Paul Ruinaard

I think i posted it somewhere but In a similar vein i was coming down welvanpas and came around a corner to two fat puffies in the path - i fell off trying to avoid them and also did some quick scrambling around to try and ensure i wasn't in their way. They just slithered away and left me to my own devices. Literally vanished as well when they hit the fynbos. Min gepla. If you see its always the second or third person on the MTB who is the one they are now rearing up in front of (in the case of a cobra). First person has now threatened them or come around a bend and caught them in the open. They cant get away cause theres more so immediately they react in a defensive manner. If you surprise them and are past them they will head in the opposite direction.

But the truth of the matter is like any wild animals they only attack if cornered and are very aware that if they injure themselves then its probably tickets for them. Think of how scary a human is size wise. Theres only the mambas which are territorial and then the puffy who is a lazy sh$t and never moves as he is camouflaged. 95% are when you mess with them aka threatened then they defend (bikes, snake wranglers, hikers walkers etc with sticks) or when they are handled. TBH you are very lucky to see them. Snakes are beautiful creatures as well. Have a look at the complexity of the patterns, camouflage on them and the diversity of strategies they adopt and how they hunt. Like any natural environment they bring balance and are in a particular niche which we screw up. Kill snakes and rodent populations get out of hand etc. Spiders are very similar. Bas PR TBH.

Ticks in Cape are next level in Spring. I was walking the dogs who are on Bravecto in the veld. the little f00kers climb off the dogs and i find them crawling around the furniture. I havent had one on me yet but I think one bit my wife. Will try the peaceful sleep over the sunscreen. Hope it also helps with the horseflies which are also little SH$ts. Ate me up the other day. Snakes at least get out the way .

Agreed. In my defence i am new to the Hood and am from Jhb so was trying new routes and TBH I am not often scared on a bike - lights front and back etc, but i truly k@kked myself. I like my road bike but will only use it when i know there is a shoulder. Lesson learned. FWIW I was also buzzed by some kids in a Chevy Volt for fun and then they hooted and laughed.

Very good idea. I was out on the Klapmuts Simondium road on Saturday and nearly ended up as a hubcap on a Springbok Atlas bus. I wont do that again.

Ticks in Cape are next level in Spring. I was walking the dogs who are on Bravecto in the veld. the little f00kers climb off the dogs and i find them crawling around the furniture. I havent had one on me yet but I think one bit my wife. Will try the peaceful sleep over the sunscreen. Hope it also helps with the horseflies which are also little SH$ts. Ate me up the other day. Snakes at least get out the way .

What the man said. I have a Stumpy Sworks with a very nice new Pike on the front - by all accounts a competent bike. But given the ebike (Levo) has more rubber, more fork (Lyrik 170mm) and more weight when it gets steep on the down and the rock gardens it trucks down through stuff so much better. For an average rider this is so much more confidence inspiring. I can say it allows me as an overweight older guy to ride through and over things i would not normally pedal in to easily.

that is fugly

Okay cool that's an opinion and its yours so thats cool and you are entitled to your opinion but the opinions need to be backed by science. The people who believe in flat earth also have opinions but catch planes to fly round the earth to flat earth meetings - so the science doesn't back their opinion. However respectfully you are changing tack in your argument to discuss training load which is completely different and never a debate. Two completely different topics. More training is always good. Thats not at all being debated. However if you are under trained and want a bailout then having more options is better which is what the OP asked for. Being undertrained will not change easily - the race had a fixed date and you have run out of time. Going on long hard rides now - its too late - you wont recover in time and adapt - the load will actually result in you going slower . So giving yourself options to shift the load between aerobic and strength will likely be a much better strategy to have a good race than an opinion from someone wrt gearing. It doesn't matter what race you have in mind - TdF etc or the tour de Durban the same principles apply. FWIW: Science and physics don't care about opinions. And theres nothing wrong with riding an MTB - I am sure some mTB riders will do significantly fast times and some will have a great day out there. But rather than accept an opinion try it on a workout with a power meter and see the results for yourself. Lances power workouts and Dr Ferrari aren't synonymous - watch Chris Froome and Vingegaard, see what cadence they are cranking out up an alpine climb. Like everything - the answers change a we get more data - what was correct and we assumed was the best fit 25 years ago isn't right now - we have more data and more knowledge which change sour approach to things and changes what we do. FWIW any scientist will tell you that at any given time about half of what is accepted truth is probably wrong and will change. the problem is we dont know which half is wrong. Its the ability to understand the data and adapt our approaches that allows us to move on and improve - to challenge conventional wisdom and opinions.

Hmm most coaches and power meters would disagree with you on that, but hey everyone to their own. FWIW I have been on bikes for over 25 years and have been from 89 to 118kgs and have always been able to achieve much higher leg speed through training than anyone else. Training leg speed and high cadence high power workouts are by far the most painful but also using a power meter you produce far more power at high cadence than at lower cadence with a given load. Try it sometime. Secondly with higher cadence as an ability in your cycling makeup you can shift between high cadence and aerobic load and low cadence and muscular load. If you only have one then you will eventually run the tank dry and end up popping and having a slow ride home. Big gear workouts like big weights in the gym may make you feel strong but they dont do much in terms of cycling. FWIW race wise I have done Jocks x 4 (over all routes), hekpoort x too many to remember, and many race for victory and laps around suikerbosrand. I am not a climber at all but I have also beaten significantly stronger cyclists than me by having bail out gears on my bike and the ability to spin when the gradient gets steep. I even rode a triple ring on my road bike for a bit to get the big gears for the flat roads and had a 56 front on a tandem, whilst also having the small gears to spin. As age has increased and weight has built up the strength and power has dropped off so the gears have become my friend to lengthen the cycling enjoyment. Some observations: - there was a time where you could only get 53/39 and 11-23. 11-25 was seen as soft. I also rode 19mm tyres at 11 bar. Anything less was seen as being less hardcore. That was the way it was . Fat tyres were slower etc. Less gears - just push harder and get stronger. Pain is good etc. - now almost every bike ships with compact cranks front with 25 to 28 with 11 to 12 speed on the back with 25mm tyres at lower inflation. And discs. Much more comfort, better aero less rolling resistance etc. Science and measurement doesn't lie - bigger wider tyres =more comfort =fresher at the finish. So from the above where I had a Colnago C40 (super taught carbon which beats you - all road buzz transmitted) with a 54/40/34 crank, 11-23 cluster for speed and 19mm tyres i now ride a Specialized Roubaix with head shock, a 50/34 compact front crank with 11 speed 11-36 rear cluster and 32 mm tyres. 25 years later and older I am more comfortable (age is a bitch) and have only been about 15 to 20 minutes slower on races with this setup. So the story about just suffering is very old school and not supported by science is the point i am making. You are doing a lot of musculo-skeletal damage which will play out in stress injuries later on like ITB etc if you mash big gears too much. All the current research supports this view. My 2 cents worth - like i said everyone to their own but back the observations with science. What we did because it was "accepted" and "the way" is often very wrong as we can now see with the advent of power meters etc.

Compact rings on your front crank are something in the 52 or smaller big ring and 36 or smaller small rings. Older bikes used to come standard with 53/39 as the front rings (20 years ago) and 11-23 straight clusters at the back. So you just mashed big geras and got stronger. Along came a cyclist called Lance Armstrong and started the move to high cadence which shifts the laod to the heart and aerobic systems rather than muscles. Everyone had an aha moment and started fitting smaller front rings on. their bikes hence the birth of compact front rings. For example i run a 50/34 oval setup on my bike but i am almost 59 and old and not as fit as the youngsters who can push the big gears. 53/39 is old school and its more likely most bikes (raod bikes this all refers to) run smaller rings.

https://solomonscycles.co.za/products/sunrace-csms1-taw-11-36t-silver-cassette-sprocket/?utm_source=Google Shopping&utm_campaign=Google Merch &utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=67446 FWIW when i tried to get them they weren't available locally but it looks like they are. I imported some from Amazon or i think it was when i still was travelling to the USA so bought them there.

Okay so if you really want to do it you can get the Sunrace cassettes. I found a 36 11 online and have brought them in. I used it with a standard long cage Ultegra RD and it works fine. But the compact rings in the front are the best way to impact your performance.

your front chainrings are more importnat. FWIW I used to ride 53/39 and as i have got older have now gone to compact i.e. 50/34. If you wnat to spin and be comfortable use compact chainrings on your front

What the man said.` Ebikes break a lot more and cannot easily be repaired.

Make sure you lay formal charges at the police station immediately as well, as this will help you procedurally later on if need be when and if you establish who the perp was so you can force the cops to act on the arrest. then you can also look for prior record etc. I would suggest you get some good legal advice and follow that up. FWIW there are many folks here on the hub that could help you as well. I am not a lawyer but i know there are some folks that can do some PI work here and get you the details you are looking for. Hang in there - the crowds will help you. We need to collectively assist to get this preson in to a prison.

FWIW I always have liked snakes. As a lighty we caught many around the local dams in Darrenwood area, also got bitten by a Red Lipped Herald or two. On welvanpas i literally came around a bend to almost go over two massive puffies lying in the path. Not sure if they weren't pro-creating. Anyway i crashed and fell trying to avoid them which also wasn't the brightest move. By the time my brother got there and i got the phone out they had slithered in to the bush and were not to be seen. I still can remember the speed i stood up from the fall, as you say they are not slow when angered. Lots of snakes up Bains Kloof and Wellington area.

There was a guy riding with us in Beaulieu one Saturday morning who hated snakes. Of course a moerse Rinkhals which was in the grass sat up next to him. I have clear recollections of some big pedal strokes - so strong it was like the back wheel was breaking traction and there were puffs of dust coming off the tyre as he left the scene in a hurry. I think his shorts were also somewhat full at that stage. We were pissing ourselves and he did not see the funny side of it. Its always the okes who hate snakes thats find them. Seen many a dead puffy in Machadodorp area where they were common and you took your life in your hands when you went off piste a bit.

My experience exactly. Went to Jonkers first time with mates and was on (what was) my wife's ebike. I cold not even dream of riding up there the speed they went without the assistance. I think it was irish but might as well have been on the moon if i had my normal bike. then on the way down - holy smoke - rode in to some stuff i would normally have had to change my shorts if i had been on a normal bike. Went directly from there and fitted a Lyrik 170mm , dropper post and now some big gooey rubber is next on the ebike. (Specialized Levo). I used it at Plasir - rode up meulstroom happily and came down again - and wasn't shattered. For CTN and regions ebike makes things next level in terms of the enjoyment. All the other times you are taking an XC bike up there as you want the lowest weight and then riding down - wearing Lycra? Overseas they would think you are bonkers. The shift is happening and most of the steep trails are either Epic level entrants riding XC machines and weight weenies or ebikes. If you live in CTN and wnat to have fun then get an ebike. Simple. Makes people like me enjoy much more riding.

Same in Jhb - Gauteng North rides on Saturday (them boys across the boerewors gordyn never raced on Sunday) and then club races or whatever grabbed your fancy on Sunday - all over the place - Hartebeespoort, Vaal Triangle , etc etc etc. there were lots. But races grew in popularity, so what had 500 people all of a sudden had 3000, and the organisers had much bigger issues to solve than a couple of people waving flags and trying to control Sat morning shoppers. Next the riders grew more competitive and were all over the road and echelons etc in to oncoming traffic as the sport grew. Third the motorists in the area started to become a lot less law abiding and caring about other road users never mind cyclists. the combination of all of this, seeding systems etc - cycling kind of exploded over the period when i started in 1997 to about 2010. That was when all this happened. Then the advent of multiday and MTB events as well on the tail end of this (S2C etc) all around 2005 and prices went up steadily as demand grew. As per all things the arse had to fall out of the market - oversupply of similar events and the bubble burst. the calendar slimmed down to a number of major iconic events. Covvid and lockdown has done wonders for cycling again but prices are unrealistic and all of the above make hosting events prohibitive. I was a regular at races on Saturday and Sunday for years. Now i wouldn't venture in to an event unless there is full road closure as a start , or solely off road. my 2 cents worth - you are not putting the genie back in the bottle and the "psyche" of cycling has now moved on to riding with mates and away from the mandatory event participation. I think like me all of the people started ot wonder if their 10th 94.7 was going to be any different from their 9th or 12th - been there done that look for new ideas. the only one that has had the legs is CTCT owing to its location and some of the mTB events.

There was a guy called Eelco Meyjes who was doing ebike advocacy for Cyclelab and was arranging for battery drop offs on the multiday raves for the ebikes. Maybe look around a bit for him - he lives in parkhurst in Jhb and does graffiti wall tours - very knowledgable and interesting guy. FWIW 1 x battery would be a stretch for that big bike and if you use the full battery and have to climb on an ebike with no assist you may be in a world of hurt. Like the man says depends on the conditions and how much you dial it up. Wind free and not hot you could be very disciplined and use the app to ration your battery like the Specialised Mission control does but then you will need to have enough fitness so you will need to train. Sec ond option is 2 x batterie sor range extenders which are really nice but either you need to carry the batteries and change them (big and heavy and often can be difficult to change) plus hugely expensive (2 x additional batteries - R 15k each) and very hard to find as they are difficult to import, or you need to position them at a change point and also ensure you can recharge both every evening. I am sure the ebike dudes have solved a number of these issue - for example at w2 W there is a class. FWIW my wife did CTCT on an ebike with 2 x batteries (specialized levo full fat) and was able to achieve 4h02 and really enjoyed it. But she carried the battery in a backpack and got somoene to help her change it in Simons town.

yep bluetooth is a transmitting frequency so 2 x BT sources create havoc with each other. I suggest running Zwift on a laptop using ANT+ which then removes the BT frequency issue from the equation. Zwift is on ANT + (dongle on cable) and the treadmill is on BT. I have 2 x Kickrs and if we both try and train using BT its chaos and very difficult to fix. ANT+ for Zwift solve dthe issues.

i always used to see the giant bullfrogs on the cradle loops when there had been a big storm in Spring. Sadly mostly deceased. When you are on a bike you are in the environment and you go so much slower when watching for things. A major pleasure in my life has ben to ride around game farms on MTB's - truly an awesome experience (except for the soft sand).

R 1200 annual fee for a winelands trail pass and i have access to all of them and i am in a more beautiful area than many places in the world. Thats innovation. Okay so i have just moved from Jhb to paarl so am still a bit in awe - used to ride around cradle a lot, but i would really never struggle to find a new fresh place to ride every weekend down here whereas it was one loop in Jhb. Its crazy good here. Road rides - helshoogte, Franschoek, Bains, Du Toits , Paarl Mountain etc. MTB - name an iconic routs. PLasir, Boschendal, Banhoek, Lourensford, Jonkershoek Paarl Mountain, Spice Route etc etc etc. The single track in the estate 100m from my door which is free is better than N Farm was. Why would i honestly ever want to do an event ? But I agree - closed Crits in estates or loops, club c=racing, track racing etc - all bring in new ideas and make it simple and easy.

or when the bunches start to ride across the road and in the gutter in to the oncoming traffic and you have traffic overtaking you on the dirt on the left because they can and the cyclists tell them to F Off. Thats when the races became a no no. TBH the attitude to cyclists and races has got a lot worse since 20 years ago when we were tolerated. Now without road closure its super dangerous and as you say the routes aren't really that interesting any more. Jhb 94.7 whatever its called now - what a lousy route - would never ride it on a normal day and its just a showboat. Like the man says - this is a local affliction that once you start cycling you need to do a race. In many countries races are the exception. FWIW I am down to one race a year - CT CT. And i have a long list of races i have ridden multiple times. Why - just couldn't be bothered with the schlep and admin - all the same same - no excitement in it - I ride for fitness, social interaction with mates and enjoyment of fresh air. Make it easy - arrive and drive - have your board with a chip in it - if you pass the timing mats it will bill your on file credit card for the race. No expos and events prior and number collections and seeding systems - make it frictionless and make them loops that i can park, ride and go home - hospitality etc also overrated. Like someone said you used to arrive , pay your R 80, fill in a form, go to your chute (self seeded) and then you were off and riding. Came back, chatted a bit and went home.