burg talk - burg wheelers

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BURG TALK | 18-2021 In this Issue: From the Editor .................................................................. 1 MTB News ........................................................................... 2 Ride Reports ........................................................................ 3 ETB vs MTB .......................................................................... 4 Tour Trivia ............................................................................ 5 Ride Roundup ..................................................................... 6 With the onset of autumn and cooler weather many of our roadies have packed away their bikes and moved over to MTBs. However, a few hard core roadies now known as the Polar Bears are still riding on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. They are mostly B group riders and the pace is brisk, but GL Cornel assures us no polar bear is left behind. A useless but interesting fact is that the collective name for a group of polar bears is called a Celebration! Clearly this group is going to have some fun. If you are keen to join, please contact Cornel (082 883 6045). In this weeks’ BT we share the results of our April Time Trial competition and reveal the 2021 Time Trial Kings and Queens. There is also an update on the Maluti 2021 event, and an article on E- MTBs. For those still needing to buy BW kit, we are selling off the older style non- reflective Burg Wheeler kit at R280 per item. There are limited sizes in stock. Please contact Sharon Potgieter (082 451 9624) if you are interested. Thank you to Bobby, Rich, Mark and Cornel for contributions to this issue of the BT. Stay safe & sane Mustang Powered By… 18-2021 Why not join the early morning Polar Bear Celebration…

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Page 1: bURG talk - Burg Wheelers

BURG TALK | 18-2021

In this Issue: From the Editor .................................................................. 1 MTB News ........................................................................... 2 Ride Reports ........................................................................ 3 ETB vs MTB .......................................................................... 4 Tour Trivia ............................................................................ 5 Ride Roundup ..................................................................... 6

With the onset of autumn and cooler weather many of our roadies have packed away their bikes and moved over to MTBs.

However, a few hard core roadies now known as the Polar Bears are still riding on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. They are mostly B group riders and the pace is brisk, but GL Cornel assures us no polar bear is left behind. A useless but interesting fact is that the collective name for a group of polar bears is called a Celebration! Clearly this group is going to have some fun. If you are keen to join, please contact Cornel (082 883 6045).

In this weeks’ BT we share the results of our April Time Trial competition and reveal the 2021 Time Trial Kings and Queens.

There is also an update on the Maluti 2021 event, and an article on E-MTBs.

For those still needing to buy BW kit, we are selling off the older style non-reflective Burg Wheeler kit at R280 per item. There are limited sizes in stock. Please contact Sharon Potgieter (082 451 9624) if you are interested.

Thank you to Bobby, Rich, Mark and Cornel for contributions to this issue of the BT.

Stay safe & sane Mustang

Pow

ered

By…

18

-202

1

Why not join the early morning Polar Bear Celebration…

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BURG TALK | 18-2021

Richard Krusekopf Ride Reports:

A very wet Friday with a damp start on Saturday kept the crowds at bay. However the days leading up tp the end of the month were perfect and the time trial track was working beautifully.

The A/B’s postponed their ride to Saturday afternoon and the F’s cried their ride off altogether. Only a handful of C and D riders took to the trails….

Last week the inaugural Recce MTB Race, this week

the inaugural Freedom Circuit offering two distances, 400 & 700km. This event was held in the foothills of the Berg near Bushmans Nek, again a non-stop event. Two long time members, Charles and Lesley Hughes took part. We hope to hear their story soon. Also over the weekend was RidetheBerg, a 100km 2 day stage event in the Bergville area. Con Malherbe took part and loved it. Remember to use lights whenever riding on public roads. Give motorists every chance to avoid you.

Hilton Time Trial

TT Results: April Final Results April is now over and what an exciting format the

fastest time month turned out to be. The winners of the three categories waited to the last week to post their blistering times. Well done to all who participated and made this such a fun event. Congrats to the three winners. You are our 2021 Time Trial Kings and Queens.

The fastest male over the course was none other than veteran racer Jean-Paul van der Linde, although his time was eclipsed by up and coming Development rider Nic Burzak. Superfit Helga Venter surprised all the ladies with her amazing time and was a worthy taker of the ladies crown.

A big thank you to Supa Quick for supporting time trial throughout the summer with a host of wonderful sponsored prizes. Winners to please arrange with Colin Davie at Supa Quick to collect their prizes.

Timber Harvesting:

The harvesting of timber in the Cedara, Cascades and Karkloof is ongoing. Please respect their trail and road closures during this period.

Trail Clearing: Gavin will be setting up a work party in a couple of

weeks’ time, please assist where you can.

Club Rides: The Wednesday rides from Crossways have

changed to the winter start time of 15:00 from 1st May. This Saturday the C, D and F group rides leave

from the Quarry at 07:00.

Group rides are also communicated on WhatsApp. Contact me if you would like to be added to the MTB groups.

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BURG TALK | 18-2021

Mark Rowland Friday was miserable – wet and cold and

overcast. That evening we agreed with the flock that the C’s and D’s would ride if it wasn’t raining at 05h30. It wasn’t raining at 05h30. Ali and I kitted up, and were first at the venue. Where we got a message from Pierre to say that he had had an altercation with a car during the week and would have to sit this one out. I’m sure we’ll get the details next week, but he’s okay. Mostly. The F’s had cancelled the day before, probably wisely.

A select group of hardcore C Groupers arrived – his worthiness the Kruppenfuhrer, Mike F and friend Tyrell, Christine, and Endurance Annie Blewett, fresh from surviving some terrifying ride near Dullstroom: 440kms and over 11,810m of climbing. Non-stop [she did 52hrs]. Respect.

The plan was to do whatever we could of the Grace 18km TT. Grace was predictably slick and muddy, but totally rideable, even the N3 tunnel, as long as you stay in the middle. We did the normal jeeptrack loop around to the TT start, via Callaho. There were very few others out at that time. Jackets were removed at the start, where Rhys hove into view, still working on his fitness, but being very sensible about taking it easy. Mike F unveiled a wonderful cycling shirt, filled with logos of 70’s hippie and hair metal bands. Rhys joined the group for a bit, and then split off. The first stage loops through the forests adjacent to Garlington, the last loop being in the pines. Where we saw a mysterious figure working on the trails. This turned out to be Keith Deiderichs, off his bike, who told us that he was finally fixing a trail flow issue that had bugged him for some time. We chatted briefly, thanked him for his efforts and pressed on. Turns out that Keith went to school with Tyrell – small world, ain’t it just. We regrouped at the end of this section. Christine was fiddling with something on her front wheel, which turned out to be a loose brake calliper. Mike F sprang into action, giving Christine a slightly closer and more extended view of his musical shirt than she was possibly expecting. Safety first. We were soon back on the trails, me with Tyrell hot on my heels. Good cyclist, Tyrell.

We stopped to re-group at the bottom corner, where I noticed a suspicious hissing coming from my front wheel, accompanied by a fine spray of sealant. Being the alert and accomplished cyclists that we are, it didn’t take us too long to work out that I had a puncture. The sealant did its stuff, and I hauled out my handy pump to repressurise the tyre.

This pump was given to me by my family, and it therefore precious. However, it doesn’t work very well. If you don’t screw the head on far enough, it doesn’t inflate the tyre. If you screw it in too far, it pulls out the valve core when you’re done. Then you’re screwed. I have been unsuccessful in finding the sweet spot between the two settings. It’s possible that I am an idiot, but no one in the group had any useful advice, not even Rhys, who had joined the group while we were busy, and was a little too quick to agree that I might be an idiot. It was agreed that the pump must go. We then bombed the tyre with Rhys’s adaptor, which was also faulty, helpfully venting the CO2 through the sides of the fitting instead of into the tyre. And this is why we drink. Several bombs and adaptors later, we were good to go, and went. Quickly before something else went wrong.

Tyrell chased me up the hill, and then chased me down again. The bottom section was very soggy. We regrouped in the parking area to catch our breath, and for Mike F to regain his normal colour. Ali had bounced off a tree, sloughing off a substantial section of arm skin in the process. After a quick vote, it was decided that hot coffee was likely to be the most effective remedy. Not for her, but for the rest of us. We retraced our steps, getting back to the Quarry with no additional issues. Ali went off to get some dressings for her arm, and I volunteered for the difficult and dangerous task of finding a suitable seat and ordering coffee. Big tick for me for both of those items, BTW. No point in getting older if you don’t also get smarter, as Dogbite often says. It looks like Ali will pull through, as it happens. Wonderful stuff, coffee. Endurance Annie entertained us with stories of her recent John o’ Groats to Land’s End UK cycle. We smiled and nodded. What else can one do?

Garmin Stats: 38,2 km, 2h30 riding time, 15,2 km/h, 570m ascent, 7-15℃.

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Gert Roos We left the parking with 3 riders. Gert, Angus and

myself. We headed into Cedara using jeep track. Made our way onto Donkey track and through to Grace. Had 2 mechanicals 1 tyre started to go flat and than a stone jammed in the derailer. Distance 25 kms in 1:52 .

The 2021 Cycle Lab Maluti Double 90 is scheduled to take place on 18th September 2021.

After much deliberation it has been decided that as a club, we will not assist any teams this year.

All deposits and entry fees will be carried forward to next year. In all probability, the selection criteria will have to be re-addressed and discussed with the

various group leaders after which it will be published on the various WhatsApp groups and BT.

Entries have opened for the 43rd edition of the Cape Town Cycle Tour, scheduled to take place on Sunday, 10 October 2021. More information regarding the Expo and number collection will be communicated closer to the time of the event. If there are enough club members who have entered, we can look at co-ordinating transport, sharing lifts, accommodation etc.

Alf Alderson - T3 - Tuesday, 27 April 2021 E-MTB vs MTB: It's the latest big decision in mountain biking. Go to any mountain bike trail centre these days and there will be almost as many e-mountain bikes bouncing around the place as regular mountain bikes. But E-MTBs don’t come cheap, so what are the differences between the two that you should be looking out for if you decide to go electric? Before you head off to check out the best electric mountain bike or the best mountain bike, here's what you need to know. E-MTB vs MTB: The power source

A pretty obvious one to start with – on a regular MTB YOU are the power source, whilst an E-MTBs is, of course, powered by a combination of motor, battery and rider. The fact that there’s a motor on an E-MTB doesn’t mean that the rider doesn’t have to make an effort, however; and whilst detractors will scoff and proclaim that e-biking is not ‘real’ mountain biking, most keen E-MTB riders find that they’re just as knackered after a big day in the saddle on their E-MTB as they are after a day out on their regular MTB. So how’s that when the motor is doing all the work? Well, you often end up taking on longer rides on an E-MTB, partly because it’s easier but mainly because it’s so much fun. And those extra miles can soon tire you out given that a E-MTB still requires rider input despite the motor (your e-bike’s display system will even tell you – roughly – how much effort you’ve put in, both in Watts and kilocalories). So yes, you’ve got motor assistance when riding an E-MTB, and it does indeed make riding up hills so much easier – fun, in fact – but you’ll still work up a sweat if you’re doing it properly. E-MTB vs MTB: The ride

Something that all E-MTB riders have in common is a fixed grin – you may hear it described as the electric bike smile. It may sound a bit cheesy but it’s true – I’ve seen even the most die-hard old-school mountain biker struggle to avoid smiling like a lunatic after their first ride on an e-bike. The combination of the motor and your own input powering you along with (almost) effortless grace is hard to resist, and despite the extra weight of an E-MTB the ride can be remarkably smooth and graceful; hell, even riding uphill is fun (indeed, some ski resorts in the Alps have ‘uphill flow’ trails designed specifically for e-mountain bikers).That said, an E-MTB

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BURG TALK | 18-2021

is never going to be as nimble and quick as its lighter, non-motorised cousin, and, of course, there’s always the issue that a battery has a far more limited range than a human in terms of how long and far it can go, so if you’re into mega-long forays into the hills E-MTBs are not necessarily the best option. You can, of course, carry a spare battery if you want to do a really big day out on an E-MTB without the hassle of having to recharge your main battery at some point (although that’s not always easy if you’re way out in the boondocks). However, e-bike batteries weigh 2 – 3kg or more, which is a lot of weight to be lugging around in your backpack. E-MTB vs MTB: The brakes

E-MTBs can weigh twice as much as a regular MTB, so some components will be beefed up to take account of that; in particular the brakes are more powerful and the rotors are bigger to make sure all that excess weight stops when you want it to.

Even so, you’ll probably find that you go through brake pads more quickly on an E-MTB, so don’t forget to check their wear on a regular basis.

E-MTB vs MTB: The suspension

As with the brakes, the suspension on an E-MTB will be burlier than that of most regular MTBs in order to cope with the bigger hits from that extra weight, so it’s worth keeping your bikes suspension well tuned and regularly serviced bearing in mind how much stick it takes. As an aside, all this mention of weight needn’t concern you too much if you’re new to e-biking – the motor/battery combo at the heart of an E-MTB (a full-sus version of which will weigh in at around 24kg) is going to help to shift all that excess baggage along with ease, whilst the design of the frame, the geometry and the overall setup of an E-MTB means the ride feel and quality is not that far removed from a regular MTB (unless you’re riding uphill, when you really will notice the difference).

E-MTB vs MTB: Tyres

You can afford to roll with bigger and beefier tyres on an E-MTB since the rolling resistance is overcome by the motor. This has several advantages, including better grip, a smoother ride and fewer punctures.

It’s also well worth going for a tubeless set up as this makes the repair of punctures far easier and quicker since you don’t need to remove the wheel (and removing the rear wheel in particular can be a bit of a mission on a heavy E-MTB).

In conclusion, an E-MTB isn’t necessarily better than a regular MTB, it’s just a different way of doing the same

thing – getting out onto the trails and having a good time. Indeed, the two can even complement each other – the mile-crunching, hill climbing fun of an e-mountain bike is a different experience to the nimbleness and flow of a more lightweight regular mountain bike, but neither is necessarily best – it’s more that they’re just two sides of the same coin. Why you should buy an E-MTB and not a mountain bike

The motor – whether a seasoned vet or a first timer it will bring a smile to your face. The ‘go anywhere’ options – from easy bridleways to gnarly downhills a good E-MTB will handle it all. You retain practically all of the fun elements of mountain biking, while losing the more arduous ones. Why you should buy a classic MTB and not an electric one.

The weight – twice as heavy as a regular MTB, an e-bike can be a bit of a beast if you need to manhandle it. No motor or battery means standard mountain bikes are quick, lightweight, nimble machines for attacking the trails. The battery – having to constantly keep an eye on the charge level can be a bit of a pain. The price – you can get a top-end MTB for the same price as a pretty basic E-MTB. The verdict? Price considerations aside, the choice between a regular and electric MTB boils down a couple of simple priorities. You should buy an E-MTB if you want a guaranteed smile, and you should buy a regular MTB if you want a good workout. Easy as that!

Photo: Bicycling.com

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BURG TALK | 18-2021

Stories from ‘Vive le Tour’ by Nick Brownlee

Snippet #19

1937 Tour de France: The Pride of Britain. Dates: 30 Jun - 25 July 1937

No. of stages: 20 Stages Distance: 4 415 km

The 1937 tour saw the first appearance of British riders. Bill Burl and Charlie Holland were part of an Anglo-Canadian team which were largely there to make up the numbers. They competed gamely but ultimately hopelessly; Indeed, only Holland made it beyond the second stage. His Tour ended on stage fifteen, when he reached the finish line in Luchon so late that the entire Tour entourage had already packed up and left it would be another eighteen years before the Brits would make another appearance at in the Tour. Roger Lapébie broke the monopoly of Belgian tour wins in 1937, but his victory was overshadowed with rumours of cheating and conspiracy. Specifically, it was alleged that Lapébie’s untypical brilliance in the mountains was due to the fact that he had not only been pushed by French spectators on the roadside, but that he grabbed hold of team and press cars in order to get a pull. When Henri Desgrange decided to penalize Lapébie a paltry 90 seconds, the outraged Belgian riders complained. At this, the French team threatened to go on strike if the penalty was increased. Complaints from the Belgian team included French spectators throwing stones at the Belgian team, closing train crossings, throwing pepper in their eyes, and being punished unreasonable strictly (adding extra time in the standing) while French riders were hardly punished at all while being helped. Lapébie eventually won the tour by seven minutes, but the feeling of mutual antipathy between the Belgians and the French continued to rumble on afterwards. In an attempt to

appease the Belgians, Desgrange announced that Lapébie would not be invited back to defend his title in 1938. The Belgians, understandably, were left wondering why this punitive action hadn't taken place during the race.

1938 Tour de France:

The end of the road for two greats. Dates: 5-31 July 1938

No. of stages: 21 Stages Distance: 4 694 km

The 1938 tour was to be the last for two great winners of the race. Antonin Magne and Andre Leducq - both 34 years old, born just twelve days apart, and both double winners of the Tour - celebrated the end of an era by engineering a two-man breakaway towards the end of the final stage into Paris. The two men enter the Parc des Princes together and crossed the line hand-in-hand to the rapturous applause of 50,000 adoring French cycling fans.

In previous years, some cyclists were in teams and other rode individually. In 1937, there had been problems with individual cyclists being accused of helping other cyclists, culminating in the Belgian cyclists leaving the Tour. To avoid these problems, the categories for individual cyclists were removed for the 1938 Tour de France, and the race was contested by national teams. But because there were many French cyclists that did not fit into the national team, there were two extra French teams, the Bleuets and Cadets. The Bleuets was a kind of French "B" team, while the Cadets consisted of young French promises.

The big cycling nations in 1938, Belgium, Italy, Germany and France, each sent a team of 12 cyclists. Other countries, Spain, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands, sent smaller teams of six cyclists each. The French had two extra teams of 12 cyclists, the Cadets and Bleuets.

The three most powerful teams were the Belgian, the French and the Italian national team. The Italian team was led by Bartali, who had been close to winning the Tour de France in 1937 until he crashed. The Italian cycling federation had requested him to skip the 1938 Giro d'Italia so he could focus on the Tour de France. The race was won by Italian cyclist Gino Bartali, who also won the mountains classification.

Tour Trivia:

1938 was the first year that derailleur gears were allowed in the Tour. These enabled the riders to shift gears with a lever, rather than having to stop, get off

the bike and turn the wheel around. The first year that derailleur gears were used.

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BURG TALK | 18-2021

PLEASE DONATE UNWANTED KIT

Dion is looking for kit for aspiring township

cyclists.

If you have kit to donate – you can drop

this off at COFFEEBOX,

The response has been amazing so far – thank you to everyone who

has contributed.