Paul Ruinaard

This was after about 2,5 years so just outside of warranty. FYI i had and older set of Vectors from Garmin which went faulty and were replaced under warrnaty with a small payment. I switched to Assioma on the reviews and sold th replacement vectors. FYI At the time i bought the Vectors and Assioma were the same price, there wasnt such a premium on the Vectors - they were also the older ones which allowed you to replace the battery. For me to now repair the Assiomas even with a special offer from their support who recognise they are faulty they are R 15k for the two. Same as the cost of a new set. So why do it? IMO the support from Garmin is better locally. I would have had to do the import and carry the freight and duty costs. Use it or lose it.

THanks i am going to pull the trigger. Are you using it on the road bike?

Has anyone ordered a 3D printed saddle off Temu. I am looking at this: https://www.temu.com/za/-3d-printed-bike--24-5x14-5-15-5cm-7x9-carbon--mountain-bike-gravel-bicycle-seat-g-601100748033291.html?top_gallery_url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.kwcdn.com%2Fproduct%2Ffancy%2F6cfb747a-1a1a-44f1-b2a3-beb42852ed0f.jpg&spec_gallery_id=125255&share_token=_wX7G7fHAK5kroPGtrO6COo-EF_YYQgJDWnwko8oecWcE18vN2lPi3jIigkcqL_jsQ5-6cF69OSN0MyaKBGGwBNIFWYNxU-zxI19eV4nxZ7U2qNB6SIbUCwQcJZvtOZ_qJxyW0ZeBZcrHwYDui0jfE4Qyc8j6CWKDa-OlDdClME&refer_page_el_sn=209279&_x_vst_scene=adg&_x_ads_sub_channel=shopping&_x_ns_prz_type=-1&_x_ns_sku_id=17592644404019&_x_ns_gid=601099632077524&_x_ads_channel=google&_x_gmc_account=5327403149&_x_login_type=Google&_x_ns_gg_lnk_type=adr&_x_ads_account=7587261690&_x_ads_set=22450022799&_x_ads_id=178960129860&_x_ads_creative_id=747075879764&_x_ns_source=g&_x_ns_gclid=Cj0KCQiA1JLLBhCDARIsAAVfy7ghfD2jGZlxEXc5pV9x2sO4QaWyyd6CkVKZMaM-aiJ09NWZiyZRU-MaAnq4EALw_wcB&_x_ns_placement=&_x_ns_match_type=&_x_ns_ad_position=&_x_ns_product_id=17592644404019&_x_ns_target=&_x_ns_devicemodel=&_x_ns_wbraid=CkEKCQiAsY3LBhCFARIwADk9B9yikphEMeFlZQwc2othqTON7BdWXbEfmm3eCSEmhP5tsvmQVVpjbB8OX9KIGgJtSA&_x_ns_gbraid=0AAAAAo4mICHF5M54ms-m7MCBgeSK96hG3&_x_ns_targetid=pla-2454958358834&refer_page_name=kuiper&refer_page_id=13554_1768226496948_ypzfw5zayl&refer_page_sn=13554&_x_sessn_id=pi5zd3q322 Just wnated to know what the experiences have been as they are a third of the price of the brand names and are also 155 mm which is my size.

Assioma's are good but the single issue is the batteries cannot be repaired or replaced when they die. They require a very costly upgrade as the recharagable batteries are in the spindles and the whole axle needs to be replaced after it cannot hold charge. get some garmins with the replacable batteries. I know because i have a very expensive set of assioma doorstops now as the price to repair them is too high.

Look at Paarl Trails and maybe some of the Rhebokskloof rides. Also Plasir will suit you and Banhoek. Lots of trails all over Paarl mountain. All you do is scan a QR code and then pay a day fee and ride. Try Jonkershoek as well. Bothe closer to Stellenbosch but lots of more technical trails.

Have you thought that it may be your hearing? #justsaying. Will leave now. Age is not for the feinthearted :-). I do like a set of Hopes but they are loud. New multi point engagement ones sound like buzzing bees.

Have a look at a site called www.tendaglasses.com. Like temu but for perscription glasses, custom made to your script. They will make you a set of persceription glasses and ship them to you locally for about R 3500 for all the options - photochromic varifocals are what I got - they work great and are as cheap as chips. You can of course get cheaper than this - I have heard of as low as R 500. I found the site by accident when my sister in law was looking for cheap glasses. All you need is a script which you upload, then you go and choose a frame Even can do a virtual try on etc) - and then you order. It takes about 3 weeks and eventually will arrive - mine had some duty on them as well as they were about R 3k. I have since this orders about 6 sets of glasses from them (after my perscription changed) and am currenty wearing a set i use evey day. I also have perscription sunglasses from them. With prices being so crazy for the fancy options you get these are affordable and if you have a chnage in script you just order another set or some lenses 🙂

The sad truth is, knowing Jhb as I do, the amount of people who were not arrested because they paid a "spot fine" is much higher for this time of year. The corruption in JMPD is endemic. Subsidies to their meagre pay at Xmas? So even if you do drink and drive then a couple of randelas will make the issue go away. Sad truth. Then you just carry on doing it with impunity. I cant be the only person who knows this? Even the cases where there has been a clear drink driving issue when a cyclist is killed, the docket magically disappears. So even if you do get caught you can still make sure the problem goes away with a little bit of oil for the wheels of the machine. Or drags out in court and eventually gets dismissed on a technicality with a good defense attorney who knows that they likelihood is thr prosecutor is incompletent and will make a procedural mistake and then who cares as its a cyclist aka rich entitled dude rather than a major icrime. Courts are backlogged so badly two years down the line no one remembers - give them a fine and they go away - like the Simonstown case. Forgive my jaded diatribe but this is the bald truth - less so I think in other regions than JHB. I am sure I am not the only person who knows this?

Its the culling season and we are world champions. If this happened in the UK they would be in apoplexy never mind Europe. Just a quick search brings up some much more sobering numbers. 505 people dead and we are on for a record low. We kill over a thousand in this month alone on the roads. Cyclists are 2% of the deaths. So we are in for more statistically. "Preliminary data for December 2025 indicates that cyclists account for approximately 2% of road fatalities in South Africa . According to the mid-term festive season report released on December 19, 2025, by Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy, there were 505 total road fatalities recorded between December 1 and December 16, 2025. Applying the reported 2% figure, approximately 10 cyclists were reported killed during the first half of the month. Key Statistics for December 2025 Total Fatalities (Dec 1–16): 505 persons (a 20.8% reduction compared to the same period in 2024). Cyclist Share: Cyclists represent 2% of these deaths. Comparison to Other Road Users: Pedestrians remain the most vulnerable group at 44%, followed by passengers (28%) and drivers (26%). Notable Reported Incidents While comprehensive national lists are rarely published daily, specific tragic incidents have gained significant attention this month: Camps Bay, Cape Town (Dec 16): A well-known 41-year-old cyclist, Idries Sheriff, was killed on Victoria Road near Glen Beach after being struck by a vehicle. A 27-year-old driver was arrested and charged with culpable homicide. Additional Cape Town Fatality (Mid-December): Reports also mention the recent death of 55-year-old Francois Esterhuizen, further highlighting safety concerns for cyclists in the region.

That road is narrow, but well liked by roadies. I do like coming down there at speed, but always carefully as there is not a lot of room for error. If you are here try Banhoek trails as well. Just over the helshoogte. Google it. Paarl Rock at Rhebokskloof also good depending on your fitness. FYI ex JHB now resident down here.

I see your post - wht do i call it? A diatribe. I also feel this. However can I add that this also requires us to as cyclists to take ownership of our own actions and that unfortunately we are not totally blameless and need to have a hard, deep look inward. I am not sure of the circumstances of the two deaths we are all so aware of - however it would seem that as the backgrund details have energed, that in both cases the situation would indicate a lot of negligence on the motorists behalf. In these cases I cannot but say that the deaths are as close to killings as you can get and I have no hesitation to ask for the maxiumum penalty for the perpetrators of this injustice. But truth be told, there are and have always been a lot of instances when the bunches, or packs of cyclists, have behaved like entitled feral mobs to motorists who are as entitled to be there. I still do not understad what happens to some people when they get on their bikes ? How do they become such boxes? Its pretty much like a jekyll and hyde transformation. Its like guys on sports motorbikes - they go from rational people in to crazies in a short space of time. I just cant get what happens in that transiiton. This really needs to be something that is spoken about and coached by the clubs or riders as its not cool. This is all very one sided but we all know the truth is much more multi faceted and we all know cyclists can be a bunch of knobs. And in so doing you lose the war of popular opinion as there are a lot less cyclists than motorists. My take on it is when these accidents happen and there is a death the average motorist privately believes the cyclist shoudnt have been on that road anyway or was behaving like an entitled knob as per usual so whats the major problem if one gets offed - teach them all to be careful. And I say this as I have had this exact conversation with many non cyclists. Similar to people who feel motorbikes shouldnt lane split. The converstaion I had at work years ago when a senior manager didnt know i cycled or rode motorbikes (who was also an elder of his church) was how he loves to squeeze the motorcyclists a bit in the traffic in the morning on his commute and make them worried as "what right do they have". From a senior person who was also a church elder. The hypocrisy of course was lost on him - I did try and point out that many of his fellow church goers were also likely cyclists and motor bike riders but that didnt seem to compute as his rage against these type of folks was deeply seated. Until this changes we are destined to repeat the experiment but are all hoping for a different outcome.

This is not totally accurate. Law enforcemnt aka SAPS falls under national govt not local govt, so its the minister of police that is more directly accountable - our friends from the kleptocracy up north including Cele who , if his brains were made out of nitro glyceine, wouldn t have enough to blow his hat off. So not the provincial Govt. Local Metro police i am not certain on - and for that i agree. This is the same issue with crime fighting in the Cape Flats and the issue with Transnet being a national govt entity. The ANC would rather point at the cape flats gang problems as an issue with the DA in W Cape and play politics than try and fix the problems. Gives them something to point at that they think maybe gives the ANC a chance to win the cape back. Its the same with policing - W Cape Govt has been trying to get it under their control for the longest time. I would expect that the W Cape Govt could do a lot better job at this than Cele and his crew of kleptocrats with Cyril the prime thief. I can assure you there is more action here in the W Cape than there ever has been in Gauteng. Many court cases there where drivers were drunk and killed cyclists or people bike jacked, the dockets mysteriously disappeared. At least here you have a chance of seeing justice here. This is such a one sided conflict. All the killings of cyclists result in minimal consequences and in general no sanction even when the misconduct is blatant. Its not only South Africa, its in the USA and the UK as well. Cyclists are villified and often the general consensus is that they are entitled ponces slowing everyone down. Until that changes its a scary situation. In my opinion they need to use the same tactics that Afriforum used with the farm killings. Make the people real. Make people realise the guys riding the bikes on Sunday are fathers and brothers and sisters and someone relies on them as well, so their unlawful and criminal actions are potentially depriving someone else of a support of a loved one or their husband or father. Stop the people from just being numbers and statistics and make them human. Stay Wider the rider should have a face on their stickers and who their family is. PPA has a lot of funds. Humanise the tragedy - make people have a lump in their throats when they hear of this case and a young kid two years old who has lost a father potentially owing to the criminal negligence of another person. Make the consequences real - not in the form of sentences but in the way this person will never forget. Their misddeds and criminal actions will echo down the years for all the people who have lost loved ones It has to change - the current situation will just carry on otherwise - we are in summer in prime cycling season and the chances are we will see posts like this or hear stories about the people who die on a regular basis as peope are out there on the roads. At some time it may come really close and its always possible its one of us. Nothing like the sound of a 16 wheeler behind you on a narrow road to make a cold fear rise up through your stomach when you are out on a ride. My sincere condolences to the family and the loved ones of all the people so senselessly killed in Camps Bay and in Worcester. It will be a tough Xmas for many a year to come owing to this for you and your family, long after this case has concluded in the courts.

Its not really a grey area at all. Once the insurance company has paid out as part of the settlement any short term insurer takes title to the salvage or remainng goods and then is entitled to sell them on to recover whatever value there is in those goods. This is how secondhand car parts and scrap yards operate in the motor trade. Similarly sometimes the salvage is of good quality and therefore is offerred to the employees as an option to buy. If they purchase it then can do with it what they like - break it or repair it and sell it again. My father was in short term insurance and he bought many an item like this from the company he worked for when the goods were not materially damaged- like flood damaged etc. Cars, TV's etc. Its a perk of the job. I also knew that there was a salvage value on the bike i had a claim on and investigated whether they would let me repurchase the bike as salvage as I knew the history and what components i had on the bike which were way above standard specifications but it was more formulaic and they wanted a percentage of the retail list which was unrealistic. It was no doubt moved on and eventually broken for bits at a later stage as there were top spec components on it.

Have we become such a nation of imbeciles? If a guy finds a gap to buy and import something you want or need cheaply and gets a market locally, well done to him or her. That is commerce. If you work out his game and see the parts from a supplier online then well done - but dont expect him to offer you the part at the buy price he is getting it. Otherwise take the initiative and get the part yourself and get the benefit of the reduced price. Its not difficult. Really . FWIW Temu is also great for many other gizmos for motorbikes. And they are good quality and fit. Fender eliminators, screens, custom sidecovers, handelbar triple clamp extensions. All about a thrird of the price of local suppliers. In summary, before these sites existed many guys (Ryder?) were sourcing these things from their chinese marketplace suppliers there and then selling them branded locally. Tell me i am wrong.

Eish the fun sponges are out. Dont rain on the man's parade. He has done all the shopping and the upgrade bug has bit. he has visualised his bike with the new hanger and shifters.... You arent saying 11 speed or 12 so check out your rear hub for compatibility but if you have 12 already then its not an issue as your rear hub will be able to do a 12 speed cluster. Electronic wireless aka SRAM is marvelous and extremely simple to fit. the 12 speed upgrade kits are quite cheap as well if you are aleady in the 12 speed world.

at that temperature at least your ice cream wont melt 🙂

Have a look on Strava heat maps or Komoot as well especially around the Wellington, Hermon and Riebeeck area - also up to Tulbagh. Lots of nice gravel rides around there. Paarl - If you want some fun go up Paarl mountain via Jan Phillips and then you will have a lot of options - all on gravel roads - some include some pretty big climbs. Very pretty up there at this time of year.

see my post about this on the bike shops thread. That's why they can extract so much money from you. In my old days i was a purist, but its all marketing hype and BS. It doesn't ride any different and it has no gain other than ascetics and allowing them to extract mahor margin from you. But hey this took me a lot of money to learn.

Hmm having used both i would say the opposite. The convenience of an external battery and zero wires makes AXS the simplest and easiest to install and upgrade. Also Sram AXS ships with a cage to protect the battery on the MTB groups. Secondly i haven't heard of anyone knocking the batteries off in MTB let alone in road bikes. You have to be unlucky or crash properly for that to happen - not saying it hasnt but ... Stolen yes. Many carry them on the dropper and can change if its an emergency mid ride. Batteries are easily removed to charge plus you can always get a spare battery. Thats what i have done. Also the more bikes you have with AXS the more you can rotate batteries. The need for a specific cable to charge the battery and the batteries living inside the frame IMO is a fault in Shimano but the major issue is that Batteries eventually fail. To get to them is a mission if they are in frame. You never have this issue with SRAM. IIMO with early DI 2 shimano was ahead - i loved my 11 speed DI 2 on my road bike but having run AXS on both road and mountain its basically made me move from Shimano love to admitting SRAM has whipped them on this. And i will not easily go back irrespective of how good Shimano is.

Wow this thread has been going since 2010. It's a bit like a hub archive and atime capsule of the last 15 years of SA cycling. I always check it Monday morning to see what new works of art are up here and there are some truly award winning contributors who regularly make me envious of their weekend activities When you have some time go back to the start and look at some of the posts and photos. Its clear that cell phone photography and editing skills have improved massively since 15 years ago. So has bike tech moved on massively - photos of 26ers were the norm. And sadly lots of folks who were regular contributors are no longer active. And there are a ton more venues we ride with purpose built tracks that didn't exist back then

Stunning pictures.

We are now getting off topic completely (if we weren't already) but: Wait until you try and buy chains and clusters and you will understand why you only ride it on special occasions :-). About 3 x everything else,and if you, like @eddy (and me i confess) have titanium or carbon involved in the name of the components you have already forked great wodges of wonga for your dirty little habit, then get ready to bend over and grab your ankles to buy those specific little bits in the said metals or variants of them. I was at the time naive and still believed in fallacies like purity of components - so you would never pollute your groupset by running anything but Record Titanium/Carbon clusters or chains or chainrings. I had Record Titanium hubs as well. Works of art. That was a way to alleviate you of massive dollars and only the most geeky of fanatics even could recognise that you were running a "pure " drivetrain. I am still in awe of how stupid I was at the time and how mad us Saffers are on this stuff. True Story - I went to follow the last week of TdF in 2004 with a bunch of Saffers peak of my road riding insanity. We had basically 40 guys there of which about 20 had Colnago C 40s. Lightspeeds etc all with Record Titanium/Carbon groupsets on (including me). The one guy who was watching on the sidelines when we stopped to go for a ride and were unloading the bikes, asked us which pro team we were when he saw us pulling this pro level hardware from the trailer behind the bus. And he wasn't being full of BS, he was being genuine.

Yep - I will stick to 10 speed Record Campag for my statement. My Colnago was on the wall for years before i sold it - never adjusted the group at all. Took it out for a ride in the cradle after my Roubaix was mechanically unsound and it was like coming home. Solid "thunk" every time you shifted up or down - no hunting or adjusting. Hit the shift perfectly every time. It makes you realise how a well machined groupset should run. I confess I am and have been a shimano fan boy vs SRAM believe me, although AXS won me over after Shimano messed around wth wires and batteries in frames etc so you cant compare electronic to non electronic - servo motors vs cables etc that stretch - apples and pears. Road groupsets there is nothing like a Campag shifting experience. You never forget your first Campag.... bit it is now just ridiculously priced and TBH its like having a Rolex - still only tells the time but your mates wonder how you afforded it.

You do not need a mechanic for Campagnolo. You set it correctly once and it operates like clockwork forever. #truestory

We are of course all patting ourselves on the back after seeing off the heathen. Maybe we should invite him back and give him a really good listening to 🙂