vbrake

Eish! I'm feeling kind of lonely right now! Does NOBODY know the answers to ANY of these questions?!? I'm out of town from Sunday for two weeks (unfortunately NOT for the Argus) and was hoping to have a bit of clarity before I left ... If anyone does figure anything out, please share it with us, and I'll respond when I'm back... Thanks everyone!

Ok, I've read everything thats been posted on licenses and 94.7, but I'm still in the dark (happens often)... In order to be "licensed" (all I wanna do is ride my bike and enter a few races) what do I have to do, because its far from clear to me: How are the following related: Cyclosport license Cycling SA license Central Gauteng (or other provincial) license Do you need one or two or all of them? When would you need one, and not the other (obviously I know CGA is for Gauteng only). How long are they valid for? Can you get a license (and which one?) without joining a club, or MUST you join a club? Do clubs just sell the licenses, or must you buy the whole package (membership, kit, etc?) Do all clubs accept members from anywhere (e.g. does Wits Cycling Club accept non-Wits students/staff, as an example). So many questions, so much confusion (or that could just be me)! vbrake2007-03-08 23:40:02

Try Tony Impy at Bedford Centre in Bedfordview. I've just bought Santini bib shorts for R500, and they are comfortable as hell. *MUCH* better than the locally made stuff.

<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> It?s unfortunate the pro (or elite or whatever its called) race didn?t go well. I get the impression that there were lots of people out there who would have loved the whole thing to be a f__up, and if these reports are true, then they got their wish. I rode the 92km race, and had a whale of a time. My start time was 06:10, and I arrived to find plenty of parking on the UJ campus just meters away from the start. We got off about 10mins late (with the predictable complaints of ?African time? which interestingly were missing at other races I?ve done that started MUCH later), and everything went smoothly. There were marshals and police everywhere, and while I was riding they seemed to be doing a pretty good job? There were one or two taxi?s that were driving like taxi?s normally do, but a bit of common sense and forward planning was all that was needed for my group to avoid them. Despite the hills (who said Soweto was flat?!?!) and quite strong winds, I was pretty happy with my time of 2:54, and, unlike just about every other race I?ve ever ridden in, the advertised distance (92km) matched my cycle computer precisely (91.99). The only hitch I saw was that Championchip didn?t have their mats out at the start at the time I left. They were there when I finished, so I suppose 06:00 was too early for them? a very poor showing guys ? unlike the ?other? timing company, you actually have a reputation to uphold. Anyway, I can only report what *I* saw, and I really enjoyed myself and the race in general. If things did get out of hand later, I can only hope they start us plebs off early again next year, because I can?t wait to be back?

I think it could also depend on your LBS. They can probably exert pressure on a supplier/manufacturer more so than you alone could. If you have a good relationship with you LBS, they might be able to help.

There are some good routes if you get onto Modderfontein, and then turn left towards Thembisa/Chloorkop and on to Midrand. I've done loops of anything between 45-80km out that direction.

For puncture protection, in my experience nothing beats tire liners. They weigh next to nothing, are easy to install (in both mtb and road tires) and cost next to nothing (around R30-40 if I remember). <?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Since I installed tire liners in my mtb 4 years, I haven?t had a single puncture. During that time I?ve done road and off-road races, ridden over 3000km with panniers on dirt roads, etc. In comparison, the first 1000km tour I did (mainly on road) with panniers, I had 13 punctures over a 3 week period! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Naturally, I HAVE to comment! smileys/smiley4.gif I can see that in really muddy conditions disk brakes *may* be better from the perspective that mud will not collect on the tires and clog the brakes - as happens to v-brakes. And maybe your rims look better and may last a bit longer because there can't be any "scouring". But as far as I can see, thats where the advantages end. V-brakes are: Less expensive, easier to adjust, last longer (in my experience), are lighter, and most importantly, just as effective. A good squeeze on the brakes will cause total wheel lockup on the steepest hill with the heaviest rider. I have no idea why people think disk brakes provide better stopping power - what can be more effective than that? The trick, obvioulsy, is how you use your brakes, but that applies to all systems.

Hmm, I'm not sure. I guess if you are comfortable on your bike, and arn't experiencing any problems, then probably not. I guess the bike shop should have made an effort at the time of selling you the bike to make sure it is set up properly. Interestingly, it seems like only Cycle Lab offer a dedicated set up service (they charge R450 if its not a new bike from them)...