LBKloppers

Some years ago I had 20/20 vision and I always wore glasses, but mostly to keep bugs and debris out. Then the requirement were some quality Polaroid lenses and lightness. Then one day after some trauma, my sight deteriorated swiftly and suddenly I needed prescription. At work I worked in a hot environment and it was stupid to constantly switch between reading and safety glasses, so I went to the guys with the thick glasses and got me a nice fitting multi-focal setup I could wear both at work and while cycling. Expensive, but it worked like a charm. I soon started to get irritated by my sweat fouling my glasses. Several experiments later I now ride with plain D'Arcs as I need not to read while cycling. I see the trail well enough and I read my data when I get home. Dirt and sweat while cycling does not bother me as much with the D'Arcs as do my regular prescription glasses and overall this part of cycling I enjoy a little more.

Dis seerder as seer

My take on it is that since I am not a race snake, I'll wear the camelbak. During the 2015 Baviaans, I came off at about 50km/h! Even when I am not a racesnake speeds like these are easy to achieve and at those speeds, you are very likely to get injured. Broke my shoulder and I had to withdraw at 156kms. Thing is, if I did not have the Camelbak, my injuries would have been much worse. I use a Mule with some kind of back protection. I'll swear by that! Whats more, I have space for enough tools, more than enough water and a 1st aid kit. The shirt pockets and the saddlebags are just way too small. There is the penalty of weight, but it counts as resistance and overall I am just better prepared. Who cares what it looks like? I do not ride my bike on a fashion show.

Sjoe! Some posts indicate ANGER! I get what the OP say and yes I get what most of the others say, but don't you think these are all symptoms? There is a bigger problem out there leading to the anger in the first place. Lets consider a couple of things we know. When a cyclist meet steel, the cyclist will always come of worst. Following the rules of the road is deteriorating daily in South Africa, whether you're in a car, bus or on a bike, more and more drivers choose to make their own rules. There may be many reasons for this deterioration, but it is becoming more and more like an anarchy and every road user feel he/she has the right to justify his/her actions (eg. 9 years old being run over and then blamed for a baby on a bike. see https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/181322-so-my-9-year-old-was-in-a-hit-and-run-on-monday/page-1). What I see is that every post here has an opinion. I see some pleading others to be considerate, I see others insisting on their rights, but 19 pages of anger leads to absolute no resolution. Yes, cyclists have a right to be in the road, but due to the potential speed difference it is foolish. Yes, the law is there to protect all parties, but if you're dead or lying crippled in a hospital, what does it matter if you were right? And if you are successful pursuing a legal case and you win, does the sentencing or guilt of the other party make you well? As South African we live in an angry environment. People get out of bed angry. If we as cyclists get on to the road, we enter a war zone. Just observe other road users when you are in you car for a change. The expressions, beating the steering wheel, the sign language... I think this is a much bigger problem we care to admit. As cyclists, we're just one step above the pedestrian in vulnerability. Some of us get hurt and we seek sympathy from the Hub, but the bottom line we too are angry. Sometimes its justifying, sometimes not, but we get the sympathy because we are cyclists. Is there a solution, a silver lining to the dark clouds? I like to believe in people and because of that I would love to say yes, but reality speaks loud and I cannot hear anything positive at the moment. I think there is a general disrespect for life, rules and others and to change that will take years, generations to fix. If I am correct, that does not bode well, but I think the question we have to start asking ourselves if we are part of the problem? Be honest to yourself. If everyone - not just cyclist - starts asking this question and they act positive about it, I am willing to bet things can change.

LWB and others. I also thought one spoke out of 32 wouldn't be so bad. How wrong I was! It is completely warped. V12, the spoke broke where it meets the nipple. It appears the balance of tension is all over the place. What is amazing, when I removed the tire, the warp got much worse and no, I am not imagining things. I have trued wheels before without too much hiccups. I get the mechanicals involved, but this is out of the ball park. I will see this afternoon if a local spoke man can help. Generally their spokes are much thicker than our modern types. If it passes through my hub without mods, its going in.

I totally agree with your experience. Everything work fine until that section above the brow is saturated. So far everything I tried conducting the floods away from my eyes failed. A buff is so bloody hot, it makes me sweat more! The gutters I used siphon the sweat away, but the effectiveness is limited in that it dumps the sweat too close to the side of my face and some still ends up in my eyes. Back to square one. Overall I just thought if I am the only fool battling this. Its clear I am not. So, what does the masses out there use? Guys like the pros ride for hours...

Sorry, missed that one

How to continue training? How to mcgyver a fix of sorts? Anything that may help reduce the suffering on the Ceder100Miler

I have a little irritation while out cycling and I am wondering if other hubbers can share your experiences and/or provide suggestions to resolve. I sweat a lot. That is my biology and there is very little I know to do about that. What gets me is the fact that the sweat eventually ends in my eyes and on my glasses. When I am out on my rides, I never have something that can clean the glasses properly and at the rate I am sweating, I will have to stop too frequently to clean. Wiping the sweat from my face helps, but eventually my glasses is so dirty and the sweat is burning my eyes so much that I have to stop. That just irritates me. I hate stopping. I cannot ride here without glasses. The muggies and what have you are too plentiful and some of them has some acid or something that burns even more than my sweat does. Am I the only one suffering like this?

They say one is never too old to learn. Well, I have been cycling for a bit now and I need to learn something urgently. I do roughly 7K a year in the Tanzanian rural area on anything from the public gravel roads to animal tracks. The surface vary from rocky to sandy. From smooth to heavy corrugation. And now one of my spokes on the rear wheel has popped. Needless to say, Tanzania does not have the typical modern 29er technology readily available. The wheel buckle so much that it is impossible to ride and I have a race early in April in South Africa. What do you guys and girls recommend?

This is my 2nd most favorite topic and I have to complain just a tiny little bit. Mister WeekendWarrior80, I can see bugger all with your posts. Pretty please, change the format to something that will not be blocked by company rules?

Stans works up here in the hot central African Serengeti. It does clump and form the latex balls, but, if you keep your hand on your kit, you should be fine. I once used Joe's green product in South Africa and that stuff impressed me much! Its not so freely available, but I'll use it again if I can get hold of it. Another product I had a lot of success with was the Effetto Caffe Latex. That was the stuff that foams inside the tire and the benefit was that sidewalls and rims were also protected. I was three years in Madagascar when I used that and everything Mada could throw at me in terms of thorns were dealt with and it never dried out. I wish I can find some of that stuff again. Very scarce. I saw a clip on FB yesterday (no I don't have the link to it) about a sealant developed for cars. It is almost a solid gel like substance that appears almost part of the tire. They drove a car over a pad with several spikes puncturing both front and rear wheels without any leakage from the tires. Obviously its an add and quite possible edited, but I like the direction it is going. Imagine they can get it to work for mtb.

Does anyone know what happened with the guys at the cycle factory? I have used the old email, but I get absolutely no response. I would like to get into touch with Jacques and if anyone can help....

This is rather interesting. I used to work on a rig and our crew changes was by helicopter. Every time that thing wound up, there was a distinct clunk when the rotor engaged. I would not have expected the clunk with a pneumatic engagement.

I don't think this will work in SA. Just look at how poor "Arrive Alive" perform. Drinking and driving and speeding over the festive season should be stupid, because you know somewhere someone is going to check on you, but they still do it because nothing serious happens to them

A girl once told me. Move! You're not cast in concrete, move your body. It does feel like more effort, but the result is almost always a good one.

Cssix. Works well and its local.

Good day to the BikeHub I have been cycling many moons and I have owned several bikes. I have paid a lot of schooling fees to keep on riding in areas where access to the LBS was simply out of the question, but I am now presented by a problem I need some lateral thinking. I own two bikes. First bike - Felt Edict 3 - Owned for about four years and currently the bike I train on for three of every four months. The second a Titan Racing plus Hardtail owned for about two years and this one I only ride the remaining one month out of every four. I am working as an expatriate and my rotation is 3/1 months, therefore the swapping of bikes every four months. I ride about 7K5 kilometers a year with kilometers combined by the two bikes. Riding the Edict has gradually over time giving me a very specific lower back pain. This pain is totally absent when I am home and on the heavier Titan, but there are factors confusing me. The internet gives one the basics, but since I have been riding for more than 25 years already, I think I have clue to the setup one need. But I am asking because it is obvious I am doing something wrong. Generally my riding time when home is much less intense than when I am riding the Edict and a slight length in legs is probably getting worse as I age. BTW I am already 55 and I was diagnosed with stage 2 Osteo Arthritis. I have 2,5 months before the Ceder 100 miler and I would love to be a little more comfortable by the time the race starts. Further complication is that I will only arrive in South Africa 2 days before the event. Time to go for a fitment and gaining the actual benefit is therefore extremely limited. What pointers does the wise from the BikeHub have to offer please?

I did it last year and I liked the challenge. The daily temperature combined with the no wind conditions on the day got to me though. I stopped riding way too early. Have fun https://www.strava.com/activities/1270514813/analysis

Just somewhere deep in Africa. Done a little more than 100kms in 33 plus degrees centigrade with almost zero humidity.

I heard once that they achieve this by dropping a drop or two fuel in the exhaust manifold to create the sound. If that is the case, I agree, its windgat. It kind of ties into some of these manufacturers to have a little speaker in the bulkhead to add to the aural experience. Purely WINDGAT I think.

Never forget the adaptability of the human body. Some says they don't feel the difference and I believe it has to do with their bodies ability to adapt. I have seen a youtube clip where an institution did some tests between the round and oval conundrum and they gave a very neutral opinion on the outcome. Their reason was the uncontrollable measurable each body presents is not possible to completely offer a one or the other answer. I myself ride both. I work in Tanzania and my bike here has an oval. It works lekker. My bike at home has a round and strangely enough, it too works lekker. I guess it boils down to the old statement that it is not about the bike....

I've been working with one holding an old school tandem. No problems at all.

Op hierdie tema 'n vinnige inset. Ek hoor net nou die dag dat dat in rooihuide taal word vegetarier vertaal as " bad hunter"

We complain too easily and I will state I am out with a broken foot, but I look at it as a chance to rest a bit. Cast is coming off on the 22nd.