mazambaan

Since encountering the "devil thorns" and 'paper thorns" that gave multiple punctures in the good old days of ride wherever you like, I ran slimed tubes and liners for a long time with about as many punctures as with the tubeless I've run for 4 or 5 years now. Both have their weak points. Tubes must be pumped a little harder and the liners can chafe and cause punctures. But you can run just about any tyre and rim and changes are quick and easy; no seating issues. A puncture in a tubeless can be a bugger to fix with plugs and fitting a tube can leave you vulnerable. I've always been cautious of using a plugged tyre for races so that blows R450 whereas a new tube is much cheaper. I have to be careful when pumping a tubeless tyre not to disturb the valve seal. Ja, break this just putting a few more squeezes of air into your tyre 10 minutes before the start of a rocky race can bugger up your day. Of course seating a new tyre needs good technique and maybe a compressor. Some new tyres leak. Look after your spare tube; powder and in an old sock or something. Change it every year or so (if you haven't punctured).

Thanks Meezo. I'm feeling sorry for myself of late - poor decisions and robbery but this puts it very much in perspective. I'll remember to send a message of hope for him.

Well done Fires!!! Again great work Wayne. I'm having a slightly hard time. This makes me feel better and brings a tear to my cynical old eye.

I've just been buggered up by having 2 computers nicked - suspect a bit of an inside job but the identification aspect came out strongly with the detectives. Put a small sticker, paint mark, something that enables easy ID.

I think you got right 'Dale. For me it's simple choice; be crushed by a car or klap a pedestrian. Hmm, think I'll take the pedestrian, well mostly. Some tannies are kwaai.

I don't know much about the VW diesels but from a few hundred thousand km's of 4x4 diesel ownership my view is to be careful about two things with turbo diesels. 1. Change the oil at least as regularly as indicated, maybe at shorter intervals. Use good quality oil, maybe synthetic. Don't be tempted to skimp. 2. Beware of diesel quality, particularly in modern engines. Try always use lowest sulphur (at least as specified) and from a reputable service station.

Interesting JJ; I have a few mates in NZ that say the same and feel sorry for us with the political interference that takes place. Then add a mediocre coach, some properly boneheaded policies (quota's & Kings), an archaic structure for SARU and we are steadily going backwards. As for No. 10 I think the real problem is that we've never had one to coach a replacement. No shortage of talent, just no one to refine and extend it. The talent makes it easy to chop and change but then no one gets an extended run or any confidence. The No. 10 needs to almost have a coach of his own to allow him to develop as they are key to the game. Sexton is relatively average at No. 10 but note that both he and Wilkinson are on bigger pay packets than Habana in France.

I think he was very polite (for a roadie) to comment. Some have been known to spit gluey gobs of phlegm casually back if there is a paceline malingerer in the group. Just saying.

I know very little about this but maybe you could maybe rationalise the spoke inserts on having to increase the thread bearing area of the small diameter spoke threads in the aluminium which is softer than the spoke material. Maybe they should have looked at the Easton hubs first.

Agreed Shebeen; so why couldn't Kings get any of these "playing outside our borders due to limited opportunities here". but had to get Argies and NZder's?

Excellent work guys. Make SA and KZN proud. Waay out of my league to really comment. Real bummer about Chris and Con. I remember Chris from the Roof of Africa; a good few top 5 finishes (at least one second I think) but never won. Late 70's, early 80's.

Hang on Shebeen. My thought is that the Kings were always just a vehicle to transfer SARU loot to the Watsons. I read an article that indicated that around 50% of the budget went to them. But I think rugby in SA is only staggering along with too many dof connected and just dof people (see Bulls vs Brumbies) scrambling for handouts for themselves without a care for the game, almost at all. From going to a good number of matches, including the big ticket ones I occasionally watch a few minutes on TV.

Excellent; she is a real star. Hope after Burry.

You have to chuckle at some of the sentiments and support here from our offroad "friends" on two wheels: http://www.e-dirt.co.za/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53965&PN=1 with some of these "friends" we don't need enemies.

I think I'm familiar with this FREE lesson. The priceless part is having medical aid, hospital plan and most importantly ER with the good injectable stuff to at least dull the pain. Won't pass the WADA test is better. Flats, baggies and matching socks does not a downhiller make. Bunny hop se moer. Kangaroo hop is more impressive; not so much the landing.

I say go for the A$$ measurement. Had a WTB which was marginal then a Fizik Gobi, untried. No real improvement. Spez shop will see me shortly with clean (ish) trousers for said measuring.

Yes it is good you are ok. It's amazing how some motorists just do not see bike riders. I think there is a study on it from the US. Scarier is when I went for a ride recently on a dual sport motorcycle; quite big, orange, noisy, two headlights and an oldish bullet with his blue headed missus started pulling out while I was turning right across what was a stop street for him. I swear the old bustid looked me in the eye and kept moving in front of me. Only when I hooted did he jerk to a stop, well over the stop line and I had time to avoid him and make the turn. Like MichaelD I didn't stop, was shocked, surprised and angry, later with myself as maybe I should have stopped and given him a rev.

My experience with Shimano has been bittersweet or rather sweetbitter. They were sympathetic about having no stock but it took like 6 weeks to get stock (and it was a "mission critical" item without which my bike would not function). Then of course it can't be sent to you. You have to tour in to your LBS (which is a trek for me) and get it there. Tiresome compared to CRC / CWC et al. I would say 3rd world service rather than 2nd world. Based on what you say about their buying power I suspect that they are somewhat Mickey Mouse and don't really have a policy; whoever you deal with just makes up something on the day.

Thanks Tubed and all who contributed; excellent work - a great ambassadors for the Challenge.

Interesting to chat to a amateur racing snake, Epic & Sani. Quite a bit of kit in his bag including a spare chain and gear cable. A few grams better than a dnf he reckons.

I know very little about team road racing but it seemed that Sky actually caught the other teams napping a little by going very hard in the first mountain stage, building a lead in yellow which they would then defend and mark their adversaries. I guess then Sky knew Movistar et al would be stung and come out firing and maybe that the Sky team and Porte in particular had "burnt plenty matches" getting Froome into yellow. But then a rest day to hopefully recover. Going to be very interesting.

Nee man; SS riders.

Thank you about Roy and a small bummer that he's out - I was too lazy to scroll down. Hat's off to him - respect to have done that well.

How's Roy Mottram doing? I hope well for a real super ballie.

And someone on the Hub told me not to be angry about it as it wasn't the driver's fault!! What did they know? But this is not new and not confined to SA or cyclists. It ticks motorcyclists off in the US as well. One things seems sure - you want to kill someone - run them over; it's the least hassle.