NotSoBigBen

A long time since I've had to race the sunset home but well worth it! Lots of work done on the Rietvlei trails, fun fun fun ????

Just a teaser of the decals since I'm NOT patiently, waiting to get the frame back ???? Hopefully get it back by the end of the week ... updates to follow

So on to the 'updated' part ... obviously time for a paint and decal update but also the new colour will show the existing cable stops and those slots for the internal cables 'glaringly' so to speak. The painter will remove the unnecessary bits and close up the holes, including those for the brake calipers on the frame and fork. Since some may remember I had these Gippieme wheels hanging about that I did not want to part with ... turns out the freewheel was trashed and finding another ???? Found a track hub, built it into there, again one of my 'Frankenstein' wheel builds ???? ... had to make some changes to the axle and add spacers as its width was for a track frame but obviously this frame has standard road width.

Quite a few years ago I picked up an alu Pro-Lite Espresso TT frame and CR1 carbon fork cheap and decided to set it up as a track bike I could (and did) use for a fun session now and then at Hector Norris. Started as usual as a collection of bits and just assembled, it was prior to my painting and customising drive ????

I'd take the convenience over those disadvantages personally but then again I'm an old codger not bothered with weight and a bit of vibration ????

This looks pretty promising for easy conversion of MTB bikes to gravel... News24: Handlebar breakthrough for gravel riders. https://www.news24.com/ride24/gear/handlebar-breakthrough-for-gravel-riders-20210720

Happy birthday! May you have many many more happy healthy years ahead

I saw 2 with big 'bubbles' and another 2 guys who got punctures ... that was when my son still had the bike shop though. I suppose considering quite a few were sold that may not actually be so bad?

Anyone remember those orange horribly expensive tubes they peddled locally for a while? Also supposedly almost 100% puncture proof ... they failed on more than one occasion that I'm aware of and I don't really see them around anymore.

Unpopular opinion perhaps but if you're wanting a bike to ride on single track, moderately technical or other tough terrain then a gravel bike isn't the bike you should be looking at ... it's not a mountain bike

Nothing to be said ????❄????

No at least we had shoes!

You okes sound like those 'timers' that walked 10 miles to school, uphill both ways, in the snow, barefoot ????

Tried to get all the photo rules correct today ... Direction of travel => coffee

A quick spin through 'Rootvlei' as my mate Taliban Pete calls it ... gotta love lunchtime rides in winter ????

I tested that but having the same legs doesn't seem to help ????

Looking at that profile I'm not so sure 'twice up Mont Ventoux' means exactly what everyone thinks, i.e twice up the famous side if you will ... it would appear first up the back not so steep side but probably still a killer for normal humans and then up the iconic climb?

Same DNA ...

What the heck might as well give the carbon 'fly an update as well ????

No your eyes do not deceive you ???? What's your line?

And weight for me.... ????

Don't get me wrong though, a gravel bike with its rigid fork, road bars and skinnier tyres is an absolute pleasure to ride at speed on reasonable gravel roads, jeep tracks and even some singletrack... The right tool for the job can also increase your pleasure when riding ????

A much as some may consider a gravel bike the 'holy grail' of bikes it makes me think of an afrikaans idiom my dad often used ... 'Met genoeg geweld kan jy jou vinger in jou eie hol afbreek', yes you can ride anything with it (with the caveat that you also have skills of course) but no that doesn't mean it'll be fun! Personally if I had to keep just one bike, God forbid, it'd be a basic hardtail needing no more than 80mm of travel ... But that's probably just me

Second ... had to sort 2 small issues so just checked it out today