BigGuy

RIP Mark

Mankele is also very nice.

Dullstroom. Hill training for Isuzu 3 Towers.

I have one of the original 2006 Anthem frames, with RP23 shock. I was on a serious mission last year to upgrade the frame and eventually (after lots of ride before you buy) realised that it would all be a waste of money. For my sluggish type of riding style I had to be honest with myself that I could not feel any significant improvement in speed or comfort or stability. And the frame has been reliable for the last few years. Better the devil I know.

That climb is just nasty. Make no mistake. Last year I tackled it with my normal "gauteng hill" pace, without food and water. I did not even have breakfast. Why take food and water if there is a water point at the top? Stupid stupid mistake. I was seriously depleted when I got to the top and had cramps all the way to the finish. A few things that I learned on that long weekend: - If you weigh > 100kg you cannot "dice" anyone to the top of the first climb, unless you can put out around 2000W on the pedals, with a glucose drip attached to both arms. - Eat a decent breakfast before every stage. You WILL need it. - Eat and drink regularly, right from the start of the stage. Your recovery for the next day must start when you start to turn the pedals. - If you are not a local, or do not visit the top of Breedt's Nek regularly, slacken your pace a bit and rather enjoy the splendid views. - Wear sunscreen.

I'm not fat, I drink from the magic cauldron...

PM me a pic of yourself; I need to see the face and body of the woman without a weight issue.

Hold a burning match to your <fill fat body area in here> and burn fat immediately. Seriously, agree with topwine, the body is a complex machine. Make small changes to your diet and measure once a week. Log these numbers and react to what you want to accomplish. Eat wholesome, natural foods and lots of fruit/veggies. Cut back a little on the starches, alcohol, sugary drinks. Do not feel too bad if you cheat once in awhile; one big fatty/starchy meal will not make you any more fat than one small lean meal will make you lose fat; it is about averaging your food intake. And you have to do a bit of low intensity training as well, actually quite a bit, > 2-3 hours per day. Drink lots of water. Good luck. Joost do it!

It's not my fault that I fell into the cauldron with magic potion at birth.

Yes I agree, and how about a handicap race? Everybody has to ride with a backpack, with leadshot being added at the entry shute, so that everyone weighs as much as the heaviest person.

The eBay replacement bushing seems to last OK. As 20niner mentions above, you need to service the bushing regularly otherwise it will grind away (I try and do it once a month), especially if mud and hi pressure cleaning happens. Servicing the bushing takes just 5 minutes. I use a few drops of mineral oil as per instruction.

I would say that the performance are very similar. SID has a little bit less weight on it, maybe 150gm if it is that much?

Maybe use a 'quick link' or 'power link' instead? I have never had any issues with those and it makes drivetrain maintenance less of a hassle.

If I understand correctly it is still a very weird question: CRC (Chain Reaction Cycles) supporters living in the USA, which online cycling mag do you read? Looking at the stats, I have made a few conclusions of my own: 1. Cyclists living in the USA do not make use of CRC, because they ride a Trek. What else is there to ride anyway? 2. Cyclists living in the USA do not enjoy reading. 3. Cyclists living in the USA cannot read.

I assume you are referring to HEED? Personally I have never felt that boost, but then again I am a fat bastard and it will take more than EPO cough syrup to make me feel a boost. Maybe a gentle surge is all I should be expecting.

Sigma analogue uncoded strap should work OK with Tacx Flow. I guess Polar coded will not work, it uses proprietory comms. Tacx Bushido can use analogue uncoded and Ant+.

Geez, you're correct on this one. A friend of mine races an old (or should I rather say classic?) Porsche regularly and he estimates roughly 10-15K per weekend event (that is if all goes well). If you crash or the engine packs up the bill is enormous... and this is on the low budget stuff. We are not talking Wesbank modified saloons here.

Why can't we just have a Magalies Monster series, one event, or maybe even 2, every month or so? Real value for money, great route (if not the best), great water tables (if not the best), great goodie bag (if not the best). Right up there with Forest 2 Falls quality.

As far as I know you cannot train for TransBaviaans in Gauteng.

http://www.tshwane.gov.za/groenkloof.cfm Seems they adjust the fees every July, but they do not mention the amounts. There is a fee for an annual ticket at R500. Not sure how that works but I will find out.

I guess if you can make the wheels fit you are good to go.

Front or rear rim?

What the hell must I do with 30 gears?!

Afternoon off, so good time to hit the trails.