Mojoman

What a complete bunch of boneheads! This will end up on Facebook etc and we will be tarred with the same brush....

A job for Pratleys?

Remove the wheel and the pads. Look around the piston where it comes out of the caliper and you will probably see a build up of crud all around the the surface and edges. Depending on which brakes you have use a cotton bud dipped in either mineral oil or brake fluid and clean up the surface. Use a wide flat bladed screwdriver (you can put some tape on the point so as not to scratch and damage anything) and gently press down on one piston and gently press your brake lever to force the other piston out a bit more (little by little otherwise you will pop out the piston and then its a problem!). Clean the area again and gently force the piston back in. Do the same for the other side. You may need to repeat the forcing out and cleaning of the piston a couple of times. Make sure the surfaces are clean and free of any oil/brake fluid. Press the pistons all the way back in, reinstall the pads, refit the wheel and press the lever a couple of times and the psitons should adjust to reach the disc and hopefully thats the end of that!

You can use anything on your chain! I think the trick is no matter what you use to always keep that chain clean and well lubed. I have tried a good few products over the last couple of years, especially the wax based ones and now just use gear oil. R30-40 for 500ml. But you need try different products and see what works for you (and your pocket) at the end of the day.

Double check that the saddle is not broken underneath, I had a great time trying to eliminate a creak on a dual suspension bike and discovered the saddle had actually broken underneath! Thankfully I got it replaced. Take a couple of drops of oil and let it run down the rails to where the rails enter the saddle at the front and back. My Gobi needs this every once in a while. You can also take the saddle off the seat post, make sure everything is clean and reassemble.

Bushveld chicken! The bane of any horse riders existence!

I read somewhere that a good couple of million of chickens are slagged everyday just in RSA, no way can you achieve that on grain fed, free range happy chickens. Unforunately with a world population in the billions this is how food production is going.

Ja, although I am a vegetarian I feel that if you want to eat meat you really need to be responsible about it, not only for the animal but for your own health as well. Its all about profit and the animals are so pumped up with growth hormones and antibiotics and other crap that who knows what damage you are doing to yourself in the long term. And as you can see in the image sadly they exist in appalling conditions.

Here is your bacon busy 'growing'.....!

My 26'er keeps me feeling like a teenager.....hopefully oneday I will know for sure if its for me or not.......

How long have you had the bike? I am suprised they would replace a wheel after say 3 months use or something?

I agree with you, its not everyones cup of tea especially once they realise you need to put some quality effort in to get enjoyment out. I have 3 friends who bought bikes and have rather opted to sell them and do something else as its too much like hard work after a hard night of partying! I have another mate who rides about once every 4 months and yet another one who bought a bike and has not ridden for about 3 years (and he has done 2 Comrades so is (was) fit enough but is now tied down with a house and never has time to train anymore).

I have clocked myself walking just over 6km when mowing the lawn and weedeating! Up and down and around again....! I work from home so there isnt much walking to be done!

I managed to round off a bolt on my crank and it took some patience and a small cold chisel to get that out without any damage! The cheap ones dont last long at all and cause more trouble than they are worth.

Whats the breakdown on that R3700 out of interest?

Big plus on your bike shop not charging you to swop over parts as well.

What happened to your old one? Did it break or something?

Ok, same material as wevegotyouoverabarrelum....

Not sure if you are in JHB area but the guys at Ballistic Bike Trading who bring in Ghost have a little area in the veld where you can ride the bikes.

I had the RT5700 and RT7500, nice looking bikes and a lot faster than the Trance but had a more forward position and those two models are nowhere near as much fun on a track as what the Trance is...my opinion mind you!

I have a 26in Trance, had a 26in Ghost DS, but I prefer the handling and more upright position of the Trance. Even if it makes me a teenager with no idea if I like mountain biking....!

I have a seperate HR monitor so you can still use it if you go running etc (I also use it when mowing my lawn along with the pedometer!) Also see how well/tight the unit mounts to its fitting on the handlebar, I lost my Sigma last year at the Magalies Monster after turning my bike upside down to try and sort out the lekker noise my brakes were making....

Why are they so expensive? Surely they cant be that pricey to machine?

I agree, I was 110kg+ a few years back and had no issues with grip, lungs and muscles were a different story though!