thebob

Hold my beer: Thule Epos 3 Bike 13 Pin

A tough of light grease on the internal threads of the pump hose fixed the issue for me

Came right. Thanks!

Regardless of history, my point about the names is correct. Taiwan or the ROC is also know as Formosa if you want to really get into the details

I bought my first MTB from Tony (an awful Nishiki Hardrock) in 1993ish. His shop in Bedford Centre was a landmark to me. I wonder if he tried to sell the shop at all? I think it still has a lot of pull in the area

Republic of China is Taiwan. People's Republic of China is mainland China

Yeah, I don't think I'll be back again for this event again. Riding those roads with big trucks, taxis and some real cowboys on bicyles is not an incentive to come back

Any Fox dealer should be able to help. @droo or Jacques from Cogent Industries would be my go to suppliers

Makes the Framework bikes (starting at $8000) for a fully custom frame seem like a bargain

Sit on both bikes back to back and try and ride them round a parking lot or similar. This is the only way to know which is the right size. Trek's sizing charts tend to push people to bigger sizes than they should be on in my experience.

Really looking forward to seeing what the ones in the box look like!

Peak Torque (of YouTube fame) makes 180mm road bike and gravel bike brake adaptors

Get Stoked in CT are the distributors

Can confirm it went through the reserve. Never ridden in such windy conditions before. A properly tough day out on the bike

I'd suggest getting the brakes properly bled and then sanding and cleaning the pads and discs to remove and glazing or contamination. Bed them in properly again and you should have a lot more power

And then where does the luggage go. DC with bikes on the tailgate are fine if there are two people travelling or if you are shuttling. For the rest, it is a hack

Snuck in at 2:54 last year and am in C batch for this year’s ride. Hopefully I can find a good group to work with a try for another sub 3:00

Go for the 120mm version with the dropper post. Just do it, your wife will thank you later

Giant TCX is a Cyclocross bike. I'd be looking at getting a gravel or allroad bike instead with the two wheel solution. A Giant Revolt or a Giant Defy would be better choices. Just my R0.02

XRC are the XC wheels in DT's lineup. If you have the EXC then don't sweat it and use them on the Slakline. If you have the EXC, go for a set of Lyne AMP Carbons or similar. I prefer the carbon rims as they do not ding or buckle and are usually covered by a decent warranty if they fail

I’ve jumped on the lake bandwagon for my road shoes. They are the best fitting of all the shoes that I have tried and the service from Kim is top notch. I’ll be getting a pair of MTB shoes from her as well in due course. The new website is up with all the contact details and availablility. https://sa.lakecycling.com

Two things killed World Cup DH racing completely dead for me. No Red Bull TV / DSTV. This has been discussed at length, so I won't flog that horse. The other thing was the death of the Fox Dialed series. There was so much insight and information in those videos, it just amped up the anticipation throughout the week. This year I have not watched one World Cup DH and haven't missed it at all

Second vote for the Panaracer Gravelking slicks. I’ve three Ride Joburg 947 on a Giant Revolt with those tyres. They roll super fast, are nice and supple and have a good amount of grip. Used both the 32c and 38c, if I still had the bike I’d split the difference and go with the 35c for the best of both worlds

Yeah, I will confirm what I end up with. Looking forward to banishing foot discomfort to the past!