Stoffel76

Looking at going camping at Tweede Tol in Bains Kloof after Easter... Anyone know if there are any MTB routes in the area? Thanks

Hi there Where can you ride safely with young kids? We want to do a few "training" rides with a 5 year old that is a confident cyclist, but I'm scared of traffic. The aim is to be ready for the 5Km Kiddie Argus. Any ideas? I tried the Sea Point promenade, but had a "little conversation" with the cops... Thanks

I've got Axel Manitou's on my old Scott. Every few months I take the lower legs off and clean and lightly grease the insides. Every 6 months or so I take the spring out, regrease that and change the oil in the damper. Found it makes a big difference to the feel of the shocks, although last time I took it apart things are starting to look a little 'tired' inside...

Classic! Not as cool as 'The Gear Hunter', but what about 'Good Gear Hunting'? 'A road bike lifts himself out of his menial position as a street sweeper and becomes a mtb...'

I'm having a similar problem, but probably a differnt cause. Maybe someone has an answer for me? I replaced my chain & derailer cable the other day (but not the cassette). On the bike stand everything was shifting sweetly, and riding up and down the road is fine but as soon as I put the power down, the chain 'slips' on the cassette? I put the old chain back on and it works fine! I thought maybe I got the wrong type chain, but it seems identical to the old one. Is that typical of a worn cassette? Any ideas? Thanks...

Shouldn't this be posted under one of the single speed threads?

I have a Corsa Utility with a thick rubber mat. If it's just my bike I lie it down. If there's more than one bike, we put them upsidedown so they're resting on their bar ends and saddles and then use a piece of rope from the hook on the one side, looped round a pedal from each bike and then tied to the other side. Very quick no fuss. But security is an issue - If you're going to stop somewhere en route to or from your ride you need to remember to use a cable lock etc. The problem there is that the combination cable locks are too big to go through the metal loops on the inside of the bak. To get round that I got a big padlock and padlocked the middle of the cable to the loop and then lock the bike with the cable...

Apparently they don't aclimatise well to the relaxed island environment - they only really work when under pressure...

I predict this car will end up on Top Gear - probably crushed under a dumpster full of junk or some other equally sticky end...

Bring Mechanic With Problem with modern cars is they often require specialised tooling to work on them. Back in the 90's my dad used to own a motor workshop and they specialised in Beemers. Even back then you needed special equipment... Even silly things like reseting the Service Warning lights needed an electronic gadget. Neat way of the manufacturers taking the home mechanic out of the loop.

When this is the view that greets you from your favourite riding spot... http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn94/stoffel30/SNC00005.jpg AND your favourite riding spot happens to only be 10min away from where you live!

Absolutely! From a motorcyclists perspective, I think the influx of cheapie Chinese scooters has put a lot more people on the road who are lacking in 'street smarts'. My wife and I were out for supper the other night and there was a scooter in front of me that was swerving all over the road, speeding up and slowing down - I thought he was drunk, until he went round a corner and I could see that he was texting on his cellphone while riding!!! Now there's a Darwin Award waiting to happen!

I ordered photos from the Karoo 2 Coast. It was the first time that I thought the photographs were 'good enough' to buy. The photographers managed to catch a sense of action. All of the others from other races looked like they were just snaps... On the delivery issue, I had them emailed to me. The file size was around 2.3mb each and it came through minutes after placing the order. I agree though that they are pricey...

So I guess the issues were while charging then?

The Geomangear statement makes reference to "safety, quality and performance" of the battery, safety commissions etc and advises people to not use the batteries. I would assume therefore that safety is their main concern? So what's happening to these things? A battery not lasting as long as you expected or no longer taking a charge is annoying and no good, but hardly a safety issue...

Thankfully no hijackings and it's mostly petty, except the car being stolen... 2006: Radio stolen from car Number plates stolen from car Window smashed but nothing taken 2007: Attempted theft of car Side mirror maliciously smashed All of the above were outside my then girlfriends house, so I married her and moved her away from that area... 2008: Car stolen 2009: Car damaged after a crowd of people chased a thief on a bicycle and pushed him over and into my car! 2010: Copper pipes stolen from house Weber braai stolen from backyard

Same as the perlemoen poacher taken by a shark a few weeks back... Sad for the families, but very difficult to feel sympathy for the poachers. What really gets my blood boiling about the rhino's is that it's so pointless. Some superstition about rhino horn making you frisky! What's wrong with Viagra, you plicks!!

All The Gear All The Time... There was a sad story a while ago about an experienced bike rider who was riding his kids quad bike in the garden with no helmet, had a soft fall but hit his head on the wall and died... I was just getting into the offroad motorbiking scene and a friend & I were riding in the bush. My sum total of MX gear at that point was a helmet and gloves. My buddy (fortunately) was wearing MX boots and knee guards. He ended up in a ditch and went over the handlebars, klapping the handlebar with his knee. The one bolt holding the handle bar on sheared off! If it wasn't for the proper kit he'd have smashed his knee up for sure... Life is about choices. Wear gear, don't wear gear - it's up to you. Just make sure you can deal with the consequences.

or this thread... https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/67865-mtb-in-hermanus/page__p__999328__fromsearch__1#entry999328

There's a route that starts in the Fernkloof reserve and runs along the mountain just above the houses. The guys at Hermanus Cycles had maps... I was there a couple of weeks ago and headed up Rotary Way. It becomes gravel and then jeep track. Didn't go too far as we ran out of time. There was a sign at a gate the going into the reserve saying no mountain biking, but if you go left instead the track seems to join up later with the jeep track, and there are no 'No Cycling' signs on the track going left so... There was a thread under Routes & Trails about the various options in Hermanus

+1 The mutual respect thing is the key... Every situation where two riders meet will be different, so a bit of common sense goes a long way to assessing the conditions and 9/10 times you can pass each other without any major interruption.

Wasn't that bad in the forest. Light drizzle, a bit windy in places and of course all the roots & rocks were slippery, but the biggest obstacles were the toads and frogs! They were out in force, usually choosing to sit right in the middle of the path - and preferably in slippery, technical sections. But still better than spending an evening sitting in front of the TV...

Have to agree - there were loads of sachets along the road through the forest. Sad, considering the area we were riding through! If you've backed off the gas to take your Gu, what a few more seconds to put the empty sachet back in your pouch etc?

Not my dad... We had this bush near our house were the kids used to ride their BMX's, but it was full of thorns! Deal was I could ride there, but had to fix my own punctures. But that was my dad's attitude - To learn how something works, fix it. He applied that to my bicycles, motorbikes etc. Wise man my dad was... B) The 'American attitude' is a strange one as well - everything is dramatic. I use to work as a safari guide and when you're travelling through Zim, Botswana & Namibia punctures were obviously common. Driving the one day, the vehicle got a puncture. So we pulled over, I changed the wheel and we were back on the road again. The American's were astounded and asked me how I remainded 'so calm'? But seriously, a cyclist should know how to fix a puncture, even just from a safety aspect. Otherwise it would be a bit like a canoeist not knowing how to swim - it could end badly!

What! Only one? I recon the local kids could start their own cycling accessory store with all the water bottles, pumps, spare tubes, odd spares and tools left strewn down the Ou Wa Pad!!