Bigmozzarella

Thanks hubbers!!! Got a whatsapp, asking for an email... it was so odd I googled his email address... and found this post. His number: +27 74 430 0208 His messasge I am interested in buying the bike. Kindly get back to me via email at barry4smith02@gmail.com waiting to hear from you soon From what I read, he's going to tell me he's working for Diamnd Offshore as a petro enineer, and he's buying the bike as a surprise for his cousin.... and it goes downhill from there. I replied Hi, my email address is cousin-surprise@diamandsoffshore.com. Cheers to the OP for starting this post. You saved me and others a lot of admin!

I see TransBav organisers are making a bit of a mystery around CP 6. No kms.... "Beware of the ghost" Its been in the same place for years. They can't put it on one of the downhills after the NeverEnder - that will just cause a crash. So they'll probably put it at the top of a hill....which they've always done. It probably has to be after the Y split to ensure cyclists stay on the route. I wonder what the ghost is all about...

That's interesting. .. If you come late or ride below your weight you'd gain a few min.

Incredible event. I love that race. Unreal scenery & trails! 3 cheers to the guy who pointed out a problem with my derailleur/chain. I probably would have broken something, and ended up high & dry, (actually wet). Def worth the time to fix and enjoy a trouble free ride. He must be a hubber. Give that man a bells. 0 cheers to the 3 stooges in the Nedbank kit showboating at 2km/h down the final single track - just refusing to to let a faster rider pass, not if you ask nicely, not if there's space, even if they're walking obstacles. Really had to exercise restraint to not go mental and screw up their outing. Maybe first big race, still learning trail etiquette. Maybe not hubbers. Give them a chance. Otherwise, unbelievable experience.

where you getting that info? That's not reasonable advice. It's made out of 6061 Alloy - that's light and strong. Not gonna break it on a trail/ MTB race.

The 2015 AL329 has higher end components, and goes for R13 / R14k. That's probably a 2014 bike. I estimate about 10 when new / or about 10 will get a you similar spec today - if you really shop around - maybe, I think. If it's 2nd hand - how many kms has it done? Thinking about wear and tear on expensive stuff like the chain, and the chainrings. It will probably be OK after just 1 yr. You'll get much lower quality for that price if you went shopping for new. You might actually struggle to get something new for R10k today in that range. Not a fan of those tyres... Your ride will improve if you put something else on (like Maxxis Ikon) - especially on a hard tail. The price seems fair to me.

Sorted. I Googled and found the best weather report. They can't change it now, I clicked "Accept" You're very welcome

Don't message me - I'm just re-posting a Gumtree ad I saw There's an ad on Gumtree - looking for owner of a bike. Suspected stolen - guy asking whose it is bike it is. (don't go nail the guy - he's looking for the owner) If you know the owner, send him the link. http://www.gumtree.co.za/a-sports-bicycles-fitness/tableview/notice-do-you-know-of-anyone-that-has-had-a-scott-spark-elite-recently-stolen-from-them/1001148761730910017407209 The ad reads as follows: On Friday I bought a bicycle for my son from a guy near the Seven Eleven, Sandown Rd, he approached me asking if I am Interested. It turns out that I am looking for a Bike for my son to commute to school with. After a very sad story of his father passing away last week and him and his mother needing cash, I told him my budget was lower for my son bike. After I did my shopping he approached me again on my way home accepting my offer. When I showed my son the bike he almost fell off his chair. We did some internet research to find the bike value to be much higher raising my suspicion. I took down details from the guy but it seems dodgy, the phone number is message mode, and the address I will try again.

Must be... We were inching our way op & out, but we did it! And yes "suffered" is definitely the right word.

Oh man.... You know you've overcooked when you cross a puddle like in the pic below. Normally I'd just bounce over that. Not in Clarens.... Here I am- looking at it as if about to traverse a raging river in flood.

I started cycling on a 26" Dual suss Western Flier. Told myself I don't need funny pants & shoes, and I'm not gonna get too serious about it. (where did it all go wrong?) Trained for my first race and did it on that - the OFM classic - 110km. Then I tried the 94.7 on it weeks later, but my cone bearings drilled into my hub. Didn't have a saddle bag, but rode with a camel pack, pliers and a shifting spanner. Don't know what you'll use the shocks for. Just be sure to put in some tire liners, and slime in the tubes.

Damn that was tough. If you live in the FS - you just don't get riding as awesome as that ever. I overcooked early in the race. At the end I thought I was in hell - a state of eternal damnation - I could see the town but every direction board pointed me up a hill or further away. The last 10 took forever. RIP the man who died. Terrible tragedy.

Been there. Had to remove a pedal stuck in place for years. Did it the day before the Argus. Normally use an allen key / spanner - and get leverage. This time we were stripping everything - incl the pedal. And we tried Q20, a vice, leverage, hammer, everything. we'd stripped the pedal, so had to file it down to a size 14 And obviously - paying attention to the fact that the thread is in the opposite direction. But we got it off like this. 1. removed crank arms with pedals attached,. 2. heat up (on stove / blow torch) - hot enough that water sizzles and evapourates instantly. Aluminium crank and the steel pedal heat up at different speeds and therefore expand at different rates. 4. attached the 14 spanner and whack with a hammer (not power/torque - hammer) 5. A couple of whacks and it was off. We let it cool instead of dunking it in water. Then greased the thread of the next pedal we replaced it with.

cup & cone

Well done man!!!! Cool story :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: Shame - poor Rasta if he bought it from somebody.... Then again - he would have known he was buying something shady!

Cheers for clearing that up.

Good point....

OK... so it's prob just AL-BL then?

Hoping not man!! Can't find a start time list anywhere though. Jsut working on SMSs

Road times. Can't find the start times on their web. AL and BL are definately 25min apart. Is there a link to start times...? or if anybody knwos when CL & DL start.

SMSs must be wrong then. AL 6h30 BL 6h55 ... Whats yr gp and start time. (Last year they started us 10min apart)

OK - it's sorted. AL - BL is 25min apart (but like Cheese says - thats assuming there's no groups between that.) CL, DL, etc start times posted are 5min apart. All good for racing Thanks. ------ So, don't know if it's just me that thinks something is screwed up about this. The start groups seem to be 25 min apart. Last year it was 10min apart - so if you're in a group - you can't catch the one in front. If you get dropped.... can you're riding solo for a looong time. This year - they've deicided to increase that by 250% I hope they fix it. I just can't see myself standing in the start block for 25 minutes, knowing that the group ahead will be 14-15km away by the time we start. The Argus would have started 8 groups in that time. Anyone else notice that? Something I'm missing? A silver lining perhaps?

Not good to hear Vetseun.... I always thought we had it pretty chill here in BFN with regard to bike jackings / crime targeting cyclists etc. Anybody who ties barbed wire across 2 trees is deliberately trying to harm quads, moto-x bikes or cyclists... Whether incorporating it into a crime, or doing it to deter trespassers - it's a very severe measure, and surely criminal. Freaks me out that it can happen at all. And I hope it's not the start of something. Heal up well. Glad it wasn't your neck. This will affect how you ride next time you go for a personal best.

I dig how the seat post tube is actually a headset / stem tube. I bet the back triangle swivels too... If so, do you think you could ride it like a a snake board? This could be your moment.

Looks like it's made of steel to me!