Grogs

Has anyone bought only rims and then done their own build with their chosen spokes and hubs? Also, has anyone bought wheels/rims from OEM-carbon (www.oem-carbon.com)?

I know this has been asked somewhere in this thread, but it is still unanswered - has anyone bought from OEM-Carbon (www.oem-carbon.com)? Looking at some wheels, and it looks like they can pretty much make to spec.

Criminal: Stander’s GPS data ruled admissible The reliability of the GPS data retrieved from the device mounted on Olympian Burry Stander’s bicycle took centre stage yesterday during the culpable homicide trial of taxi driver Njabulo Nyawose, notes a report in The Mercury. Nyawose’s attorney, Xolile Ntshulana, yesterday argued that evidence provided by Peter Jurgen Smith – a GPS tracking device technician – when he was cross-examined in court last month could not be ‘rendered admissible’ as the manner in which the data was obtained was unreliable. This, he said, was because there was no trail of how the evidence was stored by police prior to it being retrieved by the device manufacturers. However, the state prosecutor urged the court to admit the data. She said ‘the device could not be manipulated without leaving a trace or a footprint in the form of a new date and time stamp which the computer would automatically assign to the manipulated data’. Ntshulana argued that: ‘The evidence indicates it is highly unsafe to rely on this piece of evidential material… the court ought to attach very little or no weight at all in the evidence of video.’ The report adds the claims were dismissed by Magistrate Charmaine Barnard who ruled that the retrieved GPS data could be used. She said it was only possible to edit the data once downloaded on to a computer. Barnard said it was therefore ‘immaterial’ how many hands handled the device before the data was generated. Full report in The Mercury (subscription needed)

Not sure why your time for the Lost City is duplicated, but regarding the other issues (i.e. the different winning times for the Dis-Chem and the Serengeti), this might be a result of how Pedal Power does the calculations. From the PPA website: "There are 5 steps involved in the seeding process: 1. Choosing the weightings of the different rides 2. Establishing a base event 3. For each ride, adjusting the winner’s time and calculating its difficulty relative to the base event 4. Calculating an index for each rider 5. Calculating a weighted average for each cyclist 6. If your weighted average index is better than the lower limit of your current seeded group, then you are eligible to move to a better group." So, as I understand it, if a race is regarded as easier (or the field wasn't as strong) as the "base event" (which is usually the Argus), the winner's time for the race (in this case the Dis-Chem and the Serengeti) will be adjusted. The above having been stated, an adjustment to the winner's time for the Dis-Chem of almost 30 minutes is a bit excessive - it is one of the tougher races, and usually has quite a strong field.

Really does look like road racing is dying a very rapid death - entries extended until 31 August - which probably means that there were not as many entries as anticipated before last night's deadline ...

The fact that the OP even started this topic says a lot about his attitude on the roads ...

Agree that neutral zones are a myth. I'm going to coast down the hill (way behind my start group), and then wait for the next group to come through.

Raised some of the above concerns with the organisers, and received the following in an e-mail: "It will be a neutral zone till the bottom. Route has more left turns instead of right and we pass and clear the busy roads earlier."

That stretch definitely was a problem - a lot of very grumpy motorists waiting for ages at the intersection. Still, there must be some other way of dealing with this (that doesn't involve endangering the safety of competitors at the start).

The downhill start is just plain stupid and dangerous. Big groups of people with fresh legs full of testosterone burning it hard down that hill is a recipe for disaster ...

If only ... I sit between a 52 and a 54 ...

They're both "chinese" frames ... (both are made in Taiwan).

I'm not a brand person. Simply want the best value. Change my frame every 4 - 5 years, and my Raleigh RC6000C is getting a bit flexy now after 4 years, so time to look at something new. Mileage per week: 150 - 250 km on my bike (depending on the time of the year). 02h55 94.7 and 03h20 Argus. Currently have Ultegra groupset, Easton EA50 Aero wheelset. Trek Madone 3.1: - Lifetime warranty - 1.2 kg (frame only) - UCI approved Edge Design Airy SL (see classifieds under Road Frames for more details): - 2 year warranty - 0.85 g (frame only) - UCI approved. The other alternative is to go 2nd hand, but have been burnt before with a used carbon frame (so would prefer new).

Good stuff - had my bike last year, but no-one to ride with. Riding down from Johannesbog on Sunday and will be in Umhlanga on Wed - will need to take a day or two off but will be up again on Friday/Saturday.

I'm very keen - will be there between 18 and 24 December. Who/which club organises it? Is it every day? How fast is it?

One thing on the indemnity - it is a well established legal principle that one cannot contract out of one's own negligence, and I believe that there was indeed negligence on the organisers' part here. I'm pretty sure that if you fought this (by way of legal action) you'd win it (obviously depending on the evidence (i.e. witnesses, etc) that you put together).

Have come down from Johannesbog to do the annual family thing. Last year I didn't have this pesky cycling obsession, so didn't have the need to hook up with anyone for a ride - anyone know of any group rides around Durbs this time of year?

Did you know ... That if you fill your mouth up with cheese curls, chew them up, and then open your mouth wide and breathe heavily for two minutes (keeping your mouth open the whole time), you get hard orange bits stuck on your teeth that are really hard to get off?

What's with all the questions? F. Promised myself that if I do a sub 3 this year for the 94.7 that I would invest in a proper bike. I'm going shopping tomorrow ...

Last year 3h45, this year 2h45 ...

I think it's great!!! People are supporting the bike industry, which is good for all of us. And I must say that I do get a bit of a rush when I whizz past them on my 6-speed steel framed Viking 105 (1989 model) with frame mounted shifters and that weighs 12kg!!!

I think it depends how competitive you are - I know it would make me ?#$%*! crazy, but then I'm a competitive person - many would just shrug it off. I think that competitve peeps like me should just remember that palookas like that are only cheating themselves ... if I did it, I would always think (whenever I looked at my seeding) that I'm actually really just a loser (which isn't nice)!

I was on such a high (having just finished the 94.7) before reading this. It's just not fair. RIP Chris, and condolences to the family. It's just bizarre - on my way to the race this morning (at around 6 am), I saw a car that had hit a robot. The towtrucks had already arrived, and I saw an individual (clearly unable to stand on his feet without having to be held up by one of the towtruck drivers) who I presume was the driver, and who oe can only assume was drunk. At 6am on Sunday morning (when many cyclists are out training), there are STILL people like that out there driving around. I am so angry I'd better stop typing.

Was also my first - great race!!! Was seeded with the VAs (the organisers made a mistake - I should have been in about the G open category based on my seeding index) and was old that I could not drop back and start with a more appropriate group (doing so would have meant that my time would be based on me leaving PMB at 06h20). It's very quiet with the VAs ...

Have used them for years and they're great. So what if they look a bit "different" - they're functional - it's not about the image (or is it?) In any event, I did see one of the foreign pro teams at the Epic (this year or last - I can't quite remember) using them ...