nicolaasdekker

Howsit, I'm flying Mango from DBN to CPT tomorrow then SAA from CPT to JHB, followed by Emirates from JHB to Dubai, then Fly Dubai to Tajikistan in a few weeks. Will be taking my 2 Tandems. Will report back on any horror stories. Already had to ditch my 2 folding kayaks because the JHB-Dubai leg would have cost me 2000usd. Also had to ditch everything but the essentials to get my two tandems under 23kg, no tools, locks, had to ditch my brand new "extrawheel trailer" and many more nice to haves.

Howsit, I've cycled in a few different countries so I suppose my standards are pretty low when it comes to road quality. Notties = Nottingham Road Village? Also by old road do you mean the R103 or another route? Thanks

Howsit, Finally finished up my tandem builds for our next cycling adventure in Central Asia and I would like to do a short 2 day shake down cruise locally. Any recommendations for routes beginning and terminating in Durban? Good roads for getting out of the city etc? Thanks, Nic

Don't give up bud, getting out there with your young family is totally doable!

Give Francois a call at Manic Cycles he might be able to hook you up. He specialises in Tandems. http://maniccycles-cw.co.za/main/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/ebanner.jpg

They be changing all the time..

Good question: If you call, you will speak to some random sitting behind a desk. The person on the phone most likely doesn't know and will simply look up the information on the airline website. Or worse they will tell you all sorts of reassuring things and even if you take a name and a reference number when you arrive no one at the airport will know who that person is. In the end it all comes down to the person at the check in desk and your luck with a porter. That being said, mind #5! Some airlines or tickets are excess baggage friendly. Choose an airline with excess baggage fee allocated per PIECE and not per KG. If you have control of buying your own tickets it often works out cheaper to buy a more expensive ticket that comes with extra baggage.

Hi, I have a fair bit of experience travelling abroad with 2-4 singles and up to 2 tandems. My last flight was with 2 tandems and 2 singles. Every airline has different rules and not only do they change regularly but the also vary depending on where you are travelling to and from. Standard checked in luggage cannot exceed 158 linear centimetres and the small print on baggage restrictions always allows less when travelling to or from Africa. For example if you fly to the US from Central Asia you get a 2 x 32kg but if your destination is anywhere in Africa that goes down to 2 x 23kg. Travelling with a bike is expensive, deal with it. Remember your bicycle is a piece of sporting equipment and should not count as standard check in luggage, yes you can get it passed as normal check in against your allowance but know that it will all depend on the person at the check in counter. Top tips: 1: Pay top dollar for a porter! Find a friendly looking porter at the entrance of the airport and pass him a decent tip in advance. This is your number one gateway to a smooth check in procedure. He knows the best counter to go to and will often be able to even by pass some checks and weigh in procedures. 2: Arrive early, like hours early! Sounds like common sense but you need enough time to deal with difficult staff who might never have checked a bicycle in before. If you are stressed about getting it all done in time you are not going to be able to follow my next piece of advice. 3: Don't be a moegoe, seriously, be cool. Every oke who gets mad and gives flight staff hassles about their bicycles is tainting all future cyclist experiences. Even if you are getting the short end of the stick, be cool. There is nothing worse than seeing flight staff immediately get on the offensive when they see you because some moegoe with a bicycle box come by before. 4: Don't call in advance. Trying to get guarantees is at best going to cost you the full applicable fee and at worst just going to cause major headache as you try explain to the people on duty on the day about some arrangement you made before. 5: Check Excess Baggage Costs. Obviously do check to make sure the airline is not going to screw you over big time, on some airlines the excess baggage cost is astronomical. 6: Always be prepared to pay the full excess baggage fee. If you think it's too expensive I urge you to get a quote from a professional bicycle courier company for the same trip. To show you the REAL cost of transporting a bike abroad. Just my two cents,

These guys are seriously retarded. I can understand scamming someone out of a 10k bike using this technique but I don't know a single person working in the oil industry during this recession who is capable of blowing 120k on a gift for a cousin... who will just love a highly customised niche machine of indefinite sizing.

Yeah, that option has always been nagging at me. But there does not seem to be a do it all trailer... either great for tar or great for dirt, and always a pain.. I like having everything together without adding extra length and inherent weaknesses to the system.

Did any of you peeps see me doing the Amashova 2011 on my Down Hill skateboard?

Wait... let me try.... oh my! http://www.productappeal.com/photos/halloween_costumes/playboy_bunny.jpg

A tattoo on my back... no where did you see that?

No not much time, between trying to make money, study full time, and kids. I ride my Avalanche ATX 175 much more often, as it has the baby seat on it. 12months? I don't get it? No, unfortunately, I have to import my hats, this one was from Jaxon hats in the UK. Not worth importing though shipping and duties cost more than the item. I wait until someone I know goes over then I order and have it sent to the hotel they are staying. I am still looking for a hat brush or an equivalent, locally. Its not my actual bike, I have a similar model from the 1940's but it has been a work horse its whole life and still runs great.

Thanks for your reply Johan, you don't mind if I interrogate you a bit? All for the enlightenment of a newbie. Actually I would wager that modifications are generally the arena of the non-rich; those that cannot go out and simply buy/import the right stuff. My bike, as stated in the OP, is in fact a steel frame. Unless you are referring to the Giant frames, in which case my question would be: why would that be better? Okay, but who can? Are there bike builders in SA? Aren't there any fellow hubbers who are highly skilled artisans? This is true, especially if you buy expensive gear (a tautology I could not resist ) However, a decent set of forward and rear racks can be bought for less than R1000 (gestimate pending confirmation based on brief look online) As for the actual luggage you decide to hang/mount on your racks, the options are vast as can be found with a quick browse online on foreign DIY cycle tour websites and blogs.

Many people are. But what is your particular bent?

Mainly I was wondering what sort of tradesman I should approach and what sort of possible ways can said tradesman stuff up my bike.

I am aware but not fazed, as long as the spot is sealed against rust I don't mind what it looks like, I actually like the 'rat' look and it helps to prevent theft.

Yes Think I will do that, the chunky fork on this bike grates me anyway. However, that still leaves the problem of braze-on sockets on the back fork. I do worry because my daughter is on the back and do not want to risk injury in case of failure. Also the bike is unbalanced, and I am planning to start getting the right kit for cycle touring so racks back and front are a must. Plus I'm poor! and I wont be able to take money out for a more suitable bike for a while.

How do I upload from my dream data base I got plenty SSs in there? I'd love a bowler hat, my hat is a Jaxon short tophat tho. My moustache comes and goes, my pp is from 1.5yrs ago. (takes about seven months of no sex to get it that length, last time I grew it I went for 12months) I have a modern alu Schwinn panther 7 sp and a 1940's Raliegh SS (similar to the one in the picture just not restored [still runs perfectly tho]) http://www.hatsandcaps.co.uk/images/products/medium/193901.jpghttp://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YQK0ghss0hA/TdnxwcI-tbI/AAAAAAAACR0/KwmFx8oaGDg/s1600/Schwinn+Panther+with+text.jpghttp://farm4.staticflickr.com/3317/3223505099_2489f11d0f_z.jpg?zz=1

Hi, My name is Nicolaas Dekker (no secrets in my username) I really like the Hub and have trawled its forums for years whenever I have needed any cycling information. I have just recently relocated to Grahamstown, where I am trying my hand at commuting as often as possible with my two kids. I am currently (hopefully) at the end of my 'late start' varsity education and will hopefully rejoin the work force after a 5yr hiatus where I got to pretend I was 19 again. Learn my name, I will probably be on here a lot although I have always been here...

Granted, so where is the meet and greet thread?

Dear Hubbers, (see bold for jist of question and skip out on all my blubbering) I am a new, full time commuter in Grahamstown, I own an Avalanche ATX 175, a very basic steel framed "MTB" styled bike. My problem is thus: I have managed to make a plan in attaching the rear rack for my daughters baby chair, however, I am finding that my 90kg; plus my daughter's weight; plus my work bag; plus her school bag that all this weight is, not only producing a very unbalanced bike, but putting a lot of stress on the back wheel. I want to purchase fork mounted pannier racks to distribute the weight more evenly. Has anyone added their own attachment points to a steel bike before? Is it possible?

How long is long?