right in the middle of the huge sewer swamp, my head went under the water and it tasted disgusting. My gels popped in my shorts and I was totally soaked, caked in mud and Energy Dynamic gooyey sludge. I suppose it also didn't help that someone landed on top of me either. Anyway, I rode back to the finish like a good boy and didn't go over the mats or collect a medal despite them thinking I was a top finisher. What a *** race. The organisers should have dried the route a bit before they made us ride it. Even better, seeing as though they land airplanes in rivers in america why not make the airplanes land in the river so we could ride on the runway ...?