openmind

This is sorted now. Nice big red no entry boards hanging from the cables. Thanks MTO!

A heads-up - MTO have installed a number of almost invisible cable barriers in Jonkershoek to close off side roads, specifically those leading off the circular route which is the only route open to vehicles. Probably as part of the new drive to limit vehicle access to the reserve. The problem is that these barriers are just a length of wire cable between two poles and it is basically invisible if you approach at speed. See pic attached. I spoke to the guys at the gate and suggested that they hang some no entry signs off the cables so we can at least see them. Let's hope they do. An afterthought - if you're going to Jonkershoek soon, please take some rags with you and tie them to the cables as an interim measure. It might save someone a whole lotta pain.

It's "fubar" (effed up beyond repair) "foo" and "bar" are temporary variables used in programming

Ok, back to the topic 1. Use a torque wrench 2. Don't drip lube into cable casings. It pulls dirt in and gums them up. 3. Don't try to adjust an old-school cantilever brake unless you absolutely have to - you need at least three hands for this and a free afternoon, possibly even a whole weekend. 4. It is not physically possible to set an Ultegra 11sp front derailleur without it rubbing in at least three gears. 5. The best way to get sealant in a tyre is with a little 60ml Stans bottle through the valve. 6. Leave suspension services and wheel building to the experts I'll add more if I think of them.

Oh no! Holding thumbs you get that beauty back!

Another option is to take a glorious dirt back road that turns off the R43 next to the Theewaterskloof dam. It heads up a steep valley and over a neck that gets you just above the Rusty Gate farm. You can then head down this road an on to Greyton, mostly on dirt roads. Below is a pic from my Strava - I rode to Rusty Gate once (for a party - did not ride home .

I was riding up Helshoogte pass from Stellenbosch at about 11am this morning when I saw two guys walking down in the yellow lane just after the top of the first drag of the pass out of town. They looked a bit dodge, so I dropped a few gears and stood up on the pedals just in case. Sure enough, as I passed them and kept them in my peripheral view, one of them started to sprint after me. He had two goes at trying to catch me but I managed to sprint away each time. I moved into the middle of the road and flagged down a car. At this point the guy sauntered back to his mate and they just carried on walking down the road. I decided to keep riding. F that. Just thought I'd post this as a heads-up. If I was less aware I think he may have got me. Don't trust anyone walking in the road. Give them a super-wide berth, get ready to sprint and use the whole road if you have to. Yes, I know I should not ride alone, but that's not always practical. Maybe I should get some mace. I still had a lekker ride with some free sprint intervals thrown in.

A friend in Blouberg is looking for a mobile mechanic that will service bikes at his house. There are about 7-8 bikes that need attention every few months or so – it would be worth the while of a good mechanic coming out for a day and working through the fleet. I know that some time ago there were guys offering this service, but I cannot seem to find any reference to them anymore. Thanks.

I said probably, not always

Unless your bike hails from the previous century or from the supermarket, you probably have sealed bearings everywhere. They get replaced, not greased. If it is a vintage, or if you do have a rare cup and cone bearing somewhere, any old grease will do (seriously) unless you are hoping to win a world-tour level TT, in which case your mechanic will flush your ceramic sealed bearings and lube them with light oil. I like Finish Line grease FWIW.

Rims are consumables - replace.

Terrible tragedy. I just donated. Let's hit that target guys.

As many have said, the harder you race a course, the more technical it gets. Perhaps the way to phrase the question is "what races are there where the technical nature of the course is a serious factor in the outcome" (vs. fitness, luck, etc), i.e. your result is significantly influenced by X, where X = how much risk you are prepared to take / how much skill you have."

Post of the week!

Rons are awesome tires. Super fast. Put them on the front and back. I read somewhere that a Ron in typical racing conditions is faster than a Ralph.

I did my first 10 sub-3h Arguses on a vintage steel Italian road bike.

VPN to Belgium and then sporza.be Lekker Flemish commentary to boot. Guys know their cycling.

Great race, great weather and well organised. Well done PPA! Started and finished in B group that was occasionally put on the rivet by a pair of Euro pros from Bardiani CSF. Nice to ride with that sort of pedigree. Good riding fellow Bs, thanks for a great day out!

I pay myself in beers.

Both my kids have used and abused our JSL20 and now my cousin's son has it. Once I set up the V-brakes properly (easy) I never had to touch them and they always worked well. Kids had great confidence on that bike - light, handles well. Get one, you won't regret it.

There was a great story in Robbie McEwan's book about him needing a #2 on an important sprint stage of the TdF. He somehow got his shorts off enough while riding at the back of the bunch and just let go off the side of the saddle. It was in the days before helmets - he wiped up with his cycling cap, threw it away and went on to win the stage. He only realised afterwards that the ref and the VIPs in the race car had front row seats for his performance.

The lady is fine, just badly bruised and sore. No broken bones. Bike has a front wheel buckle but otherwise ok (hey, this is the hub, if I don't report on the condition of the bike too, *someone* will ask ). She's a friend of my brother's daughter, here on holiday. She was second in line of a group of four cyclists. The driver wanting to leave the estate waited for the first in the group to pass and then inexplicably pulled out in front of the second in line. She did not even have a chance to brake. The driver was a young guy on his way to write an exam. All ended relatively well with lots of lessons learned all round. I agree that this was an accident waiting to happen. The spot that the car must wait before crossing the bike path and turning into the road is too far back to check for oncoming traffic. They have to pull into the bike path to see properly. The bike path only has a yield sign painted on it and most cyclists just breeze through without slowing. The solution there would be to trim/remove the bushes obstructing the driver's view and also to change the yield sign to a stop sign on the bike path.

My Cinder Cone circa 1997 - with racing tyres installed

Those Hyperlight bars used to snap like dry sticks - polish them up and hang them on a wall.

Yes, that's where it was. Good to hear that it was not as bad as it looked, thanks for the update.