TimW

Any of you know the answer to the following: What happens if you buy something from a website that has all its contact addresses and phone numbers as South Africa (and thus looks like a "SA" shop), but product is shipped from US? The site creates the impression you are buying from a SA dealer (which I would think means VAT and any import duties should be included) but what will happen when the courier (USPS) ships it, will the buyer be liable for VAT?

They should be up on ROAG very soon ... just go to your Profile and My Photos and youcan look at your pics. Hopefully later today.

The act has been in place for a while and most KZN MTB races have been complying since April (I am not saying others have not be but I KZN MTB is complying). KZN MTB I must add have been very efficient in making sure they help organisers in any way they can as well. The principles behind the act are fantastic, but they place an extra burden on the race organisers and the police. The biggest increase in "hassle factor" comes in the form of extra admin (writing up everything from management plans, to medical plans to security and evacuation plans to getting engineers certificates) and extra costs to running an event (for example a suitably qualified Safety Officer has to be appointed for all events - even a tiny fun run for 50 riders - and they charge). The safety file has to be lodged with the police on the day of an event. The police can come and shut down an event, but if the race organiser has done his job properly they are unlikely to do that. Once again, the principles behind it are good and should make for safer races, but race costs will go up because of it.

How dare you say they don't work? I am bigger, stronger and faster than I was before I bought one. I am a better cyclist and it has nothing to do with my new 29er or the cadence cycling course I did. I do not fall off my bike as often so I must have better balance as well. My wife thinks I am a better lover and she is also smiling more often ... although that may be because the PowerBalance salesman hangs around our house a lot these days and it is his great aura that is rubbing off on her. I think I overheard her saying to him that he is bigger than me, but I am sure once my order for 20 new PowerBalance bands arrive I will be even better ... in fact I am think I am getting younger as well and am thinking of joining the ANC youth league and challenging for the leadership. Their current leader does not wear PowerBalance bands (there is no space on his arms with the huge R500 000 watch). Maybe I should make a bid for the new Pinarello Dogma, because I am sure a PowerBalance piece of plastic would help me win that as well. Oh dear ... I am obviously not working hard enough today !!!!!

Might get back to you just before 5pm.

Asking price currently R61 000 but going down every few minutes.

I am curious as to why races lose popularity and seeing as this is the last Dusi Mfula it seemed a good idea to ask a couple of direct questions: Why? So, to all those riders who have previously done a Dusi Mfula, why are you NOT doing it this year? To those who have never done it, why not? If it was carrying on, what would make you go and do it (again)? I have no link to the race, but am trying to get some feedback on what other people think are good and bad things in races.

Watch this space ... they are looking for partners in other parts of the country. They have two branches in KZN which are both doing well.

Did a cadence power training course with Cadence Cycling Performance Centre in Durban in 2010 and improved my Sani 2 C time by over an hour. After riding a bike three times in about two months I did another course this year and improved my time by another hour (from pos 400 and something to 166th). This year was all on an average of six hours riding a week (four on a bike and two on stationary power bike at Cadence CPC). Power training works if you use it properly. They test you and then the classes are "customised" to each individual -- so me and ten other people will all do the same (in terms of time) series of training intervals in the class which is more fun than riding a stationary bike by yourself, but we all do them at different power outputs -- I promise you, it works.

Hills are all about power to weight so you can either lose weight, or get more powerful -- it is that simple (well, the theory is). Go to cadencecycling.co.za for modern theory on training or even better, if you live in Durban or Hillcrest, do one of their courses (they have two branches -- Dbn North or Hillcrest). I have, and my times on an eight-minute hill is over a minute faster (8:11) to 7:05) ... their courses are based to your fitness and power so it is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but you do it in a class environment. You do a power test which then determines you training for the course, then the eight or nine week course. Another power test at the end allows you to see if you improved. I honestly think it is the most effective training I have ever done - spend less time training and got better results. They have one guy whose power increased by over 30% on a eight-week course (mine went up by over 15%). PS: I have no reason to promote their courses other than they have worked for me.

@benmelt: This Bianchi Black is 1 of only 2 in the country. It was stolen while in transit to Cape Town. See pic: http://yfrog.com/h4gtqzdj If you see it or have info tweet @benmelt or mail me and I will pass on the message. It should be easy to spot something so unique (the poor owner of the other one is going may be in for a rough time I guess).

OFFS ... just ride whatever bike you want. I have a 29er and I love it and I think it is better for me, but if you do not like a 29er, or a 26er is better for you, then ride your 26er . Why is everybody so keen to knock everybody else's choices? Schurter did not win because he was on a 26er, he won because he was the best on the day ... and Kulhavy came third because he was third best on the day, not because he was on a 29er. Burry did not crash because he was on a 29er, he had a *** day and crashed (twice) because he made two mistakes and all the other guys and girls who crashed did so because they made mistakes ... on both 26ers and 29ers. Get over it ... anybody in their right mind knows a 26er had advantages in some areas and a 29er has some advantages. So some courses / rides / races will suit 26 and some 29. Now lets just go have some fun on whatever bike you A) have; B) enjoy; C) suits you and D) want to ride.

I own a 29er and I love it. I own a 26inch bike and I love (OK, maybe not as much as before, but I have not divorced it yet). I believe I ride better on a 29er because my times are faster and I seem to be going faster easier, but I actually don't care what anybody else thinks as long as I am allowed to think what I think. I have friends who own 26 and 29ers and I enjoy riding with them ... some wear baggy pants some wear lycra ... we all enjoy mountain biking. I think I do marathons (or what I think UCI classifies as XCM - which I think stands for cross country marathon but I actually don't know (or care). I do not do XCO (Olynmpic cross country ???) because I do not like going round in circles and am probably not good enough (or confident enough or whatever) but I do enjoy single track ... I do not particularly like bunny hopping unless I need to and will not judge a bike on its ability to be bunny hopped ... but if you do, then enjoy it on whatever bike you like. If you like a 26 inch .. ride the thing and if it makes you go faster or makes MTB more fun then, hey, good luck to you. Who actually cares which is faster or better, or whether it is a marketing ploy by the distributors, retailers, ANC and ride what you like -- be strong enough to make your own decision, just stop judging me because I made my own decision on whether I like a 29er or not. In short, use whatever equipment you think makes you go out and have the most fun -- I do!

I own a 29er and I love it. I own a 26inch bike and I love (OK, maybe not as much as before, but I have not divorced it yet). I believe I ride better on a 29er because my times are faster and I seem to be going faster easier, but I actually don't care what anybody else thinks as long as I am allowed to think what I think. I have friends who own 26 and 29ers and I enjoy riding with them ... some wear baggy pants some wear lycra ... we all enjoy mountain biking. I think I do marathons (or what I think UCI classifies as XCM - which I think stands for cross country marathon but I actually don't know (or care). I do not do XCO (Olynmpic cross country) because I do not like going round in circles and am probably not good enough (or confident enough or whatever) but I do enjoy single track ... I do not particularly like bunny hopping unless I need to and will not judge a bike on its ability to be bunny hopped ... but if you do, then enjoy it on whatever bike you like. If you like a 26 inch .. ride the thing and if it makes you go faster or makes MTB more fun then, hey good luck to you. Who actually cares which is faster or better, or whether it is a marketing ploy by the distributors, retailers, ANC and ride what you like -- be strong enough to make your own decision, just stop judging me because I made my own decision on whether I lile a 29er or not. In short, use whatever equipment makes you go out an have the most fun -- I do!

My 2c worth to the non-stop debate ... The only (and I mean ONLY) areas I have found a lot more difficulty with the 29er is on very tight downhill switchbacks. I struggle on my 29er there, but everywhere else the response is pretty much the same or better, including climbing. I actually find climbing better than on 26, but you have to change your riding style slightly -- a slightly slower cadence on a 29er seems to work better, and you have to ride smoother and concentrate on keeping your speed up so there are less accelerations (but it is easier to be smoother because the little bunmps don't slow you as much). Rode karklood this weekend and there were a few technical sections which I found much much easier on the 29er ... yes it is very very much a case of helping less technically adept riders, but I cannot see why it will not help the technically proficient riders as well. Rocky and very step climbs and a combinatiion of the two are way easier -- I am cruising up difficult, technical climbs which I use to struggle to get up. For me, 29er is just less than 2 mins quicker over an hour -- on a route I do at least twice a week which contains a bit fo everything, fairly easy single track (12%) with some climbing and descents, jeep track up down (20%) and flat (30%), and a bit of tar flat and climbing (38%). Interestingly I was reading a top British MTB magazine which was saying this weekend the small women elite racers were getting some of the best improvements by riding 29ers -- goes completely against the theory of small people do not suit 29ers. But, I am convinced some course will suit 29ers and some will suit 26. In SA most of the marathon or classics I have ridden are 29er friendly and Sani, which is basically district roads and singletrack highways (becasue they are so well prepared), is going to be 29er heaven. But, try it for yourself and ride what suits you, not what suits me or anybody else.

Can recommend the 705 with confidence and it seems to be perfect for yoru trip. Have not used the 800 but it looks even better and reviews say there are no problems using touch screen with gloves. Good lukc withe the trip ... looks like an amazing adventure for a fantastic cause -- what could be better. Let me know when you are in KZN and I will organise some publicity for you here.

What, that is her own bike? Surely not. She must barefoot, may be pregnant (although I cannot tell from this angle) and has got to be taking a break from the kitchen to wash her boss's (aka husband / boyfriend) bike. Unless of course she is a lineswoman and Sky TV are trying to get another commentator fired? ... in case I get fired (or at least flamed) maybe I should add

OK, I am going to wade in, I cannot resist and longer The statement that it was a black person riding the bike was not racist in itself (in my opinion), but if you thought (as I think you did) the bike was stolen because the badly dressed person riding the bike just happened to be black, now that would be racist. In other words, those of us who assumed you thought he was a thief because he was black, also assumed you are a racist. Maybe if you had not used the words "black" we would not have assumed your racism. So, the question I think needs to be asked, if he had been dressed the same way and had been white, would you have written "especially with a white worker in scrappy jeans and t-shirt riding it" or would you have written "especially with a worker in scrappy jeans and t-shirt riding it" ... I have decided for now not to assume you are a racist ... but I am going to assume a (colourless) worker in scrappy jeans and t-shirt riding a very expensive bike could be a thief and should be questioned -- which is probably what we should be concentrating on here !!!!

The following are my experiences ... it is not scientific but is based on riding 26s for a few years and now a 29 (Giant Anthem) since late October. I have raced (OK, ridden) 29er in Wines2Whales and a two other races. In training I have a regular route of about 18km which I time trial regularly to gauge my fitness. It contains a mix of single track, climbs, descents and long flat stretches in jeep track with about 30% on tar, including the last ten minutes of climbing at the end of the ride. What I have found (ie personal experience) is that over this route my times are consistently over 2 min faster. I have "splits" of different terrain (some climbing, some single track, some flat "power" riding) within the ride, each about eight-ten minutes and there are varying improvements in each section -- the rougher the terrain, the more the improvement, which you would expect with bigger wheels. Climbing is the same on the 26 and the tighter sections are about the same (although nothing is too technical). Immediately, with the bike out of the box and minimal set up I was able to consistently go two to two and a half minutes quicker in the same conditions (ie about 4-5% faster). In Wines 2 Whales the only time I thought the bike was more difficult to handle was on the switchbacks of day 1. There is no doubt in my mind the bike rolls over small obstacles better, it handles long stretches of rolling track better, and is way way better on rough track -- for example very rough or corrugated district road and uneven, single track with small rocks and roots. Generally on jeep track it seems to be faster. I am not a good rider by any means and am a solid middle of the pack finisher but have had what I consider to be my best two results ever in the two races I have ridden on my 29er. Wines 2 Whales was difficult to judge because my partner was sick and much slower than normal so I had an easy ride. In short, for me, the 29er is better with the advantages far outweighing the disadvantages. BTW I am middle aged, 1.83m tall and weigh 85kgs -- obviously no racing snake.

Pretty sure there is no defamation in posing a question about a rumour (that is about as far from a statment of fact as you can get) ... as far as I understand it the courts would have trouble proving intent to defame from teh original post. Headline (or in this case title of the thread) is a bit misleading but the subtitle clears that up pretty well.

I think this is interesting ... comparing Sani to Mont Ventoux (although Sani is not so nice and smoothly tarred) with The Mast in Cape Town and some other little pimples on the Argus route (and you roadies thought they were climbs) and one of the 2008 stages of the Epic. Scale is as accurate as I could get it.

Check this out ... leaves no doubt as to the sanity of those who ride single speeds bikes ... and this is their world champs? http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/singlespeed-world-championships-cm-1/results

UNDERBERG ? START DAY 1 THURS<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Wednesday, Mar 3 More Details Mostly cloudy with a shower or thunderstorm in spots in the afternoon. Winds from the NNW at 4 km/h. Realfeel?: 26 ?C High: 21 ?C Wednesday Night, Mar 3 More Details Mostly cloudy. Winds from the NNW at 8 km/h. Realfeel?: 12 ?C Low: 12 ?C Thursday, Mar 4 More Details Clouds and sun with a couple of thunderstorms around in the afternoon. Winds from the NW at 8 km/h. Realfeel?: 27 ?C High: 23 ?C IXOPO ? START DAY 2 FRI Thursday, Mar 4 More Details Variable cloudiness with afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Winds from the NE at 12 km/h. Realfeel?: 27 ?C High: 24 ?C Thursday Night, Mar 4 More Details Plenty of clouds with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm, mainly early. Winds from the NE at 16 km/h. Realfeel?: 12 ?C Low: 14 ?C Friday, Mar 5 More Details Decreasing clouds and humid. Winds from the NE at 17 km/h. Realfeel?: 28 ?C High: 26 ?C HIGHFLATS ? START DAY 3 SAT Friday, Mar 5 More Details Decreasing clouds and humid. Winds from the NE at 17 km/h. Realfeel?: 28 ?C High: 26 ?C Friday Night, Mar 5 More Details Partly cloudy. Winds from the NE at 16 km/h. Realfeel?: 14 ?C Low: 15 ?C Saturday, Mar 6 More Details Mostly sunny and humid; a thunderstorm in the afternoon. Winds from the NE at 9 km/h. Realfeel?: 31 ?C High: 27 ?C SCOTTBURGH ? FINISH DAY 3 SAT Saturday, Mar 6 More Details Very humid with plenty of sunshine. Winds from the NNE at 20 km/h. Realfeel?: 40 ?C High: 32 ?C Saturday Night, Mar 6 More Details Mainly clear. Winds from the NE at 14 km/h. Realfeel?: 21 ?C Low: 19 ?C

Just to clear up a few things Hill 2 Hill is using the ROAG seeding system, but we are aware that, as ROAG is still a relatively new system, not everybody is seeded and particularly the non-KZN riders are not all going to be seeded, so we have made a plan to accomodate you all. In short, anybody (from outside KZN) who has not done any ROAG events (ie has not done either Karkloof, Sani or Eston, or any of the others) will be seeded manually. We do not believe that anybody within KZN has any excuse not to have done at least one ROAG event this season -- the list of ROAG events is so long that if you have not done one then you are probably not riding much and possibly deserve to be seeded in the last group anyway. So, if you want to be seeded for Hill 2 Hill and live in KZN, come and do a race (Golovane this weekend, Eston coming up or one of the others listed on the Roag entries page). If you do not live in KZN and are not going to come and race in the best province then simply send an e-mail to info@hill2hill.co.za (not ROAG ... Hill 2 Hill organises the race, ROAG organises the entries and a million other things). You must include the race you did, the distance, your time, the winner and his time and the date (ONLY 2009 events) ... we will then seed you manually ... SIMPLE Now, if I can quickly swop hats: As for ROAG not using other results ... in a perfect world all results would be used. However, living with imperfections as we all do (and HR this has nothing to do with your partner) we have to make do with what we can get. To use other data it needs to be in a format which is compatible with our system and verifiable (do you know how many J Smits have entered races in SA .. and are they all the same John Smit, or John Smith captured incorrectly by some underpaid wife of a race organiser, or Johann Smit etc etc). There are a few other entities who are not prepared to share their data with us, there are a few who do not reply to e-mails and phonecalls asking if they will ... and there are those who still continue to criticise ROAG. So, we took the decision to use data we could verify as being correct and which we had access to. It may not be perfect but as we get more data from more races the seeding will become more and more accurate -- remember we do not dictate what timing system has to be used, so if an event wants to use ROAG for entries and be part of the National Series (and so has to used the designated timing system they can) as long as they agree to share results with us. Remember the ROAG system has been in operation for less than six months !!!!! I believe it is working brilliantly.