Tuesday 31 December 2013
Mozambique 2011
When you drive up to Tofo, you have no choice but to drive all the little small towns along the main high way.
a boat trip from Inhambane.
Ready for the Argus ?
Ready or Not, Here I come !
SO I just bought myself a second hand road bike here op die platteland Weskus.
I just walked into Frankia Bike shop and there was a lovely little 2nd hand road bike.
And R2000 later I walked out with a bike, helmet and bike lights. Not bad.
This is the first bike I ever owned.
Back home I was a bit disappointed that I could not find a software update for it, I mean surely such a neat looking thing must have next level computer power. anyhoow.
It looks like it was made in 2003.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2003/archive/trek/1200/#/us/en/archive-model/support?url=us/en/bikes/2003/archive/trek/1200
And the reviews online are only positive.
Product Description
Frame Material: aluminumFrame Angles: 73.0 head, 73.8 seat
Sizes: 50cm, 52cm, 54cm, 56cm, 58cm, 60cm
Colors: Red
Fork: Bontrager Race Carbon
Rear Shock: Not applicable
Brake Levers: Shimano Tiagra STI Dual Control
Handlebar: Bontrager Ergo
Stem: aluminum
Headset: 1 1/8" threadless Aheadset
Front Der: Shimano Tiagra
Crankset: Bontrager Sport, 30/42/52 teeth
Rear Der: Shimano 105 GS
Pedals: aluminum cage w/clips & straps
Tires: 700 x 25c Bontrager Select
Review Options: Sorted by Latest Review | Sort by Best Rating
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| Reviews 1 - 5 (47 Reviews Total) | | Next 5 |
User Reviews
Submitted by Chris Priest a Recreational Rider
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2012
Strengths: Very stable and reliable bike. I commute daily 8 miles and use it for leisure on 20-60 mile cycles in the peak district on my days off. Easy to maintain and clean. Found it very easy to adjust when I first got it.
Weaknesses: Nothing really. It's 6 years old now and still going strong. Just minor part replacement like the bottom bracket after a lot of miles as is expected with any bike
Bottom Line:
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2012
Strengths: Very stable and reliable bike. I commute daily 8 miles and use it for leisure on 20-60 mile cycles in the peak district on my days off. Easy to maintain and clean. Found it very easy to adjust when I first got it.
Weaknesses: Nothing really. It's 6 years old now and still going strong. Just minor part replacement like the bottom bracket after a lot of miles as is expected with any bike
Bottom Line:
Submitted by Tyler
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2012
Strengths: super durable bike. I bought it as my first bike back in 2004 and did a few minor upgrades to the gears but nothing major. I rode it everyday for at least 40 miles and more while I was injured with a stress fractures in HS. I am a serious runner who's been out with a very bad back injury and I use my bike to help me transition back into hard training. It's very comfortable to ride for hours and my back never gets sore.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2012
Strengths: super durable bike. I bought it as my first bike back in 2004 and did a few minor upgrades to the gears but nothing major. I rode it everyday for at least 40 miles and more while I was injured with a stress fractures in HS. I am a serious runner who's been out with a very bad back injury and I use my bike to help me transition back into hard training. It's very comfortable to ride for hours and my back never gets sore.
Weaknesses: None.
Bottom Line:
Submitted by Jeremy a Recreational Rider
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2011
Bottom Line:
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2011
Bottom Line:
Submitted by Johnnythree a Commuter
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2009
Strengths: Frame and fork. Personally I am surprised at how well they have stood up so far. No issues with Shifters/levers. I even liked the stock seat.
Weaknesses: FD- upgrade it. RD is just starting to be problematic after 4000 miles of Philly punishment:) Stock wheelset/tires were not suitible for constant abuse on city streets, but for road riding I dont think they would be considered a total weakness.
Bottom Line:
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2009
Strengths: Frame and fork. Personally I am surprised at how well they have stood up so far. No issues with Shifters/levers. I even liked the stock seat.
Weaknesses: FD- upgrade it. RD is just starting to be problematic after 4000 miles of Philly punishment:) Stock wheelset/tires were not suitible for constant abuse on city streets, but for road riding I dont think they would be considered a total weakness.
Bottom Line:
Expand full review >>
Submitted by rednav a Recreational Rider
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2009
Strengths: Frame and fork. Complete bike for under a "G". Stiff ride - no power loss.
Weaknesses: Parts spec not the greatest- but can easily be upgraded as needed and as budget allows.
Bottom Line:
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2009
Strengths: Frame and fork. Complete bike for under a "G". Stiff ride - no power loss.
Weaknesses: Parts spec not the greatest- but can easily be upgraded as needed and as budget allows.
Bottom Line:
Expand full review >>
Favorite Ride: local
Price Paid: $750.00
Purchased At: cyclefit
Similar Products Used: Surly CrossCheck. Cannondale hardtail mtb. Raleigh XXIX single speed.
Bike Setup: Original frame/fork/ handlebars and STI shifters. Everything else changed out over the course of five years- a great bike to see if road riding is for you and easily customizable for one's specific needs and budget.
Price Paid: $750.00
Purchased At: cyclefit
Similar Products Used: Surly CrossCheck. Cannondale hardtail mtb. Raleigh XXIX single speed.
Bike Setup: Original frame/fork/ handlebars and STI shifters. Everything else changed out over the course of five years- a great bike to see if road riding is for you and easily customizable for one's specific needs and budget.
and here is the 1st Chapter of the Bike Manual
Home > Guide to Safe On- and Off-Road Operation > Bicycles, Accidents, & Safety
BICYCLES, ACCIDENTS, & SAFETY
This section briefly describes some of the factors that can influence your safety when riding, including the limits of bicycle design, riding skills, and using common sense.
TO BE SAFE, MAINTAIN YOUR BICYCLE
Correct inspection and maintenance of your bicycle is essential to your safety. Inspect your bicycle frequently and follow the maintenance schedules in this manual. If you feel uncomfortable inspecting and maintaining your bicycle, take the bicycle to your dealer for service.
RIDING BEYOND YOUR SKILL LEVEL IS DANGEROUS
Your Trek bicycle can be fun when used for transportation, recreation, exercise, or competition. But riding a bicycle can also be dangerous, especially if you try to ride beyond the limits of your ability or the limits of your bicycle.
The skill of a bicycle rider can vary greatly, just like the skill of a skier or automobile driver. It takes a high level of skill to ride at high speed or close to objects, obstacles, or other riders. Riding close to other riders includes pack riding and drafting (following in another rider's slipstream to reduce wind resistance). A partial list of objects and obstacles includes curbs, drain grates, railroad tracks, debris, pavement joints, road markings (paint or reflectors), pot holes, and parked or moving cars. In any situation, do not ride in a manner that exceeds the limits of YOUR ability.
A BICYCLE CANNOT PROTECT YOU IN AN ACCIDENT
Bicycles are not designed to withstand every situation. In a crash or impact, it is not uncommon for the bicycle to have damage and for you to fall. If you fall, your bicycle cannot prevent injury. Cars have bumpers, seat belts, air bags, and crumple zones. Bicycles do not, so even a small crash at slow speed can cause injury or death. At relatively slow speeds a bicycle can tip over sideways or pitch you over the front wheel. Higher speeds and larger impacts will only be worse.
BICYCLES HAVE LIMITS
Bicycles are not indestructible. If you mis-use your bicycle, it can be damaged by stress or fatigue. Any damage can drastically reduce the life of the frame, fork, or components. Our bicycles are made to withstand the stress of "normal" riding because those stresses are well known and understood. However, we can not predict the forces that might occur in a crash or impact; or if you use your bicycle in competition or extreme conditions; or in other ways that apply high stress.
WARNING—The following riding practices apply high stress, increase the risk of damage to your bicycle, and increase the risk of injury to you:• Jumping your bicycle
• Performing bicycle stunts
• Competitive riding
• Off-road riding
• Riding in a Use Condition beyond the design of the bicycle
• Impacts or crashes
• Any abnormal bicycle riding
Each of these practices increases the stress on every part of your bicycle. Frames or parts under high stress may fatigue prematurely, causing them to break and increasing the risk of injury to the rider. Avoid these riding practices to decrease your risk of injury.
The first rule in safe bicycle riding is to recognize these limits and use common sense. Cars and bicycles share some limits: even a car can be damaged by driving it in abusive conditions or running into an immovable object.
AN IMPACT CAN WEAKEN YOUR BICYCLE
If you have a major impact, inspect your bicycle thoroughly and repair any damage before you ride it again. A major impact is anything that causes you to fall from your bike. If you are not sure how to do a thorough inspection, take your bicycle to your dealer for service.
A minor impact, where you hit an obstacle without falling from your bike, can still place high stresses on your bicycle. If, after a minor impact, your bicycle behaves in an unusual manner or you hear an unusual noise, immediately stop the bicycle and identify the problem. Always inspect the bicycle thoroughly and repair any problem before riding the bicycle again. The inspection information in the Before Every Ride Checklist and in Chapter 3, Inspection, Lubrication, and Maintenance provide further information on how to perform these checks.
In either a minor or major impact, it is not uncommon for the bicycle to have damage. If a part of your bicycle has damage and it receives another impact, this previous damage can cause the part to break at a much lower load. Each bicycle and its parts have limits to its strength and durability because of many factors:
- Design
- Material
- Maintenance
- Use
- Surface of the trail or road
- And more
BICYCLES DO NOT LAST FOREVER
Bicycles are not indestructible, and their parts will not last forever. If your use of a bicycle increases the forces on it through hard riding, difficult conditions, or increased mileage, the forces on your bicycle also increase. The useful, safe life of a part is determined by its construction, materials, use, maintenance, rider weight, speed, terrain, maintenance, and environment (humidity, salinity, temperature, etc.). Therefore, it is not possible to establish a defined timetable for replacement of parts. Inspect your bicycle frequently. If you suspect a part has reached the end of its useful and safe life, replace the part and dispose of it (please do NOT sell it to someone else!). If you do not feel comfortable inspecting your bicycle, consult your dealer.
THINK SAFETY
Always "Think Safety" and avoid dangerous situations. Most dangerous situations are obvious. For example, you know that a bad accident can occur if an object gets caught in your bicycle's spokes. But not all dangerous situations are obvious. Many of those are shown in this manual; read at least Chapter 1 before you ride.
Most safety rules are based on common sense:
- Do not ride "no hands." The slightest road imperfection could initiate a wheel shimmy or cause the front wheel to turn unexpectedly.
- Do not ride with a loose object attached to the handlebar or any other part of the bicycle. It could get caught in the spokes, cause the handlebar to turn unexpectedly, or in another way cause loss of control. Use a proper bicycle rack and bag, or a backpack.
- Do not ride while intoxicated or while using medications which might make you drowsy. Bicycles require good coordination to ride in control, and riders must be alert for hazards.
- Do not "ride double." Standard bicycles are not designed to carry the additional load of a second rider (see the Conditions of Use for bicycle weight limits). Also, extra weight makes a bicycle much harder to balance, steer, and stop.
- Do not ride with headphones or anything else that might prevent you from being aware of your surroundings. In some localities, riding with headphones is illegal. In all areas, being aware of traffic is an important part of bicycle safety.
Some skilled riders use bicycles in ways that are obviously not safe. For example, some of the high-risk stunts and jumps seen in magazines or videos are very dangerous; even skilled athletes get severe injuries when they crash (and they do crash). You add to your risk when you ride in an unusual location, ride over obstacles or debris, or ride in any other high-risk manner.
CONTINUE READING CHAPTER 1: BEFORE YOUR FIRST RIDE
Home > Guide to Safe On- and Off-Road Operation > Bicycles, Accidents, & Safety
Monday 30 December 2013
Campsbay United Devil's Peak climb
with Margie and Kirsten and a whole bunch of CBU people.
20March2010.
I witnessed a crash
So I saw this crash happen right in front of me. It is no joke! No one got injured. But having been in one myself I thought that it would be helpful to the victim to get a recording of the testimony of the guy who caused the accident. Here it is.
I won some jewelry with this poem...
What do you like about South Africa?
Friendly faces in a rainbow nation.
Mountain breeze forrest and seas.
From sugar cane to sun riped grain.
Rugby cricket soccer swim.
kwaito jazz in joburg.
Pop jazz in cape town.
Sokkie bokkies.
Biltong and koeksusters.
Winefarms and mineshafts.
We sing, we fight, we pray, we dance.
We laugh, we morn, we struggle, we overcome.
Everybody is welcome here
We are, friendly faces in a rainbow nation.
The picture below also depicts the lack of social capital in our country. Com'on people!
How to Build Self-Discipline
still on the topic of Hope.
I think that self-discipline is the action that hope takes.
If you have lost hope then you also don't discipline yourself towards a goal, i think we can relate with this.
How to Build Self-Discipline
Posted on July 29, 2008 by Peter Clemens | CATEGORIES: self improvement
Discipline is freedom. You may disagree with this statement, and if you do you are certainly not alone. For many people discipline is a dirty word that is equated with the absence of freedom. In fact the opposite is true. As Stephen R. Covey once wrote, “the undisciplined are slaves to moods, appetites and passions”. And in the longer term, the undisciplined lack the freedom that comes with possessing particular skills and abilities – e.g. to play a musical instrument or speak a foreign language.
Self-discipline involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment. Often it involves sacrificing the pleasure and thrill of the moment for what matters most in life. Therefore it is self-discipline that drives you to:
- Work on an idea or project after the initial rush of enthusiasm has faded away
- Go to the gym when all you want to do is lie on the couch and watch TV
- Wake early to work on yourself
- Say “no” when tempted to break your diet
- Only check your email a few of times per day at particular times
In the past self-discipline has been a weakness of mine, and as a result today I find myself lacking the ability to do a number of things which I would like – e.g. to play the guitar. But I have improved, and I can say that it is self-discipline that got me out of bed this morning at 5am to run and then write this article. Believe me, I would love to be curled up in bed right now, but this desire is subordinated by my inner sense of purpose.
If you struggle with self-discipline, the good news is that it can be developed. For example, it is only in the past two years that I have trained myself to wake early. The following are what I have found to be the five traits of self-discipline:
1. Self-Knowledge
Discipline means behaving according to what you have decided is best, regardless of how you feel in the moment. Therefore the first trait of discipline is self-knowledge. You need to decide what behavior best reflects your goals and values. This process requires introspection and self-analysis, and is most effective when tied to written expression. I highly recommend taking the time to write out your goals, dreams and ambitions. Even better, write out a personal mission statement. I found that writing such a statement gave me a greater understanding of who I am, what I am about and what I value. Dr. Covey has an excellent Mission Statement Builder on his site.
2. Conscious Awareness
Self-discipline depends upon conscious awareness as to both what you are doing and what you are not doing. Think about it. If you aren’t aware your behavior is undisciplined, how will you know to act otherwise?
As you begin to build self-discipline, you may catch yourself being in the act of being undisciplined – e.g. biting your nails, avoiding the gym, eating a piece of cake or checking your email constantly. Developing self-discipline takes time, and the key here is you are aware of your undisciplined behavior. With time this awareness will come earlier, meaning rather than catching yourself in the act of being undisciplined you will have awareness before you act in this way. This gives you the opportunity to make a decision that is in better alignment with your goals and values.
3. Commitment to Self-Discipline
It is not enough to simply write out your goals and values. You must make an internal commitment to them. Otherwise when your alarm clock goes off at 5am you will see no harm in hitting the snooze button for “just another 5 minutes….” Or, when initial rush of enthusiasm has faded away from a project you will struggle to see it through to completion.
If you struggle with commitment, start by making a conscious decision to follow through on what you say you’re going to do – both when you said you would do it and how you said you would do it. Then, I highly recommend putting in place a system to track these commitments. As the saying goes, “What gets measured gets improved”.
4. Courage
Did you notice the sweat dripping from the man in the picture at the start of this article? Make no mistake, self-discipline is often extremely difficult. Moods, appetites and passions can be powerful forces to go against. Therefore self-discipline is highly dependent on courage. Don’t pretend something is easy for you to do when it is in fact very difficult and/ or painful. Instead, find the courage to face this pain and difficulty. As you begin to accumulate small private victories, your self-confidence will grow and the courage that underpins self-discipline will come more naturally.
5. Internal Coaching
Self-talk is often harmful, but it can also be extremely beneficial if you have control of it. When you find yourself being tested, I suggest you talk to yourself, encourage yourself and reassure yourself. After all, it is self-talk that has the ability to remind you of your goals, call up courage, reinforce your commitment and keep you conscious of the task at hand. When I find my discipline being tested, I always recall the following quote: “The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret”. Burn this quote into your memory, and recall in whenever you find yourself being tested. It may change your life.
Peter writes about how to change your life at The Change Blog. He is also the author of Starting a Blog and Audio Book Downloads.
Vis Braai in die Braai Kamer.
Mareon het haar kersfees rok aan. En ek braai vis vir ons. Lekkerrrr.
Tennis Vredenburg Xmas2013
as I hit the ball back for the photo it landed on my brother's eye! "Ouch!" or should i say "bOuch"
I am the horse whisperer or whips(erer).
I think the horse is called "Warrior" and it took a strange liking to me.
Sunday 29 December 2013
Gems of Night-time running!
Night time running in the rain might just become as popular as waking up at 4:30am for a morning run. Hehehe.
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