Jules

Well perhaps the Commission ought to investigate them too. I have a Cycle Lab leaflet at home somewhere. It says present this for a 5% discount on anything except Oakley. hmmm

Doesn't Oakley attempt to control prices?

Good stuff. My single speed headset is starting to give trouble. I opened it yesterday and I see it has cartridge bearings. I hope they are cheap to replace....

I've bought myself a workshop-quality tool for external BBs. I also have one of those speed-link thingees for my chain. I'm considering removing my chain, cranks and BB after every race to wash and re-lube. With the right tools, it's very quick to take everything off, and it makes cleaning the frame and the crankset a lot easier.

Thanks Anton and JB. My fork should be easy then because it is cheap and doesn't have fancy features, apart from a lockout. Anton, what do you mean by "drop the lowers"? Does this mean I must undo the bolts at the top of the stanchions? Is there a special type of oil I need to use?

I ask cos my (relatively new) Suntour fork has been misbehaving a bit recently. It's started to feel as if it's halfway between lockout and normal. Sometimes if I jump a pavement it will be hard for a second before the suspension kicks in. I tried lubing the stanchions and it seems to have helped a little.

On a similar subject: is it important to lube stanchions and, if so, what lube should I use and how frequently? Is it easy to service a Suntour XCR fork?

? If so it did not stop him riding like a demon on Sun. The fawning press release actually says his ride on Sunday was partly inspired by the price-fixing allegations. I also had a challenging week dealing with these allegations. I?m definitely not involved in a price-fixing cartel, as the investigation will reveal. Unfortunately, the media makes that assumption long before there are even any facts made known. So today I had a lot of anger, which helped inspire me to go for the win.?

Alright, I'm guilty of not reading the entire 9-page thread I've had a similar experience to you with Squirt. I couldn't get it to penetrate the links. 100km would be enough for me, because it's my MTB chain, and I clean and lube after every ride. I haven't had a chance to ride the Squirted chain yet, but I have my reservations over how it'll work. I'm considering using a hot-air gun next time I apply Squirt. I think this might make the wax more liquid and allow it to penetrate the links better. Any thoughts from the panel of experts? Jules2009-03-10 15:48:20

Sorry I'm not following.

I think most airlines disapprove of bombs, either in hand or check-in baggage. If you're talking CO2 cartridges, I'm not sure there is a universal policy

Just to stir the pot a little: JB, you mentioned in a previous post that chain and sprocket life is a function of hygiene, not necessarily kilometers traveled. You cited an example of a timing chain of a motorbike, which is enclosed and hence lasts forever. So let's postulate that Roders, being a fastidious engineer, has designed an enclosure for his drivetrain, similar to those found on commuting bikes in Holland. Also, he has not mentioned what speed his bike is. He could be running old, thick, six-speed casettes and chains, which would have a longer life than the new-fangled stuff.

1) you need a compressor. You want to blow the tyre up with speed so it seals. A normal pump doesn't do this well. 2) I think the tyre deflation thing is a myth. Either lie and tell the airline your tyres are deflated, or explain that they are low-pressure tyres full of goo. 3) you should try to avoid total deflation of tubeless tyres. 4) small punctures are repaired automatically with slime. Hold the wheel so that the slime travels to the hole. Larger holes can be repaired with plugs while still inflated. 5) it's really easy (and cheap) to do the conversion. All you need is two BMX tubes, a compressor (one at every petrol station) and slime.

Actually he'd need to set his speedo for a larger diameter if it were to over-state his mileage.

I'm keen to try new stuff. Hell I'm even trying Squirt. How much does the Spanjaard cost, Roders?

Veloce's story reminded me of my own crank-pulling woes. Just thought I'd let hubbers know that this thread has a happy ending. Last Friday, a friend of mine managed to pull off my crank using a two-arm bearing puller. Soon my Colnago will be fitted with Campy Centaur components and a Rolls saddle

Jagwil, i'm all for hearing both sides of the story. And I believe there is already a fair amount of information in the public domain. Would you argue that we reserve judgment on mad bob until he is found guilty? Was the arms deal squeaky clean because government "investigations" declared it so. From what I can tell, this competition commission investigation happened precisely because hubbers did not reserve judgment. They aired their grievances here for the authorities to see and act upon them.

I think Bergbok might be referring to the e-mail, which was supposedly sent by Fritz to other retailers. From: Fritz Pienaar [mailto:mm@firebreak.co.za] Sent: 17 September 2008 12:27 PM Subject: Minutes - margins in the bicycling industry Dear bicycle wholesaler and retailer, Thank you for your support and great response in making our industry more healthy. For those of you who were unaware of this meeting here is a quick refresher: "I am sure that most of you are aware that there are a lot of concerns in the retail bicycle industry. There is a lot of rumours about retail shops that are struggling and wholesalers that are not getting paid. This causes a lot of problems for everyone in the industry and I?m sure that you would agree that it is not a healthy position to be in. I have had numerous meetings with retail shops and wholesalers over the last couple of months and everyone seems to agree that the retail shops are not making enough profit and that something needs to be done about it. The bicycle wholesalers agree that a healthier retail industry would also allow for a healthier wholesale industry." We've had a great response from the meeting on 10th September 2008! With all the mayor bicycle wholesalers and retailers in Gauteng, we've all come to agreement that raising the margins is the resolution to the problem. It is of utmost importance that we sign-up and state that you support this decision, we need everyone?s support to be able to make this change and to be able to implement these changes right away. Click here to see the attendance of the meeting on 10th September 2008 Click here to see the meeting on 10th September 2008 minutes Please click here, to state if you are supportive of higher margins in the Bicycling Retail sector (We recommend that you read the minutes if you were not present at the meeting) Regards, Fritz Pienaar 083 275 2123 PS. Please forward this to all bike shops you know of, or wholesalers that did not attend. I'm not sure if this e-mail is genuine. If it is, its purpose seems very clear. Jules2009-03-07 06:47:30

? the guys that start the cartel will get to do the inspections at shops checking sales prises recorded... then earn some maney on that front as well... ? SO WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF SELLING AT A LOWER PRICE! -A PUBLIC FLOGGING- What's been alleged is that if you do not put the required markup on your products, the wholesalers will do one of two things: 1) stop supplying you 2) supply you at a higher price.

Thanks for the heads up Shebeen. I'll probably buy a ticket or two later today.