Nick

The forums have undergone a number of changes in recent times. Partly in an attempt to focus the conversation on cycling. We've seen a significant drop in certain measures as a result but (from our observations at least) a noticeable increase in quality.

Sorry, we'll add this feature in time for the 2023 list.

And importantly, the most active forum users for 2022 are... 🍿 Top 10 Topic Starters: OVERDRIVE 44 Steady Spin 20 Ruben Hechter 17 The Ouzo 16 love2fly 12 Shebeen 12 JJDT 11 mecheng89 11 Stephan 11 esCape-ist 10 Top 10 Comment Posters: ChrisF 1 929 DieselnDust 1 744 Frosty 1 718 The Ouzo 1 312 'Dale 1 113 Hairy 1 061 Jewbacca 1 050 MORNE 993 Steady Spin 857 Shebeen 825

Also, don't always take everything for face value. In some cases, people are trying to leverage an alignment with a brand more than the brand is trying to get something from them. Well, in the South African cycling context especially. Overstating the deal gains them more magical influencer points to befuddle their followers and the next brand.

Actually, the Tiktok-ification of the social platforms might be partly the cause of these firings. The platforms are showing more and more content that they consider valuable. This means that "high quality" content is shown regardless of the publisher's follower count. So accounts with good followings compete against accounts with no following. The content is becoming more important than who's publishing it. The Kardashians are pissed. It also plays nicely into the hands of the platforms. With influencers not being able to guarantee as many impressions to advertisers/sponsors, that budget might get spent on adverts with the platform instead. A downside of not owning the platform that you publish on.

I agree that it is insensitive behaviour (if as reported). It's definitely not how I'd go about it. I can rant endlessly about building a good company culture. That said, it's not at all unexpected for the company in question and the employment culture in California. I'd guess that how rudely the company can behave is likely spelled out in the termination clause of their contract. Assuming it is, can you turn around at a later stage and justifiably demand a higher standard than you've agreed to? I don't know. What first grabbed my interest about this story, however, is the place of influencers and their value in the marketing mix. And the big u-turn by a company that invested so heavily in it. For me, that's the real news story here.

Agreed. But in America employment law is brutal and this sort of thing appears to be fairly common behaviour. Specialized are in Silicon Valley after all, the land of mass abrupt firings right now.

@Ntec Coaching Sorry for the blurry images. That’s definitely not how the images are supposed to be processed. Please email some of the photos to us at help@bikehub.co.za so we can try to see what’s going wrong. Thanks.

@Paul Ruinaard The team rolled out a fix this afternoon. Classifieds chat should work more smoothly now. But please let me know if you experience any issues.

Thanks for confirming. The dev team is working on a fix.

Is this squashed chat window what you're seeing?

Is this occurring regularly? I experienced it once last week. Refreshed the page and it seemed to fix it. Unfortunately, I thought it was a once-off glitch and I didn't think much of it after that 🤦‍♂️

Thanks for reporting this. We'll look into it. Not being able to scroll is a bug. We didn't make it do that on purpose, I promise. The two messaging systems exist because there are two separate technology platforms with two different use cases. Joining them together might be a bit more convenient but it's a technical nightmare that isn't worth it.

Going off topic now, I tend to go Boyes Drive out of Muizies. The pavement is wide and empty. Then you can run much of the way back unmolested through the Kalk Bay houses and mountain-side pavement. Before crossing over where the pavement is much wider from St James on the sea-side. The walkway is by far the worst route to do anything but walk. It's super busy these days, which is great because fewer stabbings. There's also a lekker mountain right there to run on.

The railway pipe dream should definitely exclude the speeds, bunches, and attitudes of sports cyclists. But it could help ease up some of the competition for space suffered on the road. Who knows? Motorists might actually park somewhere sensible to walk or rent a commuting bike to get to places with such infrastructure in place. I did say pipe dream 😄

Often I meet the same cars that overtook me in St James/ Kalk Bay at the Muizenberg intersection. But explaining the concept to people is really difficult.

https://www.q36-5.com/q36-5-announces-pro-cycling-team/ Vincenzo Nibali joins professional team as technical advisor and Q36.5 brand ambassador As Q36.5 we’ve been driven by our mission of ‘Innovation for Human Performance’. Today, we’re proud to carry our mission forward by announcing officially that Q36.5 will be the sponsor and technical garment provider of the Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM, managed by Doug Ryder. Former Italian professional cyclist Vincenzo Nibali will join the team as technical advisor and Q36.5 brand ambassador. Since our inception in 2013, Q36.5 has been pushing the limits of cycling apparel by using highly technological fabrics that guarantee next-level thermoregulation for athletes in the most extreme and difficult conditions. Our name is rooted in research and development – “quaerere” in Latin meaning ”research” and 36.5 indicating the ideal body temperature in degrees Celsius during any form of physical activity. Q36.5 excels as a research laboratory with its roots in Italian craftsmanship, resulting in award-winning innovations such as the UNIQUE Bib Shorts, the world’s first entirely seamless and three dimensional bibs. This mission is seen reflected in the Pro Team’s mission of ‘Racing the Future’ – allowing the team to function as a research laboratory and vehicle for change alike, that aims to redefine the future of the sport and its impact on the world. “What really unites us in the mission of our Pro Team is the belief that cycling has the power to create positive change and pave the way forward for people and performance to progress.” Luigi Bergamo, CEO & Head of R&D of Q36.5 states. “Our expertise in product development has allowed athletes for years now to make significant gains and improve their performance and we’re extremely proud to see the team’s riders benefit from our products.” Bergamo says that for Q36.5, the team will be a testing ground for creating world-winning performances through people, product, and technology. Together they will further develop the next generation of highly technical, sustainable and absolutely functional Race Wear to be tried and tested by pro athletes during the toughest conditions. The core focus is to maximize performance through sustainable innovations and push the boundaries through radical product development. “Thanks to Nibali’s involvement, we’ll be able to leverage his incredible wealth of knowledge and experience and actively involve him in product testing and the development of the new Q36.5 Pro Team Race Wear.” Bergamo adds. “After 18 seasons racing at the highest level, I am now excited to continue working in the world of professional cycling in this new role. As the team’s technical advisor, I will have the opportunity to pass on to the next generation the knowledge I have acquired over all these years as a pro. The collaboration with Q36.5 will see me actively working with the R&D team to develop more and more advanced products”, Nibali adds. With progress at its core, the Team’s mission is to function equally as a springboard for people and talents, and as a means to help communities grow sustainably using the upwards mobility that bikes offer. Doug Ryder, General Manager of the team highlights the importance of bicycles. “Bikes don’t only bring people together, they also move them forward. As a team, we’ll be racing for more than just winning, we’re racing to positively shape the future, with a key focus on mobility, education, and development.” With 13 nationalities represented in the Q36.5 Pro Cycling’s squad of 23 riders, the team offers an inspiring blend of youth and experience. Our squad will race with a goal of establishing our presence in the professional peloton. Our continental team will act as a springboard for people and talents. The 2023 Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team riders: · Negasi Haylu Abreha – ETH · Matteo Badilatti – SUI · Jack Bauer – NZL · Gianluca Brambilla – ITA · Walter Calzoni – ITA · Marcel Camprubi Pijuan – ESP · Fabio Christen – SUI · Filippo Colombo – SUI · Filippo Conca – ITA · Corey Davis – USA · Tom Devriendt – BEL · Mark Donovan- GBR · Alessandro Fedeli – ITA · Carl Fredrik Hagen – NOR · Damien Howson – AUS · Tobias Ludvigsson – SWE · Cyrus Monk – AUS · Matteo Moschetti – ITA · Nicolo’ Parisini – ITA · Antonio Puppio – ITA · Joseph Rosskopf – USA · Szymon Sajnok – POL · Nickolas Zukowsky – CAN They will be led by Performance Manager Alex Sans Vega, who will be supported by sports directors Aart Vierhouten and Gabriele Missaglia. The coaching staff will be led by Carles Tur Carbonell and Mattia Michelusi. Head of Performance, Alex Sans Vega elaborates: “We have assembled a talented, motivated and committed group of individuals, who can be competitive in every type of race and terrain. We want to perform at the highest level from the beginning. The experienced riders who have joined us from the WorldTour bring a wealth of knowledge and will be able to mentor the youngsters in our squad. We have an excellent mix to become one of the best Pro Teams.”

Not so long ago they revamped the road. The initial plans had space for cycling but unfortunately, the storage of empty cars won. The whole job was a disaster, so don't get your hopes up about any new construction on that road for a long while. Fixing the trains would help a bit as more people could rely on them to travel that route instead of the road. If they can't get that right, I'd love to see them create a promenade along the railway line. Throw a tram in for the few people left using it to get to Fish Hoek. Maybe allowing a little more space on the road for cycling.

I'll be honest. I just saw the Swiss registration and thought: "That's no longer 'Africa's Team' vibes". I'll move it all back together.

Something I've wondered before; how does a team's succession get decided? It's simple when someone buys a team or their license. Not much detail to go on yet but is Doug (assuming he is not simply a salaried manager acting for the team owner) is applying for the same license or a new one? Is Doug's involvement enough to say that a new team is the same as the old one, even if there is no license continuity? All assuming the current Qhubeka outfit doesn't carry on going.

The other thread is here: https://forum.bikehub.co.za/topic/177096-all-things-team-qhubeka-nexthash

My bad. I jumped to the conclusion that it was a whole new vibe with the Swiss license. It's easy to merge them again.

There's only one way to resolve a dispute with a single speeder. Bike polo at dawn!

Thanks, Nico. We've spotted an issue with email notifications for new Chat messages on the Classifieds. Is this what you are noticing too?

We've pushed a possible fix for this. Please let me know if it is still not operating as expected.