BigW

On that frame I'd go for Elite Vico with gloss white detail. It is simple and elegant but would not detract attention from the frame. Not sure how best to obtain them in the Republic. Merlin, Chain Reaction, Wiggle and others will have them, if that is an option. They are a lot cheaper than the Colnago carbon ones, and I have heard people complain about the Colnago ones losing bottles easily.

Hub admin found the account he used pretty soon after my post, so let's hope he's gone back to card tricks in the parking lot for a while.

I use the BikeHub infrequently these days, so forgive me if I transgress some conventions... I recently had some dealings with "Arno" about a very specific wanted ad for a rare item I am looking for. Arno approached me via WhatsApp, saying he is responding to the ad, but without specific information. In response to asking what he has on offer he paraphrased the subject line of my ad. I asked for photos and an asking price in response to which he provided one grubby photo. (It was of a normal crankset, not a compact that I am looking for.) He did not give an asking price and asked me to make an offer. I said that it was not what I was looking for, but may be interested anyway if he can provide some clearer photos. The next day he sent some pictures of a compact crankset, and in response to asking for some further detail pictures I received no further response. I told him that I doubted that he actually has either of those items for sale, and asked for his Hub username. No response since. I think it is fair to conclude that "Arno" is a scammer: he had not used any of the opportunities to set the record straight (particularly being able to provide follow up pictures or providing a username). I did not find his name or number searching this forum, nor on the pop-up alert when posting a wanted ad (thanks for that, BTW) so therefore posting here.

Good plan. I you dislike uphill more than traffic you can hang left at Fish Hoek/Black Hill/Kommetjie intersection and go via Fish Hoek, skipping Black Hill. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

From Greenpoint-ish the CTCT route backwards (and back) is a cheap thrill. Once you are outside Camps Bay traffic is not an issue anymore as the shoulder is broad. Turn around top of Chappies, or if you feel like climbing the Noordhoek side of Chappies go down into Noordhoek for coffee at the deli at the Farm Village. Chappies tolls cars so little traffic. You'll want to be very careful down from the top of Suikerbos into Camps Bay if it is windy, as the winds down the gullies are very gusty, and combined with the snaking of the road it can be quite scary. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Chorus was 11v from 2009, I think. Nonetheless, it appears you need Ultra Torque BB cups. These ones say 11v but they also work with the older 10s. They come without bearings, but if you removed the cranks chances are pretty good the bearings are still on the cranks.

I survived a ParcelForce/SAPO delivery in Dec/Jan but there was no meaningful tracking info for weeks and the box arrived trashed but with most stuff in it. I'm with the other guys and will not try to save a hundred or three again.

Jared at BMC in Salt River is the goto guy in Cape Town for painting classics.

Speedplay Zero. Advantages: low stack height, especially if you have 4 hole shoes that don't need the adapter; lateral adjustment range is set on the cleats, so set it once for all bikes; forward/backward & left/right cleat position can be set independently; replacement parts available; walking on cleats doesn't wear the parts that engage the pedal, besides cleat covers available; superlight, especially the Ti ones. Downsides: only super pricey shoes have 4 hole soles; cleats expensive; not readily available in ZA (but there is always Wiggle/CRC/etc); no hex head in bolt for proper torque-ing, just 15 spanner. I left Look behind for Time (RXS/RXE) many years ago and Time for Speedplay about 2 years ago.

A good rule of thumb to (physically) check sizing on a road bike is 1) sitting up straight in the saddle (on a trainer or with someone holding you) and with the cranks aligned to the seat tube, the heel of your foot should comfortably reach the lower pedal without stretching, and 2) sitting up straight in the same way, hands on the hoods, the front axle should be obscured by the handle bars. Not a replacement for a proper bike fit, but somewhere to start.

Merlin's minimum charge for UPS to SA is £25. All carriers add a "disbursement fee" of usually between R100 and R200. It is a good idea to track the parcel online, and try to get the carrier to pre-clear the parcel before it arrives. I have had parcels hang around a logistics warehouse a few miles from my house awaiting clearance, for longer than it took them to get there from the US West Coast. Also, for some unknown reason SARS calculates the VAT on 110% of the value of the goods (excluding shipping) so you effectively pay an extra 1.4%. Admittedly, this is not a lot of money on smaller purchases.

Where did you get the barrel adjusters in the end?

Thanks for a good ride today, guys, especially 'Dale for organising, Dave for pushing me up several hills, and Jason for fetching me well off the back of the bunch more than once. I am also still quite pleased with my decision to skip Vissershok...