Spinnaroonie

Decided to give the Schwalbe One Performance tyres a go.

Ride was logged at 5:14pm, starting in the CBD.

Reminder that the N1 stretch in and out of the CBD is still not safe for cyclists. Someone I follow on Strava was attacked yesterday. He has been commuting consistently for the past few years. From what I gathered, he used the grass verge on his mountain bike instead of the road. This likely bought him some time over the years, but unfortunately, his luck ran out.

Definitely looking more vulnerable these days but I don't see him quitting just yet. The new formula for next year will likely be too tempting. With the added incentive of beating Rossi's records, I'm sure he will make a plan, come hell or high water.

Thanks! I was hoping someone had tried these.

Spot on and therein probably lies the justification of the price. They are likely the most durable tyres money can buy. Thanks - at least I'm not the only one who thinks the price is a tough one.

Love it when the consumer scores like this. Great price and insane mileage. Sounds like a 'good ol days' story already because wow, the prices are eye-watering. Appreciate this response; they weren't on my radar. No stock in CPT currently, as far as I can see, but will keep an eye out. Interesting re the narrower width. That might work well for me as I'm currently running 28c that blows up to 31mm on my rims. I still have some clearance left, so a narrow 30c might be the ticket.

I've been running the Pirelli Cinturato Velo TLR since they first launched a few years ago and they've honestly been phenomenal tyres for me. My first set cost around R850 each, then the second/third sets went up to around R1200 per tyre. I think I'm still on my third set and they've recently started puncturing, which is actually very unusual for these tyres. I tried patching them internally but the patches aren't bonding that well even after cleaning off the old sealant. To be fair, these tyres also spent a long period sitting unused at one point, so I suspect age and dried sealant may finally be catching up with them. At this point I'm taking it as a sign to replace them. Problem is, they're now around R1500 per tyre locally. I know everything costs double what it did a few years ago, but that still feels pretty steep for my training wheelset. Has anyone moved away from the Cinturato Velo TLR to something a bit more affordable (closer to the R1k mark) without sacrificing too much puncture protection and durability? Would be interested to hear real-world experiences before I bite the bullet for the 4th or 5th time. TL;DR - has anyone moved to a more affordable alternative (around the R1k mark) without giving up too much puncture resistance and durability? Thanks

On a recent Australian cycling podcast hosted by two competitive riders, they were debating whether cycling has shifted more toward being a social sport. Participation in the CAT racing they usually compet in is dwindling, while mass participation style “fun rides” are growing. They even suggested that KOM chasing is largely a thing of the past. At least for now, fewer people seem to care. So this might not be uniquely a South African issue. It could be that the sport is going through a bit of a reset (rebuilding its image and participation base after taking a knock). Hopefully it's like a pipeline whereby growing interest on the social side could, over time, feed back into stronger compettive structures and hopefully more WT level talent and broader public interest.

@FranE

Curious if anyone knows of a record book of sorts for the more “fun” categories? Things like fastest BMX, steel or aluminum bike, unicycle, tandem or recumbent. Would be really interesting to see what times people have managed.

Thoroughly enjoyed the whole weekend too. The racing was top draw with plenty of passing. Overall results says alot but also leave more question marks now, about everyone and everything. So many factors and combinations are at play. We get to see how it unfolds. Still very early days and the season is long but wow I didn't expect Ducati to take such a beating. Personally, I love the little Noale factory, so this moment is sweet!

Swapped for a street-circuit of all things. Crazy business on so many levels but also intriguing. I'm struggling to get hyped for WSBK. Dorna has also been renamed to 'MotoGP Sports Entertainment'....so uhhh...what about SBK?? I actually hope it gets bought by another entity that actually cares about making it more appealing again. Modern Superbikes and 600s are so advanced and expensive these days, that WSBK should just be a proper Superstock series. Proper showroom-spec racing. That could dramatically lower costs and open the door for local racers around the world to enter when the series comes to town and actually be competitive. Participation would increase. Grids would grow. The racing would become less predictable. And the entertainment value would likely go up as well.

Pretty normal. Go ahead and make the payment.

Meanwhile GFS are still out delivering my November '25 order...

One thing to note is that if you go the Garmin replacement route, the warranty is only 6 months. So, if you can find a similar deal at a retailer, it might be better to go that route for a full warranty.

The lies I tell myself to make up for the lack of elevation gain... Speaking of which, all the abovementioned info is sound advice. If you're also looking for decent elevation gain, you will need to head towards Durbanville via Plattekloof Rd or Bosmansdam Rd.

It's difficult to say exactly, as evidently, Garmin itself can't tell you exactly. I called them well before sending my watch in to get a sense of turnaround times and cost. They said it would likely be 20-30% discount. I saved up and sent my watch to them in December and was offered a present day equivalent replacement at 48% retail price in the same week, so the turnaround time was significantly less than quoted too. The person I spoke to over the phone, was also the person who handled the actual claim, so I'm not sure why the mis-match in quote vs reality. Could be that they under promise and over deliver (which is refreshing), could be that I sent the watch in its original packaging with proof of original purchase.

@NC_lurker unfortunately for your sake, they're equally loud.

@NC_lurker+1 for me. Mine are still chugging along nicely. I actually prefer these wheels over my Hunt's in terms of comfort. They have picked up some galvanic corrosion on the spoke nipples but that's my fault mostly.

Ya I've never had issues with deliveries before. In fact, I've also been impressed with how quickly the items arrive but this is the first order that goes through GFS. Thanks @BuffsVintageBikes

Has anyone had their package delivered on time by the new courier provider GFS Express? I ordered a batch of items in November with an estimated delivery date of 8 December. I've received no less than 8 'out for delivery' notifications since then but no package and when I follow up, GFS gives me a proper run-around with various excuses and frankly, blatant lies. Temu has refunded the full value of items, which is great but I'm wondering if there's even a point in ordering again if it's just going to add to the GFS backlog.

At the start of December, I was out on a solo ride with the intention of riding into the southern suburbs via the M5 Paarden Eiland interchange. However, just before the Shell garage on the R27 service road, 3 cyclists whizzed past me. Now, I've been seeing a ton of cyclists on my strava and in-person taking the N1 again, so my hearts been longing for the ol' seaboard ride but my gut always said just leave it. Well...this time I sat on with the 3 other guys thinking I'd have a safer passage into the CBD but I kid you not, as soon as we emptied onto the N1 by the Womag, 3 guys approached us aggressively with one scurrying to get something out of this hoodie. Thankfully, the cyclist at the front made him muk with a headbutt gesture and the perp fumbled. After not going that route for well over a year, I couldn't believe the odds and brazenness.

Can’t help but think it’s due to one of our nation’s more troubling festive season cultural habits, combined with poor governance.

This picture says a lot. Condolences to his family and friends. What a horrible slap of reality for us cyclists. Infuriating, immense sadness and trepidation.