TwiggzSA

Thanks, looking forward to getting out for a ride and experiencing it. Already signed up for the Die Burger Cycle Tour. It seems my next purchase is going to be wheels for both my MTB and the new addition. At the moment the wheels are stock standard Alex ALX200. What would the next logical set up be for wheels, considering that I don't plan on spending more on wheels than I did on the bike.

Yeah, most of the reviews I read gave it a respectable 4/5 stars and place it in the solid value for money range. So for my needs it is right in the sweet spot. There are good deals out there for second hand road bikes, not sure if it's only now or if this is how the road bike market normally is, I'm not moaning.

The guy said he bought it in March 2012.

Thanks for all the advice guys, I took it to heart and got a GT Series 2. Alu frame, carbon fork, Shimano 105 groupset (Tiagra front derailleur) including wireless computer and water bottle cages for R7400. Basically brand new, hardly been ridden. I thought it was a good deal and exactly what I needed and looking for. Thanks All!

Thanks, had a look at that earlier. Will keep an eye out for something like that closer to home, I'm in Cape Town.

How would I know that I'm getting a good frame, are there brands to stick with that will be good value for money? Like a Silverback or Merida? Just dropped a small fortune - for me - on a MTB so only looking at R8K for a road bike. Willing to budge if it will make a bige difference. I'll most probably find the sweet spot with a second hand bike but with new models coming in I'm also going to look at end of range specials if possible. Mainly want to find out if there's something like the difference between Alivio's and SLX in road bikes to look out for where the extra spend is well worth the money.

I'm hoping that the roadies can help me out here. What are the important aspects to look out for in a road bike? Is the groupset important, sora vs tiagra vs 2300? I know fit is very important - especially when looking at entry level. Also considerations with new or used in terms of technology advances from different models and years. Looking to do a few seeding rides for the Argus as well as some longer training rides and want to start looking around for a bike. Any advice?

Same here, have had zero problems with my phone in my camelbak. Actually played squash with my phone above the door and it picked up my heart rate anywhere on the court.

I bought this for Endomondo: http://www.zephyranywherestore.com/hxm-bt-heart-rate-monitor-for-android-hr-speed-distance/ Been using it for the last year and a bit and it's been working without any issues. Battery lasts for 26 hours of constant usage. I think anything that is ANT+ compatible should work with Android and Endomondo.

What's stopping someone from putting stans sealant into a tube? Then the only benefit of tubeless is that you can run lower pressure for better grip. Tubeless are heavier because of the thicker sidewall to keep the tyre structure under lower pressure. Pro's: Better Grip, Comfort Cons': Heavier Is this correct?

Seeding isn't out yet, Ractec will send out an e-mail with your seeding when done. They're saying that tomorrow they should be done, not sure when we will be notified.

Thanks guys, arguing with them about why it wore so quickly, will let you know.

A LBS says my headset is warn and needs to be replaced. I don't dispute this, something hasn't been right for a while. The bike is 4/5 months old, should the headset wear out that quickly? I ride about 2-3 time per week. It's an open bearing assembly. Any comments?

I start at old mutual tomorrow so save one of those bike spots for me!

For some pretty accurate weather forecasts you can check this out: http://www.windfinder.com/forecast/circus_airfield It's going to be a balmy 2C at the start and warming up to 7C.... I use the term "warming up" very loosely here.

Priced carbon replacement parts and weight saving on the replaced parts. Obviously also depends on what base you're starting from but it's not an exact science.

Useless information but applicable here: A friend and I worked it out that per 1kg that you save on your bike it is equal to 5kg body weight. It works out to about R5000 per kg to reduce your bike weight but 1kg. When I was 10kg heavier, I'm now 70kgs, I noticed an improvement of about 2km/h average speed in a race situation.

I was thinking about packing it in a box at the bike shop, they wanted to charge R150 for doing it for me and R100 just for the box. But most LBS will give you a box for nothing. I bought a bike bag for a bargain so going to use that. The guys at the LBS are going to bubble wrap it and pack it for me. There are two problems I am forseeing, first one is that the airlines (Kulula) might charge me for the bag as they see all sports equipment as Heavy Luggage. But since I'm not taking any other checked in luggage I'll make sure it's under 20kg's and see if I can get it through without a charge. The other issue is transporting it on the other side, you either need a bakkie or a trailer, or a car with fold down seats and then you will only have space for two people in the car. So we're hiring a car on the other side.

They say you should deflate the tyres because of the pressure but it doesn't make sense since the baggage areas are pressurised. Otherwise your deodorant would also explode. Bombs are the compressed air cylinders that you use to pump your tires up. Same pressure reason as for your tyres.

Hey Wipeour2, I'm flying to JHB from CT tomorrow with mine, I'll let you know how it goes.

Hey kandui, did you rent the bike bag or do you own one?

Cool, thanks. That's good to know, I can't find anything about the maximum size bag except for H + W + L = 208cm and I can't find a bag that comes close to those specs. I should be able to keep the weight under 23kg's, otherwise like you say you can always just pay the extra at check-in if they don't like my face.

Has anyone transported their bike on a Kulula flight recently? I see that they have changed their policy around baggage and their call center is useless (they just read off their website). I want to know what's the deal? Is a bike bag automatically charged as extra? I see that their old rules allow a normal checked in bag to be substituted with a bike bag, the new rules seem to state that they are automatically charged as "Heavy Luggage". Also their size limitation seems a little on the tight side for a bike, especially a 29er. Anyone flown Kulula recently with their bike that could comment? Also what packaging did you use (or a bike bag) and what size?

I was worried about fitness and really put in some serious training before the event. I was a weekend worrier but put in 4 spinning classes a week with a mid week ride in the Durbanville area (Hillcrest, Majik or Meerendal) and then one longer weekend ride like Oakvalley, Lebanon, Tokai. I did this for about 2 months before the event, also give yourself at least one week before the event to relax and recover. Also make sure you get at least one 100km ride in at a place like Koeberg. Very flat but the time in the saddle helps a lot. With this training I was alright. I finished in 5:30.

Definitely worth it, did it last year for the first time and doing it again this year. Like Polo mentioned, the vibe is awesome. Don't expect any single track but there are some serious downhill passes to enjoy. Usually followed by another climb. The change in terrain from the dry Karoo to the forests of Knysna is awesome.