Rapunzel

I don't know about using BigJ-wp as bait - your size will probably scare the guys sufficiently without having to resort to a mob. Saw 2 unsavoury looking guys walking towards the pine trees from the top wooden bridge about 2 weeks back but haven't seen them since. A fence with video surveillance at the gates is starting to look like the only viable option.

mix up a sachet or two of Rehidrat - need to replace more than just fluids.

longer doesn't = better I always say that your main priority when cycling is enjoying yourself. If you've got sufficient time on your hands for training then longer races are doable. Most of us are juggling family and work with cycling and the pressure of trying to get 15 hours of training per week is enough to make you hate your bike.

I'm not hard core and not a guy but I was there with 7 others. Still did the normal route without backup. Wind was sweet on the return run

I feel guilty in a way because my hubby broke his scaphoid riding my bike The doctor has booked him off for another 5 weeks (already been off for about 7 weeks) and indoor training isn't really his thing. Any suggestions on how to ride without putting any weight on the hand/wrist? The arm is currently in one of those custom made plastic and velcro braces.

Agree with taps - GP can probably also organise some blood tests to rule out anything obvious. Also check the basics - enough sleep, enough protein and enough kilojoules.

sorry to hijack the thread a bit but I've a question for those who've changed to 29ers (brussel - you're not allowed to respond to this because you're super-human!!) How do you find the very steep climbs in terms of gearing and power requirements? I'm talking about 20-25% gradients (the kind that I use my 34 granny gear on with my current 26er). I'm still considering the 29er but am worried that I don't have the power to get up the steeper climbs.

doesn't genetics also play a big role? Some people just appear to degrade from a cold to flu much faster than others. (touch wood when I say this) I've only been sick enough to keep me from exercising twice in the past 12 years but I generally cut back on intensity and duration of exercise if I get a head cold. Supplementing with vitC and zinc does help to clear a cold faster.

Hi there Big-J will be good to see you there - the more the merrier B)

judging by the number of threads with pictures of everybody's faithful steed(s), most of us spend far more on the bikes than ourselves so here's a challenge: anybody brave enough can start a thread posting pictures of the body vs the bike to see whose getting the balance right

doesn't look like I'm riding rino either. See you folks there tonight :-)

my anthem x2 (med) also comes in at a touch over 13kg. One bottle cage, spd pedals, mavic 819 /xt wheelset and predominantly deore components

specialized Jett - it's about 250g, doesn't look like an over-stuffed couch and it's comfortable for me B)

that's the first I've heard of stray dogs at Majik and I'm there at least once a week. Will definitely take the pepper spray along and make sure it's readily accessible. Thanks for the warning and hope you make a quick recovery.

Bikemonster is correct - the width is the first thing to check and saddles generally come in 3 widths: 130, 143 and 155. Most bike shops have a gel gadget which you can sit on and it leaves indentations which they measure to get an idea of how wide apart your sit bones are. When you get measured, ask if you can test ride a saddle because you'll need an hour or two before you can really tell if it works for you or not. I had a look at a recent event and the selle italia ladies gel saddle was by far the most popular. I use the Specialized Ruby on my road bike and a specialized Jett on my mtb.

I'm not exactly a pro on this one, but lactic acid isn't likely to affect the ph of your digestive tract. I've not had heartburn or indigestion to test it on, but a lemon juice and water mix is supposed to assist your body to correct it's ph. Try mixing the juice of half a lemon in a cup of warm water and let us know if it works There's been a lot of talk about our body's ph and how our diet affects it. You can find a basic list of acid and alkaline foods here http://www.energiseforlife.com/list_of_alkaline_foods.php

I put "pro" bar ends on the end of my flat bars after suffering numb hands after 3+ hours on the bike. Didn't think I used them that much until I took them off last week. Only disadvantage is that they can catch on vegetation. pro's include veriety of hand positions - no numb hands and additional leverage (particularly climbing out of the saddle).

Hey Pete I've got the model before that - the white and red Time shoes dating back to about '91. They are disintegrating so just replaced them with a pair of DMT's. Mtb shoes - 1 year old Olympics

I had a problem with scratches on some glass panels and I polished the worst of it using felt and a buffing compound which I got from a local optician (don't recall what it's called, but it's a very fine pink powder).

my bad - won't head through there again two of us had been using it as a way to get from Meerendal to contermanskloof but now that there's a green corridor for tbmtb members, theres a safer way to get from contermans to meerendal without having to brave dogs or vissershok road traffic (the first option was the safer).

As far as I understand - bicycles are allowed on national roads but not on freeways (ie with high speed feed off/in). It's arguably safer and less inconvenient to other road users to train on wider roads using the shoulder when there's a following vehicle. Blocking a minor road at 35km/hour with a backup vehicle would be perfectly legal but I don't think motorists would appreciate it too much

most of us girls tend to not eat enough protein - it helps keep you full for longer. Try to incorporate a bit of protein with each meal (eg tuna on low GI bread for lunch and yoghurt or egg with your breakfast cereal). Unfortunately a lot of us also tend to have a "preferred body weight". To fall under this may be difficult to achieve and maintain and may also negatively affect your performance.

if you're in for a few nasty climbs, try riding Meerendal trail and then onto the jeep track to the top of the hill. Use dubious route through the quarry (don't know what the status is on whether we're allowed to ride here - just ensure you can ride faster than the guard dogs can run). Make your way to malanshoogte road to contermanskloof farm. Follow contermanskloof trail across the top of the hill and into hillcrest and do the red route. Get back to Durbanville start via D'Aria (riding up what some refer to as super speedway) and then single track from substation all the way to the bottom of Majik. Remember - if you're not a TBMTB member then you'll have to bring a few bucks along as this traverses 3 "pay to use" trails. I don't know details for sure, but it's about 45km with about 1200m climbing.

well short of putting myself on a stretching rack so I can try out my brother's 29er, it's not going to happen anybody know if what's happening with the scott 2011 29er range yet?

..and what are the chances of getting a test ride on the Kahuna in cpt?