gemmerbal

I’ve been so busy with training and work, I forgot to add that I managed to make the local paper last week 🙈. Fundraising is coming along slowly but surely, thank you to those who have taken the time to read my thread. It’s worth pointing out that all funds raised will go towards the SPCA, I am covering my expenses out of my own pocket. Well, except for the generous sponsorship from Moroff & Kühne Consulting Engineers who have been so kind as to sponsor the branded Velotex bibs and shirts. I will be posting vlogs on the Campaign website as things go along. I’m looking forward to November, really pumped for the challenge. https://www.netwerk24.com/netwerk24/za/tygerburger/nuus/brackenfell-man-set-to-tackle-greulling-cycling-event-for-the-spca-20220720

Thank you very much!!!

Today marks 20 weeks to the start line of Munga 2022. My fundraising campaign has been officially launched on the SPCA website, please visit the link and follow my journey as I post updates on my training and preparation for the 1100km ride. “Let me suffer so they don’t have to.” https://www.givengain.com/cc/munga4mutts/

When I was retrenched in 2016 I could no longer afford to play social and competitive golf. I then dusted off my mtb and decided to cycle in stead as I, like most Saffas, am an outdoor person (a factor that cost me my marriage). People at the golf club were saying "but cycling is more expensive than golf bla bla bla" to which I replied BS. If you have a bike and clothing, riding your mtb will cost you an annual subscription of ±R800 (Bottelary) whereafter you are not paying a cent, except for the odd maintenance issue if you cannot repair it yourself of course. Wear and tear on a budget bike is minimal as the parts just last. For a roadbike, it is my epxerience that that is even cheaper to run (having bought and ridden my trusty Swift Carbon R825 for the last 2yrs and all had to replace was the BB and the tyres). The Golf vs Cycling debate around cost is stupid. Golf equipment and apparrel is on par (pardon the pun) with cycling equipment and apparrel. But, with golf you have greenfees on top of your subs, the halfway house and of course the 19th hole. Granted, these aren't a neccessity, but it is much like the coffee stop during a ride and the beers thereafter. For me golf was way more expensive. I calculated that a Saturday on the golf course cost me around R500 (R250 greenfees, R100 halfway, R150 for a round of drinks); a 100km ride costs me R100 for a coffee stop with a samie. The fact is, it costs nothing to ride your bike on your local trails/raods, even if you wonder out to other trails for the day, a day pass is R60 at most. Road cycling is free. People like to have a medal on their wall for which they paid R5000/R10000/R50000 etc. I tell you what, go down to your local trophy store and buy one for far less if that is why you ride. And if you ride to be pampered, well... An event like the Munga is R30k. That is to feed ±200 riders and to keep the feeding stations operational for the 5 days, its marginal but the expenses almost makes sense. Then you have the Silk Road, which carries a ± R6000 entry fee. I am reliably informed that to travel to and participate in the Silk Road costs less than the entry fee for the Munga. Tour Divide is free (what I am told). These are medals worth having on your wall, not a R600 medal for going around Cape Town on public roads which you could do an most days for free, or some R50000 medal for riding most of the trails in the WC with some sections being only available for the event. But hey, that's just me. I ride to be healthy, both mentally and physically.

well that's the thing, I'll be in the same boat if I get the 4iiii, but lets face it, as a weekend warrior training for a marathon bike ride I don't NEED a powermeter but it would make structured training a hell of a lot more accurate and it is FAR cheaper than buying a smart trainer. I only ride the dumb trainer when I cannot ride outside, and then I alternate between z2 rides and HIIT sessions. Dumb trainers are perfect for z2 sessions in my opinion and for marathon events I need a very solid base. Stick it in a gear, hit 65% max. HR and just keep the cranks turning. It's boring as hell yes, but it's great mental training on top of z2 gains. If I cannot sit in z2 on the IDT for 90mins, how the hell can I expect to deal with a marathon event? Well, that's my approach anyways. Even when I ride outside I tend to ride alone because I cannot deal with group issues. 6000 randelas is sounding more and more like a bargain...

It is on a “vintage” swift carbon already, love the bike! 😀

He doesn’t seem impressed with the 4iiii’s…

Ah ok cool, thanks!

Thanks. Do you know if they are able to assist within SA? I see they have a sale on their left crank powermeters for the month of June with an additional discount. Basically around 5k for a 105 crank with the module.

Following this thread with interest as I was thinking of getting the 4iiii left crank to beef up my dumb-trainer setup. I have Dura Ace 7800 on my roadbike on the trainer and I was wondering if it’s best to get a new crank as they seem to be having a sale, or is it an option to send my existing crank in to have the module fitted? My wheel-on trainer setup consists of a cadence and speed sensor along with the HR monitor. This is great for zone 2 workouts but doing HIIT sessions it’s not very accurate without a PM. Thoughts?

Haha. Ja maar ons het alles op een slag gery ook, solid ride! Dan moet ons maar weer gaan, ons ken mos die roetes. 😛

Maar jys mos noudie dag deur die Tankwa? 😈

You did the painting. I just switched on the light.

Ok jammer oom 😛

There it is!

#metoo (1997)

You called them dumb. And then you decided to edit your wording. 👍👍👍

believe it or not, some people still believe in the greater good of shops/dealers/other people and unfortunately these are the people that are uninformed because they believe that a dealer/shop/fruit seller/etc will sell them something at a fair and reasonable price. you have just proven that you are willing to abuse that privileged position.

i guess if you know people overpaid because they are inexperienced buyers and you are an experienced seller, that makes you a great businessman and them dumb idjits? mmmm.... I know where I won't be shopping thanks.

sounds a bit like buying cashews in Mozambique: if it's your first time in Moz, you pay the R200 asking price. if it's your 5th time, you know they will sell it to you for R50. riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.....

So many places to cycle in this country that is free, I don't see the need to charge people to do something that is otherwise already available. You are essentially paying R1700 for a pat on the back IMO.

I will say this much: with the way our politicians are sidestepping accountability, we should have an abundance of centres available for a while…

I would choose a 96 every day of the week, but I’m biased. Only ever owned Merida MTBs, the 96-4000 I bought secondhand for R30k in January this year is my first DS bike and I’m loving every minute of riding it. The matt black colour is super nice imo. My riding style is long grinds and the odd Bottelary or Jonkers excursion. I bought the 96 for one reason: for long marathon rides and for me it simply works. Upgraded the wheelset and the shock. My only issue with the bike is the positioning of the bottle cage mounts, making it difficult to fit more cages inside the triangle. PS: the above foto was taken in the Tankwa, 2 weeks ago. It was a sweeet ride!