Stoffel76

Looks awesome! Where is this?

An early morning up the Hemel & Aarde valley... And I finally plucked up the courage to see where the Black trail that heads up left just before the Volmoed dam went... phew, proper climb that but worth the views and to ride through pristine fynbos!

I promised my son I'd take him to the Constantia Uitsig Bike Park on Saturday as my wife and daughter were out the whole day and we were home having a 'boys day'... Then I realised my wife had gone in the car with the towbar that can take the bike rack. 🤦‍♂️ But he's dead keen, so I ask him if he's up for riding to the Bike Park and he says yes. And its raining... and he's OK with that too. So we head out in the rain and to be honest I wasn't sure it was going to work. But he put his head down and slogged up Kendal Road and up and down along Spaanchemat. And then the sun came out and we ended up having a lekker time... He was pretty tired by the end though... But had his first taste of Energade 😄

Years back I did a 4x4 training course that used Fortuners and Hiluxes. The guy who was running the course was also a tyre expert and was called in for his expertise as at the time there were some issues (i think there were even court cases?) with Fortuners and rolling over. The long and the short of is that it's actually a bakkie that people were expecting to perform like an expensive SUV... But he did said they did find a problem with Fortuners: Between the steering wheel and the front seat was a defective nut... (and if you know what a nut is called in Afrikaans... ) 🤣

Lol, seeing the shadow of the selfie stick but not being able to see the stick itself in this photo reminds me of 'The Shadow Knows' drawing from Mad Magazine... 🤣

Thanks Droo for sorting it out (and a whole bunch of other maintenance related stuff...) 👍

Heads up - Only open on Saturday mornings. Entrance is free, but take ID with you to get through the very tight security... 😄 PS They also sell very lekker boerie rolls, cooldrinks, beers and t-shirts etc to raise funds...

Some pics from Ysterplaat... They even pack the kitchen sink into the Shackleton! 😄

Quick spin up the Constantia green belts before work... Always such a scenic spot this, but particularly when the rising sun breaks through the trees...

Wow, that's awesome... I took my son to the Ysterplaat Airforce Museum on Saturday... Shame, it doesn't come close to this... But considering it's run by (very friendly and knowledgeable) volunteers with no funding from SAAF or gov apparently, it's still pretty amazing... And you can touch and climb in some of the aircraft...

If it is a parts availability issue, then it is not out of the ordinary. If the insurer has given authorisation to the repairer and they've ordered the parts and it's just taking that long to get here, unfortunately it is what it is... Good luck!

Heck, you could park that thing in the lounge and just look at it and it would reduce stress... 😍

Heck no! About to throw myself into debt taking a second bond for an investment property and the bond originator looked at my budget and slashed all cycling related expenses..😭 so there won't be any new bikes for a while! 😆 Busy doing maintaince related stuff while I still can. The wheel was supposed to come off to replace the very knackered cassette and chain...

It came out by a few cm but no more... guess it's time for the pro... Andrew, I'll give you a call... thanks

Thanks for the feedback! I'll try some gentle pressure and if that doesn't work then take it to a pro...

Got a strange problem... Trying to remove my rear wheel on my Scapel... I loosed it with the Allen key as usual but the axel doesn't come out. I can see the thread coming out on the drive side, but it just forces the rear triangle apart but the axel stays in place. There is a nut between the cassette and the frame that is turning with the axel which I'm pretty sure isn't supposed to? Any ideas what the problem is or how to fix it? TIA

Finally persuaded my boy to come ride ride on the trails with me... We did the green loop (7km) at Hemel & Aarde... He wasn't happy at first - having only ridden on the road he didn't cope well with the bumps. Uphills were "Impossible!", downhills were "Are you insane dad? I'm not riding down there, I'll kill myself!" But, towards the end, he started getting some of the techniques I was trying to teach him right and grew in confidence and it ended well... Two days later, he was asking to go again and was sure he could cope with the Blue loop, but I suggested we just do the Green again. But what a difference! He was putting his head down and pushed up the climbs and got up way more than I expected, he was standing as soon as he saw any rough terrain and glided down most of the downhill stuff. Real 'heart full of pride' stuff for dad as I watched him pushing to get up the climbs! Until... on a small downhill before one of the bridges, he lost control, feet came off the pedals and he swerved off the track... and straight into a tree stump, came to a dead stop and went over the handlebars, connecting his nads and his shin when he did... 😬 And that was it, he couldn't continue and we had to phone mum to come pick him up! But later that afternoon he was riding his bike up and down the street with the neighbourhood kids telling them about his adventure... 😄

5 nights near Hermanus last week, 5 rides up the Hemel and Aarde valley... Just what the doctor ordered to start the year... Yes, we do! And since the cellphone reception at the house is utterly hopeless, I spent 20min at the top of Rotary Drive, catching up on some work WhatsApps! 😄 What a view!

I've had Ciovita Corsas and First Ascent (although the Pro Elite, not the domestic). Based on their sizing chart I bought a large Ciovita online in 2019 and they were not a good fit (unfortunately my first ride in them coincided with trying out a new saddle which made it even worse). Fortunately my wife can sew, so she lengthened the bib straps and even moved the chamois position. Since then they've been ok. Just after that I then got a pair of First Ascent and ended up getting an XL and they have been great! And I think that's where I went wrong with the Ciovita, I should have gone with an XL. I've just bought a pair of XL Ciovita's on their Black Friday special, so here's hoping I was right!! 😄

I see the 46works chap is doing another build... That guy has some insane skills...

The OP came out slugging... over a plug... (Sorry folks, that was a rather lame Ryder brand related pun 😄)

Quick spin up Tokai...

Maybe everyone's hands were too greasy from working on their Land Rovers to type?? 🤣

Judging by the way the "Things I learnt from being my own mechanic" thread went recently, a dedicated Land Rover thread seems like a good idea. We all have the common bond of a love of cycling, but throw in the comradery that comes with Land Rover ownership and it should be an epically lekker thread! 🤣 My love affair with Land Rovers started back in 1988, I was around 12. We lived in Gaborone for a few years and my dad bought '84 Series 3 R6 (which had the 2.6l Rover straight 6 engine fitted, apparently a Leyland SA thing). I learnt to drive in that in Khutse Game reserve in central Botswana. There were other trips to the Makgadikgadi pans, Moremi & Chobe, Tsodilo Hills & Shakawe & Caprivi and Vic Falls. Incredible memories