zeabre

Bushcamp, well done! How are you finding the post ride shower etc routine? Got that sorted? PS, luckily my bakkie is silver hehe... After all this time, I STILL struggle to ride straight while looking back. Must be an IQ thing! So now I've learnt to hold on to a buddy, or just be surprised. As for the saddle, in my case I think it's the soft regions that have regained some feeling again the last few weeks. By the way, saw a motorcycle on the path, by Paarden industrial side. Luckily my restraint is better than my eyesight, as it turned out to be friendly cops patrolling the lanes.

Sheesh! First one for 2012...let's hope the legs return from leave soon because they weren't there today! One of those days where you get to work and spin the back wheel fully expecting it to stop dead! Which of course it doesn't. PS...Epic partner wanted...

From spending months trying to sort a BB noise, going to multiple LBS's etc, I can confirm that a BB creak is almost NEVER the BB . As with the suggestions above, check: seatpost (even down to paste on the carbon ones), pedal and skewers. My BB noise ended up being the seatpost.

Give me a 356 1600B and a 993 Carrera S and I'd be a very very happy man...

...come up with. It's not up to them/that. Hoping to see all of you on the cyclelanes in 2012!!!

And so the cycling for the year comes to an end. From my first commute on the 29th of July, not knowing what to expect, until now, months later, where I still never know what to expect! The OCD & ADD in me kept some stats... Total commutes: 127 Total ride time: 145 hours at an average of about 1:08. Commute out MUCH (10mins) faster. May have to do with the birth of my boy ;-) Sets of tyres: 1 Energy consumed: 431,631Kj or 103,158 Calories Saddle sores: 1 Tubs of chamois: 2 Punctures: 0 Technicals: 0 Best bit of kit: Scwhalbe Marathon Extreme tyres 2nd Best bit of kit (or best, depending on how dark it was): Magicshine 808 Most beautiful sight: 1) Riding in early one morning and seeing the full moon positioned above Lionshead, almost as if rolling down the hill. 2) Dad taking his son and daughter to school on the bicycle and all of them smiling. 3) The Outriders coffee tent! Worst sight: All the dead animals on the Melkbos road because of careless speeding. Where's the justice in a majestic eagle taken out by a speeding lout. Best feeling: 1) Having the cool wind at your back, pushing as hard as you can. 2) Riding in with a buddy. Worst feeling: 1) Realising you forgot your work shirt at home. 2) 14:00 in the afternoon when your body goes into powersaving mode. Friends made: Many! So, what have I learnt? So many things, like having the right kit...being prepared...always being courteous...that the wind will turn...not take yourself too seriously...never forget to enjoy it...but most of all, that we as cyclists are our own worst enemy. I see cyclists going through red lights, then shouting at car drivers parked in the wrong place...cyclists complaining they don't have place to ride, then riding in buslanes...riding three abreast on lanes so people have to go off the lane to miss them... My hope for a happy 2012 of commuting/riding is that we're all able to look at ourselves from an outsider's perspective and ask: "Did I ride like a yob, or did I ride like a decent human being?" Forget about the cars and the taxis and buses and glass and paving and the million other excuses we love to

Well done Bushcamp! How's it going? Where do you ride from?

Seems to freak drivers out when you're riding in bucketing rain (like yesterday's commute back) with a big smile on hour face! Do you sometimes notice how your HR drops through the floor when you're riding into a very strong wind, even though you are working as hard as you can? Suppose it would be because you're suddenly pushing a relatively much larger gear at much lower cadence? Ps, want to get to your target weight? Commute. Works wonders...

+1 for Schwalbe. Worked perfectly for the last Attakwas. Ran with Rocket Ron and Racing Ralph and had no issues at all.

Guys, this is really getting out of hand. The marketers have realised that most mountainbikers have dogs, so now they've seen another gap? 29er dogs??

Entered. Going old-school dual 26. Woohoo! PS, don't enjoy those burgers too much!

We must realise that in the cycling food-chain, us commuters are lowest...if you carry a back-pack or have a bell, there is no hope for you. PS, as far as greeting goes you may be missing the Vanilla Ice cool greeting that is the finger lift...the index finger lifted ever so slightly, as breathing a "morning!" is mostly not even considered when passing commuters as this may negatively affect their Polar stats. As an eternal optimist I've searched high and low for greetings, but unfortunately, sometimes they're just not there.

You sure you didn't understand "LSD" wrong? Wow, what a story, glad you're ok...

Guilty...I'm trying to think of how I'd be able to explain my 26er just suddenly got "bigger". She did once ask where I'd gotten my new road bike, after I'd had it for 6 months and been riding it all the time! The look on my face must have given her the answer, so now I just try and copy that look! No. Doesn't work.

You got a heart?! Lucky buggar! Yep, same one and very friendly...made for a very nice stop! Thanks again outriders.

Sometimes you get free coffee on the commute :-)

Nice morning...

Thanks Outriders and Rodney for a very nice surprise on the way to CPT this morning! Free coffee and muffins! Incredible how quickly we can be persuaded to be late for work when that's on offer. Was nice to see so many riders on the road this morning.

Some guys will just never ever greet you. Not sure if it's the pro-kit they most often wear or the fact that I'm only a commuter, but please, guys, if you're not going to at least greet before sitting in my slip, please put a sign on your back saying "I don't smile for anyone", so I don't waste my breath greeting you? If, invariably they have a technical in future, would they the insist on help?

A white one perhaps? Blouberg area? Road was quiet today...That mental aspect is probably the mlst important thing in your backpack. Sometimes it will be tough and long...but the very next day you'll be rewarded with a stunning sunrise or wind at your back. As Tombeej says, prepare the night before. No excuses then.

That's a nice ride tombeej! Some more things I've seen...longer term though: You lose weight. Lots. Even someone like me that normally struggles to gain or lose. You eat like a pig. 14:00 at the office is tough some days. It makes you STRONG.

I commute 60km a day, every day. By day 4 the legs tend to start complaining a bit. However, with doing low hr training this week, they've been ok. For me it's a simple decision, going in the car takes longer with traffic, so the 30km is "short". What you should rather ask is whether you'll hate getting up after day three to put your bum on that saddle, when it's windy and the car seems so easy. Also take into account my route is flat...how fit are you? How long and far is your route?

Get a bell. R25 and I always get smiles when I ring it to warn people...nice and loud too...works brilliantly.

Learnt today that with a bit of help you can make it on time. Thank you to the kind roadie with the massive tattoo on his equally massive fight calf giving me a tow on my way to town, just before Big Bay. I made my telecon with 4 minutes to spare! Sweaty but on time! Best shower ever afterwards! The ride home will be the low hr one this morning was supposed to be.

Friend joined me for his first commute in today. Was amazed at the good quality of the cyce lane! Seems to have been cleaned this weekend. Even some new lines. He loved it...already looking forward to this arvie.