NotSoBigBen

Must agree with DR - Use one of those Dunlop ones from Game (R149 or 199 can't remember) for XC and works like a dream, also about 3 years old. I have replaced the bladder with a generic one from Sportsmans warehouse in the meantime (only becaus I once left it lying around for about 2 weeks with Energade in!). As for the battery, how big is this thing? Must admit that I do use a Camelbak Mule for longer MTB races, mostly because it holds more.

DR - luckily you won't see my immensely improved technical skills then! Oh no I rode a road bike race Sunday guess that won't help on the MTB.

MichelleH - I have seen him and know that he is a demon on the technical stuff! Here's my plan (hope he doesn't see this so don't tell him!), ride the 3 and 5k TT this Saturday at Logwood, road TT at the CG champs next Saturday and then the Sportsclass at the MTB XC national in Sabie on the 20th of May (my son is representing CG there), of course hopefully be some 5-6kilos lighter. Hopefully I will then be able to do that ass kicking I have promised him the Gunston plain sucker!

Thanks everyone! As always you can rely on some useful info from the 'hubbers'! Thanks for the tips Michelle. My problem is more to do with discipline/habit! I know what I should / shouldn't eat and when etc. but just slowly get into the bad habits again and struggle to get back to what I should be eating. Hoping to be at or close to my goal weight towards the end of May - gonna kick dirt-riders ass at the Fountains interclub on the 28th of May (in my dreams!)!

Remember that graph after Easter? Anyone else find it's tough to try to lose weight but still at the same time keep enough 'stored' to not 'bonk' on every training ride and even worse at races? Did find that I climbed somewhat better at Wilro than I have been lately!

Hey DR easy now on the SRAM! I'll have to whip your ass for that at the next opportunity! Interclub Fountains 28th May?

It has been published on www.flatdogs.co.za !

Sunday mornings comment as I got home after my 70k recovery ride:- "I'm sick of waking up and no one's here, you should have married your bike!" Luckily she got over it and we had a lekker day anyway!

5 technical k's in 15min's! Flip that is mmmmmm............. 20k average speed. OK so I won't be in 'contention' but hey I will do it just for the heck of it! C u there!

KC - I believe that TT is 'only' 8k's max? Unless you decide to do both the 5 and the 8 ('only' 13)! Should have enough left in the legs for that?

Thanks Hill Whacker! Pretty comprehensive that!

Bit wary of riding 'sight unseen' into areas I don't know! I think Logwood might be a nice alternative, done Northern Farm at 24 hour and 1 provincial last year. Any idea how far away Logwood is from Krugersdorp game reserve?

We will be spending the Easter weekend at the Krugersdorp nature reserve and wondered if anyone could suggest a nice off-road route that my son and I could ride. Looking for something around 45k's (3 hours or so?). Since we are not too knowledgeable of the area a good description of where to start, turn and look out for or even better a GPS track would be excellent. Please any information would be helpful, even if we need to drive a bit to get to a decent route!

Not too bad apparently? Rotor rings claim first road win The elliptical chainring renaissance continued in Portugal a couple of weeks ago when Sergio Ribero of Team Barbot-Halicon scored the first professional road race win by a rider using Rotor's elliptical Q-rings. Ribero took first place in stage 1's uphill sprint finish, and followed it up three days later with second in stage 4 to finish second overall in the four-day race. Developed as a lighter and less expensive alternative to Rotor's cam-action crank, Q-rings are claimed to help reduce the effects of the 'dead spot' in a rider's pedal stroke by effectively reducing the size of the chainring at that moment. This lowers the gear the rider is pushing and speeds the foot through the point at which little or no force can be applied to the pedal.

10 Fold? Will aply for a second bond immediatley!

Thanks guys! I will try SwissVans suggestion for the next week or 2 and report back! MichelleH - the only spinning available around our place is at the local gym, 2 problems - you pay full mebership just to use the spinning class and they have limited classes meaning if you aren't there way early no chance of getting a bike!

One of those resistance ones you clamp the back wheel into. MTB XC training at the moment! Thanks!

Anyone have an indoor trainer program for say aroound 1 hour that one doesn't get too bored with?

I have SRAM on my Specialized FSR (X9 shifters, X7 RD and LX FD), I am very very happy with this combination. Great shifting, very predictable and little maintenance! On my Fuji I am now running that 'upside down - back to front' XTR rapid rise RD and still make the wrong shift now and then but it's getting better. I have XT trigger shifters with an SRAM FD and the FD shifts very nicely, better than the LX I had on there! Some issues to think about. You can't use the SRAM FD on all bikes as it is top swing and so some FS frames cause problems with mounting (hence the LX on my Specialized FSR FS). If you want to use the XTR RD then you must use the SRAM 'Rocket' shifters and not X series. This is because the X series and it's accompanying RD's have a 1:1 shift actuating ratio whilst Shimano has a 2:1 ratio. Hope that helps a bit! My son's birthday is coming up and he is going to the MTB XC nationals in Pietermaritzburg next weekend so I will be getting him some upgrades for his bike (FOX Terralogic Fork and Avid Juicy 5 hydraulic discs, yes the ones with the 'wavy' rotor!) this in turn means upgrades for me as I will get his hand me downs i.e. Magura Julie hydraulic discs for the Specialized, the one with the 210mm front rotor and the Rock Shox Tora fork he is taking off will replace my old Manitou elite on the Fuji which will also now get the Avid BB5 mechanical discs from the Specialized! And just because I can I will replace the 'X-Fusion' coil over unadjustable shock on the Specialized with a FOX Float R with propedal ! Whooohoooo can't wait, should all take place by the weekend all things being equal!

ewep I'll post you a quick GPS map thingy tomorrow to show you where!

Sorry Marius the Specialized is the SRAM equiped one and I surely would not have subjected the red rocket to this mornings torture! Nope that was on my Fuji HT with the Shimano goodies on. Not sure you want to place that beside your Specialized?

In Alberton, it is in the 'servitude' running through Brackendowns.

So I did it! Not too complicated but did take about an hour. Cleaned all gear outers with Q20 while the cables were out. Removed the grips by injecting some water under to make them easier to get off. Put all the new stuff on, grips back with hairspray. Cables and outers back and connect! Now to the ride this morning! Yes it does feel very strange shifting the 'other' way round, shifting up to easier gears does definitely feel quicker and smoother. By the end of the ride (1 hour) I was pretty much into it but not shifting correctly by 'intuition' yet, rather have to hesitate and think before shifting. It is not the most technical ride but I will be riding the Rietclei zoo farm course for the upocoming Gauteng interclub race on the 19th this weekend and then I will ride a few laps with each bike and see how it goes! On a totally dfferent note, we leave home at 5 and as you will know it is still pretty dark at that time. I do have a front light but even so picture the following :- Riding along a gentle downhill jeep track when I ride full on into a large tree trunk that some @#$%$% has placed directly across the 2 tracks. Wacked my knee a fair shot on the handlebar but other than that no harm done.Problem of course is that by the time I saw it in my bikes light it was too late to brake enough or even attempt evasive action. Now before the usual you should be careful on a jeep track, we have ridden it twice a week at least for the last 10 years and there was no 'obstacle' there! I get the impression that people do this and other trail stopping tactics to prevent Quads and motocross bikes from using them and making a noise (it is in a residential area!). Problem (for the trail jackers that is!) of course is that on the way back in the light we notice that the quads have just made a new path around it!

OK then I'll take the plunge tonight and report tomorrow after the morning training ride! Must be honest that I do like the SRAM 'X' push push shifting on my Specialized, just seems that the Shimano kit on my Fuji needs more TLC to keep it shifting 'crisp'! Never touched the SRAM stuff in all 4 days of the Sabia Classic in December, just a wash now and then! Must be honest though that I don't think that I ride any faster or slower using either so as the old saying goes 'if you keep it maintained and looked after most kit will do the job it is intended for'.

Thanks guys ! A lot of interesting discussion but hey no answers to my actual questions.