Rhodent

Hi there Is there anyone in the rosebank area that could do me a favour? I urgently need someone to go into the Garmin offices and knock some heads in on my behalf. Their service is pathetic. Responses to emails (even the addresses listed above) take several days at best. They NEVER answer the phone. I live in Zambia, and needed a watch to be assessed for repairs. Just to get the info to send the watch took over a week. Then I paid out my @$$ to courier the watch to them - It was signed for on the 31st January but it would appear that Garmin has somehow lost the damn thing - I would have more info if they ever answered the phone, or responded to the emails I send within seconds of actually getting one from them. I have spent almost R2000 listening to their crappy hold music without anyone ever answering the phone. They have several options to choose from when on hold - 1 for service (whatever!), 2 fot tech etc.... all default to customer support and never get answered.

Right - Happy ending as hoped. Email sent to Andrew kicked the ball into motion, and everything that is outstanding is being rapidly cleared up and sent to me. I must stress that the biggest issue here was communication - in hindsight there was evidently work going on in the background, but without this being communicated to me it obviously felt like nothing was happening (particularly with messages not being responded to). Not having the ability to just walk into the shop and query makes things much worse as well. Anyway - alls well that ends well. I am waiting for my invoice to pay the surplus amount, and for the courier to arrive in a few days. Well done CycleLab for turning this around....

Thanks - Solwezi is correct. The 1Zambia race is definitely on the cards in the near future!

If I had known this would happen (And had I known that I would be going down to SA again - at the time it was not on the cards at all) then I would totally have gone this route... Ordering remotely was my only option.... courier and duties hurt, but not as much as the disappointment of what I received....

I have purposely avoided both these routes (And Bikehub for that matter) until now, as I really hoped they would step up.... for the same reason I havent mentioned the branch involved, or the individuals that have been 'helping' me... I posted late last night, I will give them this morning then resort to plan B... man I hate having to go the Hello Peter route - feels so petty. Will likely just email Andrew....

Much appreciated.... if this post doesnt prompt a response I may ask you to step in... unfortunately I am back in Zambia

It is with a heavy heart that I even start this thread.... but I am really hoping that it prompts a bit of service delivery and has a happy ending for all involved... and it really is my last resort! I have been an avid cycle lab supporter for close on 20 years... Every bike that I have purchased has been from them... current standing being 3 road bikes, 4 mountain bikes and 1 E-MTB. But this latest purchase has been very likely the worst customer service I have received from ANY service provider. Details as follows... I moved up to the north west province of Zambia earlier this year - our initial plan had been the UK, and we had sold all our bikes to help fund this idea, when this very happy alternative arose. And this place is cycling (Particularly MTB) manna from heaven. In the middle of no where, we have free, unlimited access to well maintained, amazing trails both on the local golf estate and in the surrounding game reserves.... Needless to say I had to get bikes ASAP. Given that there is limited availability in Zambia, this meant importing from SA - enter cyclelab.First enquiries made on 6th September, took a few follow up emails to prompt some response (Admittedly my emails were going to spam so I cut them some slack), but the basis of the order was as follows: 1 x Silverback Stride Expert 1 x Titan E-1 1 x Ryder Dual pedals for the Silverback 1 x Ryder MTB Shoes Tubeless conversions on both bikes To their credit, cycle lab offered to do the conversions for free (Even though I was happy to pay). Fast forward a few weeks, and the bikes arrive, along with the extras. E-Bike tyres are flat, with sealant leaking - no big deal, means I can see the conversion was done. So I dont think twice about the Silverback. But then the issues start.... 1. Box for pedals had been previously opened, and resealed. Clips for the shoes were missing, and box contained two RIGHT pedals. So there goes the idea of riding with cleats for a while. I let Cyclelab know right away. At this stage I mentioned that all else was great. 2. Head out for the first ride on the Silverback - Constant scraping sound. Check the brakes - rotors are bent. Great. 3. After doing what I can to get the rotors straight enough to not feel like I am riding with brakes on all the time, I start to get more out of the bike. Until the 1st puncture (Bear in mind I hadnt checked the silverback, just taken it for granted as the Titan conversion was done). Lo and behold, tubes in both silverback tyres. No conversion done. Needless to say I then lost it. But this is where it gets really annoying.... ANY communications I send to Cyclelab requires constant follow up. 2,3,4 emails before I get a response. When I did get a response, the manager I spoke to was great and promised to sort issues out - including sending all the materials needed for the conversions, replacement rotors, and as I was choosing not to replace the pedals we agreed to a credit on the pedals, I would fill my basket with some other goods and pay any difference, and they would send to me. NOW I MUST ADMIT THAT I AM NOT INNOCENT - There were some delays on my side, I was rather loathe to pay the exorbitant courier fees to send the pedals back, so waited until a colleage travelled down south, and sent the pedals with them for delivery in SA. That said, I then had an unexpected trip to SA come up - so immediately contacted cyclelab to let them know I would be in JHB, and if they could arrange everything, let me pay the difference, and get the goods to me in JHB - it would save huge amounts of time, and more importantly - would save them the duties and courier costs to send the items to me in Zambia. I had one response saying they would arrange...and then radio silence. I have not had confirmation that they recieved the pedals (Other than the proof that they were sent from my colleague), I have not had a credit for them, or invoice for whats outstanding once taking into account the additional purchases, they never got anything to me in JHB so missed that chance before I came back here, and not they do not respond to whatsapps or emails in which I am basically begging to just get this sorted. Their online manager was online on whatsapp 5 minutes ago - the last four messages I have sent have not been read. Strong ignoring game. I just want to ride my bike, with no hassles, without worrying about flats, without scraping breaks... its been over 3 months since I ordered these bikes, and while I have been riding, I am yet to fully enjoy a ride.... I am completely at a loss for what to do next in this case... I am really starting to consider the possibility that cyclelab couldnt give a damn about some chop in the north of Zambia, and will just cut their losses ( or mine in this case)

Looking for some advice please... I need to replace the sealant in my tyres - is this pretty easy to do myself or am I going to have to go the LBS route? Any idea what I’m looking at cost wise?

Yea it was.... bloody gorgeous... but I am of the same mindset - wheels are a bit skinny and doesnt look like it would handle a drop well! If it came in a MTB version however....

I frequent the hardware aspect of mega mica (Beauty of a company account) and always browse through the cycling section to see whats what... was bummed a few weeks back when it looked like it was shutting down, but popped in yesterday (Hardware again....) and was thrilled to see the new stock thats come in.... including a black Merida that gave me a sleepless night last night! Incidentally, this would be an awesome spot to start a group ride.... central to the view and kensington side, can head off over the hill to germiston side, out towards modderfontein, or over the other side and head north, plenty of parking for those driving in, coffee shop on site.... and afterwards you can pick up the nuts and bolts needed for the DIY jobs to keep the missus happy... or leave her at Eastgate while you ride!

Morning All, Looking for a couple of used road tyres.... dont need anything fancy and not to concerned about wear.... i just want to use them on the IDT. I am in Kensington,JHB. There are some beers in it for bribery purposes.

Just entered 70km.... any info re water points/feed tables etc? Need to know how many bananas to squeeze in (seeing as it looks like we all have to donate one to Tyron)

No chance of doing this for the MTB event??

60 or 70?

Thanks guys. As luck would have it a mate stopped past who’s offered a lift to the nearest spot so all sorted. Cheers

Hi All, I’m sitting at the petrol station near links field road. Opposite saheti. Can anyone tell me where the closest bike shop is??

I did my honours research project on this about 10 years ago.... obviously been a lot of development since then, and also (being only an honours project) had some study limitations as well. Research was limited to road cycling, and did not find any statistical significance between circular and non-circular chainrings (Measured RPE, Heart Rate, Oxygen Consumption, energy expenditure and cadence required to maintain a constant speed). Essentially, subjects felt 'more connected' to the bike through the traditional deadspots in the pedal stroke, but it did not lead to any dramatic increases in anything bar 'feel'. That being said - i was loaned a power meter for the duration of the study, so had it fitted to my bike when not used in the lab, and i racked up plenty of mileage with both the circular and non-circular rings. Anecdotal response - For road rides over 2/3 hours, i definitely felt power output was a lot more sustained... interestingly average HR and PO were slightly higher with non-circular, but perceived response was the same. Again....seemed like a comfort thing. Would have loved to do further research but Masters took a different route... Would be very interested to try non-circular on a MTB...

That sounds great - could you give me an idea of which way you went? New to the area!

Anyone got route maps for Northern Farm? Trying to figure out if it will also suit the wife - beginner!

Thanks! Will definitely give Modderfontein another bash - last (only) time I went there it was mudpit, didnt really make for a long day out. Will also look up the DOC guys... Would definitely be keen to slot into some group rides - have not had much luck finding any this side of the world though

Morning All, Some advice please! I am looking for an area/bike park in or around JHB that will give me an opportunity to get some decent time in the saddle to work on base fitness on the MTB. I have been to a couple of the bike parks (PWC and BCC mainly), and while the fun factor is definitely way up there, I would also like to just hit out for a good 3/4 hour ride... Any suggestions? I am in the Kensington area, but will gladly travel for some open road or a decent group. Only issue with the group is my fitness has taken a kick so I want to build it up before being a handbrake... TIA

no 25km this year? Guess thats going to force an upgrade to the 45! Really enjoyed last years, will definitely be there

I feel like I may be bashing my head into a brick wall... but ineptitude really hurts my feelings... So, lets take this nice and slooooooooow.... The original post in this thread is from 2016. It was in 2016 that the OP mentioned politics at Heia. It was also in 2016 that he quoted a post that started in 2014 and ended in 2016. We still together? Good. lets continue.... Fast forward 2 years, and the OP from the 2016 post, yep the same one, did something amazing. He wanted to ask about Avianto, but instead of starting a new thread about it, he remembered starting a similar thread 2 years ago, and very cleverly searched it, and commented on it. In 2018. Genius. Keep up now, this is where it gets tricky. Where the confusion arises, is that people (in 2018) are reading his original 2016 post and not realising that the its from 2016 (cos we are in 2018 right?).Confusion reigns. Accusations fly about irrelevant content. Blah blah blah. The mention of politics is outdated, the post about politics is outdated. The question about Avianto, well now thats relevant (Great by the way). its a pleasure.

Did anything ever come out of this? Just moved to the area and after living in Cape Town and Sandton where I had the mountain and the spruit on my doorstep, I am seriously getting cabin fever!

Did the 25 for the first time as been a bit of a wuss with training - really enjoyed the route! I'm new to JHB so want to check - are those trails (or part of) available to ride outside of the race?