Chris NewbyFraser

The 10km was only 8.5km. Not a big deal fod most but for little riders this is quite a big difference. The event did seem to be under-funded. The entry fee was very reasonable and maybe did not meet all costs. This is no doubt a sign of the hard financial times that all are experiencing. Until money comes back into the sport, event organisers may need to curtail their desire to provide wonderful routes for all classes and focus on providing a good experience for the majority?

Cheers Wendel. Long time indeed. Life got in the way. I'll have my little tyke down to Thaba for some pre-race familiarisation - see you around. Like most boys, he has a healthy dose of lunatic in him and is guaranteed a hard fall if he doesn't know a course before he boots his 'accelerator'.

Cheers Wendel. Long time indeed. Life got in the way. I'll have my little tyke down to Thaba for some pre-race familiarisation - see you around. Like most boys, he has a healthy dose of lunatic in him and is guaranteed a hard fall if he doesn't know a course before he boots his 'accelerator'.

There appears to be an increasing body of anecdotal evidence which suggests that, by positioning a shoe cleat further back that has been the norm for the past 40 odd years, there are comfort and energy use improvements. I am going to give this a try. Has anybody given this a try yet?

For xco, what ages are nippers and sprogs

Here we have a World Tour Pro road team racing gravel road races. A sign of things to come? https://www.velonews.com/2019/01/news/ef-education-first-will-race-dirty-kanza-leadville_ The Tour of South Africa should look to a gravel road route.

As none of the four events I rode in the second half of 2018 are reflected on SAS results(Spectrum Sport and Racetec chips), I am wondering if this organisation is still relevant. And if not, who is the official or accepted unofficial seeding agency in SA?

Who's doing the timing?

According Mpumalanga News, the high school was burnt down last night, possibly having been struck by lightning. The school is the host venue for the Barberton Classic and has been very supportive of cycling. I imagine the kids will now have to travel the 45km to Mbombela(Nelspruit) Maybe the Lions will use the event to raise funds to help the children who are particularly affected - this is not a wealthy town. If so, we should all make a concerted effort to participate.

Now thats a name from the past. I bought a Battaglin frame from him way back in the '80's.

I have tried shops (they have tried the former Buzzrack people), and ads in BikeHub to source the clip that holds the wheel strap. I managed to break one on my rack. Does anybody know of somebody who might have spares, or has a damaged rack that I can cannibalize for parts?

Well done and best wishes to the organisers. To initiate, organise and execute a large event, without a headline sponsors money, is a daunting task and is fraught with risk. Many event organisers have walked this razors edge financial path and many have cut themselves badly. I hope these guys make it. Since Fritz Pienaar(Advendurance) diversified into the Warrior Series and also trail running, his company's focus on mtb seems to have waned, particularly since he became boss of ASG. We need brave new guys like the Amohela organisers to keep our sport varied and interesting.

Bought a pair of the Enduro's. Made the mistake of buying the size marked medium. A bit tight as this medium size is a 32". Slim fit looks and works good for xc riding. Stays put on my butt. Legs neatly tailored but a bit long for my skinny, short pins and can hook over the knee - I 'kneed' to ask the missus to shorten them. Rode the 947 in them starting in last group. Hot day. The shorts were ok temperature wise ( I do enjoy heat, tho)but the nappie was seriously hot. There is simply no way the uber-thick pad can dissipate heat fast enough. Also, the nappie covers a large area high up the lower back, further increasing heat retention. I plan to take the nappie out. I should have bought the standard liner model.

Two reasons. I need it now and I have no proof of purchase. Seldom used, its still in new condition but is a 6 year old model.

Thanks. Good point. Note to self...."stop whinging"

Super organised. I assiduously prepare everything, I just forget to take things...a lot

Oi! I still prefer 2x!! My 24/34 matches perfectly with an 11/36. The lower number of right thumbgear change pushes also reduces the potential for over-use injury.

Thanks. Will try the aquaseal.

My reasonably new Camelbak bladder has a pinhole leak near the neck. I tried a couple of adhesives to plug it but with no success. Is there an adhesive I can use to fix the thing?

Remember the Epic a few years ago? A 23 year old world endurance champ from Aussie didn't wake up in the morning. Died of heart failure in his sleep. Our hearts are incredibly over-worked machines and like machines, break down. Like some cars, some are Friday/Monday models and others are solid mid-week builds. We should be careful to not mess with this machine.

I'm a fattie and well past my prime (63), but I specifically do much of my training rides in the heat of the day - to prepare for hot race days

Agreed, but hundreds still do. Witness the 947 road event and "Argus". How many unprepared riders drag themselves to the finish line, potentially dangerously near causing cardiovascular harm, totally unprepared for the distance/conditions, which places the organisers in difficulty because of the need for enormous safety facilities. Yes, organisers want to create an event that allows anybody to enter into the spirit and that is the correct objective. However, organisers should ensure that the open entry system does prevent the foolish from participating. For the riders own good.

I last rode at Northern Farms some 2 years ago when I regularly rode tandem with my missus. The sewage stink / pollution into the river and the irrigation channels was not evident then. The massive increase in poorly processed sewage effluent being pumped from Northern Sewage works has definitely deteriorated in quality as indicated by the super powerful stink and heavy foaming of effluent coming out of the plant. Can this suggest that Jhb sewage processing is not being done to standard? That they are not allowing for sufficient cleaning before putting this muck into the public river system.

A nice and considered reply to my initial post. No hysterics or wild accusations. This is the type of response that keeps BikeHub relevant. Thanks Milkman

On this past weekends 947 mtb, the Thudbuster ST on my very stiff XTC was a perfect foil for the mild route. In particular on the short steeper climbs, the lack of rear suspension bounce as experienced by full suss riders definitely helped put power down - until my legs disappeared at 48km.