andretraut

At 1831g, what do they make the rims of, concrete instead of carbon?

Most desirable road bike for me is the Spez Tarmac SL 3 S-Works... thats why I ride one, but can't wait to get my Venge!

Deep down, all cyclists one day want to ride a Specialized. You might as well get one that will concur that urge!

Got mine with my Sram Red gruppo. Awesome cables!

The lightest mtb wheelset in the cheap price bracket is American Classic, weighing only 1486g and you could get them for around R4K. They are great. Moving a bit up the price ladder will get you Easton EA 90 SL at about the same weight, but with a R7K price tag. I ride on both, and the Eastons are far more superior, better hubs and seems to be much stronger. XT is good, but they experience hub failure and is a bit on the heavy side.

My new XTR's feel so powerful, as if it would be able to stop my car!

CWC rocks. Not only are you getting great prices, but awesome and friendly service as well.

Lezyne high pressure floor pump works for me. Have seated all my tyres without any problems.

Thanx Face Plant!

Not really a Niner fan, but a big fan of the wheel size! Not bad looking bikes those two.

BBB - great price at CWC.

Happy B-day Desmond!

This is a 9.5kg 29er... with pedals, bottle cage and Garmin (as ridden) but new S-Works tyres will dip the weight to 9.3kg.

Hey ballerina girl, I don't really talk to the tea girl in the bike shop, was just comparing her knowledge to yours.

I am fine with the cockpit terminology, at least if I walk into my bike shop and refer thereto everybody, even the tea girl, will understand me. But flightdeck....wtf.... we are not speaking about battle ships dudes, it is only bicycles!

If it is a alu post in a alu frame, apply some grease on the post. If it is a carbon post in a alu or carbon frame, apply carbon grease (sandy texture) or copper slip. This should sort you problem. You have a dry frame which causes this creaking noise.

Neville, do you perhaps know if SA is getting the S-Works SLK version of the Fast Trak 29er. Saw on the Spez USA website that they weigh 495g apposed to 595g for the normal ones. Shedding 200g will drop my bike below the 9.5kg threshold. I've got Renegades on my 96 Team, but prefer the Fast Traks, although both are awesome.

500g for a 29er tyre is light, but they do not mention tubeless compatibility, but they do mention 'pinch', so I take it they have tubes fitted. I was seeking high and low for a lightweight 29er tubeless tyre when I built my Stumpjumper, and as the S-Works Renegades are not yet available in SA, I fitted the Specialized Fast Trak LK (low knob) 2Bliss tyre at 595g each. Will probably never fit any other tyre on my bike, cause they are light, tubeless, fast and grippy. It is worthy to mention that the Schwalbe Racing Ralph was the closest competitor in this department, but the others were all in the region of 750g even up to 800g.

eccentric 1, I've got a great idea.....why don't you stick to reading your comics, ride your old school bike, and listing to seven singles while the rest of us move on with the times, and upgrade our rides and apply all the latest technologies. No one conned me into buying a 29er, I saw it, rode it, liked it, and got it.. no problem! What I can't however understand is wtf are you and all the other anti-29er-crowd peeping into a thread where you've got no business. The heading should have given you an indication that the contents are way above your league.....3 inches above!

What are using at the back? I've got XTR 2 x 10 with 42/30 in the front and 11/36 at the back on my 29er. So far so good, will still see if I will be able to climb those steep hills. Also look at the FSA Afterburner, read some good reviews.

Monark, as a point of departure, you will notice that the budget of a few hubbers do not allow them access to the modern day conversion of bigger wheels, so instead of minding their own business and sticking to their mtbikes of yesteryear, they will nose around in threads where they have very little knowledge, and post irrelavant nonsense, and attempt to mock the world wide 29er hype. Just remember, this crowd is however very small, and as they are saving up their hard earned cash and converting one by one, the group becomes smaller, so that one day we will be able to post 29er threads without remarks from green-eyed-monsters. Back to your Q on the cockpit - It is believed that 29ers are better controlled by a wider flat bar with a shorter stem, and a racier setup to compensate for the raised front-end. A proper bike fit is however still the route to follow to ensure that you enjoy many miles on your bike.

Recently, when I was shopping around for my Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper 29er frame, almost every bike shop which I mailed, offered me the Momson XTR instead, as they could not supply the Stumpy. Well, my mind was made up already, and despite all the sales talk, special offers and convincing to get the Momsen, I eventually got the Stumpy. A complete built with XTR 2 x 10, Easton Wheels, FSA carbon cockpit, Specialized Fast Trak 2Bliss tyres and Specialized Phenom seat, my bill came in under R50K. I was offered the Momsen for R42K, but I believe they retail for R45K.

There is no need to test ride a Specialized bike, especially the Epic S-Works 29er. Buy it and ride it, you will not regret it! And if you shop around, you will be able to get the Epic SW FS 29er frameset locally for a fraction more than the US price at around R34K. If you really need more convincing, call Burry.

Not quite sure what all gets done for R290, but was told that it is a full service excluding opening the BB and headset. Possibly gears, cables and brakes setting, lube and wash.

Also experienced some good customer service from JOC. You structure you own service there starting at R290 and R80 an add-on for BB, Headset etc. No such thing as a major service for some ridiculous amount if it is not necessary.