mountain_lion

Getting one unit for all of the above is not easy. You will have to compromise. For vehicle use you want a nice big screen. For bicycle use you want a small and compact unit. For hiking you want something in between, definitely powered by AA batteries so that you can change in the field on multi day hikes. I use Garmin Edge 305 on the bike and Garmin Etrex Legend HCX for hiking / mountaineering. Bought both in 2007 and have not had any problems (many others have reported problems with the Edge 305; fortuneatly I have experienced none with my or with mrs mountain_lion's units). I don't have a dedicated unit for the car, so the Etrex has to do, although the screen is a bit small. I upgraded from the original monochrome Etrex Legend (which I used on the MTB and for hiking). Was very happy with the Legend so got the newer upgraded Legend again. Should actually have gone for the Vista HCX to get the barometric altimeter; useful in the moutains. Just switch off the electronic compas on the Vista to save on battery life. There are various newer models on the market now e.g. Oregon. These have bigger touch screen, so should be easier to read in a vechile. Also remember to check which maps are included when you buy a mapping capable unit. Although the Garmap products are not bad, I don't own any and have not needed it. I use Tracks4Africa's maps as well as my own topo maps. There were no topo maps available for SA when I first started to use a GPS. I needed topo maps for my mountaineering trips so I started doing my own. Once I had all the scripts setup, it was just computer time to get a map set generated for the whole of RSA. As far as I know Garmap used the same source data for their RSA topo maps. mountain_lion2009-11-22 06:11:59

Shimano shoes are notoriously narrow. If you want to try different cycling shoes, consider Olympics or Specialized, these are nice and wide. However what you are describing sound like the onset of what is called "Morton?s Neuroma" (Google for more info). A metatarsal button below your inner soles can help for this. Specialized make cycling specific inner soles with metatarsal button built in @ R400+ a pair. They come in different versions. Get the one which matches your foot arch. Also included in the package are customisable wedge inserts to correct your leg alignment. Worked for me. See Spezialised High Performance Footbeds Before buying the Specialized inner soles, I had success with building a metatarsal button out of cardboard and taping this to the bottom of my existing inner sole. See links below for more info. http://www.footphysicians.com/footankleinfo/mortons-neuroma.htm http://www.roadbikerider.com/articles.htm#How%20to%20Solve%20Painful%20Hot%20Foot Hope this helps. mountain_lion2010-03-06 08:02:44

Just been through the whole quotation exercise to insure my bikes etc. In the end opted to move everything to Alexander Forbes; got the best deal from them and they offer complete cover for bicycles including racing. Got a few other quotes including one from Cyclesure for the bikes (which was not bad; they even offer a deal covering only 2 bikes out side of the home at any time out of the 2 MTBs and 2 road bikes my wife and I own).

You asked a general question, so here is a general answer... There are various types of BBs and a crank set is normally designed to be used with only one type of BB. The BB thread in the frame is most likely British, but could also be Italian. Shell width also differs between frames. So if you want to keep the same BB, you are limited to compatible crank sets. If you decide to replace the BB as well, the options become wider, i.e. you can fit a different type of BB in order to change to a different design crank set, as long as you get a BB which is compatible with your frame.

Looks like a great light for the price, but I doubt if the manufacturers claim of 900 Lumens is correct. Also might need some attention to the thermal path to ensure good heat dissipation to increase LED life. The guys on Candle power forum have taken it apart, see http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=232163

https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=18101&PID=279842#279842

Very, very nice! Enjoy!

Been using Stan's in Crossmarks on my bike and in Kenda Karmas on mrs mountain_lion's bike for more than a year without any issues. Perhaps I just did not get the bad batch or am just lucky.

I like Crossmarks, but only in the dry. Middle of winter in the Cape they don't work well. Strong and long lasting though. Kenda Karma is a good all rounder, much better in the mud than the Crossmark. Have not tried the Contis. CRC must just get their tyre stock sorted. Their prices are good, but at present they are out of stock on many of the decent UST tyres. mountain_lion2009-11-02 02:59:53

I hate laps too; actually I hate it so much I will rather be riding the road ride in Durbanville on Saturday. I managed to locate my road bike in the garage this evening; had to wrestle the spiders for it though. Guess I am going to get dropped by my bunch not far from the start...

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Maps is where the difference lies. Been a while since I looked at Tom-Tom; their maps might have improved since. Best value for money GPS maps for Africa is still Tracks4Africa and they don't do Tom-Tom compatible maps (doubt if they ever will). I do my own topo maps, also Garmin format only (invested many hours to figure that out). So you can say that I am biased...

Very sound advice as always Mr Lion. Also look for chainsuck with new chain/old chainrings: http://www.fagan.co.za/Bikes/Csuck/ Thanks Ninja That link makes some interesting reading and seems to agree with me, giving more reasons (tooth loading) why a worn chain accelerates chain ring wear. I am still interested to hear Johan's reasoning behind his view; I am no expert and might be convinced otherwise, given a sound explanation.

Incorrect. It will NOT accelerate wear on the chainrings. Johan, please explain why not. I know that wear on a driven sprocket differs fundamentally from wear on a driving sprocket, and thus wear on bicycle cassette is much faster than wear on the chain rings, but there still is wear on the chain rings. My reasoning is this: Using a chain which has elongated to the extent where its pitch does not match the sprocket by a substantial margin, will result in the chain "riding higher" on the teeth of the chain ring, thus contacting on a smaller area while transferring the same force. Surely this results in more wear or not?

The info already posted will tell you how to measure your chain yourself to determine wear. However proof of the pudding is in the eating... You can just replace the chain and go for a ride. If the chain skips on the cassette in some (or all) gears then the chain has worn the cassette to the point where it can no longer accept a new chain (this eventually happens to all cassettes). You now have 2 options: 1. Replace chain and cassette 2. Keep the old chain and old cassette and ride it until you experience problems with it. Keep in mind that doing this will also accelerate wear on the front chain rings.

Ek is tussen 'n small en medium; ry gewoonlik 'n small met 'n lang saalpyp. Damm! Reeds blyplek betaal in Greyton vir hierdie naweek. Sal dit dus nie Saterdag kan maak nie. Weervoorspelling vir Sondag lyk maar nat op die oomblik... Terloops, met die lig tegnologie wat deesdae beskikbaar is het, is daar geen rede om stadiger in die donker te wees as in die dag nie! Met die ligte waarmee ek in 1997 begin ry het, was 'n ander saak, maar steeds baie fun. In die donker is jou fokus skerper; niks behalwe dit wat jou ligte vir jou wys wat jou aandag kan aftrek nie.

Sien uit na die "official" review. I need to go through the exercise of suspension set up as well with my new bike. Perhaps Crow can post a brief how-to on suspension dialling or even offer practical sessions! Let me know when you are riding in the Stellenbosch area again.

Erhem, Summer is starting in the southern hemisphere Hope you have a nice thick jacket WH!

Old steed will be on the market soon; you still interested??

Noticed that too. Something wrong on the website; looks like it is the Women's sizing (heading says XW, or perhaps the Ausie cyclists are just very short...). Giant International site seems to have got it right.

I also thought we would get the aussie spec again; was a bit disappointed when I saw the blue international version.

Not my 1st choice colour either, but that is what is on offer in SA for 2010. The 2010 Aussie version X2 looks much nicer to me (but has lower spec components than the international version).

Again, that is the spec bars; I see no reason to spend money on changing it only for the looks.