Mountain Bru

Knox in bold and Yates overlooked?

Thanks man. Do you need a prescription for the adrenaline ampules? Were you wearing a casquette when you got sting through the helmet? I'm wondering if it's worthwhile changing helmets or always wearing a casquette, or if just carrying preventative medication is enough of a precaution. I've been cycling for years and this is the first time I've been stung on my head so it seems like a bit of a freak accident, but at the same time the consequences of anaphylactic shock are severe, so I don't wanna take chances.

Hello Hubbers, I had a bit of unfortunate incident on a ride on Sunday. I rode under a tree and felt something "fall" into one of the vents in my helmet. I figured it was a leaf so I tried to flick it out, but turns out it was a bee, and I got stung on my forehead. I felt okay immediately afterwards, but a bit unsettled and my heart rate was probably marginally higher than normal. I've been stung before and didn't have a bad reaction, so when I got home about 30 minutes later I had a few alergex's and jumped in the shower thinking I would be fine. In the shower though I developed a rash over my whole upper body, and my face started swelling up slightly. I figured it would be okay, but about 4 hours later my face was pretty puffed up, and my eyes were swelling closed, so I went to hospital to get sorted out. Even with the cortisone and antihistamine IV, I woke up on Monday with 2 completely swollen closed eyes and a beach ball for a face. I'm pretty much back to normal today, but I guess I've developed a bee allergy. Does anyone else have any experience with this? Do you now carry an Epipen or something similar around? And do you think it's worth changing helmets to one with a "bug net" in the vents?

I also use a Farr saddle bag: https://ridefarr.com/za/product/farr-tubby-mini-race-bag/ It's probably the cheapest option, seems to be pretty well made, and it's nice to support local guys.It's just big enough for a tube, levers, a co2 cannister and a small adapter, some patches and master link. I reckon that's everything I'll ever need to be able to get home if something goes wrong on a ride. You can probably get away with riding without a saddle bag and just putting stuff in your jersey pocket, but then you have to remember to take that stuff with you every time you ride. I quite like being able to just grab my bike, walk out my door, and go for a ride without having to worry about what I take with me. And I also think it's more comfortable to just have a phone and keys in my jersey pocket.

Personally, I won't be satisfied until I get my hands on some of these:

In case you haven't seen the ASG stores daily email about everything in the shop being on a clearance sale, there's a fizik option too: https://www.asgthestore.co.za/product/terra-ergolace-x2/

Has anyone figured out any way for someone to legally visit you without moving in with you? I stay alone in a small flat, and have to work from home for the foreseeable future, so having someone move in would be super complicated. So basically the only time I see another people at the moment is when I go to the shops. Feels like I'm in solitary confinement So are there any legal ways at the moment to see people at home? I've considered started a mask making business in my lounge and employing 1 or 2 people to "make masks" and paying them in coffee, but that doesn't feel completely legit. I also considered looking for a way to volunteer from home that would necessitate having another person at my house, but haven't found anything like that yet. Any other ideas?

I'll be doing it as a warm up for the CTCT too. Can't seem to find a GPX file of the route though

What's the widest tyres you can run on these frames? I have the Farr Dot tyres at the moment, but I find I have to pump them flippen hard to not hit the rims on rocks, but then the ride is super bumpy and the grip isn't great. So I wanna switch to mtb tyres with more volume, but not sure how wide I can go. Will a 2.2 fit?

Started in Kamberg and did a loop to Moor Park Nature Reserve and back, mostly on gravel. It was my first gravel ride after being a roadie for the last few years, but I think I'm hooked.

Did my first ride on the new gravel bike. Definitely planning on making every ride Farr in the future

This might be true, but it's tough to just compare numbers. The speed of the bunch and varying conditions can make a huge difference to your power and speed numbers. If I recall correctly, last years 947 was pretty windy, so times would probably be slower for the same power output. You can't escape the 300m more climbing though My 2c, the 947 is a much tougher route than the Tshwane Classic. The climbs in the first half just feel longer and more draining, and then hitting the rolling hills after Kyalami with tired legs is pretty brutal.

I've been checking out the route for Sunday. Am I missing something, or is there no info on water points or road closure anywhere on the website?

Seeded in BL. Looking forward to a lekker race.

Thanks for the advice. My first plan was to use an extra XT rear mech and 1x crank that I have lying around, and then getting some 105 shifters. But after much reading, I found that the pull actuation is different between shimano MTB and road shifters, so thats a no-go. My next thought was then to use a long cage 105 rear mech, maybe with a wolftooth adapter, to be able to use a 11-40 cassette. I decided against that though because I figured a RD with a clutch is probably required for a 1x setup. So the only real options I see at the moment for a Shimano setup is an Ultegra RX-GS rear mech. The claimed max cassette size is 11-34 though, so I'm guessing a wolftooth adapter will be required to run 11-40. Or switch to Sram. From what I've read, it seems sram road shifters work with mtb derraileurs as long as they both use their "exact automation" system.

Something beautiful got delivered today... Not quite a couch, but it's the best I could do at work . I have a question though. I'd like to run drop bars with a 1 x 11 setup. From what I've read, 105 shifters won't work with a SLX or XT rear mech. Has anyone come up with a working shimano system to get this right? (trying to avoid buying an entire 1x11 sram groupset)

https://www.evanscycles.com/garmin-edge-530-EV365215

For me, the real heros of the day were the 5 or 6 guys that let me jump the queue for the toilets before the start to avoid having to use the field. Missing my start time was the least of my worries while I was waiting

Anyone know what the road condition will be like in terms of potholes, man hole covers etc? And what the road closure situation looks like?

This was under Venue arrangements on my seeding email: "Late registration as well as registration for the kids races and 5km fun walk/run will take place inside the dining hall, which is adjacent to the starting chutes." I assume that means you can register on the day.

Bike Mob has a 15% off site wide sale on at the moment, excluding bikes. I think it ends tomorrow though. https://bikemob.co.za/

Thanks so much man. I'll send you a PM

Thanks for the advice. I was considering trying to do a week on the north island and a week on the south, but I think I'm gonna stick to the north Sweet definitely gonna take a bike with me. Is bike packing around a good idea? It seems to me like one of the main attraction is the beauty of the countryside, so travelling by bike should be epic.

Looks flippen epic. I've become a bit of a roadie over the past few years though, but I'll see if I can check it out.

Hey guys. I'm heading to NZ for a mate of mine's wedding in March, and then I have around 3 weeks of holiday in NZ before flying back to SA. Gonna be on my own though (but I'm cool with that) The wedding is near Auckland, so that's where I'm flying to and from, but I'm not opposed to travelling a bit while I'm there. What do you guys reckon is the best use of my time there? I'm also wondering if it's worthwhile taking a bike with me for transport, and also maybe some bike packing. Any advice?