Skubarra

I saw the post as someone who had a close encounter (or a few) with peeps being where they shouldn't be and then just wanted to vent to fellow cyclists and then can move on with his life. But the hub being the hub he is now getting life advice, history lessons and being told how his problem is not really a problem 😄.

I get the larger point you are making - but in this case the Meerendal mtb trails and trail running trails are clearly split and marked, so on the mtb singletrack you really shouldn't be encountering walkers and runners. We don't know if the walkers are ignorant or deliberate, so let the OP have his rant if it makes him feel better 🙂 I usually only ride Meerendal on week days when its quiet so haven't really had the problem, the odd trail runner I encounter taking the chance on the singletrack usually move out of the way quickly because I suspect they know they shouldn't be there.

When was this? I know this was the case years ago but definitely not in my and others that I have spoken to recent experience. Recently it was more like a marginal discount and often not better than specials you can dig up with a bit of googling. In Garmin's defence I heard stories of few people abusing the old system with the big discounts by buying second hand units cheaply and then getting out of warranty discounts on upgrades. So not surprised that they have closed that loophole.

Again - I don't think anyone on here is really complaining about units being replaced under warranty (assuming that is your case as well) - other than the turnover time being slow. It's once you are out of warranty that dealing with Garmin becomes a pain, its frustrating when the only solution to relatively simple issues like a worn-out button or old batteries = new replacement unit at a marginal discount.

"Still under warranty" the big difference here - once the warranty is over join the queue of complainers

I cycled the event in the past - unless something changed in recent years its very much geared towards catering for the masses. Mostly gravel roads, forestry roads, some jeep track and the odd short section of single track. From what you describe you pretty much fit the profile they are targeting with the festival - practice some off-road and non-technical trails in the coming 2 months and you will be more than fine.

I think there are at least some jeep tracks in the plantations to ride but you would probably need a local or someone from the bike shop to give you advice. I'm not aware of any proper trail setups near town. If gravel grinding is your thing there the road out to Misverstand dam and further on in Heidelsberg direction is very nice ride with a few steep hills to conquer, Gysmanshoek pass on the same road is also a challenging but beautiful ride.

Bike shop closed down in Jan but I understand it re-opened under new owners now.

I guess it depends on what you want to get out of the race? Barring mechanicals the gravel bike will be much faster than your enduro bike, but the body is going to take much more punishment & some sections will be sketchy. If you are worried maybe go for wider tyres on the gravel bike which should help somewhat?

Tx @droo - this tailgate pad thing looks like a decent option until I figure out what is going to work in the long run 👍

Tx - clearly this is not a quick simple fix 🤣. Probably will take me some time to figure out exactly what I want/need. A cheap solution in the interim would have been nice!

Tx - for holidays when we usually go camping with a rental trailer so its convenient not to worry about how I will get my bikes on/in the rental . Also I still have the overcharged thu rack I used on the SUV, if I can somehow fit it on the right type of canopy that would save some money.

Soon I will be joining the white bakkie brigade that Patchelitious love so much! On my smaller SUV I used a roofrack for my bicycles which worked very well, I prefer that now over the tow bar bike carrier. and want to use something similar with the double cab However its not so obvious to me what is the best route to go, I assume I need to buy a specific canopy suitable for roof racks but not sure which option to go(any suggestions?) Any advice / suggestions / warnings on what to avoid / what worked for you? Tx in advance!

True - my slight worry for him is that the ride is done in about 2 hours and then you find yourself for a whole day in a one horse town with not much to do. Although thinking about it there are some options to visit by bicycle - Capaia and the ostrich farm on Van Schoorsdrift come to mind On a side note when @SURFER say Van Schoorsdrift and "some" potholes that is the understatement of the year! That road is full suspension mtb territory nowadays 🤣

Feels like I'm missing something obvious - but Philadelphia is just more than 40km from Cape Town with no serious climbs in-between. So unless you are fighting a raging headwind or doing a coffee stop every 10km that is like a 2 hour cycle? (3 hours max) On a long weekend you might just find yourself with a whole lot of time and not much to do unless you only start your journey after lunch? Anyway, just another suggestion if you are on mtb's - ride out to Capaia where there are some trails (cannot vouch for how exciting or not they are) and another option for lunch/dinner.

imo Internet and social media killed off any chance for a April 1 joke to land - only takes one comment... But at the same time everyone is now attempting it, 100s of these will go around tomorrow

Who fell out?

On some stuff definitely yes (specifically clothes) - I am gravitating towards fewer but longer lasting clothing items as opposed to regularly replacing entry level clothes that are worn out or uncomfortable. On bike parts only to a point - mid-range parts on a china frame have served me well over a few years now, never feel like I'm missing out by not dropping all my hard earned money on high end frames & parts.

Rooiberg pass was a nasty surprise last year when I did the 36One!

It was a proper group pile up, 11 riders down. Probably went OTB over another bike...

My 500 was actually bulletproof - used it for many years, only issue was the plastic on the start button that perished from being used daily, instead of replacing the start button Garmin suggested exchanging it for a 520 at a very low price which was the start of a whole new adventure

More or less the same for me, I had 3 520s in 2 years and Im on my 2nd 530 in 1 year. Then a few days ago someone told me Garmin Edges are bulletproof... That said I really like my 2nd Garmin 530, I hope it keeps going for a little while longer

I wonder if I would be able to use a 540 for longer than a year before it breaks down on me, not yet managed that on a 520 and 530 🤷‍♂️

No wonder I couldn't find any results from last year on the interwebs 🤣 This year its part of the Western Cape XCM league so I suspect there will be timing and podiums..

Oh I see Gravel & Grape is back - definitely worth driving over Du Toitskloof for that one 👍