Hector

Same thing happened to me - had to buy a new casset. Do your self a favour, buy a Park Tool Chain Checker to see how worn your chain is. We all like to think our chain is OK, but by the time we replace the chain it has buggered up the cassett as well. Also spend the extra R100 or so and buy a better qualitiy chain. Cassetts are expensive to replace.

This is the reply I got from DSTV when I bitched about them switching cycling to football. The times received from ASO International were until 5pm, as per schedule.<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> However, the stage overran by 50 minutes, affecting broadcast of the Arsenal match. The controllers had already missed some football, but the call was then made to go to live football given the status of the match. With stage 2 of the race on Sunday, as well as a highlights package Saturday evening, there was the opportunity to catch up on any of the missed action. SuperSport apologises for the inconvenience, but this is the nature of live sports programming. Kind regards, Clinton van der Berg SuperSport International (Pty) Ltd Communications Manager Tel No: +2711 686 7637 Cell No. +27(0)83 297 4677 Fax No.: +2711 886 5329 E-mail: clinton.vanderberg@supersport.co.za www.supersport.com

Stuff it - after reading all the above, I am now scared to try this out. All I want to do is get a better riding position on my MTB for road training. I live in the Transkei and train on a Merida TFS500 because the roads are so bad, full of glass and pot holes. I put on slicks, changed the front rings to 28/38/48 a 11/21 cluster and a Polar CS600 power meter. The only thing is, one can not get down low enough with the striaght bars when wanting to do some pace work. i have got all the part now, so I will try it out any way.

Your power to weight ratio is one of the most acturate ways of measuring your increase fitness and performance. Buying a Power Meter - even a Polar CS600 for starters will allow you to monitor your progress with much more accuracy and makes training a lot more focused.

Thanks everyone for the advice. Will let you know once it is done what worked andwhat had to be changed.

I want to convert my handle bars from MTB (straight) to the Road bike handle bars - drops. Question is, will the cables fit onto the STI's for the road or do I have to replace the gear and break cables to fit the STI's (Sora 9 speed)?

Use the same liquid soap and rub it into your hands before you start. The soap stops heavy grease build up and once you wash your hands afterwards with the liquid soap, your hands come cleaner much easier. The sugar works well as an abrasive.

I broke numerous spokes for no reason. Took my wheels into LBS and had them completely respoked. The new spokes were 'thicker' than the factory issue spokes. Never had a problem again - best R500 bucks spent

You will need to be more specific as to what you want from the HR monitor. Are you using it solely for cycling or for running as well? Do you require altitude, cadence info ect. Do you want to down load the info onto your computer for later reference? Once you decide on these few choices, you will find someone who will assist you with a wise choice

Replaced my chain on my MTB and the chain slipped so I bought a new cluster. Problem solved till I stood up and applied a huge amount of pressure on the chain (climbing up a hill at max interval). The chain slipped once or twice. Is it possible the front chain rings are worn. If I look at them they look fine. They have done 3000km on a Merida TFS500. I also now have a slight knock that I can feel through my shoes when pedaling. The knock is not consistant, sometimes I feel it my left foot, then my right foot. It is as if the chain is hooking against something. Checked my BB with the chain off - not BB - it spins well and there is no play. Is it possible the new chain is not sitting well with the front chain rings or are the chain rings stuffed? Any suggestions? The knock was my pedal bearings that had packed up. The slip was due to worn chain rings - thanks for all the adviceHector2010-03-02 00:39:43

My 2 cents worth - I am a roadie who was forced to buy a MTB because I moved to the Transkei and the roads are not 'road bike friendly'. The first thing you need to decide on is if you are going to race MTB or just use it for training. I would look at a full suspension if you are going to race, otherwise buy a hard tail. You also need to find out wjat type of terrain you have got in your area for training. If you have a lot of single track, technical routes ect, then look at a F/S, otherwise riding on dirt roads or jeep tracks only requires a hard tail. You must also think about how much milage you are going to do in a year. Youwill know from road parts, the cheaper the parts, the more often you must replace. min spec should be Shim XT. I service my own bike and find it easier to service Shimano parts but that is just a preference. Rather spend R15000 or less on a reasonable MTB and save the money for road parts - end of 2 cents

I have booked a 5 day holiday on a Guest Farm near Rhodes from 24 Jan. Will be riding as many of the passes in the area - Lundeans Nek, Naudeas Nek, Joubert Pass ect. I am looking forward to the adventure

I replaced my old Merida TFS 500 and converted it to a semi road bike. I put a 11-21 cluster on the back, changed the front rings to 28-38-48 and put on slicks. Works like a bomb. The slicks allow you to ride on tar and if you get pushed off the road or need to ride good dirt roads for training, you can do so. I do all my training on a MTB but only race road (sub 3hr Amashova) - live in the Transkei where the roads are bad. For extra strength training try riding the MTB on shorter road races ie 50km - keeping up with the roadies is hard work but good training. Hope it helps

According to Myrace web site, the licences will be available from 1 Jan 2010. I got an email from my club stating that our 2009 Licences were valid till 28 Feb. The circus continues

Thanks - I down load after every ride, was just wondering if there was more info available via the web site.

Make sure that you buy the correct socket to remove your cassett. My road socket does not fit my MTB cassett. Hector2009-12-22 09:15:12

If you currently use the Polar Personal Trainer please give me a PM. I have a CS600 with Power and would like to know how the PPT will assist me and if it is worth the effort. The alternative is to buy the Peaks System?! Thanks

Contact Kevin Vincent - he will be able to assit vincenkr@telkomsa.net

I have got the polar CS200 and CS400. If you like stats such as route profile, cadence, speed, HR, ave max ect, then spend the extra buck and buy a CS400. You can down load it onto your computer and refer back to the ride with ease to compare rides. I have had mine for almost 2 years, ride 5 days a week, I do most of my riding on a mountain bike and with all the extra bumps ect I have never had any problems. The figures on the face are also big so it is easy to read.

I find the camelbak very useful on longer rides. Drinking enough fluid is very important and the Camelbak makes it easy to take a few sips on a regular basis with out having to bend down and use your water bottle. If you think you are going to use more than the 2 or 3 liters fluid in your camel bak, fill your water bottle with concentrate so that you can stop at a shop and buy water and add the consentrate. Summer is here so you will need upto 1 liter of fluid per hour.

Thanks - I check and try tonight

The power censor (chain sensor) does not flash ie the red light. It only flashes once when you start the test. I can therefore see that there is a red light but when testing only the green light flashes every time the pedal arm passes the censor. I am told by Polar that during the test run, the green and red light should flash. Is it possible the main unit is faulty?

Anyone with practical help to set up my CS600. I have done all the settings - 2 or 3 times - but the chain sensor red light does not come on. When I start pedaling to check the cadence sensor, a red light flashes once, then the green light flashes every time the pedal passes the sensor, but the chain sensor red light does not flash. I have replaced the chain sensor, still no luck. The weird thing is that the power meter worked for a few days after I rode to test it. It did not work on the first ride but on my second ride after 60km of riding it suddenly came on. It worked on my next ride and not again. Polar then sent me a replacement chain sensor - still does not work. A few questions Will the cadence show on the power meter even if the watts are not recording? The green light flashes but does not record. If the snsor is not postioned properly (I am sure I got all the settings correct - why would the meter have worked at some stage), will the the chain sensor not work. Is it possible that the main unit is faulty? Help from cyclists who have battled with this before would be greatly appreciated 082 322 8776

for that money buy yourself a 2nd hand Merida TFS500 hard tail. This is a good value for money MTB - I have got 2 of them and have had no hassels

Where did you get this info? I enquired last week and no one could give me details or entry form. The original Tour was supposed to be from EL to Alice, Fort Beaufort to Queenstown and Cathcart to EL.