wildog_a

Ah well, that's my job done for the day. Big Al broke a long silence! Thanks for the help everybody.

I am desperate to make contact with the New Horizons Cycling Club. My emails are going unanswered. Perhaps they just don' want to talk to me... Does anyone perhaps have a telephone number I could try?

We've had a mail from someone wanting to complete the Ventoux 3 side challenge officially. I know some people who have just done it on their own, and lots of touring companies come up when you google the subject, but I am a bit hesitant to make a recommendation. Anyone?

>>> highly doubt Anatomic will not supply our riders with new kit... It's their brand being promoted to an international audience. They would want to showcase how good their products are right?>>> Right. Just for the record, Anatomic did not make the kit

OOOh no, Kori that is horrible! What are the chances? I felt it was really important to publish that letter to confirm that Moz is a destination for stolen bikes; to make people aware of how efficient this redistribution channel is and possibly to make it a little bit harder for them. Now it feels as if we have caused you a second round of trauma, and educated the thieves? Nah, they don't read Ride.

Dirtbreath - abbreviated rules of the trail with your choice of content would be welcomed, thanks for trying. I won't have budet to print more posters for a while, but then we'll be ready with something you approve of when I do... send pictures of tool belt please;-) Ok so about the barriers. I reported this to the voluntary spruit working committee. Those barriers are in the part of the Spruit that the Rockhoppers are sort-of responsible for, so Richard Durrant went down and had a look. The purpose appears to be to keep cars out as the taxis have been going down there and partying rather loudly. He put up some hazard tape and will probably nail in some truck reflectors over the weekend. he wrote: OK - my son who rides the spruit quite often says it is easy to ride around the closure by going closer to the river and riding through the gap in the fence next to the road bridge. Vehicles can't get through here but bikes can!Perhaps just marking it well, until riders get to know the closure is all that is required? Another closure further down below <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Victory Park can be easily ridden around as well?<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Thanks Thug, you took the words out of my mouth! A new public hazard complaint might be looming on the Spruit - remember the teeter-totter where the chap with no helmet came a-cropper? Yesterday I received the following mail: Braamfontein Spruit accident Dear editor, I?m not sure who to contact so I thought you might help as you do have some signage up on the Braamfontein spruit. On Saturday morning I witnessed a horrific accident where a cyclist unknowingly crashed into one of the new wooden barriers across the trail. I?m not sure how he missed seeing it, but they are green and placed fairly low, possibly the low morning light? Anyway he sustained quite a severe laceration to the face, almost removing his chin. Would it not be possible to put up a small sign board on each pole? This happened just off <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />1st Ave. Just a thought.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> I hesitate to ask which club accepted responsibility for that section, because it is surely not the point...

Anatomic has about 13 kinds of padding and it is all terribly confusing even to me. I have worn their shorts for yonks and some of the pads are great, while the others are too this and too that, depending on your preferences. Make sure that the rep really understands what you want. I personally detest their ladies' padding and prefer the thinner pads, so now that is what I get them to do for me. Much of the corporate market is a bit thin on saddle time, so the rep might push the thicker stuff and some of them are just too big! I have not personally ridden the Viking padding but apparently that is the business. Lots of glowing testimonials from the Epic on those.

I noticed this button for The Bike Migration on the website for the Pick n Pay Weekend Argus Rotary Knysna Cycle Tour. According to their website, they are specialist bike couriers, and they appear to have offered some kind of service aroun the Argus.

On Saturday some of my roadie mates invited me along for a ride - first time on the road bike post-injury and since my incident with the truck ... I guess they needed someone to ride at the back as hijacker bait! A sinister-looking black bakkie with tinted windows pulled up next to us at the intersection just before Ontdekkers crosses the concrete highway. "Do you know this is a hijack hotspot?" asked the guy inside. Suddenly feeling a bit foolish for clinging to our traditional route despite the known dangers, we admitted we did... He seemed to be advance guard on a group ride which followed the same route later. We also saw some other chaps with two-way radios like the one he was carrying next to the road. Does anyone know who organised all this? I feel I need to at least make a contribution to your club coffers or something.

Mmm not often you get to hear the skinner about yourself, it is actually quite refreshing when people aren't trying to present themselves well. Speaking as the editor of Ride, I have to say that I have NEVER had to print a bogus letter. The Q&As are an entirely different matter. We get hundreds of "which bike should I buy?", or problems that require a bit of negotiation out of the public eye, but not much else. Not even pretty attractive prizes seem to help! Now we use syndicated Q&As (see the licensing info on the masthead) because they cover a range of topics, can be customised for local applications, and please our readers who don't like the long articles. In this case I believe the source is less important than the quality, but clearly there are other points of view?

FYI Gautengers... Emmarentia is really under threat! Hi Everybody<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> As agreed I attended the <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Emmarentia Park development meeting at Marks Park last evening, 26 November 2008. The meeting was called by:- GRA ? Greenside Residents Association ERA ? Emmarentia Residents Association EDGE ? Environmental & Dog Group of Emmarentia Joburg City Parks (JCP) were invited and the Curator of the Joburg Botanical Gardens (Emmarentia Park) attended with his legal representative. Meeting was extremely well attended with 200+ concerned persons attending the meeting including a DA MP (whose great grandmother was Emmarentia Geldenhuys, whose family gave the park to the people of Johannesburg and after who the park is named) and the DA City Councilor for the area Ms Pat Richards. Both have committed their support to fighting the planned developments. GRA / ERA / EDGE (Users) were represented by two attorneys, and a support team, who are all residents of the area and park users. Meeting lasted two hours and became very heated and emotional to say the least! JCP are hell bent on developing the park into a fully fledged Botanical Garden and this the fourth attempted in the since 1991 to do this! The purpose of the proposed fence is to enable them to have more control over access to the larger controlled area and to charge entry into this area. This was denied by JCP but the meeting was told that yesterday the pay booths that have already been built were in operation! The fence will reduce the ?public park? area by approximately 75% and will restrict public usage to a relatively small area just below Beyers Naude Drive. Public participation by JCP has been abysmal and the high handed attitude of the JCP officials? right up to senior level is cause for concern, according to the Users legal team. Objection forms were handed out for completion and I objected on behalf of mountain bikers by using my official capacity of being a member of Central Gauteng Mountainbike Commission and Rockhoppers Mountainbike Club. There will be a long hard battle ahead to prevent this development and the Users have committed themselves to this fight. I will keep you posted as to developments and I am sure there will be articles and reports in Caxton and other press. Regards Richard Durrant PLEASE CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT BEFORE PRINTING THIS E-MAIL

although they are anti-fence, EDGE also seem to recognise the need for more controlled dog walking. According to their web site they are "an Association which aims to liaise with the relevant authorities to establish an area in the Jan van Riebeck Park in which dogs can run free..." and "EDGE also recognises the importance of caring for the environment and aims to contribute to improving and maintaining our valuable open spaces." There is already a no cycling sign outside the Emma gate near the dam wall, but they can't enforce it without the fence because we can say we came in the other end. If we are not vigilant, cyclists will be confined to the least interesting outer quadrant of the park with the dog poo!

cyclists are not mentioned specifically in the new plans for the gardens, but it will affect us. See the master plan diagramme and more about the City Parks rationale on: http://www.jhbcityparks.com/latest/new-plan-for-botanical-gardens.html then it seems we have an ally in EDGE, which is the dog walkers' pressure group! (sorry, it's a bit long and quite adversararial, but we may want to sign their petition. VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Dear EDGE members and concerned Emmarentia Park Users You will all have been aware of the court action and the interim interdict that was obtained by EDGE and ERA/Eliott on 15 December 2007 to prevent Johannesburg City Parks ("JCP") putting up a fence through Emmarentia. The fence which was in the process of being constructed before the interdict was obtained would have divided Emmarentia park in two and confined many park users to a small area to the South of the proposed fence. About 6 weeks ago JCP conceded both EDGE and ERA/Eliott's High Court applications by withdrawing its decision to erect the fence. They tendered to pay the costs of the court applications. The victory was short lived. No sooner had the decision between "withdrawn", JCP then published a new notice saying that it intends to implement certain "proposed changes" including the erection of the fence. I attach a copy of this notice in PDF format. You will note from the map that they intend to erect the fence in precisely the same place as last year. They have taken these steps because they realized that their decision was flawed at least on the following bases; procedurally because they did not consult with affected parties and substantively because they discovered after we had launched our court applications that there was an existing Johannesburg City Council resolution that had resolved that a fence should not be put up through Emmarentia. JCP has since had this resolution rescinded by the Johannesburg City Council, thus paving the way for it to achieve its ultimate objective which is to put up the "palisade fence" precisely as decided and in the same place designated last year. They are also attempting to pre-empt any criticism that they have not consulted with the community or followed due process. JCP has demonstrated a very disturbing lack of bona fides in the manner in which it acted last year. I strongly believe that JCP will pay lip service to proper and full consultation and that whatever the views of the community are, they will find justification for erecting the fence. While they say they are going to seek the views of the community and interest parties, the fence is a foregone conclusion and they will do whatever is necessary to give effect to their plans. EDGE will be calling upon its members to provide support for a potential further court challenge to stop JCP in its ongoing efforts to desecrate our treasured park. This support could involve amongst other things: assisting to update a petition against the erection of the fence (there are already about 3000 signatures) putting up notices liaison/communications (there are a number of affected organizations such as the boating club, the cycling club, running clubs) financial assistance gathering statements to be used in the court application lobbying political representatives obtaining of information and providing resources which will assist in the pursuance of further legal proceedings If you are in position to assist in any of the above, please would you contact me telephonically or by e-mail. A public meeting has been proposed for 26 November 2008 at 19h00 to be held at <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Marks Park in the Pavillion room to discuss our opposition. We will send you further details in due course. The attached notice from JCP calls for "written comments" to be forwarded to Johannesburg City Parks care of Sim & Botsi Attorneys (being the attorneys who represented them in the High Court application). EDGE intends to make a detailed submission and we invite you to consider the issues fully and send us your comments, which we may want to incorporate into EDGE's submission. A copy of the previous court application (which is not yet resolved) can be downloaded by clicking here http://www.dogwalkers.co.za/docs/EDGEvJCP.pdf (the file is 3.24 megabytes) Many of the arguments against putting up the fence are articulated in the founding papers of the court application and we urge members and persons who are opposed to the fence to download the documents and read them. They highlight the issues and may assist in clarifying the arguments in relation to our opposition to the erection of a fence. Please also visit EDGE's website at www.dogwalkers.co.za Regards Steven Kuny Chairperson of EDGE wildog_a2008-11-13 05:31:05

Thank you for helping out with the details of the Act. I had a call at the office from a cyclist who had been involved in a serious accident. There was just dead silence at the other end of the line when I suggested the words to type into Google... Now he needs to obtain a hard copy, and of-course he needs the exact reference to do that. Good luck man! wildog_a2008-11-04 04:24:20

Could someone please remind me where this comes from? I have lost the reference<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Riding on pedal cycles 311. (1) No person shall ride a pedal cycle on a public road unless he or she is seated astride on the saddle of such pedal cycle. (2) Persons riding pedal cycles etc.

some really helpful input from one of the respondents on the spinman website: Looking at the bottom of the bike the cable should have a two finger gap from the body of the frame to where the B.B. sits. The ghost shifting problem becomes amplified when Sram is the gruppo of choice because of the 1:1 ratio :-) Cranks coming loose could be numerous factors, I will use the Race Face Deus as an example, they use a crank bolt which is an 8 mm. and then the 10mm. which is the extractor bolt. These are lightweight and when taken on and off regularly, sadly lose their bite. We normally replace these by using copper slip on the 8 going into the crank shaft and blue loctite on the one going into the crank arm itself, a torque wrench is crucial here.

are you suggesting that I schedule my skills clinics at night?

GP riders like me who used to do all our prep on their road bikes had better start rethinking the training plan. I'm booking a skills clinic as soon as the temperature rises a bit. This just in from the organisers ABSA <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />CAPE EPIC ANNOUNCES DRAMATIC CHANGES FOR 2009 EVENT<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> The Absa Cape Epic is set for a dramatic revamp for the 2009 event. Since its inception five years ago, organisers have introduced innovations annually in order to build the race into what it is today, and next year?s race will be no exception. Most of the greatest cycling stage races in the world use a different route and a different start venue every year. In the early days of the Absa Cape Epic it was important to give context to the event by saying it was an ?8-day mountain bike race from Knysna to Cape Town?. Since 2004, the race has offered a completely different route from Knysna each year, and most riders would say that it evolved for the better, albeit tougher each year. But there are only so many different routes that exist between Knysna and Lourensford. A new and flexible start location provides an opportunity to ride in new diverse areas and on previously un-ridden routes for many years to come. Says Kevin Vermaak, Director and Founder of the Absa Cape Epic and Cape Odyssey: ?During this year?s race, we were challenged about how to continue down the road of innovation for 2009. However, within 3 weeks of the race we?d hatched a plan for next year that has led to the most frenetic post-event period of researching, planning and permission seeking in order to be ready to announce our exciting changes in time for the lottery results in July. It?s been about as challenging as it was before the first race to develop this new concept for what will be the sixth edition race.? By starting the race in a different location to Knysna, the organisers could introduce even more exciting stages and routes to the race. Says Vermaak: ?We could ride in areas that had never been possible before due to the constraint of starting in Knysna and getting to Lourensford in 8 days of riding. ?The Absa Cape Epic has grown in popularity amongst cyclists around the world. Every year we typically have more than 40 countries represented and 35% of the riders travel from outside Africa. In South Africaon>, the race is increasingly becoming an iconic endurance event well known beyond just the cycling community,? says Vermaak. The prologue time trial, which was introduced for the first time this year (2008 Absa Cape Epic), represents a unique opportunity to ?bring the race to the people?. Vermaak continues: ?The 2009 Absa Cape Epic will therefore have a prologue on the mountains in the greater Cape Town area and the first stage will start on Sunday morning from Gordon?s Bay, just outside Cape Town.? Riders will then ride 7 stages from Gordon?s Bay through the Western Cape to the traditional finish venue at Lourensford. Race registration, race briefing, and the prologue will take place in Cape Town. This means easier and simpler pre-event planning for most riders. Vermaak adds: ?The total race distance in kilometres may be less than in previous years, but the total time in the saddle for backmarkers and winners alike will be similar. The more technical nature of the entire route will mean that average speeds are likely to be less than in previous years. One thing is for certain, finishing the Absa Cape Epic will always be a massive physical and mental challenge, and riders will need as much dedicated training and preparation to earn the title ?Absa Cape Epic Finisher?.

Although I had interviewed him, and knew his views were extremely positive, I must confess to a mild case of sweaty palms while I waited for the blog to come up. Well done to all who offered the eminent Mr Friel such an exemplary club ride... just as well the rest of us were at the Kremetart!!! Seriously, if we can find our party manners some days, why not every day?

Has anyone we know ridden these trails in isolation? They were part of the Cape Epic route this year, but it would be interesting to see how riders feel about them in isolation... <?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /> OAK VALLEY LAUNCHES 5-STAR MOUNTAIN BIKING EXPERIENCE Oak Valley, a leading Elgin winery, situated alongside the N2, has recently launched the Oak Valley Mountain Biking Experience, a 21-kilometre mountain biking route on this beautiful 1 786-hectare mountain-side farm. The Experience is the brainchild of Oak Valley?s winemaker, Pieter Visser, an avid mountain biker himself, who has ensured that the route, although a red route (classified as difficult) is suitable for young and old and the experienced biker. The route rose to prominence earlier this year when the gruelling ABSA Cape Epic mountain bike race from Knysna to Somerset West camped at Oak Valley farm on the race?s penultimate day. The final part of the route that day saw the competitors wind their way up and down steep vineyard- and fynbos-covered slopes of the Groenlandberg, on their way to their overnight stop at the lower-lying oak-strewn section of Oak Valley farm. The Oak Valley Biking Experience takes the rider through spectacular scenery, including an oak forest; mountain vineyards; apple and pear orchards; and pastures where Simmentaler beef cattle roam. All of these are set against the backdrop of the rugged slopes of the Groenlandberg. The circular 21km trail starts at the farm?s entrance gates and includes a couple of hills that are definitely fodder for the mountain goats. Close to half the distance is single track biking, with wooden bridges (over farm fences) and streams, making for a highly enjoyable ride, especially the downhill single track. The rest of the route is over farm roads. The well known mountain biking website www.mtbroutes.co.za recently rated the Oak Valley Biking Experience five stars, the highest rating it awards. Currently the route is classified as a red route, but Pieter is in the process of developing two other routes - a green route for the whole family and a black route for the advanced rider with technical skills. Cost and opening times The entrance fee is R20.00 per rider and is open throughout the year, weather permitting of course. No booking is required. Directions to Oak Valley On the N2 from Cape Town turn left at the Peregrine Farm Stall near Grabouw, turn right onto the R321 to Villiersdorp and turn right again onto the tar road leading past the Elgin Station and on to the main entrance gate of the farm. It?s an hour?s drive from Cape Town. Wine Tasting Once you have completed your ride why not sample some of Oak Valley?s award-winning wines. The tasting centre is open to the public during the week from 09h00 to 17h00 and on Saturdays from 09h00 to 13h00.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The MTBer who defended himself was Daan van Niekerk. He did his last ride in South Africa with my Biltong (40+) team at the Southern Skies 24hr. They have gone to Ozz... (another story) Obviously we talked about the incident after it happened. He was pretty traumatised, despite the fact that it turned out OK. After this I noticed all sorts of odd bulges in the pockets of the guys on our rides and one morning in Irene I decided to ask who was packing heat - 7 of the men on our ride!!!! Interestingly Daan never carried a gun again after this incident. He felt it made him less careful than he might have been, and did not want to be in the situation where he used it ever again.

Thanks! I'd forgotten about SportsTrack... embarrassed to admit I struggle to find my way around their data. Thanks for the reminder, I will try to see if I can get them to help me extract what I need.

Did anyone record actual distances, altitude gain, min and max temps for every day at the 2008 Cape Epic? If we can have input from a few sources, we can arrive at some sort of average. I'd like to use it as background to the war stories coming from the mechanics

I started riding gripshifts about four years ago when I broke off my XTR thumb paddle and we could not find a replacement... never looked back, except for a few months last year when I realised that it would be difficult to finish races Giant's Castle with a broken wrist AND gripshifts. I got goose-bumps when I heard a grip-shift on someone else's bike... erm, where were we? Although a well-used X-0 shifter might not always be a crisp as well-tuned rapid-fire, the grip-shift allows you to trim your gears, making small adjustments when your drivetrain gets fouled up. Best illustration of this in action was the 2006 Cape Epic when most riders lost some gears, especially on Day 1. Mine still worked, no drama at all, and continued to work in the days that followed, as those who had not replaced their muddy cables worked the filth down to their rear derailleurs. Grip shifts do appear to have some advantages over shifters with semi-open moving parts on the bars in poor weather, as there is less opportunity for moisture and contaminants to get in. Mind-you, my brakes continued to work as well that year, so perhaps I was just lucky! I have never had accidental shifts when pulling up on the bar - easily avoided by planning your cockpit and the length of your grips carefully. This may also require some thought about your choice of bars - without custom-trimmed grips, oversized bars don't leave much room if you are not very broad-shouldered. Initially we found the X-9 shifters worked better and more reliably for longer than X-O (with X-O rear derailleur) but since last year that has been sorted out. My X-O rear derailleur continues to be a source of happiness - looks beautiful and works well too!