Headshot

All rims will eventually start cracking up exactly there. I had a DT do that in no time at all. 1300 km does strike me as being a very short period for that to happen. The original flows were made out of very hard alloy and seem to handle a ton of abuse - maybe the newer rims ones have gone to a softer alloy?

Must say all that lovely summery scenery and endless trails in the PDS being shown on all the Les Get Crankworx feeds and videos does look a teeny weeny bit appealing....

This Hairy guy seems to have a stack of these HT bikes. Must be loaded...

I have talked myself into wanting an eBike now. That Spaz Kenevo would be high on the list.

I think the bias against them here has its roots in the masochism of the local riding species, Marathonicus Carbonexterra . This species looks down on anything that isn't ultra light, carbon and 29er and thrives on "suffer scores". The same applies to some extent in the USA. In Europe, it is common to access the mountain via an assisted means and then enjoy riding down, for fun. This explains why eBikes are so popular in that region. They have been having fun like this for decades. Here, having a fun ride is not the main agenda...

People realizing they made a big mistake and selling their recently acquired toys? But then what to make of all the normal bikes for sale... Duh!

Actually, I have ridden a Levo. They are great. I love things with engines. I used to have a big fat 2 stroke MX bike and a road motor bike. I am even thinking of an eBike as a commuter one day. Or maybe I'll just buy a second hand street moto and have even more fun :-). The point I was trying to make is that for these things to sell, manufacturers have had to market them in a way that is both appealing and socially and environmentally acceptable. Its worked up to a point but in the USA they have already been banned from MTB trails in some areas. I am not sure exactly what the reasoning is behind that or whether this will be relaxed as they become more accepted over there. Imagine if they were called "MotorMTB's"? Would we be having this debate at all? I don't think this debate has anything in common with a wheel size debate. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that an eBike makes you faster up hill. And you'll probably also get down before the bike riding guy even if he has more skill than you because you feel fresh and made up millions of seconds on the uphill. I will adjust my signature if you like? How about... "Ride what the **** you feel like but my 250w eBike will trump your skill, fitness and wheel size, 24/7" Yeah!

Ha ha - I've never used that drug...They have to make do with youtube.

I also have those things called 'kids"....

Yes, there is a logic failure there, or a big fat fib. If I ride an eBike, I damn well want to go fast up hill, not at the same speed as my ordinary bike.

Bumped into Barry F on the Cecelia hill yesterday - out for some pre-Morz training in the low light conditions. You guys make me sick ! :-)

The same people who pioneered mountain-biking in South Africa are now in their 50s and 60s, and we still like to ride our bikes. Pedelecs allows us to continue to do something that we’ve always loved to do despite the physical challenges that come with age; something that younger folks are not going to get. My pedelec will extend my mountain biking by another 15 years. Not sure what being in your 50's or 60's has to do with needing an eBike? I fall into the 50 something bracket as do several friends. We happily still ride our bikes up hills, do marathons and enduro's. To me an E Bike is a bit like going for the Zimmer Frame or wheel chair option. if old age is your justification of course. :-) In fact, they make riding and having fun easier for all ages - most of the people I have seen on them don't fit into the age category you mention and I see plenty of people in that category on normal bikes. Do they make kids eBikes? Would help ease them into cycling up hills I reckon.

Clutching at straws and flogging your own dead pony? The fact is that the industry has attempted to make motorised bikes cool by calling them "E" . They are in reality, that is, plain English, Motor-bicycles.

Yep, and funnily enough i rode the RR on the front a bit with just a std patch glued on the inside of the tyre, no stitching. It was leaking very slightly but the sealant did its job. Oh well, will have to persevere...

This is also the guy who used his commentary position at the Epic to tell everyone how a Lefty fork wss unbalanced and therefore bad at finish line sprints ... Bwahahahahahaha

I think Bike Hub needs to look at a third website. After all they don't expect us to hob nob with trail runners and gave them their little piece of cyberspace to moan about cyclists and plan their runs on the best bona fide mtb trails they can find. How about "eBike Hub" ? Then we can moan about the eBikes in peace and vice versa.

This is getting funnier and funnier. Did you see what i just did, by the way?

Just resurrected two punctured tyres with some dental floss stitching and a patch on the inside. Both were victims of sharp rocks penetrating the tread and sidewall snake bites in line with the hole. It hasn't worked so well so far. They are usable but leak and need a refill before each ride. Any ideas? I do prefer the standard snake skin Rock Razor out back on the HT though. Its lighter than the SG version i have just taken off and the ride is better. I'd say that the SG casing works better on a full suspension bike where you don't need as much give in the tyre... I am back on a MM up front - its way noisier than the RR but confidence inspiring on the slithery damp trails I frequent.

Okay, so what I'm taking away from the last sentence is that an eBike makes you faster than a racing snake. How does that feel? :-)

Never go "full enduro" except for this one.

https://enduro-mtb.com/en/the-best-mtb-knee-pads-you-can-buy/ Some slightly surprising results. Leatt does not fare well at all. Quite scary how poorly some of the big name brands score.

Well That GMBN Don guy was faster on flats but is also not normal. I tried flats with my 5.10 spd shoes when my knee ligament was still recovering. The grip is good and my shoes are old so not that stiff. As with most things its a choice of what is ideal and what you can make do with. I tried skate shoes too. You can feel the pins through a thin soled shoe and they are too flexible. There are also durability issues. I cannot see how a Vellie with a poor lace system compared to a proper shoe will ever give the same kind of security on the pedal. A poor shoe choice could make a move to flats even harder than it should be.

R81 ? Surly you have an activity card - you know for your South Side Massive TM rides? Naughty naughty!

Course preview is out...

Yaaaawwwwn.