granfondo

Guys, I was out riding in and around Cape Town the last few days... I'm shocked at how close many of the cars / taxis / trucks / busses etc. got to me! The 1.5m campaign? It sure isn't working yet! I ride VERY responsibly, and hug the curb or yellow line. No one slows down to wait until there's a safe chance to pass, they just squeeze me out! And forget about them even slowing down or stopping at yield signs or stop streets!! Until the cops take a zero-tolerance approach, nothing will change. But most (none) of them seem to even be in the slightest bit interested in protecting us out there!

This is the saddest news... My deepest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues. A bright flame in the SA and international cycling world has been extinguished! Every day we take out lives in our hands on the roads. When will the motorists learn that there will always be only one loser in a confrontation between bike and car? Please take care out there, people.

Thanks, will check those out. What about Continental? Tankman, you work at CWC, right? I bought the wheels there (along with my Fondriest frame...) so perhaps I should come and talk to you about going tubeless?

Thanks - I'll check on the forum for advice on how to go about it...!

Thanks for the useful replies. Seen I've got the stuff, I might as well give it a try...!

My wife bought me a pair of Bontrager DLX Race Road shoes for Christmas. I know they're classified as 'entry level' but they seem pretty well made, and feel comfortable. The buckle looks like it may be a bit flimsy though... Comments from anyone else out there who's using these shoes? I haven't fitted cleats and used these yet, so could still exchange them for something else.

Among other useful (cycling) stuff, I was given some Conti Tyre Sealant for Christmas... Firstly, does this stuff work if you're running tubes in your road bike rims? Secondly, does it work for repairing small punctures caused by glass or thorns?

Howzit Hubbers... I recently got a set of Shimano Ultegra tubeless rims for my road bike, but I'm still running them with tubes. Should I convert to tubeless? Why?

That's really bad news... Where did it happen? What time of day? More importantly, is he OK?

Now THIS is the group to get behind ('scuse the pun...) on those downhill sections...!

Seriously tempted... have wanted to do this route for a while! Depending how the week goes, I may jump in at the last moment, with my son. Travelling from Rondebosch, so would have to get up at the pre-crack of dawn... Will let you know if we can make it.

Thanks for the feedback... Bottom line: I'll keep the 8-spd link for my 'spare' bike with Sora (yeah, I know...), keep the 9-spd for my son's Tiagra, and get myself a new 10-spd link for my Rival.

Last year I tried those 'toothpaste tubes' of USN gel in a few races... aweful taste, didn't enjoy it at all - probably did give me a boost, though, and at least it was easy to take the empty tube to the finish in the back pocket of my shirt! Small gel packets? Never used them, and can't understand how so many people just throw them away along the road during a race! Please, take your s%@t home with you! Riding with 32GI chews for the past couple months - a good 'kick' for the last 30 kays or so, don't taste too bad, pretty easy to digest.

Thanks, that makes sense. I'll go have a closer look, with my Vernier in hand...! I went to my LBS a couple weeks back to swop the 9-spd for a 10-spd link - they didn't have stock, and told me I could use the 9-spd with my current 10-spd setup... Hence the reason for my question.

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere before... Over the years I've accumulated an 8-spd and 9-spd master link - both have never been used. Why are the links designated as 8- 9- or 10-speed etc.? They all look pretty much the same to me. I believe these are reusable links - so could I use either of them with the SRAM Rival 10-speed setup on my bike? That said, I've currently got a SRAM PowerLock on my chain. Apparently this can't be re-used, although I've opened the link a few times and put it back on - and it's still going strong. Can anyone provide some answers to clear this up? Appreciated!

Don't waste your time... I doubt they give a rat's a--e about cyclists. I live in Cape Town, same thing here: everytime I do a training ride or race, I curse the deteriorating condition of the roads. I think it's been left too long, and now they're gonna battle to catch up with all the repairs that are needed. Rode the Burger today, and sitting in the group you just don't see what's coming... klapped a few BIG potholes today. Anyway, the bike / wheels / tyres (and me) survived at least!

It surely IS an awesome store! (And not just because I bought my fantastic Fondriest TF2 and components there...) Excellent (and HUGE) selection of quality goods, helpful and friendly staff... make a turn there when you're in CPT. (BTW, I don't work for CWC..)

I never used to have anything immediately after a hard ride or race... never felt hungry until much later that afternoon or evening. Then, after I upped my training significantly, I found I got really thin, and lost quite a lot of muscle mass (went down from 84Kg to about 75Kg during 4 months of hard training for Argus). I've been using USN Recovermax straight after a hard race or ride, for about the past 8 months now - don't particularly like the sweetness and flavours either, but easier to get down than food. And it carries me through until I eventually DO feel like eating later. Then it's usually flapjacks with honey, cinnamon and cream...!

Could be the reason for that acid build-up you're experiencing... Maybe you should pop a Lithium every 20kays or so?

Ran on 32GI for the first time in the Klein Joostenberg ride... seemed to work fine. Also added some of their 'chews' into the mix from the 50Km mark - gave me a good boost to get home on my first 'long-ish' ride of the season. Will test the combo a few more times to make sure I'm happy.

Could've been, Dale - I also missed my start group, and burned myself a bit trying to catch up...!

Heh, heh... Thought Police is the rock band I play guitar with. Off topic, but check our website at www.thoughtpolice.co.za

Always wondered what a light carbon bike would be like... now I know! Stoked!

I'm in 'K' group. If you spot me, come say hello...

Read about this in this morning's Cape Times... sad news! RIP.