ShaughnK

Would any Durban / Kzn people be interested in attending one of Johan's workshops ? He tells me he is happy to travel down to Durban if we can get enough people interested. ?crowdude2009-04-03 10:13:01

I have bought from Breekwater. He responded promptly to PM and emails. Goods arrived exactly as described. couriered from Cape Town, properly packaged.

To our absolute disbelief and shock a rugby loving, beer swilling friend of ours had just "come out of the closet" and announced he was moving in with his new 'life partner'. A day or 3 later a good mate of mine (who shall forever remain nameless) was out on the normal morning ride on with all guys present still reeling over the news. After mulling things over for a while, he turned to his co rider and said "jissie bru, I just cant imagine it. Imagine sticking your c k up another guys Ale" and at that precise second a lady rider approaching the bunch quietly from behind pulled level with him and heard every word of the 2nd sentence.... then disappeared over the hill ahead, her shoulders still shaking with silent laughter. We still see her out on the road and she still smiles every time and my friend keeps his head down and concentrates on the road beneath him...

Slime is a make of sealant product. Essentially its the liquid stuff you pour into a tube. everybody calls it slime although you have different brands. Let your LBS direct you as to what brand to buy as everybody will swear by the brand they use. However try and get 'Slime' as you cant go wrong really there. Tyre liners are cheap. R25 a set if memory serves. they fit between tyre and tube. Just pick up a set at the shop when you buy the sealant. I did Mashatu last year with Tyre liners and Slime fitted and didnt have a puncture despite having the tyres unbelievably riddled with thorns.

Shock pump - Nope. do that at home. Not sure how far your ride is going to be so add these suggestions as needed ? Tyre levers... unless you have really strong wrists. ICE card of some sort. Some sort of energy powder drink to chuck in your water bottle to keep your electrolyte levels up while you ride. (USN, Muscle science, Gu) all make a version thereof. Nip down to your LBS and buy a bandana to fit under your helmet, keeps the perspiration out of your eyes and protects your head against the sun a bit more. Agteros is right, Hydration packs weigh more... however... Dont take a Camel Bak only if you are quite fit, us lesser mortals generally need the extra water a back pack offers. They cost R500 Plus Plus depending on model. fill it with ice cubes and some water on the morning of the ride, dont put anything else in (e.g. the energy drink mentioned above) other wise you will stuff up the inner. chuck a Gu and an energy bar in the pouch of pack as well in case you bonk. Get some tyre liners from your LBS and put them in as well as Slime. Check that your tubes arent the type that come with slime in them already though. Also check the tube you have as a spare actually fits your rims/ bike type. Saw that particular faux-pas happen to a cycling buddy last weekend much to our amusement. Most importantly... Have fun... as you cycle along take time to have a swig of your drink, look around and think "sheesh but life is tough in Africa..."

I am not actually sure on the size of their rides . Although I am a Mavericks club member I do all my riding in the 'Cane around the Umhlanga/La Mercy area. There is a nice cane ride for newbies out this way that runs on a Sunday morning, but you need a "cane licence" and also bit far for you to travel I am afraid.

You might want to fix that link ?

Maverick cycles in Hillcrest do an MTB ride every Saturday for their Club members. They make a point of always catering for newbies so you wont be left behind. So i suggest joining the club, its about R120 or something for the year. The shop is in Hillcrest in the shopping centre across the road from Heritage market.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/odds/bofh/ BOFH = Bastard Operator from Hell. The Administrator all us IT geeks aspire to be. Go read this. You will never be nasty to your IT guy again. crowdude2009-03-05 12:56:03

Hi, I sent you a pm with some details. might help might not.... good luck.

Oddly enough I generally find that the taxis are the least of my worries as well. The drivers are generally pretty professional and give me a wide(ish) berth. I always think to myself its because they dont want my bike scratching their fancy graphic art they just had spraypainted on. Its the guys wobbling their way home from the casino at 5am that scare the hell out of me.

I was down at Port Edward this last week, rode at Clearwater trails 5 of the 7 days, its about 5 mins drive from Port Edward Central. They have an easy 4k route through the Coffee Plantations for the kids and then slightly more 'interesting' routes of 10k and 20ks through the various banana & coffee plantations and a nature conservancy. Stunning views. The red route 20k has some fantastic technical stufff, nice hill climbs and a river crossing to carry your bike through . I had to revert to the easier blue route 10k on the last day when my Brother in Law who was my riding partner managed to fall down a rocky hill descent and damage his shoulder. He retired to the coffee shop at Beaver Creek and left further riding to me If anyone is going down that way I really recommend the ride. Jan who runs the place is a very friendly and helpful guy, even spent some time helping BIL adjust his gears and brakes at n/c. This week Giba. I battle to find all the trails there, so I enquired and management say they offer the use of a guide to show a bit more of the place, no charge for the guide but a tip is generally appreciated. (They are generally local development riders who spend their holidays & weekends working there.) If you are from up country that might be an idea.

After seeing this thread I went looking for Whasp at my LBS, got waved over to a dusty box of Ladies Whasp on a far shelf. Eventually settled for a couple GU with a bit of trepidation as I cramped badly last time I used them. Lo and behold at the Mazda 40k 1/2 Marathon in Howick on Sunday a nice lady came around handing out Whasp's. I used mine 2/3 of the way in and it worked for me. No idea what flavour it was as I was too wet, tired and muddy to care when I took it. I'll buy them in future, assuming I can find them somewhere.