capediver

All dressed up but no how to go..... 🫣

Up to Kloof Nek....into Theresa Avenue in bakoven, hit the Missing Link all the way to Llandudno, scramble down to the road! MTB required!😎

Bike make?

Here you go....Redshift Kitchen sink bar bag....made for their Kitchen Sink Bar but as you can see fits any aerobar set if set up correctly...about 1L with extender unzipped... There are other bags available (Restrap - holster type which means you can't access on the go, Cyclite (great stuff but mucho denari!)... DIY...if you don't need access, you can fit a cross bar between the aerobars and sling a small roll top bag in there with bungee cords... Another DIY...hang a few feed bags between the bars!

Dinner is served...! Minor fine tuning needed...maintenance on cables and squeaky routing ....then just need to find a 15%er near me!!! Thanks to U1Nanimous!

Ja but ....but but....he took them to court...(not about the accusation but about the ban) and it cost him a lot of money but he lost.....so he's not guilty.... All of this and he "still has clients"... nah hard to believe...the community is too small...if you going to defend your mate then you have to have better evidence for your statements. If his "clients" know of this, then that's on them, freedom of choice! The fact that he is still out there proudly plying his trade in the community where the administrating body has permanently banned him from using their banner to do such trade, with "client's" that he was banned from "trading" with...this is what boggles me..this shows zero empathy or contrition and frankly a huge FU to the victims.... So again if there is evidence that he has been wrongly accused and convicted then it needs to be brought to the attention of the authorities so any injustices can be reversed...until then, challlenged CSA ban remains and he has to live with it, answereable to only one, and none of us...

Let the guys speak up! If he has the other side of the story, or there is "more to the story", then he should speak up, exonerate the accused and convicted...clearly, none of what he apparently purports to know ever came out in any hearing over all these years...again, shame on you for sitting on this evidence.... If he is cleared of all these charges because of the evidence you now have, then we all will hang our heads in shame for being so judgemental...

I'm sorry but this: "Lets not act as if 17 year olds are innocent."... sounds totally like victim blaming....but aside from that ALL 17 year old klds are MINORs in the eyes of the law...shame on you!!!! CSA saw fit to ban him....let us hear your side of the story!!

Route debrief:

Google should be limited to: "Best Orthopedic section closest to me"...and then plot a route to their rooms...use Waze, better routing display than Google Maps!

If you use this, make sure you wear a chafe vest as well! As a surfer from 70's, these were the cause of many days of pain from wetsuit rash (neck and under the arms!!) until the rash vest was "invented"...ample vaseline was the only thing available back then!

Reviving an "old" thread here...(why is it so quiet??) Surely the weatherperts have started predictions already?

Another "never leave home without it"..

Silver River 10th Jan 2026 Silver River 20260110_124925.mp4 Yesterday...! The Silver River 12 Feb 2026.mp4 😁

Great outfit!!! I have those same twin bottle racks for the seat and have thought about putting the bottles there but that space is currently taken by my Garmin Varia Radar that peeks up and over the top of the pannier rack pack....seen clearly here When I get back in-country for the CTCT, I will do a bit of fiddling to see if I can't combo the twin holder with the Garmin mount and hopefully it doesn't interfer with the rear rack pack..it does make for a bit of a big leg swing to mount tho and after a long day of fighting gravity, that is sometimes a big ask! Thanks for the tip about the contact for the frame bag, I know of a guy in J Bay that also makes them....too late tho, I already have the Adipura in my greedy paws and have to wait to get back to mount it but it fits my Giant Defy I have here with similar dims snugly. It has a nice horizontal internal divider that keeps the sides from bulging and that can be removed to use the full space but I plan on transferring my 2L Camelback bladder down to the lower compartment...this is usually carried in the top of one of the panniers and used to top up frame bottles...water storage is not to be taken lightly! I even have a Salomon skin marathon vest rolled up with the 2 soft 500ml flasks in the rear rack pack that I fill and wear on really hot days.

Chris, thanks for the compliments! So the things I didn't use at all: Spares, tools, any maintenance things I took except for SMOOVE lube...I tend to pack for the worst (just no chain or tyre) so this part does weigh in a bit...but I have no regrets for keeping a good supply of spares...not using any is first prize I probably didn't need the Espetosul!! but it packs down well, just the drive unit takes up a bit of space because of the standing frame, but I have a plan to make that detachable I always take too much food...ie the freeze dried Forever Fresh....(PS Lasgna and the Beef Strog is delicious!) I have a wind guard for my gas burner...its a bit too long and heavy and I'm going to clip a few leaves off it: I'm looking at a DIY option but it may be a bit too light! I won't always be taking my fly rig so that will be a saving next time round! The Zane #2 is not the lightest reel! The toptube inside frame bag was a fail again! I been thru 3 of these, probably my own fault for overloading..but the top straps and stitching ALWAYS fail and after only 1 trip. So I'm trying the Apidura Expedition full frame as the weight of the bag is mostly taken by the lower part of the frame triangle and if if fits well inside the frame, the top straps are there just to keep it in position...I like its cut, 2 spaces and apparent waterproofness but the zips concern me..they are very stiff in the locked position and difficult to open on the go. So my waterbottles will go back onto the front forks and the items in those 2 bags into the new frame bag Batteries: I have a beast: Momax 100W iPower Stone Mini Outdoor Power Station 40000mAh, IP67 waterproof and dustproof, Its not that big: 128*63*78mm but weighs in at 810g!!! So its at the bottom of one of the pannier bags! But on this last trip I took 2 smaller 10,000 ones kept in feedbags and just kept these alive with the new Solar Panel (15W) draped over the rear panniers and I never touched this bugger...so I'll probably leave it out next time. I will ditch the e-pump...noisy bastard that doesn't always seal on valve properly and battery drops very fast!! Lezyne Mini Foot pump...didn't need it but will go on every trip! I swapped my 1 man First Ascent Stamina tent for a Durston 2 man X-Dome...the Stamina is a great tent, fully waterproof, easy to set up, light and compact and fits between the bars easy! But it is tight! The 2M X-Dome is a bloody Palace! Same weight and pack down size but acres of space..... and it's free standing and if you have ever had to pitch a tent in the Karoo backwaters, then you'll know what a bonus that is! You can use rocks if the wind picks up...always plenty of those! I find it hard not to take certain things..better to have and not need than to need and not have! So unless I know there are fully stocked places at the stops I plan, that's pretty much it.... Oh and a special mention for the Natural Instincts Ultralight Compact Chair!!!!! Never leave home without it! Fits right under the bars above the front wheel and slung to the Tailfin Bar Cage

Something has been going on with Garmin ....

I found and read the thread...😳....OK so if anyone can advise if this has been resolved...please let me know...

That's it....forms part of the Freedom Challenge...they enter from the top of the Swartberg Pass then climb UP to get out of the valley... It can be done... I've been in touch with these guys, they took about 2hrs going down... did NOT have to unpack their rig....obviously a bit hairy!

OK, good info....DM the details....I was planning on overnighting at the top then going down early AM

Yoh, time flies ! So ...next month...mid Mar...how's the temps your side....Calitzdorp...7weekspas....Die Leer....Swartberg pass....(here's the point where I am vulnerable to being convinced that one cannot turn right without first turning left for a quick detour "down" North)...back to C Dorp.....

I actually was busy re-editing some of my footage from this epic Tankwa trip in Oct last year when I saw the sad news...so this is just the Gannaga Pass and a very little of the Lodge....a magnificent place....RIP Izak!

Front fork rack: These take a massive beating when the gravel gets bad so if you got mount inserts on you front fork, 3 are better than two and you must be careful not to overload...and use locktite! Options are: 1: for bottles or small bags: I got these but don't use the mounting inserts on the forks, instead they get mounted with a rubber backing strip and fully taped with Gorilla tape...going nowhere..,. and bags only carry light stuff like clothes or water bottles https://www.takealot.com/rockbros-bike-front-fork-shelf-with-bike-fork-bag-road-cycling-r/PLID100292395 If you want to pack heavier, then the Old Man Mountain rack adapters are good as the load is carried on the axle they supply...@7:40 2: front mount carrier racks that can also carry small panniers: A few expensive options here...but again, some use the mounting inserts on the fork https://www.cycletouring.co.za/product-category/touring-bikepacking/front-racks/ Hope this helps

I saw this....so sad!!...never met him there but folk there were really nice...RIP!😔

Kom se Pad: Kom Se Pad (Come to the path) is a gravel loggers road running from Diepwalle to Gouna in the Western Cape of South Africa, traversing the forest reserve above the popular coastal town of Kynsna...a gem along the Garden Route... No longer used for logging, it's a publicly accessible road (permits are required from SANPARKS) with perfect gravel, minimal climbing and dense forests filled with life, most of which you only hear! Along some sections, it forms an overhead canopy of ferns, tall indigenous trees and dense foliage running for about 20kms...the true Garden Route!