openmind

I ride/race Aspens, including W2W last year. I’m 80kg and run them at the same pressures as above (2.4” tyre on 25mm internal rims). Zero issues in 6 months. They are great tyres, fast and good grip in the dry.

Absolutely stunning, congrats and enjoy the build! Would you please post the geometry numbers on this frame, and explain a bit how you decided on them? This post has got me a lot closer to giving Dave Mercer a call for my next build!!

I have an English thread Chorus tapered BB if it will work - spindle length = 102mm If it's the 111mm you need - https://www.bike24.com/p22649.html

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CXD8cFel75v/?utm_medium=copy_link

My point was that with a budget of over R3m they could have made prior alternative arrangements with other authorities to fall back on in case of a problem with Plan A. I'm not saying they should have called a snap route change on the morning of the event, of course that's impossible. But have it organised up front just in case. That is the responsible thing to do. The Argus managed to reroute with short notice when there were fires. And they have 10 times more entrants, and in a dense urban setting. Just have a plan and communicate. Heck, they could even have said, sorry race is off boys but go ride to Ashton and back and we'll stand up a waterpoint at the halfway mark. Just try something. Maybe it's just a Covid thing - we've all been beaten into being so risk averse we can't do anything edgy anymore. I for one was looking forward to riding in a rainstorm for 200km. Beats sitting at my desk shouting at the Internet.

The conditions in Swellendam on Saturday were nothing like that at all. We had lots of rain, but mild temperatures and not much wind. That is not a fair comparison.

No it's not pointless, let's discuss this because it is important. The DC is not some local fun ride, it's one of the best events on the calendar, a monument if you like (our Milan San-Remo?). It's an institution with a lot of history (and the entry fee to match) and the organiser needs to respect that. I do have an idea of what it takes to organise events and I know that sometimes stuff happens and you have to cancel. But a big event like this with a huge budget and a major prestigious sponsor must do better. As I said, the least they can do is communicate.

Any event should have a disaster plan - not only for things that might go wrong during the event but also for things that might jeopardise the event itself, like the situation seemed to be at 5am on Saturday morning. The organisers took north of R3m in entry fees - they should not be allowed to get away with simply cancelling the whole event because of a bit of rain and wind. Some suggestions: Plan B - Limit the field to experienced riders, e.g. allow the fastest 50% of the teams ride and cancel for the slower less experienced teams. Plan C - Change the route - have a backup route, e.g. the route used for the SA champs earlier this year. Out to Ashton and a few loops through Bonnievale. No passes, less traffic, much safer. Plan D - Move the event to the Sunday Have these backup plans in place beforehand, agreed with the authorities. Put it in the T&Cs and let everyone know. Keep everyone in the loop so we know what to expect. With an entry fee of R13000 for a team, this is not too much to ask. And please communicate!! Two days later we're still in the dark as to why the event was actually cancelled. Reports are that the route was clear, there was no flooding, the wind was mild. etc. No issues!! So what was it then? Sure, there was a lot of rain early in the morning, but what does it take to just drive the route beforehand and report back to HQ? With another hour delay the roads would even have been mostly dry. It was apparent to anyone watching the sky that things were clearing up. Without more info I can only assume lazy organisers who feel they can take the easy option 'cause the event will just sell out again next year anyway.

I rode the Meerendal trails on Saturday and was very disappointed. Our group paid R190 for trail fees but we headed off after completing just one loop as we could hardly even ride some sections due to vegetation completely covering the trails. Some signage is missing and the trail surface needs attention in places too. It's such a spectacular venue with great facilities (and good coffee) so it's such a pity that the trails are not being maintained. Cyclist drink wine too you know. Anyone know what's going on?

I have slowly become convinced that Squirt is the best for a MTB chain - one of the most efficient (low drag) drip-on lubes on the market and it repels dirt sufficiently well that grit stays out of the chain (and it's local!). BUT: they are very clear that you have to strip the chain of factory grease first to get these benefits AND you need to lube your chain after your ride, not just before the next one. I assume that it is good enough at getting where it needs to go as I find that with this routine, I get clean, long-lasting chains. For my road bike however, I still use an oil (Finishline wet) - maybe I'm a traditionalist, but it just feels right, and with care (not too much; clean often) drivetrains last nearly forever.

Here's a race report of our four-man masters team: About 30km from Willowmore on Friday at 2pm the outside temp was 2deg and it was snowing. We had booked accommodation in tents at the showgrounds and the mood in the bus was grim. I got on the phone and called the Willowmore accommodation wrangler Billie-Jean to see if there were last-minute cancellations and she managed to squeeze us into a B&B across the road from registration! Frostbite averted, spirits lifted and we started to look forward to the ride. It even stopped raining! We started at 8am with the elites and other racing cats to be in contention for the maters category but even then it was sub-zero on the start line. I don't know how the 5am starters did it. After a fast start trying to hang on to the leading bunch but giving that up in short order we settled into a good pace with an icy headwind blowing directly off some snow-capped koppies in the distance. It was incredibly beautiful. Things got a lot better when the sun came out and we dropped down into the kloof with a wonderful tail wind. This is one of the best parts of the ride, fast and twisty through magnificent rock formations. You have to see this section of the kloof at least once in your life. Checkpoints 1-3 passed in quick succession with the tailwind and freshly scraped roads. We stopped at each CP and sampled the cuisine - very good sosaties and wors at CP3!! ("Sosaties, wors, innnie blink potte!!" was the refrain that still echoed in our ears long after the Langwater crossing.) The climbs were mostly ok except for the MAC. The steepness just gets to you at some point and you need to grit your teeth and grind it out. CP4's soup and change of clothes was very welcome. It was still damn cold, so we dressed up like polar explorers again and hit the long downhill for some freewheeling recovery. Back along the river the pace was fast and steady, with our team doing the through-and-off nicely. CP5 popped up and we sampled and ditched the chip rolls like everyone else (organisers: they're terrible - try something else!!). As we left this checkpoint the cold set in again and the magnitude of what we were doing became very real. A long way to go yet, dusk approaching and very dark clouds on the horizon. Luckily the Neverender was not too bad, we hooked up with a few other riders and tapped out a steady pace. By CP7 was realised we were nearly home. Jaffle-fueled we set off with a bit more enthusiasm. This was killed off completely in the last few k's when we hit the mud-fest of a trail next to the railway line. Those dark clouds had done their bit and soaked that trail a short while before we got there! The finish was a relief in many ways. 12 hours on the nose. A bit longer than we hoped for but we were all together in good spirits. Good ride all round in the end. Good luck to all doing it this weekend!

Just give up - they are Vogons. I'm pretty sure that if you do get through they'll start reading you very bad poetry.

I’ll try again later.

If it was me - Specialized Chisel. Incredible value if you look carefully at what you get.

Just run your tires soft enough - it ain't a road bike!

I have a South Industries GX (gravel) wheel set. Lightweight and bombproof. If the RX are anything like the GX they will be awesome!! I like the differentiated rim depths and widths on the RX - a unique feature that makes a lot of sense. I ride 45mm depth wheels on the road and in windy Cape Town conditions sometimes wish the front wheel had a little less depth.

Jonkershoek opens again tomorrow!! Whoop whoop! Well done to all involved and thanks MTO!

Yes, they will.

Saw this yesterday: Cape Winelands District Municipality - Media Release - Overview of the Stellenbosch Fire: 22 February – 3 March 2021 The Cape Winelands District Municipality’s Fire Services and its partner CapeNature battled a fire in the mountains above Franschhoek and Stellenbosch for eight days. The fire was originally reported in the Overberg mountains on Sunday 21 February 2021. In the late afternoon of Monday 22 February, the fire crested the mountain peaks into the Banhoek Mountains outside Franschhoek and during the next few days it spread to the Berg River Dam area. The fire teams diverted the fire line away from the R45 and farmland on Thursday. Although the fire was around 68% contained by late night on Thursday, the combination of a change in the wind direction and intensity allowed the fire to crest the mountains and travel into the more populace Jonkershoek Valley. At this stage, the incident command activated Provincial Disaster Management, local law enforcement teams from Stellenbosch Municipality as well as the Disaster Management division of the CWDM. A public notice was issued to encourage residents to cooperate with authorities, should evacuation become necessary. Firefighting efforts were hampered by the dense smoke, which also prevented the deployment of aerial resources. The next two days, 26 and 27 February, proved to be the most challenging days of the battle. Fuelled by dense, aged, mixed vegetation and a stiff breeze, the flames quickly spread down the inhabited Jonkershoek Valley. All efforts were focused on diverting the fire line away from residential infrastructure. Late on Friday afternoon, the wind shifted slightly, allowing the deployment of aerial resources that immediately started water bombing the more inaccessible areas. In the early hours of Saturday, a small group of families who reside in an informal settlement in the Jonkershoek Valley were relocated to a community hall. This decision was based on community safety protocols and was not a forced evacuation. The families were returned to their homes later the same day. The fire continued spreading from the Jonkershoek area across the mountains over Bothmaskop, following a path past Coetzenberg and into the Blaauwklippen area. The fire line ran virtually parallel to the Blaauwklippen road. At this stage of the firefighting operation there were 236 firefighters, groundcrews and team leaders distributed in various high-risk areas, supported by 13 CWDM, three CapeNature, six Stellenbosch Municipality and three West Coast District Municipality purpose-built fire vehicles. The aerial resources were made up of two Hueys of the CWDM/CapeNature, one Blackhawk of Provincial Disaster Management and an Oryx made available by the SANDF. Despite dire predictions of strong gales, the wind died completely in the late afternoon of Saturday and the teams made excellent progress during the cooler night hours. A flare-up occurred during the early evening in the previously contained Jonkershoek Valley, but was swiftly attended to by a combination of ground and aerial resources. By Sunday afternoon, many of the teams were able to stand down and return to their workstations. The wind stayed calm and unexpected light showers certainly aided dampening down efforts. The CWDM fire teams, contracted ground teams and the various teams from CapeNature continued with the management of flare-ups, monitoring and mopping-up operations for the next 48 hours. The fire was declared 99% contained on Tuesday 2 March, although a smouldering fire line in an inaccessible area of Banhoek kept two of CapeNature’s crews busy for a while longer as this fire line proved to be difficult to access. The CWDM Fire Services reported that the incredible team effort of dedicated firefighters and ground team members, and a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities resulted in no loss of life, livelihood or damage to property. Sadly, two of CapeNature’s field officers sustained serious burn injuries and remain in hospital for surgery and treatment. We wish them a speedy recovery and thank the healthcare staff attending to them. “It is through a combination of effective planning, trained firefighters and ground crews, well-maintained equipment and clear communication and excellent relationships with all role-players that we were able to successfully manage this fire,” stated Wayne Josias, Acting Chief Fire Officer of the CWDM. The incident command team consisted of members from Cape Winelands District Municipality and contracted ground teams, CapeNature and their teams, the Winelands Fire Protection Agency (FPA) and Stellenbosch Municipality. The team was supported by Western Cape Disaster Management, the City of Cape Town, Overberg Municipality, West Coast District Municipality and the SANDF. A special word of thanks is extended to the Volunteer Wildfire Services for the selfless assistance. The support of the residents of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch and further afield was overwhelming. The CWDM Fire Services, on behalf of all fire crews, offer our humble gratitude for each donation. Fast facts: Date: Sunday 21 February in Overberg. Moved into CWDM space on Monday 22 February. Contained on 2 March. Incident commanders: Wayne Josias; Jaco Thuynsma and Heinrich Louw IMT: Fire Protection Association, CapeNature, Stellenbosch Municipality and local law enforcement, Provincial Disaster Management. Description of conditions: Vegetation: Dense, aged, mixed vegetation, fynbos and alien. Hot weather, with strong wind mostly from the south easterly direction Response: CWDM, CapeNature, Stellenbosch, Overberg and West Coast municipalities, Provincial Disaster Management and SANDF, City of Cape Town. Purpose-built 4x4 Land Cruisers, major pumpers, firefighting vehicles, 2 Hueys, 1 Black Hawk and 1 Oryx. Ground teams: Cape Nature, CWDM and CoCT Total area burnt: Around 14 000 hectare veld Timeline: Teams worked on 24-hour rotations; operations continued throughout the night Description of damage and any fatalities and/or injuries: No damage to infrastructure, a few singed vineyards, but no real damage; two field officers sustained second-degree burns and are being treated in hospital Challenges faced: Heat exhaustion, rough terrain, succession of teams, fire loads, weather Origin: Vyeboom farm, Overberg district Heli drops: 3 Huey’s – 556 loads = 554 680 litres in 59,5 hours1 Black Hawk – 467 loads = 1 167 500 litres in 30,9 hours

The fire is already in Stellenbosch - the whole Stellenbosch mountain above Coetzenberg is also on fire. Jonkershoek is probably done for.

So sorry to hear about this! Hope you're ok and have support recovering from your traumatic experience. Keep riding if you can, we can't let them beat us. Hook up with some mates and avoid dodgy areas. See if there are commuting "busses" in your area where you can hook up with other cyclists to ride home in a convoy.

You know what's weird is that I'm into bikes and computers and there is a lot in common between Shimano and Microsoft. I used to hate them both but man in the last few years they have both eaten the humble pie and come up with the goods.

Fascinating lockdown photoshoot by cycling photographer Brazo de Hierro: https://cyclingtips.com/2020/05/light-behind-lockdown-gives-a-glimpse-of-cycling-in-the-darkest-moments/

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.