Pants Boy

That's what I'm thinking as well. I'd much rather support a decent shop than look for a cheaper price. I actually had a chat to a shop yesterday, and the guy told me that they will look at offering something like maintenance / tune-ups for a period (maybe 6 months or a year) - he agrees with me that it is rare for someone to go to a TRUSTED shop for maintenance and NOT spend any other money there. His thinking is that he will get you into HIS shop more often if he 'forces' you to go to him for maintenance. Any other shops that does that? (Sorry guy asked me not to mention his shop name until he comes back with a'firm' deal)

I've been doing a little light reading on overseas forums, and the perception there is that, when you buy a new bike, you don't really look at the price of the bike, but at the added extras - like free fitting and maintenance for a year etc. Is this also common practice in SA?

Spotted you this morning in Duxbury road, Hatfield, with this setup. Looks good (as it was wizzing past me on my el cheapo Spalding bike )

http://www.endomondo.com/profile/3444232

I must say that my routine needs some tweaking So far I've forgotten: belt, jeans, water bottle, lunch. I commuted in with laptop, power supply (half a brick at least) 3 t-shirts, jeans, undies, shoes, socks, water and lunch last week Tuesday. That was pretty silly - I'll scatter the stuff around throughout the week, taking in shirts and jeans, jocks and socks on Tuesday for the next 5 workdays, then I can carry the computer on Monday and Friday. Towels will be on Thursdays ... I've also opened a savings account (with no fees) that I'm calling my bike fund. Every day I commute, I save R25 in fuel. Every day I commute transfer R25 into the account - should be around R6K by end of year, enough (please please please) for a 2012 end-of-line Scott Aspect 10?

Finished first week of commute last week - only 4 days, but 120km's covered. Was sore on Sunday, but fine on Monday up till present. Went a lot faster today than previously, also does anyone else notice how the distance covered stretches from day to day? Started out with a straight 12.18km's, now doing +-15km either way lol. Also finding most Taxi drivers friendly, ALL busses rude a-holes, and just furthering an observation by the broom-driver (my mother in law) - the 'bakkie-brigade' (white males in white 4x4 pickups, normally single cabs) are dolts. They should stick to what they know best - drinking brannas en k-praat.

Tyerone, may I suggest that we go and do a foot / bike recce on Saturday, and plan what needs to be done? We take some candy tape with (that red and white plastic tape that you see at events) and mark which branches needs pruning (I was taught to ALWAYS prune routes, and NEVER cut) and where we could do some erosion control etc - then we can plan on how much work is actually needed, and plan manpower around that? just a suggestion, you know some of my background I'll be happy to assist with planning and subsequent work.

Right. I haven't called anyone an idiot this week, so you're welcome to my quota - call him an idiot and feel better - results guaranteed

Scout your route(s) carefully - look for nice, wide shoulders and yellow lines rather than less traffic, shorter distance, less uphills etc. You can also try a 'split' commute - take your bike to work on your car one day, ride home on it that evening, then back to work next morning. Personally I use a MTB for commutes, as they're a bit more 'robust' and forgiving when (not if) you hit a hole / pavement / rock etc.

Thanks for making my day This creates a bad perception about cyclists, full stop. And to someone in a car / truck / bakkie / skoro-skoro one biker looks like the next. So the first idjit pisses him off, the second even more so, and he then tries to run over the third on he encounters. If cyclists in general don't start treating other road users with respect, this vicious cycle will continue and even get worse. Next stop - cycling licenses for the road (both because of perceived attitude and then of course fuel for the gravy-boat)

Amen.

I'd also support it, BUT the biggest issue is cyclist mentality. On my cycle to work yesterday and this morning as well, I found two cyclist taking up a whole lane of Duncan road in Hatfield, Pretoria. There was a queue of frustrated drivers behind them this morning, getting very aggressive, frustrated and silly when overtaking them. They veered of into another road, merrily chatting away, and left the chaos in Duncan road. The queue was now stuck at a traffic light, and as I'm on my bike I got away from the robot fairly fast, only to have a couple of cars see how close they can get to me (I had my wheels practically touching the pavement, pavement was FULL of pedestrians) and the final one in the queue cutting sharply in front of me and braking. Now, whilst I have a ton of sympathy for the drivers, I was a block behind these tits on their bikes when they slowed traffic - at that point in time I was actually on the pavement. The 'awareness campaign' should have as it's FIRST priority educating CYCLISTS, then other road users. A mate of mine's medical aid refused to pay for his medical bills after a tumble, because he was driving on the tar and there was a pedestrian walkway to the side of the road - law actually states that he was not allowed to ride in the road, so they refused him on 'unlawful behavior'. Things like these are going to become more commonplace, and people need to wise up to the facts. Well, a little more than 2cents, but there you go

Let me check with SWAMBO and see if I don't have something else scheduled - else I'm there like Mike Behr

Picked up a tube (actually two) from hotspot cycles in retail park, about to hit the road.

So, I'm sitting here in my office, first work day of 2012 (yay) and just started thinking of maybe packing up and hitting the bike back home, when I hear this Poooff ..pssshhhht sound from outside my office window. Go outside, and rear tube has burst - dappled sun coming through the bloody tree must've over-pressured it, it was hot as hell. Promptly deflated the front as well, now to go look for a cycle shop close by in Garsfontein to sell me a tube. Damnit!

Ooooohhhh sounds like a plan may be forming ... keep us psoted / plan something and we'll fall in?

Picked up 0.5 kg's between Christmas and New years, BUT have lost 8 since start of November. Already dropped the .5 plus an added .4 since new years LOVE cycling.

I'm in Pretoria, an my ride is about 13km's to work and 13 back. Uphill to work, downhill back (awesome) Been going for a couple of days now, and unfortuantely had to take the bakkie to work today to pick up some fencing materials, last day of work as well. Definitely going to resume this next year, it's addictive! Best thing is the people in their cars looking all funny at you, smiling on your bike in the rain.

You guys are a bunch of turds. It's because of THIS thread that I started commuting last week Here's hoping I can stick to it.