i24

Looking at the original video. It looks like the camera was mounted on the helmet of a cyclist following "clipped in Karen". From the camera angle the photographer was riding outside of the line of those in front and must have been MUCH closer to the Landy. Maybe it was the photographer yelling in the clip - that brave soul's cycling shorts likely needed laundering afterwards.

Those stairs look more dangerous than the bike.

I normally use squirt (which always ends up on the jocky wheels) but for yesterday's race I added a few drops of chain saw "chain and bar oil". That stuff was developed for chains operating in the harshest conditions. It looks like a cross between honey and oil and it costs less than R100 per litre. The bike rides as smooth as butter even after a day in the rain. The chain looks black and shiny 😁. It will easily do another day like that or a month of normal riding. Real lubricants are black, oily and greasy. If you don't want to get marks on your legs - fit a chain guard!

Early MG's had options for left and right foot gear shifts. I have not seen a hand shift before, I suspect it could be after market. The pipes on that bike are also not near "OEM". The CX500 looks cool but I am not a fan of "chopped" BMW air heads and Motor Guzzi's - they should rather be kept original. I mean how would you feel about a CBX1000 converted into a "Cafe Racer"?

But next time it will be a repeat offence (like a certain ex cabinet minister) - provided the next victim presses charges ...

Can you remember how many times we got up on Monday after the tour and said I am glad we are not out there cycling today ...

She did not mention that. I believe the new rider will have to pay R200 substitution fee. It would be nice if the new rider offered to pay the difference between that and a normal entry fee, perhaps to be donated to a charity.

My daughter was due to fly out from London yesterday, her plans included riding the CTCT. But she tested positive for Covid and her trip has been cancelled. 🙄 She has an e-mail from the organizers saying that her entry can be substituted at the expo. If anybody is still looking for a ticket to ride the event, please send me a direct message. (PS Don't pay any attention to weather forecasts. If it is windy, it will just take longer ...)

Please explain? Someone fixing things in their front garden? How did it get there and is that motor going to be made to fit on the front? (You welcome to answer on the aviation thread.)

Nice! Where did you get those sprayed? And what was the budget? I need to get tank, mudguards covers and fairings resprayed on my Guzzi one day... But I after I have done some fibre glass work on the fairing....

Your conveyancer is supposed to represent the seller. Although the OTP normally obliges the seller to pay your conveyancer's fees and the estate agent will be very quick to recommend their own tame conveyancer. So ask your conveyancer for their advice. The buyer will likely back down if the conveyancer says it is their responsibility. But as I understand it a "patent" defect, which can be seen on inspection, is the buyers responsibility. A "latent" defect, which cannot be readily seen on inspection, and the seller new about but failed to disclose to the buyer, can be the sellers responsibility.

Did you pay for parking?

They have just done that - at 3 hours 50 min.

If you ride an e-bike with a non e-bike entry board, someone will notice, and if you finish too close to front of group they will likely complain. If that gets confirmed in a subsequent investigation you will be facing a potential life ban from the CTCT. If you ride an unrestricted e-bike and go too fast you will finish under the minimum time limit and get disqualified. If you are capable of getting around in under 4 hours on an e-bike that is regulated at 25km/h, then you should be capable of riding the tour on normal bike. The only problem area left is an e-bike rider assisting a non e-bike participant. But if e-bikes are seeded from the 4 hours groups backwards - behind the racing snakes, this is less likely to be a problem. There will always be people who cheat but I think the organisers have most of the bases covered.

E-bikes have to be entered into a different category, so Race Tec just have to DQ any rider who's time is too fast. Just a few lines of program code. The rules also state: 3.3. Should a rider wish to partake in the Cycle Tour by using an e-bike, such rider must select the E-bike category when completing the online entry for the Cycle Tour. 3.4. If the rider failed to register in the E-bike category, he/she will not be allowed to partake in the Cycle Tour. 3.5. Any person riding an e-bike on the Cycle Tour that has not formally entered as an E-Bike participant shall be disqualified from this and future Cycle Tours. 3.6.4. the motorised assistance only engages when the rider is pedalling, progressively reduces and finally cuts off as the vehicle reaches a speed of 25 km/h or sooner (i.e. no permanently powered bicycles); 3.6.5. it is fitted with a control mechanism that limits the maximum electric powered speed on PAS (power assist) mode to 25 km/h; Gate marshals will have to police that e-bikes are not entered as normal bikes, not too difficult. If this was applied to this years ride, the first 40 out of the 204 e-bike finishers would have been disqualified, that's 20% of the field. How easy it is to beat 3hr50 (28.5 km/h) on an e-bike that cuts the power off above 25km/h? I think there was some cheating in this years event...

So this is how they are going to reign in the e-bikes in 2022: https://www.capetowncycletour.com/race-entry-terms-and-conditions/ "3.10. The fastest time that a cyclist, using an e-bike, may complete the event is 3hr 50min. Any e-bike cyclists recording a time of less than 3hr 50min will be disqualified." So I guess the this year's fastest e-(motor?)-bike time of 2hr 38min 26sec will stand as the record forever?

If you want to get around CTCT at > 40km/h, you are going to need to pack some extra Lithium ????

Some useless information. I once had a microwave that made light, sound and rotation but sometimes made things hot and other times not. Eventually I discovered that the municipal supply voltage was dodgy, at times the voltage got so low the microwave stopped working (< 180V). Eventually the municipality upgraded the substation and the microwave worked perfectly again! So maybe your problem is related to load shedding ???? But what I actually want to know is WHEN DO ENTRIES OPEN? (I hope they not closed already or sold out).

I don't see how you can reign in ebikes without some kind of inspections. So what is the alternative? Do nothing until there is a nasty ebike related crash and they all get banned? Ebikes are not going away. So the ebike riders and ebike industry need to come forward with practical solution and the man power to make it happen. I am more worried about ones that look like this rather than normal bicycles with discreet "mechanical doping".

The fastest e-bike is nearly faster than the winner! I am not sure if that is what the tour is about. For my money, the simplest and most effective way of controlling e-bikes, is to limit the weight of the batteries: Set a max kg limit for all batteries, including spares and swaps to be used during the tour. All batteries and spare batteries to be carried at the start. No swaps with outside parties or other competitors nor re-charging permitted on the route. Have scrutineering at the Expo. Weigh all the batteries and put a signed sticker/seal on each battery together with the competitors number. (You don't even need to look at the e-bikes). All batteries to be shown at the start, with seals. If you have a battery in your e-bike at any stage of the race that does not have your seal on it, you get penalized. This will work until the likes new battery technologies become commercially viable. No need to try and police the legality of controller software. (Many of the e-bike riders who passed me were wearing heavy back packs ????) I had a lekker ride yesterday. Perfect weather, lovely view, I did not see any crashes or riders getting medical attention, and unlike last year, the e-bikes did not interfere with my ride. ????

Make a plan! One year I attended a wedding in George on Saturday night and rode the Argus on Sunday morning in Cape Town.

I wonder who earned a commission on the sale?

The results of the survey of participants vaccination status was also mentioned. I think they said of the 50% who had responded about 75% had been vaccinated (I can't recall the exact numbers).

There was a presentation by the CTCT at the recent PPA AGM. The costs of antigen tests was brought up, they said if CTCT were forced to pay for the testing, they could not afford it and they would have had to cancel the event. ☹️ The rules for vaxed verses testing were not drafted by CTCT, those were the terms they were required to meet to get permission for the event to go ahead. They did however hint that vaccination will likely be a pre-requisite to participation in the next CTCT, in March 2022 - this is the way the world is heading.

Let me guess. Outsurance cover, if it was in place, they would send the bike back to the same guy and get it welded again ... ???? And make you pay excess and loose your "bonus".