ti guy

Try CWC - they have a few real classics, including a huge penny-farthing.

I run Continental X King [front] and Race King [rear] PROTECTION on both the 26" and 29" bikes - the grip is excellent on most surfaces, although I must confess I have not ridden the X King in very muddy conditions. The wear is reasonable, but the biggest advantage comes from the sidewall of the Protection version: it is uncanny how well it works, even in the most rockiest of terrain. I'm sure someone has written this before, but one tip when you fit the tyres and wish to run them tubeless - give them a good wipe on the inside with surgical spirits before you fit them [i guess methylated spirits will also work] - it keeps the sealant from leaking through the pin holes that manufacturers leave in the tyre.

AX Lightness frame and parts, Campy Super Record drivetrain + Pedals = 5.2kg

Can't you afford Campagnolo

ZTR 29er Race Gold - great wheels if you are under 77kg.

My apology: no question

I'm not saying the guy is an idiot, but if he has been told in a language that he understands, it is pretty ... uhhhh .... stupid to disregard the wish of the owner of the property. If he complains that he has been treated like a child because he did wrong, it would be equally stupid. Also, while the majority of mountain bikers in South Africa treat the landowner's property with respect [read: stay on the trails & do not litter] there are those that misbehave. I have ridden in the Bottelary Hills area and have seen energy bar wrappers and empty sachets in and on the side of the trails. I have ridden in Switzerland a few times and I have never seen any litter on the trails - public or private. Again, I'm not saying that Swiss riders do not litter on Swiss land [or SA land], but generally the country is cleaner that South Africa. Ergo, you cannot really compare riding on Swiss farms with riding on SA farms. Against this background, it is easy to understand why a landowner does not want anyone, including a mountain biker, on his property.

I suggest American Classic hubs, ZTR Crest rims and DT Evolution spokes. Killer wheels and weighs under 1400g.

Try the Suplest range - available on a special at CWC Online. Slightly wider than Italian shoes and a great fit.

Try to avoid that road if you can. I was held at gunpoint in that area a few years ago in broad daylight. Four guys - one with a gun - stepped into the road, forced me to stop, took my adidas eyewear and Polar and casually sauntered off towards the residential area next to the road. Speedy recovery Henk!

Thanks for the compliment :lol:The specs are posted somewhere in this thread, but the frame is an Italian beauty by Antonio Sarte, a small frame-builder that has been building frames by hand for more than 30 years; check it out on http://www.sartoantonio.it/ and chat with CWC Online.The group is XTR and the other components come compliments of AX Lightness.

:)I'd love to put an XX cassette on the bike, but the sponsor will kill me!

Thanks

The fork weighs 584g, uncut. I have considered the Trigon, Ritchey and Niner forks and ultimately settled for the On-One. The Trigon was too low [42cm c-a], the Niner too high [48 c-a] and the On-One [46 c-a] suited my riding style the best. And I liked the looks My 2nd choice would have been the Niner, but it is quite expensive - around R4600..

:)No apology necessary, as long as I can catch a ride with you on the Strip ... in the Lambo ...

Thanks

Thanks! Ohhhh yesssss, how I would like all of those on the bike! For the time being, I will have to stick to what is on there, otherwise the sponsor will kill me. I would also dearly like the Tune Wassertrager [used them in 2004-2006], but they only take a conical bottle and PVM uses a standard bottle. The Tune Universal cage is heavier than the AX Nasdorowje. But the Scrubz rotors is a brilliant idea; I thought of Carbon Ti ...

:lol:After spending almost half my life on a bicycle, some 8 of those on a Tune Speedneedle saddle and more recently on an AX Lightness Phoenix [NO padding], I have no nerve endings in my rear end. The hands sometimes get a little sore, but my upper arms take the most punishment. I did a 6hr ride on Saturday in the mountains, quite rocky at times, and felt fine yesterday, except for the arms. But I will certainly not ride the Epic on a rigid fork - that is what the XX World Cup is for.

Ah, thanks Tankman! Thanks for posting all the pics, much appreciated

:DDon't know about the gears - will never make it up the mountains. Yep, back in 1988 I raced in the USA and a shock was unheard of. I remember coming down the Kamikaze Downhill on a fully-rigid bike, tires inflated to almost 4 bar and praying that bike and body will make it to the finish line. It was only back in SA around 1992 that Rock Shox produced its first suspension fork - black, with pink decals - ugly as sin and probably the same weight as the bike itself! How things have changed ...

Great, I'll wait for the medal

Of course I am concerned about weight - who is not? Who will want to ride a bike that weighs 10kg if he/she can ride a bike that comes in at 8kg? As to your other remarks: I find the bike pretty comfortable, thank you. And I AM also a roadie [if by "roadie" you mean someone who rides a road bike]. There are quite a few of us around who like to ride/race both road bikes and mountain bikes.

Yes, but you must remember that I buy them at dealer prices ...

I know quite a few guys that use the 10spd Dura Ace chain on the XTR Race cranks, chainrings and cassette. From all accounts, it works well.

Here you go: Frame: SARTO [hand-built in Italy] frame size: 17" FORK: On-One 29er Race Carbon Wheels + Quick release: AX Lightness carbon tubular built on Tune Prince + Princess hubs Tyres: Tufo 29er tubular H/bar + Stem + Bottle Cages: AX Lightness Groupset: XTR Race Saddle: Tune Marathon ISP: Tune Cappy