_bob_

Well, I contacted Breville Australia to ask for the specs of the shims they sent out to their customers for the grinder I have so I could try source some. I was 't even going to try the local agents who don't bother getting back on queries. Instead of giving me the specs, Breville sent me a set of shims which arrived two days ago. Since the I have been able to get a reasonable decent shot (imho, of course ). At least it didn't taste like wet, burnt toast. The grinder does clump quite a bit, but I can live with that for now. Today I'm attending a home barista course at Colombo Coffee & Tea here in Durbs so I hope to learn a few things ( and pick up some more beans).

I had that a couple years ago. So bad that just lifting my hand off the desk hurt like hell. Pain meds didn't help me either. Spent 6 months going to a physio twice a week to get it resolved. I can still feel a bit of stiffness from time to time, though.

Tell me about it. Specially when you see prices like £65 from Amazon

Seem them at R1300 from rackandcarry.co.za I see Easybike has the Thule listed at R2099

That's the firsst bike I ever fell off of, still have the scar too I want one

That's what I'm thinking. I've sent a mail to the address listed under SA importers for the Atera - let's see what happens. If there's no response, I'll probably hang on till I find someone who wants to get rid of their ProRide rack

Don't have an answer for you, but good timing on the question. I'm also looking for a roof rack. Those Atera ones are about half the price of the Thule, though I did read a comment somewhere that their lock is more a visual theft deterrent and easy to get past.

Well, my Silvia arrived, but sadly it seems I'll need to get another grinder. The Breville Smart Grinder I have just can't grind fine enough. I'm trying to source some shims for it, which would sort that out, but not hoping to get anywhere. Also tried the manual Hario grinder but it's finest step chokes the machine and one step off that is too coarse. That being said, I managed to pull one semi-decent shot which made a nice cappuccino. Went through 1/2 kg off coffee to get it so was quite a costly cuppa.

The prices I saw for the Oscar were around the US$1200 range, though there were a couple around the $1000 mark. Going by the exchange rate + adding in something for shipping and other costs and the agent portion, I was just guessing what it may come out to. I was wrong as I did manage to find a local agent and the price is actually R11 000 for the machine. R3 000 more than the Silvia, so I could have stretched it . I'm not going to cancel my order though. Instead I'l use the Silvia until I think it's time for an upgrade and depending on how seriously I get into the coffee making, I'll upgrade to something better. Thanks for the grinder tip. Will have a look.

Thanks for the opinions, guys. Looked at the Oscar on the web and going by the US$ pricing, I don't think I'd get plenty of change back from R 20 000 which is a bit out of my budget. So I've ordered the Silvia which should arrive this week. It seems to have some quirks but they seem to be well documented and shouldn't stop me from making a decent shot of espresso. As for the grinder, the one I have is the Breville BCG800. Could not find very much about it, just one review (positive) and a discussion on an Australian forum where it seems to be a hit and miss ( some say it doesn't grind fine enough). Hopefully mine is one of the hit ones and works just fine

Thanks. I'll most probably get a better one at some stage. Like you say, budget dictates, so may take a little longer to get something really good. In the meantime, I'll see what I can get from the ones I have. What would you look at as being better than the Rocky you got?

Thanks. I like a nice espresso, but I also won't say no to a cappucino. So split about 60-40 there. I have a Breville burr grinder and a Hario manual grinder from a previous attempt at making decent coffee at home using one of those cheaper machines with the presurrised filter baskets. I even modified the baskets to try get something decent out of the machine which didn't work too well, so I want to get a resonably decent machine this time around.

Hi all. I currently own two Nespresso machines - one at home and one at work. While the coffee is accceptable, I'd like to get something a little better for home (the work one will stay). I'm thinking the Rancilio SIlvia is what I'd like to get. Anyone own one that has had any hassles with it? How's the backup for these in SA, should anything go wrong? Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks.

- Good luck with the fundraising

There's a cycling club in Toti - you can try get hold of them through their website - http://www.amanzimtoticycle.co.za/

I also had a go and it turned out a bit thin. Just added more oil The olive oil I used had quite a strong flavour so it overpowered everything else.

Kalahari has the book in eBook format for R188.39. It's in Adobe DRM format which means you'll need the Adobe Digital Editions reader. http://www.kalahari.com/Digital-Downloads/The-Real-Meal-Revolution-eBook_p_48195236

It's definitely worth it and you'll most likely end up recovering the money if you do your own services too.

I built my first MTB a number of years ago. Had no experience but it wasn't that difficult. Also knew if I messed up I could take it to a LBS to sort out. Got what I needed in terms of bike parts, got myself the Parktool blue book and tools and got on with it. Took longer that a pro would have done it, but learnt a lot in the process including that it's probably cheaper to buy pre-built

This just arrived in my mailbox (despite me not riding a bike for a few years, not to mention doing the Argus ). Thought it might be of interest CAPE ARGUS PICK N PAY CYCLE TOUR SUNDAY 9th MARCH 2014 Trans-sporT - Official Partner of the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour. Become a member of Trans-sporT and SAVE on the transporting of your bike to events around the country. R 799.00 If you become a member and you will receive discounted rates on all events going forward. BOOKINGS CAN BE DONE ON www.trans-sport.co.za. § Bike hand-in sites are located in Durban and Johannesburg § Collection point in Cape Town will be at "Green Point Cricket Club" § Liability cover available up to R20,000.00 § Qualified mechanics on-site for your convenience Value-adds included are; § Packaging: We will pack your bike for you in it' own individual box, only the front wheel is removed and placed in a wheel blanket and put back inside the same box your bike is in. (self packed bikes are welcome). § Team: A professional team to meet and great you when you collect your bike in Cape Town (Green Point Cricket Club) as well as to receive your bike again after the race. § Hospitality: Private and Exclusive @ Green Point Cricket Club and includes, § A complimentary beverage and meal voucher. § A 10 minute leg rub down after the race by professional physiotherapists § Change rooms for both men and woman which includes showers § Golf cart shuttle to parking lots (specified) Please also follow us on Twitter @Trans-sporT and like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/NWTranssport Good Skill with the Training and we are looking forward to seeing you in Cape Town. Kind regards The Trans-sporT Team

Thanks. I'm close to Pinetown so will pop in there during the day.

Hi all. Can anyone recommend a place in the Durban area where I could take my MTB to get it set up? Just looking for somewhere/someone who knows what they're doing and can get me properly set up. Thanks

Mine is a small frame and has a sizable chunk of reinforcement

The little history I have on the Mongoose frames. Some 2007 frames had a problem on the downtube, around the area where the shock mount is. The ones that did crack were replaced. The 2008 frames had the seat tube/top tube problem and that was due to the jig being out by, I think, 7mm and that would have caused a problem with the frame strength so that's why the little piece of reinforcement on them. I don't believe the 2009 frames have the little piece on the seat tube anymore. I also have a 2008 frame which is painted in 2009 colours and as far as I know there is no issue with warranty - ti'll be the same as for any other 2008 frame - it's just a different paintjob. I'm also not concerned about the weight - nowhere near the front of a race and I'm a bit heavy myself. A few 100 grams is defintiely not going to make a difference.