Tycho

That looks absolutely beautiful, but I am not sure I should be tackling gravel roads with a road bike. Probably can do it, but I would hate to do it alone.

I am not planning on touring. I will drive from place to place and ride wherever there are nice spots. I will not necessary go where there is good riding.

For those that did not see my previous thread, I am a backpacker across Africa that decided to buy a bike while in South Africa. So far I have been only in Cape Town. Done almost every route there is in town. Now is the time to rent a car and see the rest of the country. My idea is to take 3-4 weeks, but I have no idea where. One idea is to travel to Joburg, sell my bike and fly out from there. The other idea is to not travel too far and come back to Cape Town. I want to primarily see the outdoors, not just cycling, but also hiking and just hanging out on beaches. Camping or staying in hostels. Looking for picturesque roads and climbs. Found a great website for climbs, but not sure which ones are ridable. http://www.dangerousroads.org/africa/south-africa.html One idea is to look at existing cycle tours and follow some of their itinerary: http://www.biketours.com/South%20Africa/garden-route-cape-town http://capecycletours.com/tours/road-biking/cape-town-and-surrounds/ http://capecycletours.com/tours/road-biking/the-big-guy/ http://www.exodus.co.uk/south-africa-holidays/cycling/cycling-cape-winelands/mzc Any suggestions? Would love to do group rides. Wish South Africa did gran fondos, but everything here is a race. I will only be road biking. To complicate things, I am considering moving to Cape Town. Do not really need to see the country if I move here, but that decision is months away.

Love Strava. You can use it to keep track of lifetime of your individual components. I know how many kms are on my chain, cassette, etc

I am traveling across Africa and am currently in South Africa. I noticed that the Cycle Tour was not long after I arrived, so I bought a used bike and entered. Now I have a bike and thought it would be fun to cycle in different spots around the country. What would be perfect is a century ride (100 miles) or 200k ride like the events I am used to. I tried searching, but all I found in South Africa are races. I don't race, I like to do long all day rides. The Cycle Tour was fun, but it didn't have the fun social aspect I am used to. The extremely short route was also partly to blame. Are there any events in the coming months? I would prefer not to do long rides solo. Big climbs would also be nice. Suikerbossie is not a big climb. Something Cat 2 or better according to Strava.

I lost my legs somewhere. Granny gear up the hills. How much for a new pair?

Some more silly questions about the tour: The event magazine mentions an arrival time, besides the load and start times, but I can't find mine. Am I missing something? Also, do I need to use the specific harbor or mountain side entrances? Once again, there is no mention of it on my start card or email. Can I easily bike to the start from Woodstock on Main Road?

I went yesterday since I needed most of my gear since I came to ZA with none. Decent expo, got some good deals, but nothing amazing. I am surprised that riders can only attend the expo once for free. Seriously? Don't the vendors want more foot traffic? I am assuming the booths aren't cheap.

The good: I ended up purchasing the KTM. I have not cycled since September 10th, and rarely did any exercise while I traveled, but it felt great being back in the saddle. The bike is a good fit. Although it has a racing profile and I am more used to a relaxed geometry, the stem is angled upwards. Also met an interesting individual, which is always good. The bad: the bike is in need of a major tune up. It is a tad beat up and I paid way too much. Sadly it was the only 58 in Cape Town, so I had no choice. There is difficulty going into the big chainring, the brakes were not aligned, back tire is shredded, and the back wheel is out of true. Fixed the brakes, will have to play around with the limits, have to change the tire, but there is nothing I can do about the wheel. I don't feel like paying for a mechanic since I already paid too much. The ugly: biked only 22 kms and my left knee is starting to hurt. It probably has to do with a poor fitting and not about being out of shape. Also, the shortened Tour. I understand the situation, but I do not want to pay 730 Rand for a non-scenic 47km ride. I rather get my money back. I don't mind a shorter route, but I want ocean views.

Thanks so much. Credit card is ready.

Since there are other threads now dedicated to the shortening of the route, I can continue to ask my expo questions here. Is there bike parking at the expo? I don't have a car, just a bike!

Is the Cycle Tour actually donating money to the fund that was setup?

I was going to buy a jersey and shirt tomorrow at the expo, but I guess I will pass now.

I know nothing of Cape Town. Is the route at least scenic?

Thankfully I will be in Cape Town for a month, so if the event is cancelled, I still will hopefully have a chance to ride some of the route. I am assuming the expo is still on. Can you park your bike at the expo? Lock required?