Squier

The cleats and and the "retaining hardware" were attached to the soles and not the shoes, after the incident. Again, lastly, not too phased about sympathy from an internet guy. Consumer advice, that's all it is.

Not to try and get into an argument with a keyboard warrior, but I will respond. I do not believe that 18 months is a stretch in terms of the lifespan of a shoe, nor did I expect the soles of my shoes to rip off when going over the handlebars. I certainly was not the first mountain biker ever to go over the handlebars, but haven't heard of anyone else whose shoes suffered the same fate when dismounting in this particular way. If I was involved in a massive crash where I damaged my equipment extensively I would agree with you. However, I merely went over the handlebars where not a single part on my bike or any equipment on my body were damaged, except for the severed soles. I agree wholeheartedly that the product is feature rich, attractive and does work and that is the reason why I feel let down.

Like I mentioned the shoes were outside of their warranty period and thus asg was not legally mandated to do anything. How they wanted to handle the situation was completely up to them and their approach to customer service. Do you expect them to replace every pair of shoes with severed soles? If it's a regular occurrence it's obviously not feasible, if this is a once off incident that is clearly not in line with their quality standards, perhaps? Whether you expect soles to rip off your shoes as a result of a minor crash or not is up to you and your own perception of quality. In the same way that you expect shoes to last longer than 18 months is based on your perception of the quality and durability of the product. The purpose of the thread is not to bash anyone, but information for you to consider when you're in the market for new shoes. This could happen to you. Whether this is acceptable to you is completely up to you.

As per my thread posted a while back (https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/130116-have-you-ever-crashed-so-hard/) I ripped of the soles of my Sidi MTB shoes when I crashed at Red Barn. Yes, I fell pretty hard but it was by no stretch of the imagination a major crash. I had no injuries. After weeks of deliberation ASG and Sidi have decided not to come to the party and assist me in this situation. To be fair, the shoes were about 18 months old, so outside of the warranty period. Still, when you pay R2500 for a pair of Sidi's, you'd at least expect a decent quality product and even perhaps some backup from the local agent. I do not believe the soles ripping off of the shoes after 18 months is acceptable and definitely not in line with my expectations of a quality product. I will never buy Sidi's again and would urge you to consider this information when considering to spend your money on this product.

Eye to eye with an eland during my morning ride @ Monateng http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/19/nare7ebu.jpg

Our ride took us by this guy. He was chilling in the shade while my riding partner enjoyed a bit of cramp. http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/10/18/eju8ate4.jpg

I struggled with lower back pain on the bike but since I've been going to my chiro it has completely disappeared. I'm an advocate for chiros. Doing a routine alignment every couple of months does wonders!

What sort of distance can one do without having to ride laps of the same thing?

Not great news at all. Hopefully they don't start moving accross to Atterbury and Zwavelpoort. Lots of cyclists there. I have a cellphone number for Capt Steenkamp of the Garsfontein Police Station. He's the Captain that heads up the Crime Forum meeting held at Wingate every Monday. I'd give him a call but as I do not ride in the Garsfontein area I wouldn't be able to give him much details. I'm reluctant to post his number on an open forum... drop me a PM.

This sucks... http://www.sasportsawards.com/index.php/media-room/11-news/20-sasa13-nominees-revealed

I guess that's a No.

So, going away for the weekend to Monateng Safari Lodge, which is out on the Moloto Road north of Pretoria. Is anyone aware of any routes or trails either in the reserve or in the area? I need to sneak in a quick 60km/ 3 hour ride on Satuday morning. I've never ridden in that neck of the woods, so I also don't know how safe it is. I'll be riding alone. Any help would be appreciated.

Perhaps a K group ride on 10 November in the cradle, for those interested?

I'm in K too. Gunning for a sub 3! A nice big strong group would be magic!

Tough race, but I really enjoyed it! The climbs were tough and long but all rideable. Ths will definitely fom part of the 2014 sani prep.

Same here. Nothing in spam folder.

Pack the mtb too and head to www.virginiafarm.co.za

Didn't Cherise Stander win stage 1 of the TdF womens' equivalent a year or two back? Massive achievement in itself.

Add Bury's Cape Epic wins to that list. From a SA perspective, big. Still, Daryll, Robbie and even Reinhardt's 2012 season was massive as well. Ciolek's Milan-San Remo win for MTN-Qhubeka is just as big. It's still a Safa team. We can lay some claim on Froome as well... sort of. The road achievements have been very significant and probably made the biggest contribution in terms of putting SA cycling on the map, however, I still feel that Burry's and Greg's rainbow stripes trump all.

Just got an sms from my wife. She's next to Columbus Square in Madrid waiting for the peleton to come by. #jealous

Give Clinton a break. You can't blame anyone for saying that it was technical. That descent after the satelites was pretty hectic. I walked quite a bit. But you have to get down that mountain somehow and I don't think there are too many options. The trail riders would've loved it, the dirt roadies not so much. Different strokes... Fact of the matter is that we don't have many trails on that level so it's normal that there are a lot of people who found it very technical and tough. For me, it's the best race around, even though there are some sections that give me a couple of extra skidmarks in my bib.

I recall it as 1400m climbing. It was hard as nails! Can't compare it to today's ride. Snapped my gear cable just on 30km. Had to single speed it home. It nearly killed me. Jou blixem was exactly that. Killed my sense of humor! Massive thanks to Ed and Pieter who helped me out en route. I wouldn't have made it without your help.

Just saw this on twitter: "@GroenKloofMTB: Our harts go out to cyclist family that lost his life on the reserve today. At this stage we do not have all the facts, will keep you posted" Condolences to all involved. Anyone with any idea of what happened?

I thought they took Jou blixem out? Looks to be a tough day! Should be gooooood!

My wife is in Madrid for business at the moment. She'll be there over the weekend. Trying to organise that she can check out Sunday's stage.