Done on another thread not long ago. You have to search using the SKU for code for your light’s predecessor.

I went for the velcro binding band and run it through my helmet vents (taking care not to hook the velcro on the helmet pads), and an extension cable so the battery pack can sit in my jersey pocket.

Aircons set to 25C in summer, outside temps at 30C-40C. Heating occasionally to 18C on a winter morning to take the edge off.

Constantly berating local staff for setting their office aircon to 16C (lowest setting) in summer and 30C (highest setting) in winter…

trail_rat: sounds like cobblers to me, I reckon it is more to do with airflow so the buggers feel like a Cessna in a hurricane. And if it is that high-risk you should have a net!

KT1973’s recipe isn’t topped with cheese but the mashed ‘tatoes are lovely and creamy…

Mmm, thanks Roper, I now know suspect that it was a Damon diadema hiding in one of my sewer inspection chambers at home.

Leo the Cat

Shaka the Ridgeback

Snoopy the Mongrel

Shaka and Snoopy

Shaka and Leo

Decided not to go to 699422E 7732557S (UTM 34K) because I was there yesterday and the day before checking on a contractor who is building a 10km road so we can get started on the construction of a copper mine. Instead, I will sit in the office overlooking the river and contemplate the construction of 260 houses for the mine workers.

Hoses and cables on the underside of my top tube, and the front gear cable runs down my seattube…

Scandium is an element like copper, aluminium, titanium, etc. It is added to aluminium or titanium to form an Al-Sc or Ti-Sc alloy.

Percentage by weight can be 0.1% to 0.5%, apparently.

Interesting article here on the metallurgical properties of Al-Sc.

Pure scandium comes in at €260 per g or US$2500 per kg – depends which source you read and when they were written, obviously.

From teh wiki:

World production of scandium is in the order of 2 tonnes per year in the form of scandium oxide. The primary production is 400 kg while the rest is from stockpiles of Russia generated during the Cold War. In 2003, only three mines produced scandium: the uranium and iron mines in Zhovti Vody in Ukraine, the rare earth mines in Bayan Obo, China and the apatite mines in the Kola peninsula, Russia. In each case scandium is a byproduct from the extraction of other elements.[10] and is sold as scandium oxide.

The production of metallic scandium is in the order of 10 kg per year.[10][11] The oxide is converted to scandium fluoride and reduced with metallic calcium.

It’s pretty rare.

Edit following above post.

Scandium (wiki) is used in tiny amounts to form aluminium or titanium alloys.

1991 Raleigh Apex like this one.

As well as its intended use it also went time-trialling (with tri-bars…) and chain-ganging. It got relegated to hack-bike in ’94 or ’95 when I bought an Orange Prestige.

I do the pre-hydration (for want of a better phrase) thing the day before and have light coloured wee when starting. Usually take a wee-stop an hour or two into a ride as well.

-1 damo2576 – have you ever been badly dehydrated or had heatstroke? Sweating is essential not optional, and to sweat you need to be hydrated.

We start riding at sunrise and by the time we finish the temperatures are typically nudging mid-30s.

On a 5hr ride I can get through 3 litres of water in a Camelbak (maybe 2.7698 litres if you allow for the fact that half of it is ice cubes and you can never quite get it completely full) and 1.5 litres of Energade (energy/electrolyte stuff). Pee not too dark on completion, but probably on the edge of mildly dehyrated.

I have noticed that if I overdo the Energade I get a terrible thirst later, presumably due to the salts. On the other hand, if I wear a dark t-shirt under my jersey I find it turns white, so definitely a balancing act to keep your salt levels right.

Also, if the climate is dry (like Botswana) you may not think you are sweating (or feel particularly hot) because the airflow evaporates it almost instantly, but if you stop you will suddenly drown, or possibly even go hyperthermic.

Is it practical to avoid riding in the heat of the day?

In previous years it seems that December-February were the best times for the Delta, as it dried out (reference Nature’s Great Events) and wildlife moved between waterholes. The last couple of years it hasn’t dried out, so the plains animals have moved away to some extent, typically to Moremi, Savuti and Chobe.

+1 for the mokoro trails on the cheap: Old Bridge Backpackers[/url] took my kids (6-13yrs), wife and sisters on a day trip (motor boat from Maun to the Delta, mokoro and walking) and the reports came back that it was great: zebra, elephant, giraffe, etc. Alternatives Okavango River Lodge[/url] and Afrotrek[/url]. There are also independent operators (typically with an A4 laser-printed logo on the door of a borrowed Land Cruiser!) who can knock up a tour on-the-spot – may not be quite as polished, but the guide still has to be qualified (for what that’s worth…)

Read Lonely Planet, Bradt, etc. for advice and use Google for other tour operators (high-end: Wilderness Safaris[/url], Beyond[/url], Sanctuary[/url], Orient Express[/url]).

As above, it really does depend on your budget: expensive camps have excellent guides, prime locations and a fantastic experience. At the same time I have seen some unique sights doing it on the cheap, or even getting paid for it!

As per previous: PM or drop a message here with questions.

tonyl: Came to Bots 10 years ago and kind of got stuck. Civil engineer supervising civils/building projects. Family is in Francistown, been in Maun on a contract for 2 years and just picked up a new one at Toteng operating out of Maun.
Duck Inn: along the airport road? Has been known as Bull and Bush, Buck and Hunter and now boarded up.

Sitting next to the river in Maun having my breakfast…

BillMC, definitely true about seeing more than the delta, can be interesting to find a bar with attached butchery and braai (BBQ) facilities – very vibrant!

Some good stuff at Tsodilo Hills and Domboshaba: cave paintings and ancient cultures.

Botswana and Namibia are often referred to as “Africa for beginners” because they are quite safe (in terms of not being mugged, stabbed/shot and left for dead) and little corruption. They are, however, wild countries with an awful lot to see.

A lot depends how you are planning to travel and your budget: hired 4×4 with rooftop tent, backpacking, charter flights, hotels/lodges and so on. Distances are long but public transport is pretty good – my 60+ year old mother loves it!

And, if you can’t keep off a bike there is Mashatu.

If you can give some indication of timing, travel, accommodation and budget I might be able to give you more ideas.

Kudu and bushbabies in the woods by the river on a night ride.

Riding through a damp patch next to a different river and realising it wasn’t water but elephant piss, quite fresh.

Quirrel: was that Mashatu?

Only managed to squeeze in a night ride.

A couple of wandering moments due to not having marked a route on the GPS, but generally a good one.

Several green-eyed cattle encounters, some small antelope, a big kudu, and best of all (after the initial freak-out) 5 or 6 bushbabies in the riverine woodland. Eyes reflect like red Scotchlite: visible over 100m away with helmet mounted Magicshine on medium.

Moon came out halfway through to put the icing on the cake.

Hasn’t rained for 5 months, so fairly dry…

This thread is going to make me spend more money, I think. I have come to the conclusion that with tropical daylight (winter 11hrs/summer 14hrs) I need to ride at night to get km in (and come summer it'll be cooler).

But which Magicshine? 900 or 1400?

It should be one or the other, but I am strangely drawn to the littlun on a helmet mount and the biggie on the bars. Go on somebody, talk me out of it. Tell me I only need the small one on the bars.

Riding conditions: nothing spectacular but plenty of flattish singletrack cattle-trails through the bush with springy branches waiting to poke an eye. And sudden thick sand here and there.

I rather like the scientific approach of lumens per buck.

In my game of spot-the-difference: the white imposter has a shorter (!) seat-tube and the pivot point is in a different position to the genuine Pro-Flexes.

Thanks Orangista.

I reckon the 17" is the way to go, our trails are not particularly rar, or even gnarly and the kids probably have a bit more growth in them over the next few years.

Choices, choices.

Local dealer wants 550quid for a Specialized Myka Sport – do you reckon it's worth 50-100quid more than one of the ones below (after shipping, import duties, etc.)?

Pictures of the Cube WLS, Focus Northern Lite[/url] and Lite Expert[/url] have been sent home so they can comment on colours!

Any comments on specs/value for money of the above?

I just hope Wiggle come back with a positive answer for shipping to Bots otherwise it's a ballache to organise with friends in South Africa.

1nten5e – I know, I have an itchy debit card…

nickf – thanks, how tall is your young un and how much of the seatpost do they have on display?

Anybody know how long the sale lasts?

Geometry is on the Cube website but not the standover specifically. I guess I could calculate it or scale it if forced!

EDIT: Jinx you owe me a soda, as the kids say…

Not sure about the inside leg measurements my wife has quoted me (I'm away from home) as my inside leg appears to be the same as theirs but I'm taller. Where's an anthropometry handbook when you need one?

I've asked her to remeasure using the book-between-the-legs-back-to-the-wall-method.

Thanks Orangista, that would be great. Do you have the Access WLS Women's 15" or 17" to hand as well?

Given their apparent lankiness a Kid 260 and the Access WLS seem to be the ticket (there's a 7yr old in the mix too, so the Kid 260 would get recycled).

EDIT: internet seems to say that women do generally have longer legs relative to their height than men…

Additional info:
11yr old 161cm tall, inside leg 84cm
14yr old 157cm, 82cm

A bit late for tonight's supper but "Quick chilli with creamy chive crushed potatoes[/url]" is a nice one.

Botswana. But I'm biased.

Tuli Block[/url] if you want to ride mountain bikes while you're on holiday.

Maun is a good starting point for:
Wildlife: Okavango Delta, Moremi, Savuti
Culture: Tsodilo Hills
Vast horizon and sleeping under the stars: Makgadikgadi Pans

Top Gear drove across Botswana a few years ago: Makgadikgadi, Savuti/Moremi etc if you want a quick preview. (I know where the Lancia is, if anybody wants to make an offer)

What's your budget?

Old Bridge[/url] is a starting point, along with AfroTrek[/url] (shonky website designs attest to their no-frills nature…)

Another one with good locations is Uncharted Africa[/url].

If the sky is the limit then Wilderness[/url] and andBeyond[/url] are the way to go.

Oddballs has a good reputation, but not sure how good the Okavango Delta is right now because it is really full of water – hitting 30-40yr records for flood levels so a lot of wildlife has moved to the periphery.

Getting campsites in the national parks is a problem due to local "entrepreneurs" speculating on the booking of campsites and selling the pitches to tour operators/independent travellers. Obviously not a problem if you book with a tour operator!

Opinions vary on the best time of year – it depends on your interests and tolerance to heat. October-April is summer/rainy season: spends a few days warming up to 30-40C, a couple of days crash-bang tropical storms to cool it down, repeat. April-October is winter/dry season, temperatures drop to single figures at night with occasional frost, can be windy and dusty.

Away from the Okavango Delta game tends to be more concentrated around water sources during winter: more predictable, easier to find and see due to lack of leaves. The Makgadikgadi can be a problem in the rainy season.

Play hide and seek:

(The second mouse that tried this popped the earth-leakage. Twice. Then escaped. Clever bugger.)

Works for me, mostly. First time round I used aftermarket Slime on the kid's bikes and Dr Sludge tubes on mine. Schrader valves all round though.

Has failed twice:
1) a thorn got in the tyre and the top broke off, so the point kept reopening the hole. Had to take the tyre off and find the pointy bit.
2) the fluid dried/got used up – top ups required every so often.

More thorns here than you can imagine (T. terrestris and A. erioloba).

I read a review somewhere complaining that sludge/slime put the wheel out of balance. This is true if the bike has been standing as the fluid pools at the bottom of the tyre – needs a few revolutions to get spread out again. (Preaching to the choir on this one, I suspect).

Due to a lack of Stan's/Joe's in this part of the world I went to a tyre dealer and used their no-name sealant – less than a tenner for 2 litres. Injected into the tubes with a 5mm-nozzled syringe and piece of plastic tube after removing the valve cores.

Tails: Better weight than wait.

We get a lot of

and

on one of our routes (Mmumoshweu area).

Isn't this proof that the British armed forces are the best in the world?
This one makes me smile.

Find a project that can use your skills: Africans are quite capable of digging their own well points, but may need a water engineer to help with making a durable distribution or purification system; South Americans know how to build, but they may not know how to do it efficiently/safely/well; an NGO or community trust may be haemmorhaging money because nobody knows to do proper bookkeeping.

I have heard several people involved with volunteers complaining that the gap year types sent by <insert Project Trust type org. here> usually have to be nannied as they don't have the necessary skills/flexibility/experience. On the other hand mature, independent people who can do/teach welding, bodging, cludging and MacGyvering are virtually priceless. Also medical/psychological skills to do treatment/counselling, e.g. healthy living, living with HIV/AIDS, eye-testing, dental.

You should also ask yourself how rough can you take it. I spent my first year (an industrial placement from an engineering degree) living in a caravan with no electricity and sporadic water. Mercifully it was next to a main road and only 1.5hrs from civilisation and proper supermarkets. As soon as I graduated I came back and got a proper job, still here 12 years later.

I am sure more hardcore backpacker/volunteering types can launch into a Monty Pythonesque "bloody luxury" routine comparing their hardships.

I'll repeat a plug I made yesterday for Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux to get a fairly good feeling for contemporary Africa.

Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux, father of Louis. Modern-era independant Africa-overland trip. Light humour and pretty accurate in just about all of his observations/commentaries.

Kind of topical for me as I have been suffering from recurring punctures on my front wheel: Dr Sludge tube inside a Rocket Ron, topped up with extra sealant before the latest ride. On feeling inside the tyre I could feel a sharp thorn, which was obviously waggling around and keeping the hole in the tube open – the tyre was full of sealant that had run out of the tube. No sign of the thorn on the outside of the tyre, so tried to pull it out from the inside, seemed to work for a couple of weeks then this weekend the same story.

So, I am at the far end of the supply chain and looking at the possibilities: Stan's/Joe's/ghetto. Ghetto has some appeal because I can probably buy sealant locally – anybody know if car tyre sealant will work in a bike tyre? Otherwise it's CRC and UPS which will take 10 days.

BenjiM, you say you have ghettoed a Racing Ralph Triple Nano but others have had problems (notubes.com message board, linky doesn't work)

I added two layers of velox and managed to inflate the tires and added the sealant. Generally they keep their pressure very well. It appears that while riding (100km) While riding I'm not losing any pressure at all, but when the bike stands still for a few hours the tires lose some pressure because of new appearing tiny holes in the sidewall just beneath the tread. How can I expect it will take for the tires to be perfectly sealed ?

It seems to me that the bead rubber on Ralphs and Rons is slightly ribbed, does this not cause a seating/sealing problem when going ghetto?

I'm not a hardcore rider: not too much in the way of extreme terrain, just rolling trails, thick sand and tribulus terrestris.

(Offtopic: whilst Googling for answers to my questions I found this, which makes STW forums look like a repository for the Queen's English.)

if you google nettle whip you get some unexpected results…

I, for one, don't suffer from rheumatism. Preventive medicine? 😯

Specialized Ground Control
Best tyre ever!

+1

With an Extreme or More Extreme on the back.

You won't manage to fit bikes in the back of a crewcab without taking off the front wheel or leaving the tailgate open. Tight fit for more than 3 or 4 bikes across the width as well: some creative thought needed to intertwine pedals, bars and saddles.

I have a '94 Hilux crewcab with a 150cm long loadbed. Bench seats front and rear, so space for 6 if the front-middle doesn't mind having their thigh stroked every time you change gear. Strong and reliable too: 480,000km so far.

You could increase the seating capacity, but then you'd need some kind of bike rack:

Or if you need to get up the hill quickly (you did say fuel economy was not too important):

Here's mine, had it since January:

Cube Elite HPC K-18 2009 Blackline

First bike after 10 years without a ride (previously an Orange Prestige around Bradford and Wiltshire) – something of a revelation! Light, fast, sweeeet.

And nice one CRC for deducting the VAT and hiding the BIG invoice from the local customs sharks. And for giving me a refund because they reduced the price two days after I bought it.