Jewbacca

Death to the Market! Long live the Market!

I'm also a VERY sweaty person. Like excessively so even for sweaty people. I only used to cramp when I had poor pre race days OR pushed the speed a bit too far. One year I was cruising to a very comfy sub3 at Peninsula, possibly 9 minutes faster than I had 'trained' for. HR was perfect, fluid intake was perfect.... Both hamstrings popped on the riser coming out of Glencairn. Floored me for almost 15 minutes. I've run far, like 400km in one go far without cramps, but speed is the killer. I've run a 100 miler on the weekend at reasonable clicks without being stiff on Monday and 3 weeks later cramped doing speed work 400m trackwork. I put cramps down to the body asking you to stop running/moving above threshold for longer/harder than you've prepared for

I think there is an internet 'extreme' being assumed that it happens all the time on every ride? It is likely something one encounters sporadically. Which means you needn't make provision for it on every corner of every ride. But when you do, slow down, stop and move on. Tell them they are in the wrong place and the next person might clatter into them at 55kph. But do it politely. That is my point. All the hypotheticals are just going round in circles.

Is it though? I can still go pretty fast, shred some gnar, hit decent jumps and pass a lot of people on the climbs and I haven't entered an MTB race in years. Go balls deep, by all means, but if you see people who aren't meant to be there then slow down and/or stop. Many people don't. They just ride up and then slam on their brakes if said people don't move. Same to be said when people encounter dogs on shared trails. It's easier to ride really fast and expect everyone else to get out of the way and then complain on socials if they don't. The trail runners are seldom on the really steep stuff with jumps etc as they simply aren't runable. There are a ton of 2 way MTB trails which seldom yield head on collisions, so a bit of patience goes a long way. I think you are missing the point I'm making. Across the board, all people, seem to be obsessed with their right to do what they want unobstructed by other sub groups. Cars are happy to stop with other cars in traffic, but if a cyclist holds them up!!!!! Cyclists are happy to encounter other cyclists walking/sessioning/going slowly on the trails, but OMG runners! Runners complain about dog walkers, dog walkers complain about cyclists... It's an eternal loop. Do I think people running on MTB trails are idiots? Yes. But I am also happy to stop and let them pass so we can all get home safely. hahahaha 'training for actual races....' said like I've never done a race or trained for something 😋

I have bodged a tire on the side of the road by using the plug glue to stick a piece of bar wrapper onto the inside of a tire. It worked like a dream and got me home comfortably. Took no more than a few minutes. Latex strip and an elastic cement glue work to fix almost all tires from the inside unless it is slashed. Then you can stitch it and apply the above if you are in a pinch (ie doing a big long stage race/Freedom Challenge/Munga etc and need to get over the line while having time on your side) BUT realistically carrying a tube and using it is the easiest solution to road punctures that wont seal

Looks like a little aero trike or one of those battery powered endurance racer things!!!

Isn't this just going round in circles? Cars would say the same of bikes. Runners will tell you they run on cycle tracks because they are often within a closed off or monitored area and are 'safe' compared to the wild trails of the mountain. I've seen cyclists ride in the road right next to the bike lane Running on the pavement sucks. Up and down, dodging people walking, side streets etc It comes down to people and 'the right' which people assume is theirs to make their own life easier/safer. If we all accepted that safety of those around us was the singular most important thing, we would all make better decisions and be less quick to get annoyed when our views don't align. I'm certainly not condoning running on MTB specific trails nor riding on Hiking trails, but rather suggesting that we would all do well to be less inclined to be in a rush/ perpetual race, while driving, running, cycling etc

I was always under the impression it was dual purpose too. Please do confirm. I have encountered MANY trail runners on the trails in Tokai. Some with ear pods in who can't (and don't want to) hear you coming. It doesn't bother me. I've disconnected STRAVA, ride without a care and if I'm forced to slow down/stop and wait for other people enjoying the great outdoors, I smile, wave and head off again. If I do clattering into one running up the DH trail then so be it, but very very seldom have I encountered walkers I couldn't slow down and be polite to. I've stopped being in a rush and whether I'm out trail running, riding bikes, driving etc I am far more aware and courteous of cars needing to change lanes, people walking up/down trails and other cyclists and will happily slow down or stop to let them past without getting irate. It's WAY less stressful and I mostly don't even remember having to do it anymore because it doesn't bug me so it isn't a 'thing' if it happens. (Hahahaha I have become SUCH a Muizenberg hippie)

That's like a parent saying boys are better than girls. Both boys and girls have good and less good attributes. SRAM and Shimano both do some things way better than the other and other thins not as well. Brand loyalty/blindness is silly. These things move in waves and are swayed by that particular company's design focus at that specific time. If you convince yourself one is better than the other, you are limiting yourself to the possibilities of embracing the best of both companies. Like people who still only buy certain cars because 10 years ago it was the only company with a good parts availability and organised service centre.

SRAM have exactly the same geo blocking on international sales... Cape Cycle systems are just a better local dealer and have things in stock 😉

huh? Major brands who still hold to antiquated 'single supplier' importer business models block international purchasing across borders all the time. SRAM are the same. Try buy SRAM stuff from Chain Reaction. It is geo blocked to support the business model. It's a crap business model, but one the bike industry seems to cling to. You're raging, that's cool. But do some searching on the Google box to see exactly why it happens and to whom. The guys in the UK were shocked when BREXIT changed the way they could buy on line cross border. You're throwing out phrases without really understanding the global business model or considering it from any other perspective but your own, which is butthurt because you can't get wat you want.. I guess it's much the same as SuperSport geo blocking Red Bull TV and other broadcasters over certain events. They pay for the right to trade in an agreed region. Do I agree with it? No. But raging against international trade agreements is like swearing at your braai and posting rude comments on EskomSePush about Eskom Figure out a way to get around it. I will give you a tip, there are entire multi page threads on BikeHub about VPN's, Global shopping middle men etc

NOT COOLheat....... The local agents, Cool Heat, are likely to blame. Otherwise it's Shimano expressing their right to freedom of choice as to whom and where they supply their parts.

Just melt it back the other way? pfffft...... (please don't)

He says putting it neatly in a pile of 29 other single wheels waiting for a partner........ 🙊

Enter Sam Hill.... https://www.pinkbike.com/news/flat-pedals-win-medals-and-3-more-things-we-learned-from-the-maydena-enduro-world-cup-2023.html It all comes down to technique, what you want to achieve on the bike and, what people tend to forget, which is more fun for you. Fun, ultimately, is why we enjoy riding bikes. Have a set of flat pedals and a set of cleats. Work on technique, jumping, gnar, pedal timing etc in the flats and use the cleats when you want to train/go far BUT then concentrate on using the skills/technique you've learned from the flats while riding clipped in. You will see a fantastic change in bike control. There is no right answer, but riding flats will make you a better bike handler, regardless of whether you are clipped in or not

I love the internet.... Using extreme outlier data as general examples. Pretty sure Matty's could ride any bike to a fantastic result at most races.

Do bikes like this make up a majority of the market? My guess would be no. How many cheap/mid range bikes move monthly vs 120k plus bikes? The nuts and bolts of the industry has always been spare parts, servicing and 'upgrades' where TIME is billable. Every time bike ranges are released, the outrage over the top 3 models and the pricing always makes me chuckle, as the importers probably only bring in a handful of them. I would love to see the actual sales numbers of what part of the bike market moves and how. Financing obviously plays a huge roll these days too. But my guess would be the 'flagship' bikes sent out for top line reviews don't keep any bike shop in business and don't contribute hugely to the overall bike industry in terms of sales numbers

Of course it does. So does buying a new Specialized which I believe has become part of your dreams? Garmin DO offer products that kick the pants off it's opposition as well as have an existing ecosystem which can be linked to pretty much everything Am I a Garmin fanboy? No, I don't really buy into a 'brand' but rather the useability and practicality of a product. When it comes to extended use gps functionality, Garmin are currently unmatched as a package. Coros are fantastic 'new market' opposition but they don't offer as comprehensively established software, data collection and app/reward/external connectivity. So, for now, they definitely do offer the best overall product in this specific market segment hands down

Sorry, to clarify, the OPs missus needs a watch that can cope with extended hours of RUNNING ultras. So the alternative needs to cover that base. Most people who do 100 milers or longer don't want to fiddle with settings, which is why battery life is so important. My Fenix 6x pro gave me just over 60 hours of full use, off trail alerts, full HR and stats tracking etc and charged off the battery bank in 90 minutes on a long, road section up to a stop during my last 200 miler. It was amazing to just press play and forget. When you're tired, cold, hungry etc you don't want to have to change settings

I looked at this when it came out. Real life battery time following a GPS route with basic tracking on was closer to 20 hours.

Is there a Polar watch that can offer 40 hours plus of tracking and route following/alerts with sufficient memory for enough breadcrumbs on a 100 miler?

So for context, we tried to play golf at Devonvale this morning. It was bucketing down, wind was fresh, everything was flooded and it did not really let up. It would have destroyed bikes, bodies and trails tiding what would have been flowing rivers. Tough call but ultimately not the wrong one. We managed 9 holes before we packed it in, had breakfast and came home

Your reasoning and logic has no place here witch.... be gone before somebody drops a house on you!

Every time anyone uses the word 'Torn' I picture Natalie Imbruglia and hear one of the sweetest covers in the history of covers. Thank you

The mysterious case of Shahid Afridi comes to mind. I played rugby against some seriously dodgy 'kids' from the platteland who definitely age doped. The common denominator? Humans. Whether they are driving, sportsing, riding bikes, being married, doing taxes.... a vast majority of humans will inevitably cheat and be rubbish It always amuses me when people act surprised