SCD

So reading through this I gather that you‘d pay a chunk of money to receive a unit that somebody else already rejected and that then was shipped to somewhere for repair. Chances to get a lemon seem high. Suddenly my 4-6h battery life doesn’t sound so bad anymore. Especially since everything else works perfectly. Unless: do they offer an ‚upgrade‘ to the 530 yet?

Hi there, Lately the battery life of my Edge 520 started to decrease. I probably get about 4-6h at the moment before the low battery warning pops up. So I hopped onto the RSA website of Garmin to inquire for help. "Can the internal battery be replaced and what is the cost for this?". The SA website then sent me to the US site for the service request. The response was that my unit is out of warranty ( I know that) and that the 'repair' would be about 99US$. This does not feel reasonable. Did anybody go through a battery replacement before?

I had XTs for a good while and then Levels (180 rotors in front and 160mm rear). A few thousand km on both setups. The XTs develop power early and fast, just as Droo said. Levels are smoother. For me both had enough power for my riding (trail, 120mm fork, point and shoot). The XTs could get squishy when really hot. But I rarely got to that stage. And then you could pump them and regain power. Wasn't a big deal for me. The first edition of the Levels had an issue with a piston spacer that made the piston get stuck in hot weather. Sram serviced those at no cost. And I believe that the current Levels have updated internals. What I like a lot more with the Levels is that they can be serviced (lever, seals, etc). When I had a seal issue on my XTs the response was that I must buy a new caliper. Not sure if this is still the case. Then lastly, both brakes integrate nicely with the respective other group set parts. My Sram setup is delivering a nice and clean cockpit. A comes down a lot to preference. Especially the ride feel. Both are great brakes.

North of Paarden Island the cycle lane is right to the road? South I also use the yellow lane on the N1, but always on the harbour side. People riding on the other must be very unhappy with their lifes imho

It is a strange thing these days I find. As something new comes up people drop what they used to love and jump onto the new trend and talk about nothing else. Maybe it is boredom, maybe fomo, I don't know. I never really got it. In my windsurfing days it was kiting. Half my mates dropped windsurfing and started kiting. They asked why I don't try it? Darn, I wasn't living of an inheritance, had to work for my food, so I hardly had time to windsurf as much as I loved to. Now start something new? Why? I loved my sport. But there was this argument that one had to be excited to try something new and break out of the routine. Maybe. Or wasn't this what the marketeers whispered into our ears? Anyways... Now the story repeats itself with MTB. We now NEED to try this eBike. It is the newest greatest thing. Yeah, probably it is pretty rad to ride, and I probably would really enjoy it. But does this mean I must have one? What is creating this link? Have we lost all sense of reason? Why do you love riding a bicycle in the mountains in the first place? I don't know. I love it because it gets me out to do some exercise, gets me out into nature, gets me to work my ass to get up this hill, gets me to overcome some fear when bombing downhill. I really enjoy that. The eBike allows me to do all this as well. Great, good for it. But I am already sorted and happy. Ah, but it allows you to ride more. Mooore. Faster uphill so you can fell like Nino, get more runs on the downhills, get further, ride 'better'. But really? Do we really need that? I still just spend my 2-3h out in the hills. I am happy with what I have. But anyway, that is just me. I actually see very few of them out in the hills. And all in all they actually don't bother me too much. I luckily never encountered an eBiker that was such a ******** like those okes in some of those video clips. Just this whole hype is getting onto my nerves because you just cannot escape it... Maybe you should just ride your eBikes more and stop talking about them all the time...

Sounds awesome. I was just embarking to finding a repair solution for my lace that is about to fail... Lets hold thumbs that this works

Seeding is never perfect. You just have to actively work with it and make the best of it. And even if you seeded A you will find that half the guys don't ride singletrack the way you would like to or are slow on technical downhills. If you are really a lot stronger then D then it should be easy to make sure you are lined up in front for the start and burn a bit of power to roll through C during the run-up and the lower slopes of the climb... But you will never get rid of the one slow oke in front of you at the downhill. Terribly screaming brakes sometimes help

Ask a buddy to pick up your number. There is always a workaround. This is too good an event to be missed.

I rode the trails around Grabow during many events, eg the old Trucape, W2W, Appleblossum, PPA Elgin, Epic. What I always loved was the ruggedness and technical nature of the terrain, be it the rocky and washed out fire roads or the single track. From a mix of terrain, trails and general route composition I loved the Saturday route. I was as expected. The trails here are rocky, grassy and sandy. You cannot make this go away, it is part of the region. And actually adds to the challenge. None of the sand strips were actually a problem. The sand was stiff enough to carry you through. Now here the things that were not great and should be improved: Route marking. The tape strips didn't work well for me. I am riding without my prescription glasses. Normally that is just fine but these are not easily spotted at the distance. If you are in the red zone focusing on the trail ahead they were too easily missed. We did a lekker detour right in the beginning and almost again later where it simply wasn't clear where to turn. Maybe it is a matter of getting used to them but big arrows on yellow boards are just easier too see.Route right past the township: not the best choice.And lastly, a bit annoying even though not that important: the beer was cash only...come on... But from a value for money point of view the event is an unbeatable offering. I liked that all that nonsense was omitted that is usually overloading our local events. Just good riding, some food trucks and a tent. All in a relaxed atmosphere. I like that concept and will be back. Next time I will bring cash for the beers

Hi Tyron, you must base your decision on your doctor's instructions and how your shoulder feels. At this stage of my injury I was much guided by pain levels. Small movements like typing or holding a glass of water was perfectly possible. But the treaded glass of water was an evil item. Memory makes you forget your injury and lift it to your mouth rather fast and unconsciously, which ended in sharp pain and broken glass on the floor. So half the job of the sling actually is to remind you to hold your arm still and don't do something silly by accident - and do damage with that. Happy healing!

I was advised the same.

Haha, probably worse. I am structural engineer grown up in a family of physicians who went through the process of nursing a f’d up CB. Bonecells densify the bone matrix where there are mechanical stress peaks. Your bone may well heal stronger at the place of the break especially if geometric imperfections make it thicker there. The more important point is that the opposite happens if you use a plate. So after removing the plate the bone is too weak where the plate used to be. Thus you need another period of recovery to allow your body to strengthen this area. This double recovery period is often ignored when the plates are discussed. And that is simply a risk to the patient... since we all tend to run back to our bikes as quick as we can;) Anyway, the purpose of this write up is to make you discuss these things with your surgeon. In some cases you may have a choice so discuss the options properly Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey, that is a good ending. Heal well and enjoy the IDT pain cave Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lots of risks with getting the plate. If your alignment allows it and the break is not close to the joints the plate is not needed. So why take the risks of this invasive procedure. Just for the comfort of getting on the bike quicker? Meh... Keeping the plate in is also not necessarily a good idea. Your bone does not grow strong with the plate present adding all that stiffness. Bone grows only when and where it is needed. Further your collar bone is supposed to break on this particular direction of impact in order to preserve more important joints and parts of your body. Another hard fall with the plate still in could cause more trouble than just breaking a collar bone. Anyway, since it is not the 1600 we can all have our own preferences Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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 the Plantronics Backbeat Pro, Backbeat Pro 2 and the Bose QC35. The Plantronics are both very good, also the NC, but the Bose takes the win. At a price tough. Currently selling the Backbeat Pro if anybody is interested.

Been up there during foul weather. Based on this experience...wise call... :/

Ok, thanks

Strangely there is nothing mentioned on their Facebook page, not on PPA page or anywhere else I looked? I learned about this via a 'forwarded' whatsapp only. No mail. Will watch carefully....

I did the one 50km 2y ago. Was a proper challenge. Keen to come back this year.

why not start www.ebikehub.co.za ...

Nice analogy. This is why a toe-in surfer would be frowned upon at the Pipeline Classic...it is a different sport that blooms at different conditions or locations...

Thanks for that link, this idea is hilarious. I would be the guy stealing the remote and sending EMPs, BOOSTs and MAXs over the course at random... that would be so much fun!

This whole eBike thing is a development from mountain biking into a new sport. It is great for who likes it. But not everybody does like it. I don't like it. I am out there for a lot of reasons, and my reasons just don't gel with the concept of a motor. To allow eBikes into our trail networks is debatable, and there is always the argument about the handicapped person enabled to participate at our great sport, or the 'weak' wife able to ride with her 'fit' husband. To be honest I haven't seen the 'handicapped' eBiker yet. I am sure they are there but there are certainly not many of them. And my better half was furious about the other argument. Most eBikers I know are loving it for the new sport it is. More shredding for the time out there. Faster up the hill, more downhill time. Fair enough. For this reason I think that trail fees for eBikes should be at least double of us mortal bikers, for the same argument. More trail use, more maintenance, simple logic. And eBikes in races - is most idiotic idea ever. It is a different sport so have different events. I will not be able to appreciate the war storys of an eBiker, nor will he appreciate mine. The whole flair of an event is simply down the drain, the minds divided. Keep it separated. But I know this will not happen. Industry has too much interest in tapping into the pedal bike market so they want to mix up and exposure...a great pity in a way...

Must have been the bad fortune of the lead group. I was riding the 70k in A but not in front, and we had no problems... Awesome event again