MildlyWild

Hmm... so CS goes 10sec quicker up the hill and down on the 29er. But then his HR stats shows him averaging 2bpm higher going up and 1bpm going down on the 29er... Riding harder will usually make you go faster - well it works for me.

Shower before you ride? Pay someone to ride in front of you with one of those smelly flie-catching buckets? Wrap a bandage around your head and mouth?

I am MildlyWild and I am a convert to tubeless - halfway anyway... Had 3 pinchflats in 4 rides on the rear wheel, with tube, recently, so dirtbag that I am I got myself a bmx tube, drilled a bigger valve hole in my rim, fitted and spliced the tube and fitted a Kenda SmallBlock8 UST tyre I already had. The tyre is so tight on the rim that I managed (after wangling the tyre bead off the valve hole on the inside) to inflate the tyre with my normal floorpump - without having any sealant in the tyre yet!! Only leaked some air from a thorn hole - was flat after 15min. Added some Joe's sealant after removing the valve core, and hey presto - did a long hard, rocky ride on Sat - no problem. Loving it. But I'll keep the front tube in for now - no problems there ever.

Did Ventoux, Alp d' Huez, etc on my 13.2kg Merida dualie with knobblies last year - from the steeper Malaucene side Was hard, but awesome!!! And the good thing is you can go fly to France for 2 weeks, rent a car, camp and make your own meals for less than R20k. Go for it!! But take a roadbike or at least slicks if you're gonna do the famous climbs.

Big respect for anyone that rides hard to finish 2-3 hours after the winners - that is dedication!

Thanks Johan - thorough answer. I don't mind replacing the odd rim once in a while, so ZTR Crest here I come.

Lean 78kg's, ride a bit harder than most. OK to use Revolution spokes or rather DT Swiss Comp? BST design?

How durable are lightweight wheels / rims really? Something like ZTR355's or Olympics built with Revolution spokes when used for hard XC riding. Should they be kept for racing only or do they stand up to constant riding? Your experience?

in my experience you can ride any trail you want to on any bike, but stay away from big jumps/drops/similar if you want to avoid breaking a frame, rims or components quickly. then upgrade when possible.

A lot of downhill the 1st day - but that becomes uphill the 2nd day. The real problem is all the downhills on the 2nd day - which is unfortuantely uphills on day 1 Awesome race!!!

When i was 6, on my very 1st unassisted bicycle ride a bus hit me head-on... OK, the bus was parked at the kerb and I rode into the back of it cause I couldn't turn or stop yet :-( But yeah, one of the rear wheels of a big truck also gave me a serious rubber burn on my ass as it rolled past me after the truck's fender caught my handlebar - close call, and that was with me minding my own business in PE a few years back. Eventually I graduated to cycle couriering in London for 1.5 years, riding along Oxford Str with both my elbows out, scraping a bus on either side - it was the warmest place to be in winter... My advice: be very alert and flow with the traffic Hope you all stay safe out there

My wife will kill me if I lose any more weight... 1.89m, 77kg...

I suspect he might even retire during the TDF, a few times - can't see him doing 3000+km's on one set...

Anybody know the weight of the alu frame? Vs the previous Mission 3000D?

Must say one feels quite murderous when this happens, but beating the guy up with 15 other locals around us (even with quite a few insisting we call the police) would not be smart - at best it would increase general animosity towards whites and at worst it would have turned real nasty. I will follow up tomorrow with the detective and keep things up to date.

At the turn-off into the Fisantekraal settlement - just after the bridge over the tracks, before going between the gumtrees.

Rode past Fisantekraal outside Durbanville just after 9 this morning (alone) - black dude tried to get hold of me, but being on the lookout and able, I managed to sprint past. 2km on a lady was coming from the front so I stopped her and said I'd ride back past there with her. 2 more ladies just behind us. We passed the spot and i don't see the guy, so I turned back again to continue my ride. 40m on I hear the one lady shout and this same dude came from somewhere, pulled one of the two ladies of her bike and was trying to get away from them. I sprinted back, another guy in a van stopped and we got hold of the bugger (young guy, and nogal small, but with a knife in his back pocket). The ladies called the police, who came about 7min later and took him away. In the meantime this oke's brother was trying to get us to let the culprit go, but luckily the other locals also insisted we get the police. Ended well this time, but be aware where and when you ride - and yes, if at all possible ride in groups of 3 or more with at least one guy. At 1.89m I am not exactly small and this oke still tried to get me

yeah, cause i washed my bakkie last night and now its gonna get dirty again and the mtb is in the shop and I don't feel like messing up my roadbike

Is it just me or does it drive anybody else nuts when people (often a few times in the same for sale section) keep on asking "Why are you selling"? Do they really expect to hear "Cause this bike sucks!" or "Cause there's this really nasty crack in the rim that I hope you don't see" or "Cause I was a stoopid ass when I bought this R30k bike when I can hardly cover my rent, and now I need the money to keep the sheriff from handing me over to be flogged" Honestly, just accept that most people are 1) simply not using the thing and can use the cash better 2) upgrading to something better/lighter/more suited 3) selling cause they got a good deal somewhere and can now make some money quickly Eish. That's my rant for the year.

Hi guys Looking for a really basic, cheap bike that I want to give to a guy called Welcome. He stays in Khayelitsha and has to spend R36/day on taxi just to get to somewhere he can possibly find work during the week (and then maybe earn R80-R120 to feed 4 people). Let me know if you have a R300-R400 bike wasting away in the garage. I'll gladly buy and collect in CT area. Yes, I can also put in the wanted forum, but more people read this I reckon. Thanks

A friend recommended Legacy Cycles in Boston, Bellville to me and I took my mtb in for a bit of tlc (disc brakes, bb and headset). I have never had great service and personal attention like that before!! Kyle does everything himself, has apparently been around for ages (racing and mechanic-ing) and really goes the extra mile (sounds ridiculous but he gave me his spare bb tool and a packet of koeksisters for free). Bike was sorted quickly and came back spotlessly clean - all at a very reasonable price. I really recommend him. And no, no relation of mine, no interest in the shop or whatever... Close to PnP Boston in Frans Conradie - tel 021 9488536

Anybody know how they seed for the Burger? Licensed group and then A,B, etc or just A-wherever based on PPA or Argus seeding series?

Part of the Col d Galibier - and most of it you can't even see from here And it's not quite the top yet... pity i could not ride this one (wife constraints...)

Mt Ventoux almost at the top Mt Ventoux the way the TdF climbed Alpe d' Huez, partway up, looking toward Bourg d' Oisans where the climb starts