Single Speed & Vegan Junkfood Destination: Rook Cycles The plan was simple - rent single speed and have fun around town! First impressions of the shop were very good, definitely a cool vibe rocking, single speed/fixie theme with friendly staff. The transaction was as easy as pie without wasting time - just type in your details on the iPad plus a photo of your ID which they take and payment. Only one person needs to fill in the details, so don't stress if your friend forgot his at home or in the car. Pricing is R450 in total which includes the R150 full day and R300 refundable deposit which they pay you back in cash. Afterwards, they help you with the seatpost height before taking off. OK starting off, it felt weird being in tekkies and on flat pedals compared to my clipless system on my road bike. Got the hang of it quickly we made our way up the street. It was like we were those single-speed cyclists in New York, squeezing through the traffic. Then we turned right at the robots and then it went south, well for me... Segment name: Orange Climb - 0.8km @ 11%. Goeie donkie dag! Daaso breek ek af soos 'n ou motor. Started using muscles I never knew I had as you need to actually pull on the handlebars to lay down the watts. My lower back got sore and ended up walking the last 100m or so, I just could not continue to pedal. After the horrendous climb, we manoeuvred our way through the rich neighbourhood. I say rich because those houses looked like hotels, with some even having their own lifts! We got to the middle part of Kloofnek and made our way safely down via the sidewalk. The plan was to get to Seapoint/Waterfront for flatter road. The traffic in Cape Town is hectic, something I am really not used to. We rode most of the parts on the sidewalks but going down Somerset Rd I had a close encounter with a car. I honestly did not see the guy but did brake in time but the driver went bonkers on the hooter. I did raise my hand to apologise for almost going into his way. Anyways, we went through Sea Point Park - always nice to see the massive green park, something we don't see here often in Durbanville. We stopped in the Waterfront near the Cape Town Helicopters for our first picture. At this point, we were getting hungry. What will be a unique place to visit? Lekker Vegan! We made our way back into the CBD and boy was there people. Super crowded! And one-way pathways which were meant for cars which we were totally unaware of, we just saw the cars coming our way. Like I said to my friend, Cape Town is literally a different country, in terms of the culture you get, people that stay there and all extraordinary restaurants. We arrived at the Lekker Vegan, a small beautiful restaurant in the corner of the building. Very colourful and relaxing atmosphere. The waiter greeted us and told us we are welcome to park our bikes inside. We ordered the Lekker Beefy Gatsby: Smokey Vegan Beef Strips, Crispy Chips, Vegan Cheddar Cheese, Lekker Spicy Sauce, Lekker Lettuce & Tomato, Red Onions and Jalapeños. Finishing it off with a can of Bashews Raspberry. Like always, as stated by other customers, we could not finish the whole Gatsby. I emphasise the word massive because you get a lot of food for your money! R155 (R77 per person by splitting the bill via SnapScan). Even tourist passing by could not believe the size of the Gatsby. Could not ask to spend my off day in a better way - riding bikes and eating delicious food! Had a complete blast on the Rook One bike and definitely consider getting one for commuting, although with easier gears for the climbs. For more details on the route: https://www.strava.c...343477/overview
