Jules

My cages have a lip, but it is possible for the bottle to slip past it. And it has happened to me before with the bottle on the seat tube. I use Bontrager cages on my Scott CR1, which is the bike in the photo. Cateye makes a plastic cage where it is impossible for the bottle to slip down. I have them on my Colnago. I think this is an important lesson for anyone who rides a carbon frame. Replace your cages before you end up like me and epoh!

What a beauty! You did well. I'm no expert, but my guess is you'll have to insure it for replacement value, otherwise your insurer will say you're under-insured...

Epoh, I stand corrected, but I think the okes are talking about the bottle slipping out of the cage on the seat tube.

Eish, looks like this has been a very expensive lesson on bottle cages

Nope. And my bottle does not touch the frame at all when it's in the cage. I ride a large bike. Epoh rides a size 54cm.

I take it this happens when the bottle falls out of the bottle cage on the seat tube and then rubs on the down tube? Now for the next question: can my bike be repaired?

Ok this one's got me really stumped. Hopefully some of the Hub's super sleuths can help out. Immediately after I finished the Fast One, I noticed some damage on my down tube, just under the bottle cage. It looks like three or four layers of carbon have been worn away somehow in a space about the size of a 20c piece. http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs238.snc3/22571_457856545640_868120640_10706170_7092594_n.jpg What makes this even more bizarre is that the exact same thing has happened to epoh's bike. He also noticed it immediately after the fast one http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs238.snc3/22571_457856515640_868120640_10706167_6723288_n.jpg Any smart ideas as to what could have caused this mystery damage? Epoh and I stay on the same property. But we took separate cars to the Fast One. This seems to rule out the possibility of bike rack damage. I didn't even use a bike rack: just put my bike in the back of my car.

Try Campag brakes. I find they have a longer reach than Shimano. I got a pair of Centaur brakes to work on a "long reach" bike. Shimano ones wouldn't work. You're right: Tektro makes a pair of long reach brakes, but they are not very good.

I think this extra speed thing is a mistake. What's wrong with 9spd? You are changing gears so often on a MTB. Whether it's a 23 or a 24 tooth, are you really going to notice. This is just an attempt by the manufacturers to force us to "upgrade" to cassettes that cost more and wear quicker. I will resist. In fact, I have already moved one of my bikes to 8spd, where a new cassette costs R200.

Ja, why don't you come to the night race and pick their brains. The night race is a non-profit concern, so I'm sure they'd be happy to share their system. I'd support you if it doesn't clash with the usual Delta race.

Dischem, 1km down the road from me. Happy to pay the extra R20 to avoid the post office. Besides, I have a loyalty card

Eish! I hope it'll have a dimmer switch, or you'll make yourself very unpopular at the night race. I get complaints with my Honk Kong job on soft beam!

My guess is you'd be advised to employ the services of Ngala24

My guess is you'd be advised to employ the services of Ngala24

The issue is not the duties at all. For most CRC stuff, all you pay is VAT. I think almost all of us are quite happy to pay what is legally owed. We used to pay this to the courier when he delivered or at the Post Office when we picked up the goods. What we are objecting to is the hassle of having to employ a clearing agent. There does not seem to be any logic applied here.

F@#$ Sars!

Back in the day it used to be any goods over the value of R500 but the Customs act stipulates that all goods entering the SA should be declared to customs and duty vat be collected upon. The post office does this for you hence you paying your vat amount directly to them' date=' the ones im busy with have been grabbed by customs officials looking through incoming mail and randomly checking. I think its luck of the draw at the moment and probably falls more to size of you box than to value of your goodsYou probably find that there is a new person in charge at mail centre and has up the game a little and that in time things will calm down again[/quote'] Would love to put a face and a name to this new person who may be in charge. It annoys me that my CRC order is taking longer than usual. And it annoys me that the system is making it harder than normal for me to pay my tax and keep the country running. Is a clearing agent necessary, or can we rock up at the mail centre with cash?

Well cycling can't be the only industry where end users import high-value stuff from overseas. Is the same thing happening outside of cycling? Sars needs to be transparent about this. At what value does a shipment require clearance? Perhaps our resident clearing agent can enlighten us?

It's probably easier to ship stuff to Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast or Haiti.

Ok so all of a sudden a whole new economy has sprung up. Large CRC orders used to rock up at your door, usually in less than a week. Pay the cash to the courier and you take delivery of your parcel. Now there's a bottleneck and an additional charge of R300. What do you need to be a clearing agent?

BWahahahahahaha. Best quote of 2010! That letter is lawyer waffle of the worst order. I hope he or she didn't charge by the word. All this could have been said in the normal fashion. No need to get the lawyers involved. Even the cradle residents will see this for what it is: a weak attempt at intimidation.

Have you tried riding your bike with a pair of wheels that is known not to creak? I've heard awful noises come from a pair of badly built wheels.