Jules

you talking road or MTB? Wouldn't bother with sludge on the road. But i do think the the lightweight tubes are a waste of time all round. My experience with them is that they are more prone to punctures, regardless of the marketers' assertions to the contrary. I also doubt they add any discernable gain in cycling performance apart from what's in your head.

I don't mind that baby blue although I can understand why it'd be considered to be naff. But doesn't Planet X make one just like that at a much better price?

YEs, I'm on the end of my seat wondering what you did! Was going to suggest trying a pipe if you have one. It's always worked for me but obviously it doesn't help if your spanner is fooked.

Seeing as this is a topic of etiquette, what about advertising goods that are over-priced and then bumping them gazillion times at the expense of other, more attractive offers? Is that considered to be appropriate behaviour?

The prices Thug mentions only applies to existing members though. New members pay quite a bit more.

PM me your e-mail address and I'll send the forms.

Perhaps Thug, but it's always worth considering one's options before committing Michael, I think they do have hospitality for 94,7. It's at Chilli lane, isn't it?

An unashamed cheapskate, I joined Standard Bank's cycling club for the free kit. Anyway the fees for 2009 have gone up quite a bit so I'm reviewing my options. From the CSA's website I gather it's compulsory to be a member of a club in order to be seeded at CSA events. If this is the case (perhaps someone can confirm?), what are the best value-for-money clubs out there? Are there any that offer free kit? Which club do you ride for? Is it giving you a good deal? I don't really mind which club I join so long as the kit isn't hideous and the club members don't have a reputation for unsportsmanlike behaviour.

Because the kit is more tasteful than, say, a Team (with) Crap Shorts

Ah. Must admit: i haven't done it with tubeless yet. But surely you can prevent the core from getting too far out the valve while you pour the snot?

It's really not difficult at all to take pliers and loosen the valve nut until it comes right off the core. Then you push the core down the valve, put the snot in and push it out again. Screw the valve nut back on and hey presta - no removable core valves needed. I've done this several times for my CX and SS bikes - it's easy.

I have no doubt that a few bike shops will go under. It might sound a bit callous, but I can't help wondering how to take advantage of it. Are the tools/stock sold on auction and if so, where does one hear about it?

http://www.cyclesafe.co.za/icg/index.php

Add Mr Look and Shamus to the list. They are both hubbers and seem to take a genuine interest in sorting clients out. i'd agree with you about the Raleigh guys. If they didn't have a good importing record, how else would they wrestle Northwave and Scott from the incumbents?

By CWC's own admission his shop was raided. Nevertheless its fairly certain that the thread (and probably the raid) was instigated by the Mavic importer. Let's just hope he or she stays on the hub and helps owners of "legitimate" Mavic problems sort out their after-sales issues, which seem to crop up here quite often. Isn't it funny how certain bicycle distributors seem to struggle with grey importers more than others? For example, you don't find many importers competing with Omnico, official distributor of a wide range of cycling goodies. I've got no connection to Omnico at all apart from riding a few of their products (I've got 3 GTs), but I've always found the prices of their products to be reasonable and their backup service good.

Could be that there was a SARS fiddle. Think it would be pretty hard to fake a Mavic wheelset, but who knows?

The world is changing. If the official distributor builds all the extra costs into his price, perhaps he shouldn't. Perhaps he should change his pricing model? Just a thought. For example, Andrew McLean apparently does good business from people who bought bikes cheaply elsewhere, but subsequently realise that those shops don't offer the kind of backup service that's required. As long as he charges accordingly (and I'm sure he does) for this extra service, everybody is happy.

Virtually no benefit for the situation you describe.

Yes, the ones I got were for the Winter Challenge. Thanks for the free pics, My Picture

A bling of bicycles?

The guys who take pics at Babba's use the web-based model. Works a treat. It's just so much more efficient and intelligent. I've bought a few pics from them before. They just e-mail them to you. It seems the My Picture crowd only survives by intimidation and illegal business practices. Report them to the DTI.