Yusran

You sir, have just ruined my day (kidding). That bike looks amazing!!! Congratulations Now I feel the need to build ANOTHER cyclocross bike for the sake of having discs.

I definitely want to give it ago! Just for fun, and more fun. (cyclocross build is almost complete)

I am guilty in that my bikes are not insured. By all rights I should at least insure my pride and joy, as that is the one I have most concern for as I wouldn't be able to replace it in a hurry, while I have a bit less concern about my winter bike and mountain bike (don't get me wrong, I would be wrecked if anything happened to any one of my bikes). I just have the idea and gut wrenching feeling that insurance is too expensive, and I would rather put those funds along the the rest of whatever doesn't get spent on the bikes into a savings account (I am new to the world things and responsibilities like insurance and medical aid) and if the day comes that those funds are needed they will be there, and if I don't need them well then... new parts and kit! To be honest, I have never looked into bike insurance even though I have always wanted to insure my bikes for theft at least. I have spoken to guys in my favourite LBS's and they all advise, insure everything. I guess the next step is to just be proactive about it and do it. It still feels to me like I'm throwing cash down the drain though, that's not the logic, just the feeling. However, R45-R100/month insurance would be awesome.

I'm be along Simonstown just about every weekend between 6:00-6:30am, usually meeting riders at Jubilee's square or the 7 eleven if we can add that spot.

Some L's got ahead of themselves and jumped the start a minute early or so. The announcer got distracted and started counting down group M's start without releasing the L's first, so group L got released at 6:53 instead of 6:47. The J's and K's were on time so that was likely the start of the delays.

I nearly got caught in that L group accident, have never braked so hard before in my life. One moment gunning along to keep the average speed up, the next moment bodies rolling on the floor and bikes flipping in the air. I was so scared that I was going to ride over the guy on the tandem that crashed infront of me, they were literally sliding and tumbling on the road while I had my back wheel locked out and bike sideways, only just managed to stop in time and unclipped standing on top of the bikes scattered infront of me. Thanks to the riders behind me for stopping in time as well. To be honest I didn't pay much attention to the casualties, first thing I did was looked at another person's back for the emergency number and called for an ambulance, then started pulling bikes out of the road. This was also the first time I had seen so much blood before in my life, a ladies face had a good amount of skin taken off, the rest was all a blur of bodies in the chaos. Waved frantically to slow down the next group coming along at a speed. Hope all those involved recover swiftly, and get back on their bikes after recovery without discouragement. On a lighter note, I managed a 3:31 for my 2nd Argus ever! I have been cycling for 2 months over a year, and intend to break that 3 hour wall next year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR8XbLl6PMc&feature=player_detailpage It's not the song, but I think of this anime when I need a mental boost to break through a wall and get up a hill fast, or to breakaway or catch the next group etc.

I thoroughly enjoyed this ride, but why were the timing mats a good distance down the road from the finish line? After the finish I sat under a tree to rest for 20mins then only crossed the timing mats on my way to get a coke. Can anyone elaborate on this? Rather troubled by it... Other than that, great day. Thanks all

Hey Hubbers, Just picked up my bike from an amazing service today and I am commuting from the CBD back home today. Is there anyone riding this route today? I have never commuted home before nor have I ridden from the more central parts of town before so some company even just as far as Hout Bay/Chappies would be nice. And if not today, Tuesdays and Thursdays from Kommetjie to Town and back would make for some nice riding. PM me if you're keen and we can exchange numbers to arrange. Sincerely, Yusran

I can't wait for this section! Gonna give it some stick and go balls to the wall - if I have any legs left.

I try my utmost to save a good percentage of my income. Somehow the cycling always manages to dig through what's left over for the month and into the flexi savings account... Bad bad bad. But I can say that I have never been happier. I drive an old car and have been for years, wear my clothes for as long as they will possibly last and a bit longer, don't eat out unless its a special occasion, and just visit LBS's and buy bike stuff and cycling gear instead.

I will vote for Argon18 for the rest of my life. See if you can get a Gallium or Gallium Pro in your budget. There were some nice new deals from Cycle Tech ( go2nd hand if new costs too much, unless you're against buying 2nd hand stuff) it will be so very well worth it. All the best for you and your new ride.

The guys above all have this covered really well, top advice as expected of the cycling community. In my case, I was diagnosed with asthma as a child at about a 1yr old or so. Started on medication and swimming at 2yrs old and haven't had a problem since exercise-wise until recently. Still can't handle dust and hay etc. etc. though. I weight in at 90kg and am a pretty much average rider, I find that I am not short of breath during rides, but as soon as I finish a ride where I squeeze out every last drop of energy have - afterwards when I relax I get tightness in the chest. Never during a ride though. Nonetheless I ride with an Asthavent inhaler (it's a 200 metered dose inhaler, available over the counter) in my jersey pocket no matter what, whether I use it or not. My 2c is go see your doctor if you have a chance, ride with an inhaler on you at all times and use it when you need it, not when it's too late as it may be too late to provide any relief by that stage. And happy riding!

Blades & Triggers and Dad's Toys in Canal Walk. Also at a freestanding shoppe in Blue Route mall. However you can find pepperspray commonly in shops like Cash Connections in Fish Hoek and similar places, you just have to look around. But pay a visit to Blades and Dad's Toys, lots of fun and interesting things in there as well as some decent advice - very dependent on who you speak to though.

Nice I did my Ego8 with him, turned out amazingly. Thinking of selling it for the sake of a new frameset but very hesitant to do so. @ the OP Hope you get your crank arms done the way you want them to be!

False Bay Yacht Club, Simons Town.

Hey Hubbers, You can anodize in white. Actually, you can anodize any color you want, it just costs to buy the dye. We in the paintball community have our paintball markers custom anodized often by Splash Anodizing Services. Check him out on his web page and facebook: http://www.splashano.co.za/index.html https://www.facebook...SplashAnodizing I have personally had my paintball marker anodized by him, he offers amazing customer service and is quite skilled and won't stop until the product is perfect. Scratches are not a problem is they aren't too deep, they can be polished out, or sanded and then polished. The results will be amazing. See the elusive white anno on his Facebook page and give him a shout. Check out the chrome bicycle parts he has done aswell.

Road via black hill, up red hill and through the mountains back to black hill today

Similar situation happened to me back in 2009 when I started studying. Walking a well-used route to Woodstock train station by myself (because my travelling buddy had a date with his lady), and two guys came out of their house and held me up at knife point and the one says, "Give me your phone or I'll stab you." What do you do? I gave him my phone and the thought runs through my head, what right do you have to just take the things that we work so hard for? Not the best reaction, but I went blind with rage and chased them, had bricks and rocks thrown at me and closed in enough to beat the one with my phone with a 1,1m section of a carbon windsurfer mast that I kept my drawings inside.The second guy ended up throwing a brick into his buddy's back and ran away, I chased the guy with my phone and managed to do some damage to him arm when he blocked a strike to his head. I chased him into his house and continued to swing with all I had, until I snapped out of the blind rage completely unaware as to where I was or what I was doing. At that stage the local community were screaming and shouting in the streets, "Don't hit him!" and,"Stop it!" He threatened me with a knife and took my property? Afterwards an elderly woman pushed the perp out of the front door and he threw my phone at me, it smashing against the sidewalk. Poor sidewalk, Nokia's were awesome back then. Went home, and came back after calming down to report the incident at the Woodstock police station and identified one of the people in a picturebook, took them to the hosue etc. Anything could have happened, I'm lucky to have gotten out alive and in one piece and that day they never got it as easy as they thought. Hopefully my resistance made them less likely to target the next person. Since that day now 5 years ago, I carry pepperspray and an extendable baton on my persons when commuting and just pepperspray when I cycle. After all of this, I recommend everyone who rides and feels the need to carry protection best carries pepperspray. It fits in your jersey pocket, quick to reach and robs the target of their sense of sight, destroys their sense of smell, attacks the lungs and burns the skin. Note: you want to use the one that sprays a jet, not a mist. You don't want it to be used against yourself, so be prepared and assess the situation. Self-defence is not for everyone, know what type of person you are before carrying potentially dangerous things. It is often the best choice to hand over your posessions and to run away at any given oportunity - when I say hand over I mean if they want your phone and money, throw it on the floor a safe distance from yourself if you can, they are likely more interested in your possessions than they are in you and use that chance to escape. If they want to take your bike, I don't know? Best hand it over (or crash it into their vehicle or spin a U-turn into the oncoming and sprint - actually don't do those those things, even though I personally would). Be alert, and be careful. It kind of goes against the reason why we go for beautiful and scenic rides, but it does give some peace of mind to some.

I have been riding my loop around Cape Point daily for the past week - trying to ignore the fact that this happened to my firend's son a short while ago and just riding my heart out. On the evening of Wednesday the 1st, my mother's colleagues husband got held up at gunpoint between Ocean View and Soetwater/Scarborough. They took his beloved bike which he cannot afford to replace, I believe it is a Bianchi. I am short on details regarding the perps and bike but will update as soon as possible. It's sickening how easy it is for them to continue doing this and get away with it every time. What can we do though? You can't always ride in a group, it's difficult to find a dedicated ride buddy at the same level and with the same mindset as your own. Would be nice to be able to rendezvous at a set time and place on weekdays/weekends so that the guys that usually ride on their own can ride in small groups.

Hats off to all you mtb'ers out there, my friend and I went to do some mountainbiking at Tokai for the first time on Monday and it was insanely tough and alot of fun! Plus some epic bails on the singletacks. And today was the Christmas morning ride, first windless day all week! Chapmans peak was amazing. Merry Christmas to all the hubbers out there celebrating today.

Just giving big ups for the advice from le fellow hubbers. As scary as it was, summoned up the courage to click that send payment button and will hopefully recieve my chinese carbon goods from HongFu all in good order. So scary these online transactions are. @Izak - that build looks awesome, came together nicely

Hey Hubbers, I am about to purchase a carbon road disc fork through HongFu, and with regards to payments and shipping: They are super helpful with correspondence etc but: - is it normal to pay first by PayPal and then simply email them your shipping details? - is there no sort of order form other than their enquiries on the webpage? My residence, banking address and shipping address are all different addresses. Any advice would be much appreciated. (Apologies I didn't go through all 73 pages of the thread, got through 10 but we work public holidays for the sake of having Friday free, so gotta work while hubbing in moderation)

Ah same thing happened with me. I wouldn't stress about it, he will get back to you when he has a chance I am sure. Unfortunately I don't have a contact number, just email and PM, but give him a breather and you will get some good feedback and amazing decals. It is frustrating being out of contact, but it's the end of the year after all and time is scarce. Crazy days for everyone. Regards, Yusran

We used q-bond on part of my car's cracked thermostat or something like that. That was in 2010, still works perfectly today. Also used pratley's to fill additional holes in my old old laser's aluminum mast section, which got sanded smooth after. No problems if there's not too much movement. Doubt you will go wrong with q-bond or pratleys. I would use some epoxy personally though.