100Tours

This is the question.. However it is clearly a relative issue, and probably the answer is to work out for yourself what you are comfortable with, Personally I will spend up to R40k on a bike (I don't tend to buy new bikes). I can't come to terms with riding a R70k machine. I do have a lot of bikes however. If you are racing in the A bunch you'd probably justify that 70k bike, and seemingly marginal gains become more meaningful at higher levels. The logic is something like this - 1. You can get most everything you might be after, although carbon wheelsets seem to be mostly out of reach at this price point. But electronics are do-able. My usual balance is something like R15-20k for a frame, R10-12k for a groupset and R5-8k for wheels. 2. There is generally a decent resale market at this point - you may struggle to resell a second hand bike at R80k-R100k, but you'll find a very active market at the R25k-R30k level. 3. The price range seems to line up with the most durable equipment choices. Expensive equiment that breaks is even more expensive. To quote a friend - 'The better I get, the higher I realise the ceiling actually is..'

Others will differ.., but Aluminium is a great material for full suspension trail bikes. I have a Pyga 120/650 and it is a phenomenal bike. Have not ridden the Hyrax, but you can rest as assured it comes from a stable of bikes with a very solid reputation. My experience with carbon trail bikes is that they are susceptible to having the bearings and pivot points loosen up in the carbon matrix over time while Alu bikes are pretty bombproof. This can be an issue particularly if you're riding in wet or dirty conditions on a frequent basis. I have previously had issues with a carbon bikes from GT and Lapierre from a few years ago, but I don't see how this problem is ever solved.

I like riding on Rouvy, but I agree the user interface sucks - it is chaotic. They are clearly more cyclists who code rather than the Zwift dev team who I imagine have a gaming background, and the routes themselves are largely crowdsourced. Many of the videos are uploaded by users. I have created + filmed a few myself, but that does mean that their quality is somewhat variable. Read the ratings and reviews to find better routes - as a result there are many more to choose from, but they are not well 'curated' as such. To address a few of your other issues if they are detracting from the overall experience. 1. Rouvy AR was released earlier this year just before we went into lockdown. Not ideal, but it is a low risk upgrade path for them. I'll complain with you if there are still 2 apps in a year's time. 4. if you click the 'download' button in the AR app you'll see the list of files you have downloaded, and then you need to navigate to each in turn to see its profile. Rather add them to your Favourites and use the Rouvy website to review them. Yes this could be better - the back and forth between website-Rouvy App irritates me. $$$$'s - rather pay in CZK's - it is cheaper.

It will work OK, but you may get some chatter on one or other end of the cluster. Campy cassettes use variable spacing between the sprockets while the shimano sprockets are set at a fixed pitch, so the campy deraileur will be 'off' on some of the sprockets. It will probably sound a lot like a well tuned Shimano setup. The difference is quite small on 10s and negligable on 11s sprockets. My current setup on the IDT is a Shimano 10s cluster with a Campy 11s gruppo, which is working just fine (although somewhere in between 1 and 11 there is a missed shift)

This is where I was going - it looks like a range of motion problem with the deraileur. The deraileur should be able to take up a whole lot more slack than it is currently managing - basically it should take up slack until the chain hits the deraileur cage. So, does it make any difference to shifting if you turn the clutch off? This would indicate some similarity to the issue in the video above. Alternatively if you turn the clutch off can you feel the spring tension 'giving up' before it gets to the end of its range. The clutch cover is pretty easy to pop off - is it dirty/dusty/wet inside there? On the older deraileurs (pre-clutch) it was possible to open up the B-tension spring inside the knuckle of the deraileur, and reinstall with the spring in a higher tension position (some deraileurs had 2 holes for the spring, some you could do it if you drilled it yourself). I have not tried doing this with a clutch type deraileur but I'd imagine it is still possible.

I have previously connected with a dog in Emmarentia. the dog was poorly sighted in one eye and running at an angle, so he connected me at about the same time that I connected the fence in my efforts to avoid him. In hindsight I should have slowed down to pass rather than trying to get around him, but these crashes will always happen when you mix dogs and cyclists. Was that puppy controlled/predictable in its behaviour. Probably not. But the cyclists should absolutely have stopped to apologise.

To render the brakes on your older bike disk-brake sharp buy one of these. (2 bianchi wins this season on rim brakes, so they're not exactly dead yet). https://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/icetoolz-brake-shoe-tuner disk brakes are awesome on a road bike, but if you're on a budget you may do better do go for a good rim brake bike than to put your money into disks. (we do not have many alpine descents around here) I am 82kgs on a 56cm frame and I ride 23mm tyres

The only other issue I can think of is that your chainline is out. If this is the case you might benefit from running the chainring on the outside of your crank (i.e. in the old 'big ring' position). As a way to find a solution, if you completely disconnect the gear cable from the deraileur the chain should run in the number 1 gear position. Solve for why this doesn't work before you connect the gear cable again.

Take photos of the issue and post them please. it should work just fine. Especially if this was working in the 3x10 arrangement. The deraileur has less to do now than it previously had to take care of. Possibly it is installed badly on the hangar (I know, seems too obvious) Edit: A hanger extender will drop your deraileur away from the cassette to allow you to get it underneath a large "granny gear" sprocket, but it does slightly reduce the chain wrap on the smaller sprockets (resulting in slower/sloppy shifting for the smallest gears). If you can already get down to the granny gear then there is nothing to gain by adding a hanger extender.

I had something like this happen to me as a kid. I pulled a 2 kilo bass out of a farm dam on a lure with a treble hook. Ended up with one part of the treble in the fish and one in my index finger while trying to release my catch, and it seated pretty deep. Spent a few hours in Mooi River hospital waiting for the Doc on a Saturday - if you're wondering how it comes out they cut the hook and then use pliers to push it all the way through

Proprietary casssette.. that should be enough to kill it. Also I'm wondering if Shimano will let them integrate it into Di2 shifting. I'm guessing not - so that's an unmatched pair of shifters too. looks like an interesting system though.

Personally I think the combination of the heatmaps and 'view segments' on Strava Routes gives the best outcomes. I'd want to know how the other platforms are sourcing their preferred routes. The new strava route planner also offers options to 'prefer climbs' or 'prefer flats' as well as 'prefer gravel' or prefer tar'.

11s Shimano mountainbike cassette = Yes 11s Shimano road bike cassette = No. However it is possible to have the 11s road cassette machined down to fit if it uses an aluminium 'sprocket carrier' design.

I went through a similar process, in particular because the diameter of your 700C gravel wheelset will be smaller than your 29er choices (so if you fit the same chainrings/cluster you'll actually end up with smaller gears on your gravel machine). My current arrangement is a 50/36 up front with an 11/29 on the rear, which works just fine for me riding in Gauteng. If you were going to ride gravel in a more mountainous area you might go for something smaller.

It can explode all on its own at a temperature of 210C. In this case it seems that a welder managed to ignite fireworks stored adjacent to the AN stockpile. That would do it. Also the commentary on the explosion is that it was only a partial detonation..

Try that SxSE route for starters - Cafe du Cirque is about 2km from the route start point. If you feel like something shorter you can just ride the northern 'loop', which is about 55km on its own. I think that goes through a rand water property which has a number of route options, but maybe start with the GPS route and adjust from there.

They have been experiencing some issues - seems like a bit of a 1 man show dealing with a lot of volume under lockdown? I had one order that got lost by the courier - after a number of emails to Janos had to take it up with the courier myself (he was dealing with the Cape Town branch, but the Cape Town branch was not communicating with the Joburg set that had lost the parcel + neither of them seemed to be prepared to phone Joburg to sort it out). After a few phone calls I had managed to find both my parcel and the unopened emails from his Cape Town account manager to the local depot.. My second order turned out to be out of stock after I paid. He was very quick to refund me, but if the website says 'in stock' then you assume that the stock is actually there. No third order.

The other area that is becoming popular for gravel is riding out from Biden towards Magaliesburg town and beyond. Endless dirt roads all the way to Botswana - Strava-stalk the guys riding the Mini Munga for some ideas here.

Go South - I have been riding from the Circus Cafe (just past the blockhouse 1-stop) on the R59 recently after being introduced to this on the 'South by South East' gravel ride. Seemingly safe (I judge this on seeing a number of couples riding on their own), easy area to ride and generally a 50:50 mix of gravel and tar depending on your routes. 'Cafe du Cirque' as it is called is very cycling friendly - seemed to be 4 or 5 distinct groups sitting out in their garden after our ride last week.

Its simple - shaving helps you fit in. If what you're doing is trying to fit in.

The hydraulic Di2 group set is a dream. If you do go this way you do find these levers available from time to time in the classifieds. I have also found that bleeding Di2 calipers is easily done at home (Much easier than some of the older hydraulics).

I lived in Parkhurst from 1999 to 2013, Depends where you work - if you're commuting to Sandton then Parkhurst is great because it puts you on the right side of the spruit/green belts to access this 3rd circle of hell.. If you're travelling into town or even Rosebank then look a little more south and save some money maybe. The house I owned had 'Made in Japan' solid oak floors, imported through the 'Port of Lorenco Marques', which I thought was cool. The suburb was built post war for returning veterans so it has a bit of history to it (and a MOTH shellhole, go figure). I also had some walls that had been built without foundations. The properties are measured in 'Cape Feet' (50x100 cape feet to be exact), a measure which South Africa invented while the standard meter was on loan to India. We never got the meter back, but we did give them a copy of the cape foot, which they used for measuring stuff in India too. Access to the spruit is nice, and 4th avenue is vibey (but try be at least 2 blocks away, or you get stuck in amongst the parking bunfight that goes on around 4th). Your LBS is now Sprocket and Jack. Parkhurst has 1 remaining dirt road when you feel like an out-of-town experience. Security was always just ok. if you parked outside you would lose your wheels sooner or later, but never any worse than that. There's a lot of people paying security fees in a small space, so there is reasonable security presence. Don't ever leave a VW Polo outdoors in the 'hurst however. Damp was an issue if your property was in a dip (my neighbour had a pump installed beneath her floors for when it rained). There are a number of perenniel streams flowing through the storm drains. Talking of which, neighbourly relations were always complicated. properties are small so you're very aware of each other, and there's not one property there that does not contravene some building regulations. Chances are the combined rainwater catchment of the whole block appears through a 1 brick gap in your uphill boundary wall during a thunderstorm. Some properties were below road level, which means drainage is something you would be on the wrong end of. Some properties have town gas, but based on whether the property owner at the time applied for gas in 1950ish. quirky. If there was gas in your street you could apply to egoli gas to get connected for about R20k.

Mostly agree with what's been said, 1. If you're going to ride seriously go with either Shimano or Look road pedals - you're choosing a family that you will be in for life. I've always had Looks and I like their pedals, but I would note that the Shimano options do seem to wear out slower. The others are relatively less common and not perhaps a good choice as a first pedal. Plastic cleats (both options are plastic) are useful because you can see how worn they are, and you can tell when they need to be replaced. This is important if you are a high power rider with a risk of injury if your cleat gives up on you. New prices are R1000 to R1800 a pair for either make if you stay away from the top end stuff 2. If you want to commute, trip/tour, combine riding and walking, or generally only ride socially then go with Shimano SPD MTB pedals. They are tough as nails and will (almost) never wear out. The downside is they tend to create a pressure point on your foot on long road rides (where your feet/body are not changing position much), and they don't fix your foot in position nearly as much as road pedals do, which means some power loss.