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I have competed at various cycling Granfondo's in Europe over the last few years and have always had specific cover with Bryte insurance (through my Nedbank Amex card).
Anyone can buy this specific for your trip and they have various options of cover available. Pricing is also quite reasonable with prices per option ranging between R700 up to R2800.
I hope this helps.
White Inc; i.e. Nic and Diane White
di@whiteinc.co.za
082-451 8107 (Di)
Fulcrum Racing 5 are brilliant wheels for their price.
2 hours ago, Thomo said:Little difference in quality between Spez and Sidi shoes. (and while you're looking, perhaps consider upper end Shimano and Giro shoes too, and for something less common, Lake)
Really comes down to which fits best.
Definitely I will second the Lake option!
After 12 years of Specialized shoes, I developed severe "Hot Spots' on long rides. Nothing I tried with regard to set-up, geometry, different inner soles etc. helped.
Finally I tried Lake as they offer true half-sizes and two different width options.
I have not had Hot Spots for the last 2 1/2 years. Highly recommendable
for the record, it was a joke
I didn't dare posting it, but I'm pretty sure you're right
Pt 1 - I guessed , took it as such! My comment was also supposed to be just a bit of 'dry humour'. We are all mates here looking out for another (I hope)!
Pt 2 - After approx. 20 odd Argus', I know the corner well. Coming up is a bit of a bitch where the gradient suddenly increases in the corner. But I have also ridden the opposite way countless times while on numerous holidays and training rides, heading back to Ocean View and back to the Southern suburbs via Old Kaapse Weg.
BTW, this corner is not as bad as some 180 deg. switch-back in Alps. Its always necessary to ride within the applicable laws of physics!
Wouldn't have happened with disc brakes
Wouldn't have happened with a different brain 
where?
edit: saw your other post
Cool Heat locally has stock. They can supply to any LBS if you order it from there!
I previously used the car wrap material VPS on my older bike in 2014. They did a good job with only a few gaps but importantly covered the main areas to be protected such as chain stays, all the major tubes (top, seat, down, head) forks and all around the BB area. The cost then was around R1200.00. Seven years later a few areas look a bit secondhand but underneath the bike still looks brand new when I had the chain tube piece replaced.
I used a different car type material last year on my new bike. They offered a shine and matt finish, was pretty flexible and did a good job except around the head tube, where a bit of head set grease seems to have prevented proper bonding. But that can easily be replaced when I get a chance.
I did have a chain jump off and tried to snag itself between the chain stay and the chainrings but the stuff held up and did not go through to scratch the paint.
The overall weight of the wrap went up only by about 100g and the cost this time around was R2500.
For an expensive bike its a small price to pay and the protection gives you piece of mind for the everyday bumps and scrapes that will happen when handling/ travelling.
I can highly recommend this but get a reputable supplier and watch them when they apply it!
Elite Direto. I managed to get a good used unit with the Sterzo! Very quiet, up to 1600W, brilliant connectivity with all protocols and very accurate data numbers!
Good day hubbers. I am in the process of upgrading my chainring. Currently im running a Lyne Pulse crank with 32T round chainring and 11 42 Cassette. I am strong on the climbs so the combination is good. What i found out is im out of gears on the flats and the slightest of downhill. I want to get a 34T chainring to remedy this. I now am stuck at getting a Oval chanring or a Round chainring. Any input would be much appreciated. Oh i'm on a hardtail.
I have been using Rotor Q-Rings since 2004 and will not go back to round. If you are strong on the climbs but spinning out on the flats than these might be for you as I tend to push bigger gears for longer.
I would recommend to give it a go and try and give it at least 4 - 6 weeks of before making a final decision whether to keep them or not.
Interesting comment. I would have thought that 172.5 would require more power/torque than 175 as the lever length is now shorter. I would believe that it would be easier to spin and maybe there is where the difference is.
You are correct and that's what I think he tried to say.
The longer cranks certainly have more leverage and will therefore give you more torque through the pedal stroke and also give you more power in the downstroke. The shorter crank length will have less torque.
However, due to the longer crank circumference, it might also slow your cadence down a bit.
also, any crank length change should always result in a saddle height adjustment.
I have a 5 day MTB stage race/ride in Italy in either May/June or at the end of August (covid dependent). Routes were published last night and are worse than I (ignorantly) anticipated.
The long and the short of it is that the 5 days total distance is 227 km (doesn't sound like a lot) with total climbing of 8,850 m (sounds like a *** load to me at least), with the toughest day being 2750 metres climb in a 55km stage. There are lots of incredibly steep climbs on the route, as you can imagine.
Anyway, I am very much a Diesel engine type rider, without a huge amount of climbing endurance. At 104 kg's and 193 cm, I am at best a grinder up hills and have never really sought them out just for fun.
So, I am looking for advice on the best way to quickly get stronger on hills without completely destroying myself through stupidity. I have searched the forum but can't really find any threads since 2013, so am hoping for some nuggets. Is there a specific training plan you could recommend? Should I be doing any programs on Zwift/TR etc? My instinct is to just go and ride hills a lot, but not sure if this is correct.
Currently riding a Giant Anthem X 29'er (2014 model but with a 2016 frame). Should I be looking to make it lighter by upgrading components etc? Should I stick a bigger cassette on the back (currently standard 2x10)?
I am already in the process of losing weight and have decided to accelerate this process from today. Aiming for 89kg's which should help somewhat.
Any advice will be appreciated and paid for in beers at the next bikehub international get-together.
Very simple! Just do what I did when I started training for a major Granfondo in Austria:
I lost 11kg from 93 kg down to 82kg.
Lots of climbing training.
Change to energy efficient diet.
Lots of climbing training.
Adopt regular indoor 3 - 4 a week with endurance and interval training programs.
Lots of climbing training .
If possible, change to power meter based training to accurately assess your training progress.
Lots of climbing training.
If possible, get a performance coach to assist you with the training analysis.
Lots of climbing training.
Make sure your gearing is suited to the planned climbs.
And finally, lots more climbing training.
All breaks are different. So all stories are different. Position of fracture and the location of your shoulder will guide the need for an operation to insert a plate or to let it heal naturally. Don’t jump on the OP too quickly and discuss the options with your surgeon. At the end it is important to get the shoulder back at the right place for your long term enjoyment of life.
I found that my doctor recommended the OP a bit too quickly. I queried it and then he supported me to proceed without the OP. Retrospectively I am very happy with that decision. The initial recovery is slower without OP but you don’t need a second recovery period and cost after the plate removal OP (which not all medical aid will pay). And the body is amazing how it heals, as long everything is straight and lined up. It grows bone where there is stress. So do your physio
Don’t rush in getting back on the bike. Let common sense guide you. If it feels right do your IDT thing. Wait until you can do push-ups without pain before hitting the mountains again
. I started commuting after about 4 weeks (slow riding, not training) but decided to wait 3 months before MTB.
Some advice to the cost of the exercise (based on my experience with Discovery)
1) It is NOT an emergency. So the cost of the trauma treatment and your choice of aftercare (OP or not) depends on your chosen plan.
2) My medical aid authorized the OP and would have paid the full cost.
3) my choice to not do the OP meant that it was not a hospital procedure but out-of-hospital treatment so I had to pay it from own pocket. My medical aid was not impressed by my argument that I saved the scheme R15000 for that OP in exchange for R3000 worth of doctors visits.
4) the OP to remove the plate would not have been paid for with my plan. So ask.
Good luck and recover well
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have broken both sides. The right one in 2001 was in two pieces, the left one in 2017 was in three! Both times I had a plate inserted to screw the clavicle back together. On both occasions my Orthopedic surgeon told me to get back on the IDT within 3- 4 days. After that, I was back on the road after six weeks.
Then removed the plates after one year. Medical Aid paid all costs at each occasion as they are all related to the same incident at that time. Get your quack to spell it out in detail during the op authorization.
Without the plates you run the risk of not achieving a straight shoulder/ clavicle recovery and live with residual problems.
Both my shoulders are perfect without pain or any sort of loss of feeling or strength.
I would certainly recommend the op route as the initial hassle might be bad but the resultant recovery is just so much quicker.
I'm looking to buy a coffee making machine but don't know much about them.Could anyone please give me some advice on brands and what I should look out for in terms of their offering.
Ideally I want a "foamer" included and obviously one that can change the strength of the coffee.
My budget would be around R2500.
Nespresso and get the little generic capsules. Lots of different flavours!!
My beautiful F12
3
My beautiful F12
It blows my mind with the huge number of bike shops we have nowadays that for some reason some bike shops expect subpar service to just be tolerated.
Granted not all shops, but it’s definitely hit and miss these days.
The price we pay for bikes and components these days surely warrants more vigilant service.
Gone are the days where the average visit to a bike shop is a few hundred bucks.
My 2 cents
Based on all of the above and other comments, those are the reasons why I have decided a number of years ago to perform all technical work on my bikes myself!
No more scratches on the frame, no excuses, no exorbitant costs and no waiting (except when parts are not available).
Granted, It took a bit of trial-and-error but very soon one can pick up all repair/ service procedures if one is not an imbecile. This is no rocket science and in case of doubt, there is nothing that one cannot learn from YouTube!
Thanks for the inputs however, the bike was loaned to me to use and the problem has emerged 'on my watch' so to speak so I feel like it is up to me to maintain the bike. From the pics can you guys make out any wear or damage that may lead to a climbining / jumping chain.
I am certainly not a weight weanie (I can loose a lot around the mid section before I think about the weight of a rear cassette) and am more interested in reliability - It must be bullet proof!
There are a few things to try first before spending any cash; first of all there is no lube on the chain or the cassette!! Depending on the use get a good dry or wet lube.
Secondly, the cassette still looks in a good condition. Adjust your B-bolt to move the upper small derailleur wheels as close as possible to your largest and smallest sprocket to ensure the chain runs as long as possible on the sprockets.
Thirdly, check the chain with a chain link checker. Park Tools has a simple but effective unit.
Fourthly, chain the overall chain length whether that might be maybe too long and maybe take out one link to shorten it.
Lastly, always change the chain first to see whether this might fix the issue, if not then you can still try another cassette.
Ah, La Paloma.
I got knocked off my bike onto the bonnet (luckily) of a f***witt coming out from Big Bay Beach Club next door to La Paloma a week before lockdown in March. Same story. White bakkie, screaming at me about having to yield blah blah blah, but conveniently avoided the bit about him not stopping.
I shouthed back, threatened to hospitalise him and he sped off while I was inspecting my bike.
Sadly I got no details from him, nor his license plate. Rage makes one wild.
Now I brake coming up on those crossings, and yield to all cars. Mostly, I find the driver curteous and they usually wave me across their path, waiting for me to pass. I wave and mouth a thank you normally.
But it's always that one D!CK in a white bakkie...
Cape Town drivers should all be banned permanently!
This is comical...
Enjoy your new bike. But some of the views and opinions and 1 dimensional metric grudges are ludicrous.
I think one of the main detractors of disc brakes on this thread is in his 60s, the other in his 50s.
While I value their opinion on certain things, accepting new technology is not always the strong point of the previous generation.
So, you bought a rim brake bike and nobody forced you to buy anything you didn't want to?
If that Pinarello is the bike that makes your panties the wettest, then it is the right bike for you. Personally I like my disc brake bike more than I like any rim brake bike because I quite like the way it looks and rides.
The seat stays with no brake bridge, the uncluttered fork top/cable routing..... It looks rad. It can also be made with less material there so can create a bit more flex and compliance in different places that you can't replicate with a rim brake bike.
But anyway, I digress. Enjoy your new bike. Just try rather not be so moany and factually certain that 1 type is bettererer than the other based on opinion.
Especially at the chronically low level that everyone on this thread performs at
You misunderstand me; I have no problem with anyone else riding whichever type of brake type they want and I fully get that the cosmetic and feel good factors the way disc brakes look on a bike gets certain people going and might therefore change all and switch! But not me.
This is was not meant as a griping or moaning session, rather I tried to start a discussion about the pro's and con's of both as this topic seems to grip the cycling world in general. My mates overseas also discuss this at length and some of them regularly ride in the high mountains on both brake types.
I just wanted to hear what others are leaning towards and why I made my decision the way I did; i.e. why rim brakes are better for me (not others).
My last point towards futureproofing was to emphasize why that reason does not make sense as any equipment bought today cannot be exchanged tomorrow. So whatever you buy this year is something that you will have to deal with for the foreseeable future, warts and all, and I just did not want to do this yet. When the time comes and I might be in the market for a new ride, I will assess the comparison again then.
Like I said; this topic is bound to split the cycling world!
braking performance is not the issue, we all know that rim-brake bikes can brake too...
it's a matter of compatibility and "futureproofing" your bike. in 5 years from now you won't be able to buy a rim brake bike or wheelset if you tried, pretty much the same as trying to buy or sell a 26" frame now...
Well, then in five years I will buy the latest/ greatest/coffee making etc. groupset with my new shiny Pinarello F28!!
Until then I will ride my rim brakes; but I will not be currently forced to buy some equipment that doesn't quite cut it just because the industry wants us to.
If the ongoing technical development (or lack of it) in five years time still forces us to deal with weight/ technological bull****/ squealing whatever, guess what - I will make the same decision!
Alu rim braking is plenty good for most SA road use.
Nice bike, enjoy!
These are my Fulcrum Racing 5 training wheels that I already had. I race with 303 Firecrests. Again, with Swisstop carbon rim brake pads, I have not noticed any significant reduction in braking performance.
Cradle MTB Loop Condition
in Routes & Trails
Posted
It's very simple - the riders that use it should spend some spare time there and get stuck in to maintain/ repair it. If everyone does 20m of it it should be in a good condition pretty quickly!