Alliesmeister

Hi all, about a month ago I finally bought the bike I was asking you guys about at the end of last year. So I thought I'd share an update and say thanks again for all of the advice! I ended up buying the Titan Valerian Comp Alloy - there was nothing remotely comparable for a Shimano 105 alloy roadbike at this price point. And I'm enjoying the upgrade on so many levels. I decided the additional price for a carbon frame equivalent bike wasn't worth it for my use case and not regretting it at all. Frame size is a much better fit for me with the bike feeling a lot more agile and more comfortable riding on the hoods for long periods. Also feels like the effort I put into the pedals translates much more efficiently to the wheels (I think better frame size, geometry and shorter wheel base all help with this). Shimano 105 - smoother shifting than I was used to. 52/36 chainring (exchanged for the default 50/34) - helps so much on the flats, not spinning out anymore. 11/34 - easier gears allows consistent cadence up climbs instead of grinding. 28mm tires (I tried replacing the standard 25mm with 30mm but they were dangerously close to the frame at the rear so the 28mm official clearance makes sense). See you at the CTCT next week 😉

🤷🏼‍♂️ Browser is being funny and not allowing me to clear my message or emoji at the start... 😅

I couldn't have put it better myself i.t.o. why it's on a Saturday and not a Sunday (without having any inside knowledge whatsoever other than being born & bred in Durbanville 😊). See also the Durbie Dash held annually in October, that also continues to be held on Saturdays. I also prefer Saturday races because it leaves the rest of the weekend for recovery/relaxing but that's just personal preference. Where I do agree with @Paul Ruinaard, is w.r.t. the dangers of cars and riders mixing in the one lane meant to be open to traffic. At every road race where I see this happening (not unique to the 99er) I wonder how one could address this. I think this is primarily a rider behaviour problem and not race organisation (perhaps it's the race equivalent of running any and all red lights regardless of safety/respecting other road users? But that might be a controversial opinion... 😄) That being said, could more emphasis be placed on repeatedly communicating to riders (eg. ahead of the race and on race day) that they are never to use the oncoming lane? Or perhaps even going to the extreme of threatening DQs where this isn't adhered to? (very difficult to marshal/enforce but if the threat itself discourages some from doing it that would already be an improvement). You would think this is common sense from a self-preservation perspective yet some people are clearly willing to take much larger risks with safety... Yesterday I saw an example of multiple riders in the left-hand lane shaking their heads and saying/asking "do you want to be hit by a car?" when a large group caught up to us and rode into the oncoming lane for an extended period with cars passing them in the yellow lane, before they merged onto our side of the road and caused 3 bikes to go down.

Waves filter is now active on the FinishTime website.

Normally there is a wave filter as well, but sometimes that only becomes available a while after all the rest of the results and filters.

Perfect weather as you guys said. Thanks for the effort in putting on a great event to all involved! Had an enjoyable race myself. Group H was going well until +-34km's in when the leading riders of J & K caught up to us (I think). Many of them went wide into the oncoming lane on a descent / rolling hills with cars having to drive in the yellow lane to avoid them. And as they then tried to merge into the already very full left lane, 3 riders who were already on the left got squeezed and went down a couple of bikes ahead of me. I fortunately managed to brake in time but there was a couple of nasty falls with 1 or 2 bikes that went over the first guy who fell. It all felt very avoidable if people had just applied more caution in overtaking/merging with an already large bunch. This is Group H/J/K after all... I really hope those who crashed are alright. It looked like it was mainly the guy who went down 1st that struggled to get up. Needless to say I lost the bunch at that point, but I was a bit disappointed at how few of the riders stopped to check on those who went down. There was a couple of us and then some cars behind us who also stopped.

Amazing! Thanks Nic. Looking forward to that pristine piece of tar near the end 😁

Interesting. Looks like your 45 mins earlier target finish time means more of a back wind on Old Malmesbury & Adderley whereas for mine it becomes more of a crosswind (especially on Adderley). Still low wind speed though.

Weather forecast looks promising 34 hours out with not a lot of wind expected:

I received a 99er email at 16:30 this afternoon. Perhaps they are sending it out in batches if yours hasn't arrived yet.

Updated PPA road seeding is out for the event.

Ah, okay. I must have been too tired to notice him! 😅

I didn't see any photographers. I assume if there was, they would have been at the top of Bothmaskloofpas or at the finish line.

Thanks!

First time I'm riding the Winelands - is there parking on the Primary School's grounds or where's the best place to park / approach the venue from? CC: @Winelands Cycle Race

I see the seeding emails have been sent out. Weather forecast 60 hours out looks promising with not a lot of wind forecast...

Thanks for the replies & advice everyone. I truly appreciate it. It's going to be a little while until I pull the trigger but I'll definitely post here when I do take the plunge!

https://www.facebook.com/100045542240777/posts/1485324316328962/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v

@Titan Racing Bikes - can you please confirm if the Titan Valerian Comp Alloy & Carbon both come with hydraulic disc brakes (Shimano 105)? Also, am I right that the weight difference between the two frames is +-0.8kg? The official website has it listed as 9.9kg for the alloy but no weight listed for the carbon (a different website had the carbon listed as 9.1kg). Thanks for the replies @Mike Dewing & @NC_lurker

I tried to figure out whether the disc brakes are mechanical or hydraulic and I came to the conclusion that they must be hydraulic on both frames since I haven't been able to find any reference on the internet of Shimano 105 mechanical disc brakes existing for the latest 12 speed 105 revision (R7100). And the spec sheets clearly list the brakes as being Shimano 105 (unlike some prior year models that had Tektro brakes for example).

Hi all I have only ever had the same road bike (a 2008/09 Raleigh RC3000) and I am finally at the point of replacing it. I would like to get your advice on the frame please. Current bike specs: Shimano Tiagra 50/34t chainring 12/23t 8 speed cassette New bike specs I am considering: Shimano 105 52/36t chainring 11/34t 12 speed cassette 28mm tires. As I intend to keep the bike for many years (10+) my preference is to buy new. My typical riding is doing the CTCT and a couple of other +-100km road races a year, with long rides on weekends and 1-2 rides during the week (split between my MTB & road bike). Time/ambition-wise I'm not going to bother those aiming to do a sub3 CTCT (my next aim is to break 3h30m) so I have no great focus on weight saving or aerodynamics (nor the budget for it). I don't weigh a lot so I typically climb easier than the average person and I lose out on descents (or flats). The 52/11 gear ratio instead of 50/12 will allow me to up my max speed on flats by +-15%, whilst the jump from a 23 tooth to 34 tooth cassette will allow me not to grind nearly as heavily on climbs and maintain a more comfortable cadence with gears to spare. So with gear ratios alone I will be experiencing a big improvement in my ride enjoyment. (Currently I dread riding my road bike when I am unfit and only transition onto it once I have built some fitness on my MTB). Based on the above and my budget I have narrowed my choice down to the Titan Valerian Comp as it has Shimano 105 12 speed throughout. I would replace the 50/34t chain ring with a 52/36 and the 25mm tires with wider 28mm tires to make the ride more comfortable. The alliminum frame version retails for R27-30k currently and the carbon equivalent R40-45k. Other brands with Shimano 105 are significantly more expensive, with most brands retailing alluminum 105 bikes at or above what the carbon Titan sells for. (Only Merida appears to come close but even that is more expensive still). The alloy sits within my price range and the carbon at the very upper end of it so going above R40k is not an option. Now bike weight is not a major factor for me so paying R13-15k (ie. 50%) more to save a kilo doesn't seem sensible. From what I could see online the alliminum frame version weighs 9.9kg, whilst the carbon might weigh +-9.1kg. To get to my question: as someone who has never ridden a carbon bike - is it worth it to pay R13-15k (50%) more for the carbon frame? Eg. for the more comfortable ride with better absorption of road vibrations that some people mention with carbon frames? Or would I just be overpaying for effectively an entry-level carbon frame? The other argument might be that the carbon frame might better future-proof the bike given how long I want to keep it - but again that only applies if there's a measurably better experience for me in riding the carbon bike. Please share your thoughts and wisdom! https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes/valerian-alloy-comp/ https://titanracingbikes.com/bikes/valerian-carbon-comp-my26/ https://bike-addict.co.za/products/titan-valerian-comp-2024 https://bike-addict.co.za/products/titan-valerian-carbon-comp-2024

Adding my 2 cents to the conversation. I started in 2D and rode 03:33 in my 11th tour, cutting 7 minutes off of my previous PB. Which I am very chuffed by as I have often tried to improve my time and more often than not I haven't been able to. Reducing it by 7 minutes is more than I've ever managed to improve it by with most of my times between 03:40-03:55 and a couple of sufferfest tours at +-04:30. I am very unlikely to ever come close to 3 hours, while I have a family member & a friend who do and have missed out on sub3 times by about 30 seconds in this and other years. Ultimately for me though there is immense satisfaction in competing against myself and trying to improve my own time regardless of how many other people finish ahead of me. In addition there's the stunning scenery, the vibe, the many supporters along the road & the camaraderie of meeting other cyclists along the way (each with their own story, ability & objectives whether ride for a time or taking in more of the scenery). Going up Chappies I noticed a couple of ebikes passing me, but for the most part their pace wasn't excessively higher than those around them and they didn't look all that different than a stronger cyclist passing me by (which I'm well used to). I don't have much of issue with this because it wasn't all that noticeable, but given my time I assume most of these would have either waited at the finish line or been DQ'ed. On Suikerbossie however there was one guy in particular that came flying past about 60% up the hill easily doing double the speed or more of those around them. This was very dangerous due to the speed differential and not knowing that someone was going to come flying past without warning. It also spoils the vibe & camaraderie mentioned earlier on, when everyone else (all shapes & sizes) are suffering up the hill and someone comes past who might as well have been on a motorbike. Respectfully that's not what the tour is for, he can do it any other day of the week if he wants to. Moving onto happier themes again, I started doing the Argus because of my dad years ago, but due to a heart condition he stopped at 21 tours recently. Not having him on the route with me is something that I'll always miss, but there was a different kind of special experience in having my parents go through the effort of waking up early with me, dropping me off and then making their way first to Edinburgh Drive and then to Suikerbossie to cheer me on. These types of stories & experiences is what the Argus is all about! Also thanks to all who have this this a very enjoyable thread to read, though I haven't posted much, I have enjoyed reading all the stories. VID-20250309-WA0046.mp4

Thanks for the reply @ChrisF! I appreciate it. Still not seeing on my side for my own rides or others, but maybe it appears in future after an app update.

How do you get this cool view in your Strava? On Android when I look at the segments map I don't see any of my PBs on the map like this. I have to select the segments one by one at the bottom of the screen. Was this perhaps taken on an iPhone?

Hi all, hoping someone can give me a quick answer. Does one really need to detach your finishtime board from your bike just for registration? Can entry to the expo not be gained by just showing the finishtime WhatsApp message that shows your race number and starting time?