Craig Armstrong

Hey guys, I live in Edgemead and work in Woodstock. Occasionally I see cyclists commuting along the train route (Obviously not on the train track, but on the open area next to the track) Im curious to know, is this safe? Not sure if mugging is a concern in this area?

Hey guys, I'm currently rocking a Spez Camber with the stock M447 brake calipers and M506 levers. I really feel like my brakes aren't good enough. I'm pretty sure they're sufficiently bled, but they just don't have good stopping power. I don't have much frame of reference, so I don't know where I should be looking to upgrade. Calipers, rotors or pads... Are the M447 calipers known to be not great? Would M615/SLX brake calipers would be a significant upgrade? I'm currently using 180F/160R rotors. I'm not sure if I should move to 203F/180R rotors, or if 180F/160R should be good enough with the right brake set? Does anyone here have M447s and feel like they are good enough? I'm not sure where my issue lies. Could even be the pads, I guess

This is just for the lowers, not the damper. You use fork oil in the damper. The lowers just needs a lubricant for the dust wiper

For years, people have recommended Castrol Magnatec as a good alternative for the lubricant for RS lowers. I've just realised that Castrol Magnatec has a new label and supposedly has some fancy new formulation or something. Has anyone been brave enough to use the new Magnatec? I'm worried that there might be some dodgy additives in the oil Or what other oils do you guys think is safe for RS lowers?

Thanks so much. Just the article I needed!

Well one issue is that I'm not in Cape Town, so incl. shipping it'll be R400 for that bottle. Yes, R400 isn't absolutely unaffordable, but if there's another oil that's the same thing, but for R100 per litre, why wouldn't I buy it? I don't believe that the Shimano sticker gives it any special properties. If someone has done the research to work out that Castrol LHM or some other oil is the same thing, then I'd rather buy the oil thats 1/4 of the price.

Believe it or not, I've actually found it kind of difficult to find Shimano oil at bike shops. And the one or two that have it on the shelves charge so much that its actually cheaper to just have them bleed your breaks than to buy a bottle. For example: https://www.cyclelab.com/product/shimano-mineral-oil-50ml That'll last you probably 1 set of brakes. At my LBS, I can bleed my breaks for R80 a side. In any case, its not like Shimano oil has some magical properties that no other oil has. Its just a matter of finding a cheaper oil that has the same properties.

Hi guys, So I've searched and found that you guys suggest Castrol LHM as the cheap alternative to shimano mineral oil. Unfortunately from the 4 stores I went to, I couldn't find it. I eventually found Total LHM+. From the data sheet, it's 18cs at 40 degrees, as opposed to 20 on the castrol. I figured that's close enough. Especially since they're advertised as being for the same thing. But here's my concern, from what I could find of the shimano oil, it's about 8cs at 40 degrees.. Why the discrepancy? I fear that I got it all wrong, and I wasn't supposed to be looking at LHM+, but LHM... If that's a thing. So, is it supposed to be LHM+ or LHM. If LHM+ is right, is shimano really 8cs vs 20 on the castrol lhm?

Thanks so much! That was it. Problem solved

I was just busy doing a bit of maintenance on my bike when I realised my cassette has some free play in it. Is this normal? I noticed it because when I shifted to my biggest gear, the cassette actually moved a little. Seems like it might mess with the gear indexing. Or should I just ignore it. Video to demonstrate: https://s.amsu.ng/aouApYyK3vzN

Does anyone else use the Garmin Edge 25 with a Wahoo trainer? I haven't been able to get the Garmin to connect to the trainer. Wondering if its possible at all

So, while we wait for this new integration feature which will hopefully be released soon, what is the best workaround? I have a Garmin Edge 25 that I use for my outdoor cycling. Are you guys suggesting that I should hook my indoor trainer up to the Garmin as well as my PC (Which I use for Zwift), and then the Garmins data will be accepted for Vitality? If that's correct, is that generally the best way of doing this? I've got my Zwift set up to sync to Garmin Connect, but Vitality doesn't seem to accept the rides that way. Is there a trick to making it work that way? Or must I do the previous solution

What type of trail can one expect when going to Van Gaalens? The trail is a bit of a mystery to me. I've heard about it, but couldn't find much on trailforks or elsewhere on the internet. I've moved to Gauteng from Cape Town this year and really miss the Cape Townian trails (ie. Trails that aren't as flat as a pancake). The best trails I've ridden in JHB are Wolwespruit and Kingskloof (Because they have fun descents, rather than just a gradual 300m over a 40km route). If I ride at Van Gaalens, can I expect fun/fast descents? Or is it more of a marathon type trail?

Jirrre I don't know how you guys have any grip on such high pressures. I run my tires at 1.1 bar. Any more than that and I feel like I'm on ice skates. Mind you, I only started running so low when I went onto wide rims. Don't know what the science is behind it, but the wider the tire, the harder the tires feel at the same pressure. I know wider tires allow lower pressures due to having more support against the tire rolling sideways, but even aside from that, the tires just feel harder on wider tires. This may all be in my head though, but it's just my experience

Does anyone know roughly how much ascending is involved in the 35km race?