Vetplant

I am currently looking at buying a new HRM. What works for you guys in multisport environments? I am new to the sport but I have a history of running, have been working with the Polar RS300x for about 7 years now, great value in my opinion. I do see the benefit of getting more info on your training session as I have linked the H7 strap to my cellphone(mounted on my upper arm) to get GPS tracking linked to HR. However dragging a cellphone along every session is tedious and a schlep to see any data during a workout. Thus the upgrade. Looking to do a half IM at most and possibly comrades in the future to check off a box.

My summation is the OP probably only saw the end result of the bike flying through the beer-tent and the rider chucking the helmet, the rest was filled in by hearsay from fellow spectators and in the end the context is key in a story like this. I am a connoisseur of the Sarcastic postings, this my friends I summarise was not the intent of the OP. I concur with a previous poster that we need a universal indication of sarcasm, as a lack of such leaves the backdoor open to a ranter to claim sarcasm. I have been proposing the {Sarcasm Brackets} {..with great affect as it is clearly visible in all of these types of forums) Agree with all previous observations that this is the best thread of 2016. For that alone, we thank you OP.

http://i901.photobucket.com/albums/ac218/Uther2/Working%20Uploads%202/1307337_o_zps4d6841e0.gif

Wolwespruit at Kloof Hospital is a brilliant option, it can get a bit technical, but as long as you keep clear of the Black sections you should be fine. Entry fee is R30, which is very reasonable. You can get a great workout in an hour on their trails Groenkloof is another good option, haven't been there in ages but it used to be great fun.

Agreed

Short answer, No Gearing will give you more power. It just enables you to put down that power at a sensible cadence. Less teeth on your chainring will feel easier because you will be spinning at a higher cadence for a given speed. Long answer: reduction of teeth on the front gear combined with increased teeth on the back equals an "easier" ride uphill, this is because your crank revolves more times per rotation of your back wheel, you get to push down on the pedals more times per revolution of the back wheel, thus making it easier. Remember: You can't create power that isn't there, Power = Force x speed. So if you go for a gearing that feels easier(smaller chainring) you will have to sacrifice speed if your power has not increased. Rough rule of thumb: Flat rides = big chainrings with smaller cogs on cassette(11teeth for your "top gear") Hilly rides = Smaller Chainrings combined with larger cogs on casette Getting your FTP up is a sure-fire way to increase speed if that is your ultimate goal

Many of us have had some experience of an online store making an error either in price or description. The first example that springs to mind is a recent poster who tried to pick up a SRAM Red groupset(current CRC price = R20k) for R300, because that was the listed price. I am having an interesting discussion with an online store where about R800 worth of accesories is in play (I paid R1200 for what was advertised as a "complete kit", but it turns out it was an error on their side, which has since been corrected but I took screenshots as proof beforehand). They are currently trying to sound very accommodating, "it is the suppliers that don't have stock, thus that we cant send you those accessories". Problem is, they have no E&OE disclaimer anywhere on the offer. Otherwise they could have told me they cannot honour the deal, and offer me a 20% discount on my next purchase as a way to apologise. I spoke to a friend in "the know" and he says online stores have no obligation to honour a mistake on a listing as long as they have clearly posted a E&OE(Errors and Ommisions excluded) notice. Funny how one line of text can put you in a more powerful negotiation position. What are some of your good and bad experiences? How do we as consumers work with these mistakes that will happen going forward. It is a fine balance between standing up for your consumer rights and trying to nail the online stores running on a sometimes tight margin? This is not intended as a post to bash the retailers, so lets keep the sites anonymous and rather discuss the good steps the stores took and when to know when to let go.

Thanks everyone, I'm sure there is a group ride that will suit me from all of these suggestions.

Thanks for raising this. Seems like a great event. Scheduled for every First Friday of the month from the Glenfair Boulevard, next to Lynwood Bridge. Just booked out that evening in my Calendar.

Quick Background Since the age of 6 I have always been on my bike, mostly MTB. I recently acquired my first Road bike for use in Triathlons/Duathlons (The MTB with slicks worked fine, but I quickly realised I am at a definite disadvantage) So..., I have been out for a couple of rides on the road but I realise you are much more vulnerable, because on a MTB you could easily take evasive action to the gravel if things get hairy, no such luxury on a road bike. I assume some of the group rides on weekends have support vehicles that tend to keep things relatively safe. My main requirement is to be as safe as possible on the road, have a wife and 5-month old at home that I need to keep in mind. Cradle is obviously the safest setup in GP, but I commute 100km every day of the week, don't really want to do it over weekends as well if I can avoid it. Main point I am looking to join a group ride in PTA East over weekends. I will definitely look to join a club in future, but have no idea where to start looking. We live in Erasmuskloof, so finding a group that starts close to home would be ideal, but it is not really make or break to be around the corner. Question: Are there group rides in Pta East where I can just pitch without being an actual club member? Where are the starting points located? Which of these would be the safest if you look at their route/support etc? Appreciate any feedback Thanks guys & gals

Results for the 48k TT starting to filter through. Looking good for Daryl Impey http://www.mobii.com/csa/SARC/Race2.html

Thanks, it will definitely be easier on the pocket to only switch to 10 speed shifters once the current ones give in.

Thanks, sent a PM to the advertiser

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'll have a look on ebay to see what this Dura-Ace groupset might go for and then see if it might be worthwhile to convert to 10 or 11 speed in either 105 or Ultegra. Never even thought that this might be a collectable groupset. In the meantime I'll keep it running with what I can source online or from the LBS, even if it isn't a pure DA setup going forward.

Hi All Hoping to get some advice for future maintenance on my newly acquired 2007 Spez Tarmac. (Pic attached) The bike came with Dura-Ace Groupset all around, however only in 9 speed. Personally I am happy with the gearing range of the drivetrain, so no plans to go 10 or 11 speed any time soon if I can help it. My issue comes as I am trying to get a feel of the availability of replacement parts for a 9 speed drivetrain. It seems the online stores don't keep allot of 9 speed components in stock. Correct me where I might be wrong, this is how I see my options for the various parts currently. Chainrings: It is not too fussed about whether you run a 9 or 10 speed chain and cassette - Thus I can buy a 10 speed Chainring if either one of my current chainrings gives in, but that should last a while if I maintain and change the chain regularly. Chain: It needs to be same "speed" as the Casette - 9 and 10 speed chains are still fairly available, so replace regularly Rear derailer: Should be 9 or 10 speed compatible, operation dictated by whether the Shifter is 9 or 10 speed. - No need to replace this as it is compatible either way, should last for a very long time Bottom Bracket: I have no idea what the available/compatibility of this is. Brakepads: Sounds like a fairly inexpensive part, so replacements should be fine for a long time to come So from my deduction my problem child sits with the Casette Cassette: Seems to be less stock holding of these 9 speed casettes. The only real replacement option I found at this stage seems to be an Ultegra Casette on ChainReactionCycles. I am willing to go down to 105 levels, but they seem fairly rare - Option 1: Keep replacing cassettes with 9 speed Ultegra as and when needed until totally obsolete, then move over to 10 speed, which would require a change of at least the righthand Shifter to 10 speed. Aesthetically would have to replace left hand shifter as well. Option 2: Worthwhile then to stock up on 3 or 4 sets of the 9 speed Ultegra casettes while they are in stock? Don't be too hard on the Noob, I've been riding my 2006 Aluminium 26"Merida Hardtail MTB for the last 10 years, so I have no experience in this new venture of road bike equipment. (Starting up in Triathlons, thus the new acquisition. MTB will still be ridden for fun, in case there were some concerns)

Correct, did the Duathlon. Still need to get confident in my swimming, not even to mention open water swimming. Will do the Total Immersion workshop soon, which should help. Was interesting to see the disparity in the numbers for the two events. The Duathlon had a grand total of 21 starters, whereas the Tri had numbers around 230. I would think with so many people having difficulty with swimming in general that the numbers would be closer together. Telling your friends you completed a Triathlon probably has more prestige than telling your friends you completed a Duathlon.

Shame ja, saw at least two bikes being tended to by their rider, sucky tough luck. Couldn't see whether they were TTs as I sped past, didn't feel right to count them as passes in either category... ???? One thing I noticed, I could clearly hear the TTs as the approached from behind, they sure do rattle a hell of a lot more than the standard Road Bikes on those Germiston roads. I read that they were more stiff but goodness me, you almost need earplugs if you want to operate those "heavy machinery" (Just kidding)

Thanks Andymann, you spotted me quite quickly as I walked in, newbies clearly stand out like a sore thumb. ☺ Thanks for the welcoming "Hi". The wind was quite harsh at parts, but sort of expected it. A friend did the 5i50 last year in Germiston and commented that the wind killed him that day. Now that I am hooked it is time to get hooked-up with a proper bike. Been looking tentatively, but now I know that it won't be a white elephant sitting in the garage.

An update for those interested: Got onto the bike pretty much on 1hr. Passed 0 TT bikes Passed 11 Road bikes. Unofficial time, 2h58. No idea on placement yet... Biggest result is that the bug has definitely bitten me. ????

What about a little shake of the head "tsk tsk tsk...." or is that too mean...? Honestly, I'll be happy to catch, pass and keep ahead of one TT bike. Might have to sandbag the first run to have a chance at that ... I am fully aware that my odds are actually close to zero to pass someone on the bike, just doing this as a first experience of a non-drafting race. If I complete it and finish dead last it will be a good race in my books

This specific event is "Standard/Olympic distance race: time trial bike LEGAL, drafting ILLEGAL" My first non-Drafting event, the 947 and Discovery Duathlon were fun events, will see how this one burns...

Haha cool, will see you there. Slight Downhills are definitely my Achilles heel, can do 54km/h max on my current gearing. Heavy downhills again fall in my wheelhouse with my combined weight of 113kg, missus Gravity helps me allot!

Short and long: Will sheer willpower(and legpower) overcome the latest kit? What do you think, will I overtake any of the TT bikes at the CGT Triathlon Championships this upcoming Sunday the 10th in Germiston on my MTB? Some fact to consider: Bicycle: - 2006-ish Merida MTB Frame with Schwinn fork and basic componentry (Gearing 3x9) (Total cost back then came to about R4000) - 26-inch Slicks running at 3.0 Bar pressure - MTB SPD half cleat/ half platform pedals - MTB pedals - Total weight dry:17kg Personal info: 95kg 1.88m 5k run: 22:41 (Ran at Hartenbosh Parkrun Dec 2015) 10k run: 56:10 Castle Walk Fun Run 2015 (Hilly course) Momentum 94.7: 4h10 (Exact same bike setup) Discovery Duathlon 2015 Sprint: 1h46 I'm doing the Olympic Distance Duathlon race, I assume the course is shared as the starting time for the Duathlon and Triathlon are exactly the same. Still getting comfortable in the water so no Tri this time round. So..Place your bets, how many TT bikes will I claim on my MTB plonker....? If any?

Up Shilling street to Soutpansberg, cross traffic when safe, luckily at 5:45 the roads aren't too busy. Right in Soutpansberg, Left in Gordon, cross to the sidewalk on the western side, less pedestrians. Then keep to the sidewalk untill I reach the Gautrain station in Hatfield. Pretty much same route back in the afternoon. Do you stick to Duncan all the way through to Lawley str?

I saw a couple of posts regarding the importance of lights on your bicycle but never saw the need to add them. Got two Knog Frog China ripoff lights from Makro, one white one red. On tuesday I did my first commute with them - Huge impact! I commute from Queenswood to Irene, using the Gautrain in between. In the Hatfield area there are enough sidewalks to easily keep to the first rule of Cycling: Don't get DEAD! I keep to the side-walks, seeing that your odds of being hit by a car somehow decreases dramatically when you are not riding in the road (much like how your odds of being attacked by a shark decreases dramatically if you stay away from oceans...) Anyway, my route through Centurion does not have many side-walks and I need to navigate the notorious 900m stretch on Nelmapius Dr through the S curve near the Denel Office park. With the lights mounted to my bicycle I can see a clear difference in the attitude from the motorists around me. Someone mentioned an average of 0.5m more clearance when they pass you and I can confirm this. I think driving has become too easy and routine. You are most alert when the roads are notorious, how many people have fallen asleep while driving through something like the Long Tom Pass...? Our brain switches to other issues like work or relationship issues when the roads become too predictable and we no longer concentrate on what is going on in front of you. Think about it, have you ever arrived at an off-ramp while driving on the highway and ask yourself "Am already here, can't remember the last 5minutes of driving..." The flashing lights are something your brain is not used to and it draws your attention to it. People notice the cyclist and act in a much more responsible manner. When you don't have lights on, the brain of the motorist probably knows you are there but it doesn't focus enough attention on you and that is when people pass a cyclist only to turn left into the street 30m up ahead... Just a theory, but at least I can say that I am never commuting without lights again... Safe riding out there!