Musashi

nomis, I'm really looking forward to riding with you guys, but next week I'm tapering for the Attakwas. The week thereafter should be good.

Uhmm, what are two thugs going to do with 50 bikes? And muggings take place in Majik as well. Nomis, I'd be keen on afternoon rides whenever I can join. Unfortunately we don't have showers at work so riding before work is not really an option.

Many possible causes, but the easiest to check is bike set-up. Have one done as even 1 cm in saddle height can make a difference. It is however impossible to say how serious an injury is. I had a pain in my left knee after a 17 hour race and then never again after that. However, I had to see a physio for my right knee. So I guess what I'm saying: have the bike set-up done and then try it. If it isn't any better, go see a GOOD physio. He should be able to tell you what the cause is, how serious it is and how to avoid aggravating it further. A search of this forum will also yield a lot of results and maybe some ideas, but if it doesn't get better, have it checked out. It's worth the peace of mind.

I'm doing a 76km loop tomorrow. Anyone keen on joining me, 08:30 at the Engen garage in Stilbaai. Bring enough to eat and drink. It can get very hot on some of these gravel roads and then you drink a lot more than you realise.

I'm in Stilbaai this weekend and next weekend and will probably go for a ride, probably Sunday morning. If I do go I'll post on this thread on Saturday evening so keep an eye out. The route will probably be around 70 to 80km of gravel with some interesting sections.

I had the same question about a year ago and what I found is it is very personal. I ended up buying a Trojan Inferno spinning bike (second hand) and put MTB pedals on. The advantage is you don't put wear and tear on your bike. It worked fine, but made a lot of noise that the agents couldn't get sorted so I sold it (for what I paid for it) a bought an IDT. I still hate training indoors, but the trainers works fine. My suggestion is get a spinning bike from gumtree and see if you like it. If you don't sell it and get a IDT. Keep in mind, if you have a MTB you'll need a second rear wheel with slicks for the IDT.

I understand what you mean. Like most people, taxi's annoy me endlessly, but when I'm on my motorbike in traffic, they are the one's who see me coming and make space so that I can pass.

That sounds very interesting. The 29er will definitely have better traction in sand and should also perform well on gravel. The only question mark: hard tail for 340km... But is will be better than a 26" hard tail!

I made that change some time ago and never looked back. For the 1% of the time that one rides in mud, MK's are just not worth it.

Thanks guys. I think I'll try the smoother tyres then and see how that goes. 17 hours is the aim. Whether I'm actually going to make it is another story. I just really don't want to ride over midday in the Namib dessert!

Thanks for an update on the road. I wasn't 100% sure what to expect. Thanks Slowbee. I'm aiming for 17 hours, but I'm going to start out easy and see how things go. I've done a few ultra-long races and have learnt the hard way what happens when starting too fast. I just want to catch a nice group to work with. So you guys are saying the amount of tread won't make a significant difference on gravel/ sand. What about tyre pressure? Harder or softer? I'm thinking harder for the gravel, seeing as the sand is fairly limited.

The reason I'm going for Squirt in this race is it is a waxy lube so the sand shouldn't stick to it. Many other lubes are a bit "wet" and this might cause problems in with the sand. And the plan is to re-apply lube at each support stop.

From what I gather, the Desert Dash involves gravel roads and patches of sand. The Race Kings that I'm running is getting quite smooth and it is time to replace. The Desert Dash is however not a very technical race, so grip won't really be a problem. Would smoother tyres work better on gravel/ sand or should I get new knobblies? And what works better on gravel: normal pressures or higher pressures?

I'm also doing the DD and I'll be using Squirt.

Pack everything the night before the race, not race morning. Otherwise, even if I do have everything, I still wonder whether I've forgotten something. (That's because I usually would have forgotten something.)

kandui, I'm training for the Freedom Challenge and friends of mine for the Epic, but we ride from the northern suburbs. There are some great routes for long distance training. We don't have a regular schedule, but we check with each other when we go riding to see who can make it. Would you be interested? I might join you on Table Mountain during the week, now and then. I work in Woodstock.

A friend of mine is involved with charity work and for fund raising purposed, they're looking at getting some shirts printed with their logo and colours. Where is the best place to go for something like this, preferable in the Cape Town area?

This sounds interesting, Nokia4me. Can you tell us more? Roadies only or can MTB'ers also participate? Costs? Who to contact? Thanks!

Brake pads can last very long, but wet/ muddy conditions can chow them up in a few km's. I can easily adjust my Elixir's. Right behind the brake lever is a very small screw. Using an allen key, I turn the screw in a little bit to make the brakes take quicker. Easy DIY fix.

I always enjoyed the Homtini MTB route as well. Ride from Buffelsbaai, do the Homtini MTB loop and then gravel roads back.

Without getting too personal, how do you measure your sit bones?

Mmm, and I do have flat bar lying in my garage. Sounds like a good idea, thanks!

Slowly but surely I want to get myself the tools and know-how to service my own MTB. First up: changing the cassette. The question I have is what is the difference between the Shimano Chain Whip - 3/32" (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=23265) and the Shimano Chain Whip - 1.1/8" (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=23266) and which would I need for a Shimano SLX Cassette 10 Speed HG81?

CO2 canisters are compressed air. Checked in luggage is scanned, they pick up the canister and remove the luggage. You can't take it as hand luggage either. This happened to me on a Cape Town to PE flight. Luckily I was there when the box was scanned and they allowed me to remove the bombs so that my bike can go on the plane. My MTB partner wasn't so lucky and had to track down his checked-in luggage 10 minutes before take-off. On the flight back, the shifters were slightly damaged (bent). It might be a once-off occurence, but next time I'll ask my LBS for a box, just to be safe.

Remember to remove the bombs/ CO2 canisters. If you put it in the box with the bike, you're bike won't go no the plane (even though you might). It can't go with your check-in luggage or hand luggage.